d on the way back at New York.
He spent the time at the house of a former Virginian, Beverly Robinson,
who had married Susannah Philipse, daughter of Frederick Philipse, one of
the rich men of Manhattan. In the household was a young woman, Mary
Philipse, sister of the hostess. She was older than Washington, educated,
and had seen much more of polite life than he. The tall, young Virginian,
fresh from the frontier, where he had had horses shot under him, excited
the interest of Mary Philipse, and Washington, innocent but ardent,
mistook this natural curiosity for a softer sentiment and proposed on the
spot. As soon as the lady got her breath he was let down very gently.

Two years afterwards Mary Philipse married Colonel Roger Morris, in the
king's service, and cards were duly sent to Mount Vernon. But the
whirligig of time equalizes all things, and, in Seventeen Hundred
Seventy-six, General Washington, Commander of the Continental Army,
occupied the mansion of Colonel Morris, the Colonel and his lady being
fugitive Tories. In his diary, Washington records this significant item:
"Dined at the house lately Colonel Roger Morris confiscated and the
occupation of a common Farmer."

Washington always attributed his defeat at the hands of Mary Philipse to
being too precipitate and "not waiting until ye ladye was in ye mood." But
two years later we find him being even more hasty and this time with
success, which proves that all signs fail in dry weather, and some things
are possible as well as others. He was on his way to Williamsburg to
consult physicians and stopped at the residence of Mrs. Daniel Parke
Custis to make a short call--was pressed to remain to tea, did so,
proposed marriage, and was graciously accepted. We have a beautiful steel
engraving that immortalizes this visit, showing Washington's horse
impatiently waiting at the door.

Mrs. Custis was a widow with two children. She was twenty-six, and the
same age as Washington within three months. Her husband had died seven
months before. In Washington's cash-account for May, Seventeen Hundred
Fifty-eight, is an item, "one Engagement Ring L2.16.0."

The happy couple were married eight months later, and we find Mrs.
Washington explaining to a friend that her reason for the somewhat hasty
union was that her estate was getting in a bad way and a man was needed to
look after it. Our actions are usually right, but the reasons we give
seldom are; but in this case no doubt