hingly
called upon Brown for a toast. He was equal to the occasion as he
quickly replied: "This is the Lord's Day!"

CHAPTER VII

FASHION AND LETTERS

One of the show places of New York State, many years ago, was the
residence of John Greig, a polished Scotch gentleman who presided with
dignity over his princely estate in Canandaigua in central New York, and
there dispensed a generous hospitality. Mr. Greig was the agent for some
of the English nobility, many of whom owned extensive tracts of land in
America. The village of Canandaigua was also the home of the Honorable
Francis Granger, a son of Gideon Granger, Postmaster General under
Jefferson and Madison. Francis Granger was the Postmaster General for a
brief period under President William Henry Harrison, but the latter died
soon after his inauguration and his successor did not retain him in his
cabinet. It is said of Francis Granger that he was a firm believer in
the words of ex-Governor William L. Marcy in the United States Senate in
1832 that "to the victors belong the spoils of the enemy," and that
during his month of cabinet service eighteen hundred employees in his
department were dismissed. The Democrats evidently thought that "turn
about was fair play," as a few years later, under President Polk, the
work of decapitation was equally active. Ransom H. Gillett, Register of
the Treasury at that time, became so famous at head-chopping, that he
was soon nicknamed "Guillotine."

Mr. Granger, with his fine physique and engaging manner (he was often
called "the handsome Frank Granger"), was well adapted to the
requirements of social life and especially to those of the National
Capital, where the _beaux esprits_ usually congregated. His only
daughter, Adele Granger, often called "the witty Miss Granger," was at
school at Madame Chegaray's with my elder sister Fanny, and in my
earlier life was frequently a guest in our Houston Street home, prior to
her sojourn in Washington, where her father for many years represented
his district in Congress. We looked forward to her visits as one
anticipates with delight a ray of sunshine. She was always assured of
the heartiest of welcomes in Washington, where she was the center of a
bright and intellectual circle. She finally married Mr. John E. Thayer,
a Boston capitalist, and after his death became the wife of the Hon.
Robert C. Winthrop of the same city. She presided with grace over a
summer home in Brookline and a