Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-10
NELSON'S STORY
As Told by Her Mother and Neighbor
Friend-Driyen from Her Home By
a Cruel Stepfather,
She Went Out Into the World and Grad.
ually Felt Her Way to the First
Place on the stage.

and Obey Cheyin in my face and trod the mar
row streets OF Guiseley village. Then it was
Yorkshire hamlet of the most primitive
kind, given up to hand-loom weaving, and
doing that weaving pleasantly and leisurely
in Its pretty cottages. The peculiar noise OF
the driving shuttle, and the singing of Meth
odist hymns, were sounds tossed to and fro
on Guiseley streets then; and could always
bid my ears give back the echoing memories.
But steam power and railways had since
taken pos ession of the place; the blended
noise OF Song and shuttle was silent. In its
place there was q laundering reverberation
in two or three mysterious looking buildings,
like model prisons, with curling black smoke
above them and gurgling black water below.
But, apart from these things, Guiseley was
Guiseley yet. The Yorkshire homes, with
their delightful "best Kitchens" reveling in
warmth and comfort and color, were I'M
changed; the hearts of their owners were
young as ever. As wandered about, full Of
10y, frUur tirs tesr pzrtur 10 the brst Kitchen,
two familiar faces on the wall struck me.
One was that Of President Garfield; the
other, that of Adelaide Nelson. Gar6eld's
picture / had become used to seeing in all
kinds Of out of-the-way places, and it aroused
no particular sense of wonder; but Adelaide
Nelson IN the charm of her wondrous
"Juliet," in the house of Yorkshire On an
who believed with all his soul that the road
TO heaven lay right through the az Metho-
dist westinghouse" did affect me curiously.
Still, perhaps 1 should have taken no
further notice of the singularity, had not
casually lifted an album and opened it on
Adelaide Nelson. There was no mistaking
the face, though the dress was that of an
ordinary lady. In few pages came upon
Adelaide Nelson again and again and sg ain;
it seemed to me that it was almost Nelson
album.
/ carried the book into the house place
and sat down by my hostess.
'We'll hev our dinner directly" she said
radianfly; "there's nothing like oft of good
eating"
"What beautiful faceI'
"You are right there. She wer bonny
lass-she wer that for sure. And she wer
always recone1 clever one, particularly
after T. Queen and Z Prince Of Wales and all
London thought SO too"
"You knew her, then?"
81 should think 1 did know her. Desry
me! I'd rayther hev lost bit of brass than
she should hev died yonder way, and 'mong
them French people, tool Poor Lizzie Ami
"But her name was Adelaide"
"Whyai maybe SO TO them as didn't know
her. She wer brought up i Guiseley, but
she wer niver quite like other lasses. When
she wer slip of a thing she wer always
reading. / can mind her often coming to
our shop for pound of sugar, or the like of
that, and being SO taken up with Z reading
on paper bsgs as niver was"
"The reading on the paper pags?"
Eyes. The bags we bought then for wrap
ping up goods had always bit of poetry or
a description of some foreign place on them
and often she'd say to me: Give me this
other bit of paper, too, Mrs. B. and I'd
say, For sure, and welcome, Lizzie Ann
En- but can see her yet, half leaning over
Z counter, and that taken up with some bit
Of paper she forgot Everything, till Pd say,
why, Lizzie Ann, aigerl Art thou here
yet? Thou'd better be framing home With
thy parcel, or thy mother will be fratching
at thee, and serve thee right, too Then
ehe'd go her ways quick enough, but with q
kind of yonderly look in her eyes"
$50 her mother lived here ALSO"
"She lives none that far from as now
Well go and see her when we've eaten sum-
mat"
al should like that very much. Is her
father liviugf"
"Her fatheri Humi-well, her stepfather
it washes dead. He painted and glazed
| this very room, and it was rect well done
No one could say Bland wasn't good work
man; and q man who does his duty by his
work is worth summat. Come now, and
| we'se hev some Yorkshire pudding of = rect
sort. pll be bound thou niver sees it in
America"
The promised call was at a small, pretty
cottage, standing in a strip of garden fra
grant with bit of southern-wood and .
| sweetbrier. A dsrk-eyed, acknowledging
woman, sharp and cutting as the east wind
| opened the door.
"Could we see Mrs. Bland?"
"Whysl it's like enough. Come yer way
| in any sit ye down."
The parlor into which we were taken,
I .lo - -. 1a11 ka1 80 h.
! fair Nelson's memory. Pictures OF her II
| every character and mood covered the walls
and these walls were remarkable in it'll.
/ villsge like Guiseley, and in cottage who's
| rent could hardly be more than $40 year
| They were of the richest and most dazzling
| white, picked out with quaint pattern il
| gilt. The room was otherwise indicative o
quiet and refined tastes; a few very comfort
| able chairs, good books, some fresh primrose
in vase, and plate of fine purple plum
| on the table.
| In few moments Mrs. Bland came to ue
She is still handsome woman, about eft,
years of age, with manners eingularly dra-
| matte and demonstrative. There was no diff
6culty in introducing the object of our visit
The poor, heart-broken mother could talk o.
only one thing-the child who had perishet
in the very zenith of her beauty and fame
| began to ask about her youth, and she
II
taken when the actress was in her eleventh
year. The face was exquisite; not even thu
disfgurfng style OF the dress and the wid'
| pantalettes down TO the ankles could ipjur
It's beauty. Eut even in this early pictur
there was that inexplicable shadow of earl,
| death or sorrow which few or none of the bes
likenesses of Miss Nelson are without.
Ny friend took the portrait from me ant
looked at it. 81 remember her in that yer,
| - kr,f Il. hon
she were thatl she wer even down bonnyw
"Tll show you the very hat she wore will
it," said the fond mother, going up stair
and returning with a pretty, round fat o
Tuscan straw, having a faded blue satin rib
bon tied round ii. A dainty little hat
was, and took it in my hand with a yer,
curious sensation; in fact, 1 think we were al
crying softly over it.
asked the mother then il the futur
in her childhood.
when she was four years old she was in
venting and acting characters" she answered
| sShe seemed to seize on any peculisrit
people had, and not only did she try to i'm
itate them, but often invented a new maune
for them, trying to realize her ideal in a
sorts of queer ways. When she was nv
years old she had formed her own opinion c
| what q ghost ought to be like, and how
=
| often to let her be ghost"
"a child's conception of ghostl Do tel
us about il"
81 would not allow her to translate it; sd
| was already too nervous and imaginative
but che chung to the idea long time, and
daresay satisfied herself in private. She Wa
| very persistent, and che returned and II
| turned to fancy till was often angry 1
| her."
"Was it from yourself she inherited tn
| dramatic INSTINCT"
| After a moments hesitation she answered
"Her father was an actor"
"I heard che was born in Leeds.D
"Nobody but myself knows where she va
bern,n she answered, with tribe OF Irrit'
ton. 81 have told no one, and don't mes
tor Then, with smile at my friend, g
think We may say she was Guiseley CIR
| Mira B-n
"We're none like TO give her up, Mr.
Bland. We're proud as liver can be Of Liz
Ann Horsforth may bosst itself abol
. t'LongfelIows; we'd rather be half hey OIL
lass Besides" abe added, @Horsforth is
, Guiseley parish. Now, then, what can the
say TO that?"
ibid Miss Nelson know her own father
I'll mo. Let me show you her grandfath'
| | and grsndmother-my parents"
She took from q drawer two strong. ruggt
faces in photogrsph-faces OF the pure
, Yorkshire type-the man having kind OF
, ministerial look which remarked at once.
ayes, he was q Wesleyan local preacher
] said Mrs. Bland.
: sand one of t'strictest Methodists as vi
liver known" added my friend. He W
t | always ready for methodist chapel, Il
werS
| NJ pla H.. IL . .;ngolar o,