New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-26
ADELAIDE NELSON.
STORIES OF HER CHILDHOOD.


Guiseley village. Then It was Yorkshire hamlet
OF the most primitive kind, given up to handl
weaving, and doing that weaving pleasantly anu
oisurey in its pretty cottages. The peculiar NOISE
of the driving shuttle and the singing OF Methodist
hymns were sounds tossed to and lro on Gnlseiey
streets then ana / could always bid my ears give
back the echOing memories. But steanl-p0Wer ana
railways had since taken pOssessOn OF the place
the blended noise Of song and shuttle was silent
In It's place there was laundering reVerDeratl0n
in two or three mysterious looking buildings, ike
model prisons, with curling BLACK smoke ABOVE
them and gurgDg Olac k water below:
But. apart from these things Guseiey was
Gulselov yet The Yorkshire homes. with their
delightsome best Kitchens reyellng In warmth
and comfort and color were unchanged the hearts
OF their owners we're young as ever. as wandered
about full of joy, from tue best parl0T 10 the oes'
kitchen two familiar faces on wall struck me-
one was that Of President Garfield; the other. that
OF Adelaide Nelson. Garields picture had be-
come used to seeing IN all kinds Ol OUT OF tueWay
places and it roused no particular sense OF WONDER
but Adelaide Nelson, IN the charm OIL ner WOE
drous JHliet. in the house OF 1orKshltemah VINO
believed with all his soul that the road to heaS en-
lay right through & Methodist meeting mouse,
did alteCt me curiOusIy. ,
SILL perhaps | should have taken no further
notice OF tho singuarlty had not casually lifted
an album ana opened 1t on Adelaide Nelson. lhere
was 10 nIstaklng the face. though the dress was
that OF an ordinary lady. In few pages came
upon Adelaide Nelson again and again and again ::
il seemed u that it was almost Nielsen album.
| carried the book into the hoqse-place and sat
directly" she SAID radiantly " there's nothing
like Il bit Of good eating
What a beautiful face
You are right there. She wer b0nny lass, she
wer mat for sure. Aud she wer always feckoned
a clever one particular after t Queen and T. Price
of Wales and ali London thought 80 too"
" You knew her, then =
81 should think did know heI. Deary me. I'd
raytuer hey lost a blt OF brass than she should hev
died yonder way,-and 'mOng them French people,
too. Poor LIZZIE Ann
" But her name was Adelaide"
"Whya. maybe so to them as didn' know her.
She wer brought up Guiseley, but she wer river
quite ike other la,ses When she "a slip of a
thing size wer always reading. | can mind her
o ten coming to our shop for pound OF sugar. or
the like of that and being 50 taken up with road
ing on L paper bags ~ niver was
" The reading on the paper bags !?
" Yes. Inc bags we bought then for wrapping up
goods had always bit of poetry or description Oh
foreign place on them and often she d say 10
me; Give me this Cther bic OF paper too, Mrs B.,
and I'd sag, For sure. and welcome, Lizzie Aln.'
En- tut 1 can see her yet, half leaning over t.
sine forgot Everything, till I'd say, Why. Lizzie
Ann. nireri Art thou here yet Ihon'd better 1e
framing home with thy parcel or thy mother VIII
be fratchIng at Uhee anu serve thee light too'
Then she'd go her ways quick enough, but with
kind of yonderly look IN her eyes,
" So her mother lived here alsoT
"She lives mono that far from US now. Wen go
and see her when we've eaten summat"
Il should like that very much Is her father
iivlngW
Tier latherl Hum well, her step-father it was,
hes dead lie painted and glazed this very room.
and il was rect well done. NO one could say Bland
wasn't a good workman; and "a man who does MS
duty by his WORK is worth summat. Como. now,
and we'se hev some Yorkshire pudding OF I ieet
sort I'll be bound thou nlyeT sees 1t IN America
The promised call was at small, pretty cottage
standing in n strip of garden fragrant with bush
OF southernwood and eet-brler. dark eyed,
solemn looking woman sharp and cutting as the
east wind opened the door.
Could see Mrs. Bland u
"Whyal it's like enough. Come yer ways in and
sit We down.
glance was shrine dedicated 10 the fair Nelson's
memory. Pictures of her in every character and
mood covered the walls and these walls were re-
narkable III little village ike OulctleJ ana III
co1tage whose rent could hardly be more than
twenty pounds a year. Ihey were OF the richest
and most dazzling white, picked cut with quaint
uattprn in GILT. The room was otherwise indicative
of onIct and refined tastes; few very comfortable
chairs, good books, some fresh prlnrostS In
vase and plat. of line purple plums on the table.
In few moments Mrs. Stand came to us. She is
still handsome woman, about fifty years OF age,
with manners singularly dramatic ana denonStra-
tive There no difficulty III introducing the
obrct of our visit. The poor, heart. broken mother
could talk of only ono thng,-the child who had
pershed In the very zenith OF her beauty ana lame.
began 10 ask about her youth, and she brought ne
little colOred daguerrotJ pc taken when the actress
was IN her eleventh year. The face was exquisite;
not even the dsiisurng style OF tl9 dress ana the
wide muslin pantactJeS down To the ankles could
iniure its beauty BUT even in this early picture
there was that inexpllcabe shadow o. early death
or SORROW which few OF none oil the best llkenesses
otMiss Nelson are without.
Nv friend took the portrait from me and looked
at H. remember her in that very dress, she said
" Eh but sue wer bonny, she wcr that! she wer
even down bOnnyW
I'm show you the very hat she ore with it, said
tho fond mother. going upstaIs and returning with
pretty round Hat of fancy Tuscan straw, having
faded blue satin ribbon tleG round it, dainty
lUtle hat IL was. and | took II i'll my hand with
very curious sensation III fact think we were all
crying softly over IT,
asked the mother then if the future actress had
DISPLAYED ans histrOnic talent IN her childhood.
"Wheu she WAS TOUR years old she was inventing
and acting characters' she answered. She
seemed 10 seize on any popularity people had. and
not only did she try to initiate thcn but often in
vented a new manner for them. trying to realize
her IDEAL in all sorts of queer ways When she was
five years Old she had formed her own opinion OF
what "a ghost ought to be like. and how IL ought 10
walk and act and she begged me often to let her be
ghost"
a child's conception of a ghost Do tell US
would not allow her to translate it she was al
ready too nervous ard imaginative; but she clung
to the idea long time, and dareSay satisfied her
self in private. she very persistent. and she
returned and returned to fancy till was often
angry ut be"
Was II from yourself she nherltcd TINS dramatic
instnctW
Alter moments hesitation she answered, !" Her
father was an actor
heard sho was born in Leeds"
Nobody but myself knows where she was born"
she ausw cred, with u trile of irritation. have
told no one, and don't mean to- Then, with II
(iuiscley girl. Mrs. b"
We're mono like TO give hor up. Mrs. Bland.
We're proud as liver can bc of Lizzie Aun. llOrs
forth may boast itself about L0ngfellOws; we'd
rather bo half hev our lass. Beside she added
with triumphant toss of her head. lIors:orth is
in GuiselcY parish. NUw, then, what can they say
to that ~
"Dld Miss Nelson know her own fatherl"
so lot me show YOU her grand iather and
GRANDMOTHER my parents" She took from
drawer two strong. rugged faces IN Photograph
oh re liz np hn h.v
ing Kind of ministerial look which | remarked
upon at once.
{" Yes. he was Wesleyan local preacher said
Mrs. Bland
and one Ok t strictest Methodists as was iver
knOWn,n added my friend. lIo wer always ready
FOR Z Methodist Chapel, he wei"
ntAl. aiL.. .nacA