Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-11-18
ELLINOR VIRGINIA.
E. HoGgh IN Pttsourg CiroRieIs- Telegraph

Ellinor Virginia. know mir e; you know
your. Each community knows its Elliuol
Virgins. But we would be less loyal thar
we are, thar K God, if we didn't rise, hand
= on heart, every man jack of rs, and
solsmnly affirm that there is only one
EIlinor Virginia on this earth, and that
why that's ours!
eyed, brown-hAiOed or ight-taired-or
alas! sometimes g'ay-haived. She is tall
and slender. of not very full form; her
dress DOESN'T fit so very we'll, bee Iuse, yoa
know, you cau't fit q dress to yourself
so very well, and your mothers eyee,
which used to oversee this work, will grow
wateIy and feeble; and ElIinor Virginia's
hands are net taper and delicate fingered,
bat homely, and Equars and motherly-
though her bands, dear heat, shall never
button up the little frocks, CT smooth the
wrinkles out of the little pinafores of any
children bat the children of somebody
else.
God bless those square and homsly
hands. God hal blessed them; he does
bless them; and through them Hs does
bless us. 1t isn't the taper fingers that get
cur breakfasts, and darn our socks, and
pour ont medicine and smooth our pillows,
and finally close our eyes and make us de-
cent to 90 up town for the last time; it's
the square aud homsly hands of Ellinor
Virginia
And what d, we pay her for il? Why,
really, she's E'liEor Virgins, you know,
and-of course she has her home with US
you know, and then, why really
Exactly. That'sjust atoat 1t.
don't know how old Ellinor Virginia
is. There don't anybody know. You
can't tell by looking into that sad aud
quiet face-that willing and cheerful face
by looking iato th.ss broad, wondering
eyes, by noting thu plsint:ve, yesrriog
droop of the absolutely childlike mouth
say you can't tell toS old Eliinor Vir-
GINA is. Is che born nowadays? l hope
so. 1t were an honor TO the time. For
the beginning of her life takes hold of soil
of unsslfishress; ard the branches of her
life spread cut into an air o. generous
deeds; aud The f)weriug Of her life goes up
into q SKY where time is not marked into
| little seasons.
You will 90 to that old mahogany desk,
disused and infused ever since you can re-
member. You will pull out the hating
lower drawer, the one with the piece chip
ped off the font. That is mhere you keep
the tack-hammer, and, 10 b: oxen saucer,
few rusty, btnt-poiUt:d tacks. Aud tits
while hunting for thu tack hammer that
you wilt notice, again those old, old da-
guerreotypeI, in their black rubber lses,
with the gold band framing the inner oval
about those very wonder nj ''likenesses" OF
the olden time. Curiously, smiling moe
and more seriously, yOu " II sit down on
the floor. with thoCe Old pictures 10 your
lap, and brush the dust from tatic fo'gIt
ten faces with your sleeve, ard ltok, and
smile, and wonder, and smile and maybe
weep.
The picture has two fl CURES, sitting hand
in hand. There is no posing Trey sim
ply sit hand in hand. We 60 not now see
the hair con b ID down so low and smooth
upOa the f rshead, nor see ca --r,rgs of 81
pre- ourcsd a yellow az these IN the pi;
ture, 70: dress of so short q wUist ara go
vast a spread of blrck apd white checked
silk. N)r, p,aking for the man. do W.
Nowadays see so bi ID snd stiff and black
and choking q chokec, rOc face so
smooth, fri1g7d Ouly with a most urulusl
bard. nor q waist ont so wonderful J pat
TERED, roc an eye 50 mild a1d visionary.
Please close up the old pictures carefol.
", and lay them mp in ORDER in the drawer;
and don't, p'ea'e, just throw ths tack
hammer in asst anyhow. Be KIM, for
the sake IF :te3s two old people, sitting
hard iu-hIGd row, irsi6e OF the big whits
gates. Be kinj, for the sake Of )me body
on tbs side of thu gates Of Iel.. FJr,
don't you know, hunting for that old tack
hammer we've somehow blunde-ed on to
the time of EllilCr Virgin. Her Origin
vas ,Omswhst COZ and wi h that dUwG-
turning mouth, these square and homeiy
banda, ttOIe visionary eye'. And surely,
nobody but p Q. pie with large white cameo
brea t, iqs and imp"sL be waistcOats, high
black stocks, would ever have biqTe ned
40 qraint end oid-fIshiCned rame as
E lipor Virginia.
Those visionary syes! Generation af' er
generation, how they do ron down. Aud
Providence 50 often sends them slcng with
the square ard lonely hands. II this
wee not so, what would this dusty, NOR ey-
counting world do? And who should
nerd orr socks, and pour oar medicine
snd close our tired-out eyes?
Who tel up the finger, hurt by the new
Jack knife, and wired away the tears, and
Quilted the sobs? Hslf the time it was
0nr mother; If the time it was Auut
Eliuor, or Sister ElIinor, or Cousin Z IL
ncr Virginia Tn y're all one.
Who did the hard "tx3mpls," or parsed
the sentence, or started us in on our CANA
virumGue" or "Gallis omnis?" Why,
Ellinor Wig mia Becauss, though nobo y
knows how size got her knowledge, EllinOr
Yirgi ala i, an educated Lady.
Who comfoyted Us in our ir.t sharp
grief, wien all the world went blsCk and
swan in tears, when the loved being in
hon We pat all the confidence we gave
20 the stlrs, to the sun, to the Bible, for
sock rs and married the grocer's clerk?
Ell;nor Virginia Aud she did this again
in our sobsrer manhood, perhaps, finding
alw, w the right word, showing bow we
en- Tive things down." How did she
know? Did she ever-but wouldn't like
to AJAX about that, would yOu?
When father failed in business who was
| it said, Never mind. tie darkest tine is
| int before the dlwL?' Who held the
family toge her, turned of the h red girl
and did all the TX? In the times when
W. no longer bought coffee by tbs dollar
worth, but by the single pound; in the
times when fathsr's toha'Co box wasn't
always full; in the times when we turned
the carpet over, and weat eI<y on the roast
! L \ ~ L.