The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-03-15
WONDERFUL DAUGHTER,

4 WONDERFUL DAUGHTER.
"A strong facet You may well say
that, ma'am, and tho picture don't
half do her justice either. I recken it
would be hard to find q woman now
like the one who owned that face, and
her life was q story just like those
you've read in books. II you don't
mind, I'll tell yon about her" The
old man closed his eyes = msment, as
if to recall from his inner::thoughts the
years long passed, and while he wait
ed studied more closely the face in
tho picture before me.
Many years must have come and
gone since the artist had given the
last touch to his work, but it smiled
upon me in such a living way, and
stood out so plainly upon the canvas
that it needed no word to tell that it
had been the work of g. master hand.
A massive frame OF heavy guilt that
had grown but little dimmed by time,
and tho laces resting at her throat
gave evidence OF wealth. 1t was young
face, a strongface, almost a handsome
ace; but its great character
istic was intellectual force and intense
will power. This gave her sort of
fascination that held the observer
who had seen it once, until he must
look and look again. 1t was not the
kind OF a picture usually found in
cottages, and seemed out OF keeping
with the old man, who eat on tho
vine-covcred porch, dreaming the Au.
tumn days away.
l had lost my way in rambling
through the outskirts OF Tullahoma,
one OF our New England towns well
known for it's cottages, and had stun.
o'ed upon this cottage before was
aware. The old man, venerable with
age, and alone, attracted me. ] ask
ed permission to rest, and while wait.
Ing for a drink of spring water, my
eye rested on the picture 1 have men,
toned. and caused me to exclaim.
"What a strong tace!' He was ready
for the story, which I will give in his
own words:
"You see we had been married ten
years, and never chick or child had
come to US. 1t WAS getting sort OF
lonesome for us to sit down morning,
noon and night, just US two, and we
begun to talk OF adopting a child,
when a pair OF twins came. They
were born Thanksgiving morning, and
though it is nigh on to 40 years since
it happened, l can see those two little
heads lying on the pillows just as
plain as it it had happened to-day.
One was g. boy. ''That's for com.
pany for me- she added. "What
shall we call them?"
"Something that means something"
I answered.
After thinking and talking and pray.
ing over it, we made up our minds to
call the boy Welcome, and the girl
Thanksgiving. That's her in the bic.
ture, and every one'll tell you speak
the truth when say she was as smart
girl as ever drew q breath.
Welcome was always delicate, but
she was always strong and we'll. and
knew more than any girl l ever saw.
We lived over the mountains, in g.
neighboring county then, where
schools were poor, and children
couldn't have chance to use
their brains; for you see, ii a. body
can't be taught to use their intellects,
it's worse than if they didn't have
them, for they Just keep a working
inside with nothing to do. till they
wear out body and sold. So when
the twins were ten years old; said to
my wife, "Samanthy. do you know
what we're doing?"
mo, Ephraim," says she, and she
looked up suddenly.
"We're making idols OF those bless.
ed twins, and not doing our duty by
them"
i've thought the same thing" she
said
whats to be done?" saysI.
pray about it," she says. Sa-
mantha was O. wonderful woman to
pray about everything.
Something else must be DONE"
says l.
whats that?"
"Sell this place and remove to Tul-
lahoma, where they can get good
schooling. Whoever knew child to
teach herself to read when she was
three years old, like our Thanksgiving?
And we might better starve their
bodies than their minds, for their
minds last forever?"
YOU'RE right Ephraim, you're al
ways seeing what must be done. WIN
sell this Fall.
And so we did, and came to this
very cottage, and settled down where
we could send 'em to school, and
began to take college students to
board. Wife was a good cook, and we
soon had as many as We wanted.
One OF 'em was a poor chap who
offered to teach the twins for his
board. 1t was getting cold weather,
and this was just what we wanted.
So he took them under his charge,
and they learned so fast he said
they'd soon be ready for college. One
day hc came to me and said:
do you know you've got wonder
full daughter Mr.. Woodward? Some
day her name will be known all over
the world as a very learned woman.
She ought to be splendidly educated. -
do your best, Collins, and I'll buy
her books" said l. So then he let
her begin Latin and Greek, and when
he graduated she was IS years old
and ready for college, only women
could not go to college then.
'"They can't keep ME from studying
at home, anyhow" she said to me,
land III keep up with Welcome in all
his studies just as if ! was in college,"
That year q young man named
Cyril Hazlitt came to board at our
house. His father was q rich man in