Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-11
ELSIE

Yorkshire coal DISTRICT
uisarough class OF people with whom
A general practitioner generally has to
Seal In such q district, though there arc
somo very biz swells in the neighbor-
hood to be sure. still, as Is always tho
case in life among horoughcst and most
uncou.h, one sometimes hnds gentle
njwcr co.,
gnch sweet exception was little Elsie
Underhill. to whose bedside was called
professionally on the evening Of Nov. 20,
is79 tisa long while ago, and | doubt
much II any OF tho persons connected
with the little story am about to tell
fsbonll any Of them still DO surviving)
win remember DR.. Newman. At any
rate, not one OF those who knew me will
be hurt, and the ono person against
whom / shall have much to say is 10
mean and contemplate in my opinion
that care little for his.
II was a poor little home | was called
,oin Church street, where Elsie's parents
lived, but very different from the dirty.
earclossly kept cottages and small houses
In tho vicinity. But am not going to
weary you with description. | was
met BY the dear. old, kindly faced moth
or at the door. where, before taking mo
up stairs to the tiny room where lay her
suffering daughter. she told me some
thing Of her history.
Elsie was only Just turned nineteen,
bu, she had already made herself repu-
sHLs.l. la.a..-.N.1.
nobling. The years before, when just
turned sixteen, being n pretty and well
developed girl. with more than the aver
age amount Of intelligence. she had OBJ
tanned an engagement at the local thea
Ter, where she had appeared In the char.
uCtcr Of Jeanne Deans In Andrew Halli-
dayi adaptation Of Sir Walter SCOTS
novel, "The Heart Of Midlothian" She
had attracted great deal Of attention.
The local correspondent OF u London
theatrical paper. The Hornet, then the
property Of Stephen Fiske, had spoken
highly Of her, and more than one Lon
don manager had visited Rotterdam TO
See her act. There were stock com
panies In those days.
AAAANhA Ah' NbAAh AfAAbNo WIN
had become infatuated by her beauty
was one Horace Wellington. the sou OF a
physician In Sheffield, very rich man.
This young mans attentions were very
marked. lie obtained an introduction
to the young girls parents, and through
them 10 Elaio. And then he began u
serious courtship.
In every way his manner and appar-
ent object were decidedly honorable.
Only ono thing he omitied-he did not
take her 10 his own home.
In order TO b. near the man who had
completely won her heart, she refused
more than one lucrative offer 20 20 to
London, where she would have at once
been on the high road TO fame, aud nc.
copied 40 engagement at the Sheffield
Ihcatcr Royal, which being close to her
own home she could also reach very
easily. Here her opportunities were
wider than In Rotterdam, Il is true, and
here che succeeded In increasing her IL.
ready high reputation. She remained
IN sheffield two seasons, playing during
We summer a series Of travelling engage
nehis throughout the northern counties.
lhen came n proposal from u great
London manager which was so good
mat she could not afford to neglect It.
Her aged mother went with her 10 the
cry Of smoke and fog, and in septem.
~ 1873, she made her debut befor,
London audience At the Princess the
hl'F' Less than month later her health
eh'irely gave way and she found il
necessary to throw up her engagement
and return with her mother TO the litt.,
homo In Rotterdam in which she had
breathed her earliest breath.
80 much her mother told me, then
took mo up 10 see her daughter.
Dld ! say just now that she was suffer.
mg' That was hardly tho case. Sho
was dying Of rapid consumption. She
was too weak TO suffer much physically,
QUO the broken heart was giving her ex.
quidte torture.
:, such lovely girl have rarely seen.
brown curling hair swept back from tho
s"eet lace and long dark lashcs shaded
ule blne gray eyes that were all intelli.
g'hco and had been wont to I'll her au-
ulenees with blind enthusiasm.
lhe little room Ia which she lay WAS
nNed with delicate feminine knick.
tlacks, "reminiscences OF her favorito
roles souvenirs Of her professional
HiVnds' all arranged about the room
WIN gentle, thoughtful love by her
s,ncken mother. But most interesting
VI al was rather curious thing hang.
'nH above her pillow ON the bedpost by a
narrow blue ribbon. It was something
,uat would attract the attention Of the
least obseryant.
a large gold split ring, elegantly
.nAsed aud evidently OF antique manu-.
'AV'ufe' to which was suspended a COM
mon copper English penny piece. The
,ohblnation was so incongruous. 40
.ulerous, that could not refrain from
"Alng 1t in my hand TO examine.
oh' please don't touch that" ex-
canned the dying girl; "it is all have"
naen thore was a story to III
e. Nsen had prescribed a simple pallia-
I'VE Tor the racking cough and had given
i1tuetlvns FOR other simple treatment.
mother. vs." '''
You saw the pesny and the ring,
Is 1t not soy'
confessed that had felt n little curl
Gus TO know its history. And here is
what the old woman told me,
me old gold ring had belonged IN
,l''es grent.grNndmother 1t had once
ID "a