Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-10-23

Copyright, 1"cs, by 1. A. Mallory
This last month seems to have
brought nothing but death and death
and death. To-day 1t is the young SOL
der boy who started off so Chez rily,
believing that the safety of his country
depended on him. Tomorrow it Is the
young wife whose little children chung
to her. loved her so dearly and could
not understand that she had left them
never to come back. The next day
who is it the next day? Perhaps some
body close to you or to- me or to the
neighbor over the way. One who has
gone to sleep forever belonged to that
group of great artists who made life
understand genius and taught all the
world that acting, like painting and
singing, was an art and great one.
This artist, whose name is carved IN
Che great book of Immortality, was
Fanny Davenport Handsome, full OF
tnerriment, making gladness all around
her, yet her art was first, and every
thing must give place to it. When you
and slept, she worked. She learned to
become the woman she represented.
She learned to know the Italian, the
French, the Russian woman, as she
really was. While joyed ii. the artistic
think, most of all, loved the woman,
and now, when my eyes are filled with
tears, it is not that they belonged so
much to the great actress, but to the
loving wife and sister and the fond and
devoted friend. Every one who was of
the Daveport kin, no matter how far
distant, was recognized and made much
Of
shall never forget stormy winter
day when I met her on the train, that
last train that flies from New York to
Buffalo. During the time We were to-
gether she was as gleeful as child,
lnasmuch as she was trying to make
: her husband guess what his Christmas
nnwHe thought it must be jew
rare kind. She volunteered
it, and she thought, with
lit, her husband would have
lin thinking it out. She said
de and that it was curly. 1t
l6val, and it was round. 1t was
thousands of years old, and yet It was
created not so many years ago. 1t was
a jewel and yet it was gold. 1t was a
stone and yet such stones are not found
by the seashore. 1t was cut in and yet
1t showed best when it's beauty came
out. And so on she went. really de-
scribing the artistic gift and continually
contra6icting herself so that Mr.. Nc
Dowell was perfectly dazed. Just be-
fore we reached Syracuse, where she
was to leave me, she told me what it
was in reality. 1t was a fine intaglio,
the head of Caesar, cut in a pale blue
stone and with the hair closely curled
Z all over the head, as her husbands
was. 1t was a copy of that fine one in
the Vatican. This stone, being oval,
was set in a round ring, and so all her
descriptions were correct. That was
the last time I saw her, and as 1 waved
my handkerchief from the car window
Z I little thought that it was not good
by" for little time, but for all time.
Like a child in her love of children,
she loved them all, and, best of all,
dearly loved little niece who was her
rArnneaLo Sho ch0warad oil cortc ~
wonderful toys and smart little clothes
on this small woman and was most
pleased when she was told of something
witty that the tiny lady had said. At
the time when Nine. Bernhard was in
Boston the French artistic, who also
loves children, asked that the little one
might be sent to pay her a visit. Dress
ed in her finest frock and warned that
she must do her best in the way of
speaking French-for she could chatter
In the frivolous tongue a little-she
the ledy about whom she had heard
them all talk. Nine. Sarah was in bed,
but she had her visitor brought up, and
she proved rather embarrassing visit
or, since, after being seated on the
edge of the bed, she looked and stared
as only children can look in that pierre
ing way, as if they were reading ones
soul. At last, annoyed beyond express
sion. the variable Frenchwoman asked
her what she was looking at. Back
came the response, Il am looking at
YOU lust as hard as 1 can, and 1 do be-
lieye that my Aunt Fanny is a great
deal prettier than you are" Nurse and
baby made a sudden exit. for it is a
well-known fact that the great artistic
still loves to be considered beautiful.
Fanny Davenport laughed and upbraid-
ed the saucy baby. Still, what woman
would not be pleased at such an inno-
cent compliment?
Another time when I was lunching