Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-10-27
IN BOOK OF IMMORTALITY
The Name of Fanny Daven-
port on Its Pages.
HANDSOME, FULL OF MERRlMENT
Bab's Tribute to the Great
Actress.


the Woman, and now Her Eyes Are
Filled With Tears, because of the Death
OF Her Fond and Devoted Friend.
New York, Oct 21.-This last month
seems to have brought nothing but
death and death and death. Today 1t !
is the young soldier boy who started
off so cheerily, believing that the safety
of his country depended on him. To-
morrow 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 somebody close to you on to
me or to the neighbor over the way.
One who has gone to sleep forever be-
longed 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 a
great one. This artist, whose name is |
carved in the great book of immortal |
ity, was Fanny Davenport. Handsome,
full of merriment, making gladness all |
around her, yet her art was first, and |
everything must give place to it. |
When you and / slept, she worked.
She learned to become the woman she |
TBDFtS6ubtu, Eout lCttIilud w hiioW piiO |
Italian, the French, the Russian
woman, as she really was. While l
ioyed in 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
| Davenport kin, no matter how far
distant, was recognized and made
| much of.
/ shall never forget stormy winter
| day when | met her on the train, that
| fast train that flies from New York to
| Buffalo. During the time we were
| together she was as gleeful as child
| inasmuch as she was trying to make
her husband guess what his Christmas
| gift was. He thought it must be a
| jewel of some rare kind. She volun-
teered to describe it, and she thought,
with his quick wit, her husband would
have no trouble in thinking it out.
She said it was blue and that it was
curly. 1t was oval and it was round.
1t was thousands Of years old, and
yet it was created not SO many. years
ago. 1t was jewel and yet 1t was
| gold. 1t was a stone and yet such
i ebOu6S dT0 uOb AOuhel ny plAo ocetohoASs
| It was cut in and yet it showed best
when its beauty came out. And SO on
she went, really describing the artistic
gift and continually contradicting her.
self SO that Mr.. Mcdowell was perfectly
dazed. Just before we reached SYRIA
cuse, 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 pale blue stone and with the hair
closely curled all over the head, as her
husbands was. 1t was copy of that
fine one in the Vatican. This stone,
being oval, was set in round ring,
and SO all her descriptions were corr.
rect. That was the last time saw her,
and as / waved my handkerchief from
the car window l little thought that
it was not ''goodby'' for little time,
but for all time.
Like child in her love of children,
she loved them all, and, best of all,
dearly loved little niece who was her
namesake. She showered all sorts OF
wonderful toys and smart little clothes
on this small woman and was most
4 pleased when she was told Of some
thing witty that the tiny lady had said.
At the time when Nine. Bernhardt was
in Boston the French artistic, who also
loves children, asked that the little
one might be sent to pay her visit.
. Dressed 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 started off with her nurse to call
on the lady about whom she had heard
them all talk. Mime. Sarah was in
l bed, but she had her visitor brought
, up, and she proved rather embarrass-
ing visitor, since, after being seated on
, the edge of the bed, she looked and
stared as only children can look in that
piercing way, as If they were reading
,. ones soul. At last, annoyed beyond
expression, the Variable Frenchwoman
. asked her what she was looking at.
1 | Back came the response, / am look
ing at you Just as hard as 1 can, and
do believe that my Aunt Fanny is a
great deal prettier than you are. 7
Nurse and baby made a sudden exit,
for it is a well-known fact that the
great artistic still loves to be considered
4 and upbraided the saucy baby. Still,
: what woman would not be pleased al
: such an innocent compliment?
Il Another time when l was lunohinl
with her, and we were having one o.
Z those delightful luncheons where nj
: men are around and the conversation
7 can range from frills and frivols tc
/ science and what is not known abou
+ it, maid came and said, "Someon'
. wishes to see Mrs. Mcdowell" Their,
I was a shrug of the shoulders and sh,
7 thought that she wouldn't go. The mait
Q laughed and said that the gentleman
s insisted upon seeing her, and after thu
g second thought there was pityin.
Il look, and in voice that came from
: her heart she said, "Well, l woult
v better go; perhaps it is some poo
acter who wants help" In tiv
minutes she was back, her cheeks a
bright as rose and her eyes sparkling
L like stars. As my face looked for al
y explanation, she said with q laugh
p at was only my Mr.. Mao, who wantet
I; to kiss me goodby and so fooled me il
u that way"
y Then there was time when l la
W sick ~ sick almost unto death--an,
!, among the many beautiful flowers sen
\ me came huge made piece, wit
g wires through the roses and the violet
!, mounted on straw, making a stiff effec
II and requiring four men to fetch it u
y stairs, and yet it was only the work Q
y the florist. 1t lacked heart, or else tn
d heart was strung on wire. An hou
afterward my friend came in, and
looking around the room, she spied thi
a enormous piece of made up flowers
Il With sigh and smile combined, sh
"a announced, 81 told them to send yo
,x.l haf nj