The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-11-04
Bab's Bright BabbIe
Copyright, 1888, by !. A. Maiion.

Tomorrow it il the young wife whose
little children chung to her, loved her 80
dearly and could not understand that she
had left them never to come back. The
next day-who il it the next day! Per
haps somebody 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 un-
derstand 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 the great book
Handsome, full of merriment, making
gladness all around her, yet her art was
frst, and everything must give place to
It: When you and l slept, she worked
| She learned to become the woman she
| represented. She Iearnd to know the
as she really was. While I joyed in the
| artistic l think, most of all, ] loved the
woman, and now, when my eyes are
filled with tears, it is not that they be-
| longed 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.
j shall never forget a stormy winter
day when | met her on the train. that fast
tra in that flies from New York to Buff
fnlo. During the time we were together
she was as gleefui as child, inasmuch
| as she was trying to make her husband
guess what his Christmas gift was. He
thought it must be jewel of some rare
kind. She volunteered 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:
yea rs ago. 1t was a jewel and yet it was
] gold. 1t was stone and yet such stones
! are not found by the seashore. 1t was
cut in and yet it showed best when it's
beauty came out. And so on she went,
really describing the artistic gift and
continually c0ntradicting herself so that
Mr. Mcdowell was perfectly dazed. Just
before we reached Syracuse where she
was to leave me. she told me what it
was in reality. 1t was a fine intagiio,
the head of Caesar, cut in a pale blue
stone and with the hair closely curled
all over the head, as her husbands was.
It was copy of that fine one in the
| Vatican. This stone, being oval, was set
in round ring, and so all her descrip-
| t.ons were correct. That was the last
| time l saw her, and as | waved my
handkerchief from the car window I lit.
! tie 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 name
| sake. She showered all sorts of wonder
tul 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. Bernhardt was in Boston the
French artistic, who also loves children.
asked that the little one might be sent
to pay her a 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
little-she started off with her nurse
| to call on the lady about whom she heard
| them all talk. Nine. Sarah was in bed,
| out she had her visitor brought up. and
| she proved rather embarrassing visitor.
since, after being seated on the edge of
ine bed, she looked and stared as only
Fchlldren can look in that piercing way.
as II they were reading ones soul At
| last, annoyed beyond expression, the
| variable Frenchwoman asked her what
she: was looking at. Back came the re-
| sponse, Il am looking at you just as hard
ash can, and do believe that my Aunt
Fanny is great deal prcttier than you
are: Nurse and baby made a sudden
| exH. Tor it is well-known fact that
| the great artistic still loves to be consid-
cred beautiful. Fanny Davenport laughed
and upbraided the saucy baby Still.
what woman would not be pleased at such
an innocent compliment:
Another time when | was lunchiD9 with
her, and we were having one of those de-
llghtful luncheons where no men are
around and the conversation can range
| from frills and frivols to science and what
is not known about it, maid came and
Sam, ou Some one wishes to see Mrs: Nc
| lowell. There was n shrug of the
shoulders and she thought that she
wouldn't go. The maid laughed and said
the gentleman insisted upon seeing her,
and after the second thought there was q
plying look, and in voice that came
from her heart she said. We'll. would
better go; perhaps it is some poor actor
who wants help: In FIVE minutes she
was back, her cheeks as bright as rose
and her eyes sparkling like stars. As my
face looked for an explanation. she said
with laugh, 1T was only my Mr. Mac,
who wanted to kiss me gdodby and SO
fooled me in that way"
| Then there was time when l lay sick
sick almost unto death-and among the
| many beautiful flowers sent me came a
huge piece, with wires through the roses
and the vioiets mounted on straw, making
a stiff effect and requiring four men to
| fetch it upstairs, and vet it was only the
work of the florist. 1t lacked heart, or
else the heart was strung ON wire. An
hour afterward my friend came in. and.
looking around the room. she spied this
enormous piece of made up flowers. With
a sigh and smile combined, she an
nounced, II told them to send you some
flowers. and that horrid piece is their
idea of what one sends to those one
loves! Quickly she took from her belt
| bunch of violets and laid them on my
pillow, where could see them and in
hale their fragrance, and then we looked
at each other, understanding.
And she is gone.
The woman who was strong of brain
and yet the woman whose heart was so
big, so loving, that she wore herself out
in love giving and in JOY giving. l some
times think. when 1 am all alone looking
out on the great world with nothing be-
tween us but sheet of glass, whether
the toughest and most ordinary looking
man. possessing even a bit of sense or
feeling, does not know the difference be-
tween a big-hearted, gracious. loving
| woman and one who is coarse in appear
ance, lacking in love and all the charm
ing attributes that make one say. "She is
is. do, that a gentlewoman is one who
likes to make people glad to meet her and
regret to leave her? She seems to me to
| be one who gives courage to those who
| arc tired and to quiet that loud. unpieas-
ant argument, changing it into interest
ing talk. 1t is talent seldom POSSESSED
by men and an art belonging to women.
1t was an old-fashioned writer, one who
in our girlhood's days We thought the
best of all, Maria Edgeworth, who said,
| "EveryOne who makes goodness unpieiS-
ant commits high treason against virtue"
Not one of us is; too poor to give che cup
of cold water. and it is not always ne.,ar
for which one longs. Sometimes that is
too sweet. Sometimes it seems to lack
the purity that comes in the clear, color
less liquid that brings health and happi-
l ness. Oh. no; l am not a prohibitionist,
by no manner of means, but am tenn
perate woman. l do not believe that
| good things were made to cast aside. but
instead. as the grapes were crushed into
wine at the wedding where the great
Teacher was present. and it was drunk of
sparingly, so of the wine of today. 1t
may be taken like the other good things
temporarily.
The man that eats too much il never
called by the name that he deservrs-a
glatton.