Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-01-15
THE LATE "BAB."
AND HER WORK.

Clever, kindly Bah no more?It is
hard to realize it. Probably no other
woman in America could boast so
many friends as she. Her own friends,
those who loved the woman Isabel A.
Mallon, are legion, but compared with
| them those who knew and loved the
| writer are as the sands of the sea, for
she was not simply one writer, but
many. There was Bah, gay, brilliant,
light hearted Bah, beneath whose most
m0cking sallies of wit one could de-
tect the true, sweet WomanlineSs of the
generous hearted writer. Then there
was Ruth Ashmore, the discreet and
tactful gentlewoman who wrote enter
tanning aXiOms for the guidance of I'M
certain girlhood, standing, more diff
dent than reluctant, at the half open
door, which means the step from
childhood to womanhoOd, wondering,
with all the self consciousness Of
youth, just how this step might be
most gracefully accomplished. Thous-
ands of young girls in America consid?
| cred Ruth Ashmore the last court of
| appeal in mooted questions of etiquette
/ and prOpriety. In the role OF an au-
D
third audience, with an occasional
| one under her own name for short
stories of fiction.
Her death, while a surprise to the
outside world, was not altogether I'M
| expected. For some months Mrs. NAL
! Ions health had been bad. Her moth
er, to whom the daughter had always
! been devoted and who for many years
4 hod hnon
| friend died in OCTOBER 4nls preyed
on the mind of the gifted, high strung
woman and made the conquest of dis
| ease an easy matter. She died the day
after the Christmas holiday, December
| q. Once Bah said, After all, we
southern women don't know very much,
anyhow, except how to love and be
! loyal to what we love"
Mrs. Mallon was d native of the pic
! turesque city of Baltimore, whose
! boast it is that all its women are beau
| tiful and all its men brave and chiy-
alrous. Her mother belonged to one Of
the most distinguished of the families
/ of Delaware, and her fathers people,
! the Sloans, for five generations had
| occupied the old mansion in which
! the writer was born.
The nCUIe Isabel mad every advantage
which wealth could give her, fashion
| able governesses and masters. When
! she was little more than a child, she
married William Mallon, good look
! ing young Irishman of fine family and
! prospects. Ever since she was II years
old she had known him, and the match
met with the entinre appreciation of
both families. with the single objection
to the youthful years of the bride. She
was Is, and Mr.. Mallon was seven years
her senior.
After the wedding they went abroad,
and several years were spent in travel
On their return they made their home
in New York city Unfortunately Mr..
Mallon was not strong, and after a few
years consumption began to make fatal
inroads on his health. With this came
financial disaster, and the young wo-
man who had never known what it
meant to have a spoken wish ungrati-
fed found herself with an invalid hus-
band and no means of support.
She made an effort to secure en-
ployment. The daughters of luxury do
not often bring marketable wares into
the business world, but she was an ex-
eeDtion The manager of great pub
fishing house to whom she aDlied was
struck by her courage and sincerity.
! What can you do?" he asked.
Z ANYTHING. she replied, choking
back a sob; scrub your floor il you've
, nothing better for me to do.,,'
The publisher thought the matter