The St. Louis Republic., 1901-01-13
IAM1qwAhH1ttaRg1es u

The of the dim old forest
Seerneth the best OF all.
Another much-loved poem, written nv
Alice Cary. is An Order For Picture':
oh. good painter. tell me true
Has your hand the cunning 10 draw
Shapes Of things that you never saw
Aye? Wen. here Is an order for you
Woods and cornneIds nttl. brown
The picture must not be overnight
Yet all the golden and gracious light
OF cloud. when the summer sua Is down
Listen closer. When you have done
With woods and co-nhelds and grazing herdx
A lady. the lovsliss, ever the sua
Looked down upon. you must paint for ms,
oh. IL only could make yoa sss
Ths clear blus syss. the tender smile
Ihe soversiEn swsstnsss. ne gentle xr.cs
The woman's soul. and the Angels face
That are bsaming all the vhils
need not speak these foolish words:
Yet one word tells you all I would say-
She is my mother: you Will agree
Thst all the rest may Be thrown away. y
In her time Phoebe Cary was called
the wittiest woman in America. She had a
warm. bright nature. and the tie between
the two sisters was especially tender They
were totally different IN manner and ap-
pearance and temperament. Mrs Arnes tell,
tnat Phoebe refused all offers OF marriage.
but that she hesitated once. II was after
they had gone to New York and were well
established there. She was stronger than
Alice. and cared for her weaker sister N
was because OF Alice that she refused 10
marry the man she loved. She could nor
leave her sister she said
one OF her friends told this story OF her:
one evening. at little party, the fun rosa
TO great height. and one quiet person
was suddenly attacked by q gay lad. who
said:
Why don't you laughI You sit there lIks
a postv'
There. she called you a post: why don't
you rail at herr exclaimed Phoebe.
Their friend. Mr.. P. T. Barnum. men,
toned to her that the skeleton man and
city. were married.
II suppose they loved through thick and
thin" said Phoebe
"On one occasion, when Phoebe was at
the museum. looking about at the curiosi-
ues, said Mr. Barnum. II preceded her
al ana had passed down a couple Of steps.
She intently watching a big anaconda, in a
case at the top OF the stairs. walked OF
mot noticing then). and fell. I was just =
In time to catch her in my armA and savS
her from q severe bruising
I am more lucky than the first woman
was. who fell through the influence of the
SERPENT said Phoebe. as she recovered her
sell.
Being one day at Woods Museum she
asked Mr.. Barnum to show to her the "In-
fernal Regions" advertised to be represent
ed there. On inquiring. he found that they
were out Of order. and said:
THE Internal Regions have vanished. but
never mind. you will see them in time
NO. in eternity" was the lightninglike
reply.
On one occasion a certain well-known act
or. then recently deceased, and more con-
spieuous for his professional skill than
for his private virtues. was discussed we
shall never" remarked some one. see
again.
NO." responded Phoebe. mot unless we
go to the pit'
She was once asked If she had ever been
disappointed IN her affections She said:
NO. but a great many of my married
friends have"
Equally characteristic was her answer to
the erratic officer OF the Civil War, who
invited her TO drive with him and i'm
proved the opportunity II gave by asking
her TO marry him She requested a short
time to consider.
NO" said the peremptory soldier Now
or never
''Neverr' was the quick response.
1t was of Alice Cary that the Reverend
Doctor Charles F. Deems of the Church Of
the Strangers. New York. said In his ad-
dress delivered at her funeral:
To-day 1 can only make my lament
over her as you do. In the simplicity OF az
fection. Men loved Alice Cary and women
loved her. When a man loves a woman, II
Is OF nature: when a woman loves q woni-
an. IT is Of grace II Is one OF the finest
things that can be said OF Alice Cary that
she had such troops OF friends Of her own
sex"
Before Alice died, Phoebe said: TT
seems to me that a cord stretches from
Alice's heart TO mine: nothing can hurt her
that does not hurt me-
II seemed TO Phoebe's friends that an de-
sire 10 live left her when Alice died She
her sister IN a few months.
The most widely known OF all her poems
Is Nearer Home"
One sweetly solemn thought
Conres to me Ger and o'srI
am nearer home to-day
Than ever have been oeforss
Nearer my Fathers housa
Where the many mansions bel
Nearer the great white throns.
Nearer the crystal sea:
Nearer the bound of Iiss
Where lay our burdens down:
Nearer leaving the cross.
Nearer gaining the erowni
But lying darkly between.
Winding down through The night
Is the silent. unkpown stream.
That leads at last to the light.
Closer and closer my steps
Come TO the dread abyss:
Closer Death to my lips
Presses the awful chrism-
Oh. II my mortal feet
Have almost gsined the brink:
II Il be am nearer home
Even to-day than I thinkg
Father perfect my trust:
Let my spirit feel In death.
That her feet firmly set
On the rock OF a living faith!