Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-11-14
COPPER
AND GOLD


six miles south Of Sheffield, in York
shirt. England, In the heart of the
South Yorkshire coal district.
1t is a rough class of people with
whom a general practitioner generally
has to deal Ia such Il district, though
there are some very big swells in the
neighborhood, to be sure. Still, as is al
ways the case in life among the rough
est and most uncouth. one sometimes
finds a gentle flower
Such a sweet exception was little
Elsie Underhill, 10 whose bedside
was called professionally on the even
ing of Nov. - 1873 II is long while
ago, and | doubt much if any of the
persons connected with the little story
| am about TO tell, should any of them
still be surviving, will remember DR.
Newman. At any rate, not one of those
who knew me will be hurt. and the one
person against whom shall have much
TO say is so mean and contemplate, IN
my opinion. that | care little for his.
1t was II poor little home was call
ed to in Church street. where Elsies
parents lived. but very different from
the dirty. carelessly kept cottages and
small houses In the vicinity. But | am
not going 10 weary you with "A descrip-
ton. | was met by the dear. old kind
" faced mother at the door. where. be-
fore taking me up stairs to the tiny
room where lay her suffering dauGh-
ter, she told me something of her his
tory.
Elsie was only Just turned nineteen.
but she had already made herself a
reputation which was honorable aud
ennoblng. The years before, when
just turned sixteen. being pretty and
well developed girl. with more than
the average amount of intelligence. she
had obtained an engagement at the To-
cal theater, where she had appeared in
the character OF Jeanne Deans in An
drew HaIliday's adaptation of Sir Wal
ter SCOTS novel. THE Heart of Mid
lothian" She had attracted a great
deal Of attention. The local CORE
spondent of a London theatrical paper.
The Hornet, then the property Of Ste
phen Fiske. had spoken highly Of her,
had visited Rotterdam to see her act.
There We're stock companies In those
days
Among the many young fellows who
had become infatuated by her beauty
was one Horace Wellington, the son Of
physician in Sheffield. very rich
man. This young mans attentions were
very marked. He obtained an intro
duction TO the young girls parents.
and through them to Elsie And then
he began a serious courtship
In every way his manner and appar-
ent object were decidedly honorable.
Only one thing he omitted-he did not
take her to his own home.
In order TO be near the man who had
completely won her heart she refused
more than one lucrative offer to 20 TO
London. whore she would have at once
been on the highroad to fame. and ac-
cepted an engagement AT the Sheffield
Thcater Royal. which. being close %
her own home. she could also reach
very easily. Here her opportunities
were wider than in Rotterdam. II is
true. and here she succeeded IN In
creasing her already high reputation.
She remained In Sheffield two seasons.
playing during the summer a series Of
travelling engagements throughout the
northern counties.
Then came a proposal from great
London manager which was so good
that she could not afford 10 neglect it.
Her aged mother went with her to the
city Of smoke and fog. and in Septem-
Der. 1913. she made her debut before a
London audience at the Princess thea
ter. Less than a month later her health
entirely gave way. and she found il
necessary 10 throw up her engagement
and return with her mother 10 the lit
tie home in Rotterdam in which she
had hreathed her earliest breath
SO much her mother told me, then
took me mp TO see her daughter.
Did I say just now that she was suf-
fering2 That was hardly the case She
was dying ~ rapid consumption She
was too weak 10 suffer much physical
ly. but the broken heart was giving her
exquisite torture
Such lovely girl have rarely seen,
Brown curling hair swept beck from
the sweet face and long dark laShes
shaded the blue gray eyes that were all
intelligence and had been wont 70 fill
her audiences with blind enthusiasm.
The little room in which she lay was
filled with delicate feminine kniek-
knacks. "reminiscences Of her fayorite
roles. souvenirs u her professional
friends. all arranged about the room
with gentle. thoughtful love 10y her
stricken mother. But most interesting
OF all was a rather curious thing hang
ing above her pillow on the bedpost by
q narrow blue ribbon. Ii was some