The Washington times., 1906-07-15

\
is stnI possessed of the love of beauty
and stu proves her constancy 10 her
ideals and illusions.
This is her story. as she told it;
BY MARGUERITE LEE BAKER
ZELAYA.
I'm reviewing what / know Of my own
life il seems to furnish material for at
least one genuine romance, filled mostly
with pathos, for a girl who has never
known her own parents, has never
known her real home and cannot put
her finger ou one relative has indeed
lived lot that few girls can envy.
The incidents leading up to my mar
riage with Mr. Zclaya are of little sig
nific4nce compared with those which
make uD the various earlier chapters in
the story.
II was not until a comparatively few
years AGO that / learned VINO 1 1m and
who were my parents ! am the daugh-
ter Of sydney Smith Lee, brother OF
Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and America Muaoz.
formerly of Guatemala. and of dis
tnguished Spanish family.
Nv father was an officer in the Con
federat- navy and served on the Shen-
andnah lie was bonn in Georgetown
and died i'm lSS> two years after I was
born Tie vas the son of sydney Smith
Lee. g brother of Gen Robert =. Lee,
who was. therefore, my great-uncle.
Mother a Guatemalan.
NV mother lived ina Guatemala, and il
was there my parents met. Ny grand
mother was born in Madrid Spain. but
had gone 10 Guatemala 10 live. From
the scanty bits OF family history which
1 have succeeded I'm tracing. ny mother
was about fifteen years old when she
and my father were married. tie brought
her 70 America and since THAI time
this country has been our home, al
though 1 am now. as / have been since
my fathers death, practically alone.
1 was born in Knoxville, Tenn, and
two years later my father died That
was in April. 1883. and. on August Is, OF
the same year my mother placed me
with my two sisters and brother in St
Vincents Orphan Asylum, which was
then located at Tenth and q streets
northwest The asylum records Will bear
me out in this statement and viii show
that / was taken there as Julia Lee.
while my sisters and brother were ad-
miJted as Sarah Lee, Annie Lee, and
Sydney Smith Lee
Sent TO Orphan Asylum.
In getting together the tiny scraps Of
my history L have learned that my
mother placed US IN the orphan asylum
pending the settlement of my father >
estate. My mother was A Catholic. and
the Lees did not think highly of the
alliance. and for that reason trouble
over the estate followed my fathers
death Nothing was. ever settled. so 1
am made 10 believe. and upon inquiry
my guardians md that at this time the
estate is absolutely tax eaten. NY
fathers family never made any ad
Vances to me, nor. as far as I can un-
derstand. to my sisters or brother. They
did not care 10 recognize my mother
and fathers marriage and have not
done so In any way, shape OF form
/ was only two years old then, but
from that day TO this I have never
known my own people. The life a. the
asylum, Of course, has no place in my
memory. l was too young 20 appre-
Ciate OF understand the conditions or
10 know that the rest Of my life WAS
70 be a struggle with the world, a
struggle single-handed and unsupport-
ed BY mother love or home influences
II was not long before 7 was taken
away. John West Wagner, a promi-
nent architect. and his wife made ap-
plication TO the sisters 10 bring me up
in their own family. but shortly after
that MT. Wagner failed in business. and
the strain of this afiiction proved so
impaired. II was during the inquiry
into her mental condition that I came
20 the attention Of DIR. ". ". Raker,
and on October %. 1895. an agree
ment was made by which Dr. Baker
that my mother objected 10 his adopt
ing me legally.
Entered DR., Bakers Family.
went into Dr. Bakers family and
lived there until about year or so ago.
MY early history had not been made
known 10 me. and as l was then between
eight and nine years old. I hardly re-
allied the conditions under which / was
living there. 1 was very devoted 10
Mrs. Baker. and. although I have never
known Just what u was 70 have a mo-
ther like every other girl. l cannot
imagine that mothers could be much
kinder than Mrs. Baker was to me.
When / was a child l always loved to
dress up In fancy clothes and pretend
/ was a great pIima donna. l could
always imagine myself parading up and
down a stage singing 10 a great au-
diencc and used 10 practice diligently
both acting and singing in the belief
that some day ] would be a real opera~
tie star That was one of the real.
childish fancles that found place in my
life in spite OF the absence OF any home
environments TO bring out the usual
childish impulses and / indulged In 1t re-
ligiously. ! found that l could sing a
little bit and when I grew little older
] went 10 the Pittsburg Conservatory
10 study vocal music. I had been there
lust a little more than TWO months
when the fOgs began TO affect my
throat and l lost my voice. u Is Just
beginning to come hack 70 me.
Discovered Her Loneliness.
That was the way grew up. Natural
Ia. having found a good home, and be-