The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-27

Once I faxed a story. Only once! II
was during a d. A. r. convention and
I was mortally tired of gowns and Jewels
and-great argument about 1t ana ABOUT
It was the Sunday editor who gave me
the tip. small clipping from ne"
York paper several weeks old stating
that a Miss Washington, great-grand-
daughter of Lawrence Washington had
haan found starving to death in an East
side tenement, and the Associated Chari-
ttes had taken charge of the case
"Get more facts" said Mr.. Page, and
hiring out the contrast. 1t will make a
good story"
ITpon telegraphing to the New York
board | learned the matter was false
report but l did not have such an op-
uortunity for pathos every day. could
not lose it! So 1 simply transferred the
lady without any special consultation
with either Sunday or city desk, made 1t
local and brought it up TO date l re-
viewed the administrations and found that
Pierces was a good one in which MISS
Virginia Fairfax Neutrality-suspicious. so l
chrlstened her--could make her first ap-
pearance as a young and beautiful girl
| made her the belle of the inaugural
ball-when inaugural balls were trifie
more exclusive than the variety at pres
ent-and the leading debutante of the
season. In addition to beauty l gave my
young lady a dazzling sense of humor'
and related two or three specific anec-
dotes about her exquisitely fashioned
flirtations with the members of the dipio-
matte corps-what there was of 1t during
Mr.. fPierces regime
Then, of course, there was one real
affair-the final one-and he was an
American a Virginian and West
Pointer, one of Lees own classmates l
threw in a little glimpse of the family
old plantation; the big house, with It's
white pillars, the rich old furnishings,
the famous Lely portraits the heiriooihs'
laces and Jewels and china and FURNITURE
the myriads of slaves. the thoroughbred
horses, the old hundred-leaf roses-all
the fragrance of those last of the caVaher
days-all that flower-time so near the
fading-and then, the falling of the cloud
the end of everything. Her lover was
killed at Chickamauga.
When the young girl returned to WASH
ington city she had aged-fifteen years,
some said-since her first season there.
She was one of the first women workers
in the treasury, but she lost out. Then
she took in sewing, did copying, taught
music, anything and everything to sup
port her heartbroken mother, and after
her mothers death, spirited and
helpless kinsfolk-this-until she was
more than sixty years old and her eye
sight failed.
She had a bare little third-story room
in a fictitious old house, which l located
ON upper G street beyond the war de-
partment and described infinitely even
down to the sunken stone coping binding
the withered terrace. She saw none of
her old friends and did not let her rela-
tives know where she was. Little by
little she sold what old jewelry and lace
she had. all her precious little keepsakes
to buy bread. She chung to a few things,
however-her mothers long ruby ear
rings a silver comb that had been given
to her aunt by the Marquis de Lafayette,
one black enamel bracelet with rare fla
, gree work wrought in gold. a gift from
her dead lover--that was all. Sometimes
the feeble. old, lady walked out in the
evening leaning q cane. She had only
one black dress worn threadbare, patched
and darned and one old pair of black
gloves Her face was always pale-heI
finely cut profile against the crepe veil
like some ancient ivory cameo of queen
Whenever she spoke-as she did once In
a while to the children playing on the
terrace-her voice was clear and delight