The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-31

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4 tween him and Poe. and which was
F always possible so long as he con-
nnued to recognize his fostcrsons ex-
1stence, and to admit taciuy n moral
epuSation to aid him by allowing him
an annuity? Miss Patterson, Wpo,
ike Mr.. Allan himself, was not q M
Two OF Virginia. was about thirty
years OF ago ut the time of her mar
s rage, and her husband iifty--no in
2 considerable disparity She is de-
Hcrloed By those who knew her We'll
as person of extraordinary ;lrnuess
and dccisivcncss OF purpose: while
thoso who only had II casual ucqualnt-
ancc with her have remarked upon
her self possession and her reserve.
+ The general impression seems to have
ocen that she was woman of mas
euline traits of character. who, while
she had strong will OF her own was
a. the same time capable of being
10th tactful and polite. According to
Mrs Weiss. who also resided In Rich
inond and was contemporary. though
much her Junior, she was never known
ito forgive the least slight or dls.c-
spect to herself" AS wife who was
younger than her husband by score
OF years, and of Il rcsolutc temper.
set ablc to carry out her purpose s
with iinesse It would not have been
strange had she exercised strong
{
aware of 81.
There were two reasons why sho
might have uscd this influence to the
poets disadvantage. First. she had
quite certainly never known Mr. Alan
TO speak of Poe except with words oil
encouragement. 'All heard Of him
from those who had lived with him.
shc remarks III her letter to Colonel
Ellis. was tissue of inSratitudc.
ialsehcod. and deceit" 1t Is impos-
giblc to believe that she rcccivciy q
Characterization as black as this from
Miss Valentine. who. like her sister,
MIR. Allan's first wife, was devoted to
the future poet. II she received 1t
from the negro servants, which seems
Srossiy Improbable, 1t was perhaps cl.y
because such testimony was expected to
b'; pleasing to her. She certainly did
not receive II from the Mackcnzics,
whose house was second homo 10
EdSar, and WHO retained their affcC-
tionatc kindness for him until the end.
alr. Allan himself WAC the only white
person known To hts second wife VINO
had ever lived with Poe" and he as
we have seen, even In his fostcrson's
extreme childhood. persisted in ascr b.
Ing 70 him rank ingratitudc. although
the boy was too young really TO have
developed any marked quality, either
Hood or bad. The hard narrow, ana
nnsympa thetic Scotchman was not
likely TO have been less lenIent in
estrangcment which had followed his
refusal TO pay the gambling debts
contracted at the university.
WINS Deeply PrcIudIccd.
Secondly. while 1t was only natural
that Mrs. Allan should have been deep
Iy prcjudiccd against Poe from what
she had heard from her husband, stili
IL
and her three sons that she should
uEe her influence with her husband to
bring about reconciliation. There Is
10 proof that She undertook either
directly or indirectly, TO nggravate the
differences that did exist; at the same
time, there Is no proof that she strcvc
TO smooth down those differences. as
the first Mrs. Allan had so anXiously
endcavorcd to do. The whole tone OF
her letter to Colonel ELLIS. wnttcn
half a century after Mr.. .illan's death.
shows how bitterly she recalled the
memory of her husbands fostcrson-
an asper!ty which could only have
had Its springs In the events OF her
brief married lie.
What were these events? Mrs Allan
herself declared that she had seen Poe
only twice. but this was, in either case
under circumstances such as TO leave
a strong, although not necessarily an
accurate impression on her mind In fact
there .s a wide divergence between the
account which she gave of her first
interview with the future poet ana
the account which tho poet himself
gave to his friends, tho Mackcnzics. TO
whose residence he returned immeGi-
ately after leaving TIL. Allan mansion.
IIor account, or rather the report OF
her account as II has come down
through members of her amily, was
that Poe, calling At the house only
three weeks after the birth OF her
first child, made his way to her bed
room. and rallied at her and her in
FAINT" with such violence that the
butler was summoned in haste and or
dcred to show him to the front door
This scene as described seems incredible
Us associated with the poet a man
who was certainly in general scrupu-
ously courteous, and even chiv-
nlrous. in his bearing toward NO
men, and who must have clearly pre-
ceived the necessity OF being polite
to Mrs. Allan. If he was to patch up
q reconciliation with his fostcrfather
Does not the description of the in
rc,wicw which he himself gave TO
Mrs. Mackenzie and Mrs. Robert Cnbeli
seem much more probable? Mrs. Weiss
has preserved the substance OF this
account: sounding the brazen knock
erg Of Mrs. Allan's door, Poe greeted the
z old servant pleasantly. handing INN
his travelling bag to be carried to his
room, at the same time asking for
Miss Valentine.
+. The answer of the servant astonish-
ed him: his old room had been taken
by; Mrs. Allan as guest chamber, ana
his personal effects removed TO the
end room. This was the last of Sow
eral smull apartments opening upon Il
narrow corridor extending on one
side of the house above the Kitchen
and servants apartments. IL had at
one time been occupied by Mrs. Allan's
maid. On receiving this n:orrna ion.
Poe was exceedingly indignant, and
refusing to have his carpet bag car
ried to that room, requested TO see
Mrs. Allan. The lady camc at once to
the pnrlor in all her dignity. and