The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-24

Tar less aHOIO 10 Jc IL IMAM MI AlldH
The fortune OF tho latter at this timc
ure as high as seven hundred and Nifty
thousand dollars, and his annual in
come must have fallen little short OF
forty thousand: and yet, after a visit
to the university to investigate in per-
son. he positively refused TO pay his
fostcrson's debts OF honor. and pre-
ferred to leave him under the inputa
ton = always q damaging one of
Sinking these debts, charge that
would do him much more harm in the
opinion OF the society in which both
moved than thu mere fact that he had
gambled extravagantly.
| Whatever may be said OF the NOR all
ty of college boys like Poe and his
| friends wasting SO much of their leis-
ure in playing cards for stakes. IT was
| not crcditable to Mr.. Allan's Gencrosi-
/ ~ OF feeling to permit obliga lions thus
| contracted by his fosterson TO remain
unpaid. especially in the light of Mrs.
! Weiss's statement that the young man
offered to return gradually the whole
amount advanced oy devottng to that
end definite proportion of the salary
which he should receive for his ser
| vices as a clerk In the Allan counting
house in Richmond.
| Poe's determination to leave that
city seems tc have been reached witt
out his disgusting his intention to his
| family. but obviously without their
approval. although Mrs. Allan and her
| sister appear to have supplied him
with the money which he required II
setting out Did his strained relations
with his fosterfather have any inhu-
ence in causing him to depart? Mr
Allan writing in May. 1929. says eX-
plicitly that The tPoe) left me In con.
sequence OF some gambling at the uni
verslty at Charlottesville. because.
presume, ! refused to sanction a rule
that the snopkeepsrs and others hat
adopted there of making debts of hon
or Of all indiscreticns. There were
prob ably other reasons for antagon
ism at the moment owing to their re
spsetive pecularities Mr. Allan. per
haps. thought that the young maj
) ought to hold on to the clerkshil
which had neen given him. arc as HI
refused to do without any eEcus
which careful man OF business coui'
consider sound. his guardian. will
cha ra cteristic stubborness. declined t
aid him to obtain more congenial EN-
pIoyment. although fully aware OF nl
Intellectual powers Poe h!mseit va
; perhaps Influenced by mixed feeling
independently OF any ground Of exas
! peration against his fostsrfather whic
5 he NAV have supposed himself to pos
sess-by an exaggerated disappoln'
ment in love affair just closed by II
> young lady's marriage to rival: D
S vague sense OF being generally mis-
E understood and unappreciated. ou
: above all. By a spirit. Of waywardnes
. and unrest. so often observed at tina
d time of life.
Follow. AIIuring Star.
The indefnable longinSs and aspira
: tions which burned In the heart
i Chatterton, and led him. as 1t has dor
manv a youth of genius before an
: since. to go up to London to try n
4 literary fortune, perhaps. at the saif
II | impressionapls age famed in the breas
3 of Poe, and moved him blindly to 10
y low the same alIuring star. There wa
no great literary mart in America. lik
2 the English metropolis. which +
could seek.
| Is there any real ground for the e io rs
cent assertion that, after leaving kieI
rnond he did make his way 10 Lohao
Ii byCa sailing Yessel-7a natural and NJ
an impracticable step for him TO taE
his romantic and wandering mood
II tho moment. might have been eXpec
ed to take? But whether ne dla
or not he next rises to the surface
II approach to being literary centre {
II could then be found on the continent
During Poe's enlistment In the arm
| he seems to have kent up corr,
spondence with Mrs.,Anan:l but thous
II tationed as near &as Fortress Monrn
which was in constant communicate
by water with Richmond. he does n
appear to have revisited that city un,
the day after, har funeral-an tnterv
| of two years. In the meanwhile, hoy
ever, he is reported to have reduest'
Mr. Allan to purchase a substitute Z
| him, so as to permit him to withdra
from the private ranks of the arm
| or refused to comply with this wis
| and only yielded after his wife'sl de'-
5a and then only. 1t is said! in obedier
~ to her diving entraaty. Even then
III was understood that"Poe was ito e
h deavor to obtain an appoiptmenti'to
cadetshtp in the national Militia
Va Academy. ~ eN, ~ f't4
y The death Of Mrs, Allan had not !