Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-03

editor congratulating me on the excel !
lence OF it, He told me to send one or |
two more from Georgia and then to /
push on and write up the bayou coun |
ties in Louisiana. He liked the dia- |
loCues and suggested that | give more !
interviews with the farmers. read |
my letter in print, and ii again struck !
me that had not made it clear to my !
conservative readers that il was TO the
sons OF the antebelium. slaveholding
families that the south had to look for
its regeneration and renewed prosper
ity: that IL was this element which
was rebuilding the fortunes in that
section and not the few men from the
north who had gone there TO invest
money. II | dared to draw a picture
OF the Binds and the Ellens of the
south how the people OF the old COM
monwealth would read the future OF
this sunny land and appreciate the
struggle of its younger generation to
overcome the obstacles which they had
inherited in consequence OF war!
\ fine sense of honor had kept me
from making use of the life at the
a i
longed TO handle the subject as I saw
it and to make others see 1t through
my eyes and appreciate its beauty.
Shut in my room away from the intiu-
ence of Miss Ellen. of Bud and even
of the colonel. | argued that such a
letter could do no harm and might in
duce TO much good do not hide from
myself even now that there was with
ME a certain satisfaction in pleasing
those i the home office. nor did con
Ceal from myself then the additional
prestige such letter might give me
with my critics. The editor had COM
plimented me on the first letter. What
would he not do when he received one
written with Il pen guided by love and
every word of it poured from the
heart? If Miss Ellen loved me. l ar
gued. she would only rejoice With ma
! over my success. And then. too. she
might not see it. This last thought
| brought blush TO my cheek. and
! started up. determined 10 SHOW her
| my letter and tell her what l coutem-
/ plated doing
| What evil genius LED me TO change
my mind | do not know. II might
have been the fates OF the wishing
! stone whom ! had angered by partial
/ ly revealing the secret | had coufided
10 them. But ut the time | was pleased
to think il was confidence | bad no
right TO give her until | had told her
of my love. Then. too. If I. who was
as jealous of the family honor as Bud
or even the colonel imselfC saw no
improperly in making use OF their
heroic struggle with misfortuncs. sure
ly there could be- none. | thought.
When | should have told her of my
love. together we would talk over these
hard times. and together we would read
my description OF them and laugh
over it, or possibly cry, for it was al
ways the PathoS of the life at the
Pines which | saw and not the humor.
When a woman loves she always I'M
derstands. | said TO myself. but ] did
not know then how sensitive these old
families had become OF criticism nor
how deeply they felt their changed
conditions. | had only seen their fOrti-
tude and bravery. for they would have
thought it beneath them 10 complain OF
their poverty TO others.
Unless | wrote some such letter.
which would afford me a reasonable
excuse for remaining another fortnight
Mt the Pines. | would have TO leave in
a day or two ut the longest. for the sug-
GcStion Of the managing editor WAS
nothing less than politely wOrded or
der.
Cajoling myself into this belief.
| hesitatel no longer. My mind once
made up. | was seized with a fever to
write such as | had not known since
the first days Of my career in journal
ism.
Taking out my writing pad and
throwing myself across the bed. |
wrote with an enthusiasm | lad sell
dom experienced. If one has not felt
this fevcriSh desire to write he or she
cannot appreciate the feelings which
; prompted me to hold up every detail
as | saw it and to lend it color where
, color might be lacking. Loving Miss
Ellen with a passion that absorbed me
then, | described her as a holy priest
Z lilSlil paint lIt hduOuUd WI liz
, worshiped and with the accuracy
. with which the artist might put upon
the canvas the features of his wife and
. children.
| My blood ran more rapidly through
my veins as | sketched Miss Ellen il
bold relief and as faithfully described
. her honest father and manly brother
. The names and the locality were con
. cealed, but not more effectually than
the artist might hide the name of the
mother model who sat for the Ma
donna. One who had known the art
. list and his model would see in the
wrap of the Madonna a shawl the wife
had worn for score of years in the
humble neighbOrhood and in the in
, FAINT Christ the idealiZed features OF
/ the models child When describing
. Miss Ellen and her family ! felt in
r spired and uplifted and left nothing
q out which | thought would enhance the
|. letter as picture. When had finished
: 1t read it over carefully. altering moi
Y a line, even adding here and there 4
= sentence which would lend one more
bit of color TO the whole.
I With this letter / sent a note to the
? editor telling him that l would re