Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-15
FINANCIAL REVERSES
FORCE ELLEN ADAIR
TOLEAVE HER HOME
Death of Mother Make,
Her an Orphan Without
Friends = Pictures Amer.
lea as Land of Promise.

Ihe sorrows Of youth are so oftep t.
hored-and yet, ah, 30 pitifull For I, =.
only In youth that one really "tou....
bottom; 1t is only in youth thu, a..
blacklist abysses of sorrow are ,,uroa
POr IN YOUTH and In youth only, the
power to feel is at it's keenest ~,
this the older folks are slow TO reals.
The child sorrowing over her broken do,,
the little boy lamenting the death NJ A..
faVorite dog-the disastrous ending to
young girls love affair-why, the mt
verse for the nonce is blotted out "a.
thesel The pain of IL all would b. to.
great, too Overwhelming, were 1t not for
the blessed twin capacity for Joy.
And I, Ellen Adair, alone In Amsr;,.
and without one real friend in the world
can yet thank heaven for this capaoi,v
for deep feeling For the pendulum will
surely swing around and happiness on.
day come to me again. ELLEN. d.,r
child" my mother used to saw, "n.vor
grow hard and never grow worldly Ava
IL sorrow comes let 1t only serve r.
| soften you.
| THE mark of rank In nature ia os,,ot, a..
palm p"N'tS tof
Anu tne anguish of the
sweetness of the strain "'' '"e
Dear mother, how lightly lIstensd g.,
your gentle moralizlng-and how gladly
would 1 listen now.
For the peaceful life in the English vii.
iase had sad and sudden ending.
remember spring had come in a riot NJ
turbulent green, in wonderful stirring,
OF wood and field, in tender upshoots-and
II had been strangely restless Tho
young sap was rising in the trees tbo
BIRDS were mating in the branches and
singing their hearts out in a very ecstoov
OF JOY. oh. to be in England, now tba,
AptiFs there! No earthly artist could
ever nope to paint an English spring.
time. The hedges were a mass of tender
green, the thorn trees budding in a whlts
profusion, and the sun glittered in a thou
sand lights on the dew-spangled grass
Oh, those dewy April mornings and INV
young rebellious heart More life, Mora
NE was crying to myself in a vague
ana cropping way. my youth is passing
and l have never lived' and nv heart.
ache deepencd with the singing of the
nesting birds.
TWO rival birds were courting their
lady-love on neighboring tree, and tina
beauty or their song brought tears to
my eyes. Life and love" said | "ond
love is the only thing that matters And
love, in this sleepy place, is passing me
BY and with a dull heartache l walked
oack to our cottage on the moor But
even there the birds were courting be-
meath the gables and the dormer win
dows. To shut out their tender song
hurried indoors and seated myself in our
little parlor. But opposite me on tho
wall was the same old theme, for there
hung by careful hand, was Watts great
picture and 1 gazed upon 1t for the first
time with new and seeing eyes-"Love
and Life" and in the shelter of Loves
wings Life rested.
| buried my head on the table TO shut
1t out, and the tears ran down my cheeks.
Why. Ellen" said gentle voice, tell
me the trouble, dear" and mother stood
by my side I could not speak, for words
were futile to express the vague STRINGS
at my heart
rs 1t the artist man who was here last
suInmer?' said she. He may come back
TO us, Ellen Do not weep so. dear!'
And then into her kindly ear l poured
my longings and my fears. It was not
any special love / wanted but love and
life together And / told her of ths
artist mans kind words, Live up to
the highest always" l told her of my
sudden rebellion at our narrow life and
of the strange heart STRINGS that the
spring had awakened within me. l talked
for an hour In my selfish absorption, and
then / caught sight of mothers face.
How thin and wan 1t looked; how deli
cately transparent! My heart smote me-
"Oh, mother. my place is here with you!"
| cried. You need me most" and for
the first time / noticed the fraty OF
her pretty figure and the droop of her
slender shoulders.
II may not need you long, dear Ellen"
said she, land then love and life will
come and you will be free" And looking
at her dear, thin face, think the artists
nA1P NrnIN
fell from me, my soul woke up, my soul
began to grow. l must never lose her
that dear mother of mine; I would de-
vote my life to her. and find happiness.
elusive Blue Bird, in its true place, at
home.
The spring slipped by and the days
heightened toward midsummer. And
June and the honeysucSle and the roses
came in triumphant l thought the
clover in a neighboring field had never
smelled so sweet before. And then tho
sudden tragic ending came-for mother
had been ailing since the coming of tina
spring-and one June evening the slender
cord gave way, and she quietly slipped
beyond the pale of earthly things TO
"where beyond these voices there is
peace" cannot talk about 1t yet; the
pain Is stlll TOO fresh too new.
And later, the pompous lawyer from
the nearest town arrived. You nave
lived a curious. shut-in life" said he to
me. ana, my dear young lauy, YOU,
poor mother has shown a strange lack OF
business capacity. For her wordy-aH
was sunk In a small annuity, which has
now, of course, terminated at her death
And | find your cottage mortgaged HAYS
you no relatives. no intimate friends
| TaCked my puzzled brans-anu
shamcfacedly confessed that, beyond Inc
vicar and the parish doctor, we had no
friends.
But, my dear young lady" said ths
pOmpOus little lawyer, your nnancla.
position is now a serious one | must
inform you that even this cottage WIN
pGss out Of your hands-for your mother;
although not In debt to any of the locsI
tradespeople. has borrowed from nrn
in town. And YOU are practically pehh'
less. Have you really no TelatiyesF
My mothers brother in America - th'
only one / ever knew" said / sadly,
"And him l have NOT seen for seven
years. | was at boarding school In Lon
don then, and he came over from Fhha'
deph.a 10 England on a business trlP'
We apaut day together at the 100 ans
dined at Romano's. 1t was red-le''s'
day for me, / remember"
You had better advise him innly
CI4t-!y Of your awkward position, ~,
child" said the little lawyer. lous
worldly-all consists OF a ten-pound hyts
N, mo laFa1 sayirpg hank and ne uFT