Evening star., 1914-11-08

only visit the women and generally
Keep track OF them. but also act as 'al
needed-and this lis what Eva and Ma
riel Barr are doing
4
Exceedingly good to look upon, as
has been limited, the musical gift is
strong in each Of them, both being
really brilliant pianists. Mariel, in
fact, would now be deep in concert
work were 1t not for rather a serious
omnibus accident which befen her
about year ago and which had a tenn
porary effect on her health, preventing
hard study. while Miss Eva, besides
her musical gifts. is quite promising
young authoress, who not only. writes
stories. but gets them accepted by quite
prominent publications. Sitting to-
gether on the couch in their fathers
den. they told the writer about their
work as almoners, which already has
resulted in some odd experiences and
discoveries
"Over $500 wives and mothers of SOL
diers and sailors in this district of Lon
don alone are on the books of the So
ciety' declared Miss Eva, and each OF
them Is visited twice a week Some OF
them are quite helpless about their
business affairs, and landlords who are
pressing for their rents have to be seen
ana arranged with, pawned articles
rescued from 'uncles' clutches and ali
sorts of other things done. Then we
give money-whatever sum constitutes
the margin between comfortable living
ent
"Mariel has twenty families on her
list and have eighteen or nineteen at
present and we really find going to see
s,ruck us both most. aside from their
PLUCK. Is the wonderful cleanness and
neatness OF their little homes. as well
things some of them have We have
seen some really beautiful examples of
plate and cut glass in these little homes
parting with hem to swindling deal
ers. One woman told me that she had
recently been offered two dollars and a
half for cut-glass bowl that must be
worth something handsome, and that
she had just sold. for shilling each,
half dozen liqueur glasses that must
have been worth pounds"
I'VE have run across some odd char.
acters' TOO" put In Miss MarieI, "one
OF whom proves, years ago. to have
cooked Tor William de Morgan, the vet
eran author of Joseph Vance That.
however. was long before he began
writing novels: when, in fact. he first
tiles and lived in Chiswick She in
Quired. quite naively, IL he were still
alive. Another of our new acuuain-
tances rejoices in the name of Eliza
beth Faith Drake, which is quite an
propriate in these days. We write quite
a lot Of letters for them, by, the way.
mostly to commanders of regimente ~
ask about their men. from many Of whom
they have not heard for weeks on end.
They know, of course, that thew will
get a telegram If their sons or hus-
bands are either killed or wounded, but
that. naturally. does not cheer them
up much.
Some of the cases are really awfully
pathetic. One woman whose husband
was In the navy told me she has
I don't know how many times.
all the way from Kensington here down
to the admiralty Offices in Whitehall
and back again, and it's miles, to read
the list OF killed and wounded posted
up there. and the last time she went
she read her husbands name among
he dead. He was one of those who
vent down in the Pathfinder, the ffrst
cruiser OF ours to be sunk by a mine,
md she has ten children, all under
,even. How she Is going to get along
have no idea"
Copyright, 1914 by Curtis Brown