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

~ SOlioNS VI SOuNll dIC 80 Often In.
nored-and yet, ah, so pitiful! For IL ia
only in youth that one really "toucbo,
bottom; 1t Is only In youth that N.
blacklist abysses of sorrow are saupoa
For In youth, and IN youth orIv. ,ho
power to feel Is at It's keenest mud
this the older folks are slow to realize
The child sorrowing over her broken do,,
the little boy lamenting the death Of 4,
favorlte ,dog-the disastrous ending 70 n
young girls love arfair-why. the mi.
verse for the noncc is blotted ont for
these! The pain of II all would be ton
great, too overwhelming. were It not for
the blessed twin capacity for joy.
And I, Ellen Adnir, alone in America
and without one real friend in the world
can yet thank heaven for this rapaci,,.
for deep feeling. For the pendulum u,iu
surely swing around and happiness one
day come to me again. ELLEN dnpr
child" my mother used to say, never
grow hard and never grow worldly. And
If sorrow oomes, let 1t only serve "a
soften YOU
THE mark of rank in nature is csp,cit, "a,
pain -''
And the nnsuish Of the. singer makes tho
sweetness OF the strain"
Dear mother, how lightly listened IN
your gentle moralizlng-and how gladly
would listen now.
For the peaceful life in the English viii.
lage had n sad and sudden ending
remember spring had come in a riot or
turbulent green, in wonderful stlrrInus
or wood and field. in tender upshoots-and
IL mad been strangely restless Tho
young sap was rising in the trees the
birds were mating i'm the branches and
slnEinS their hearts out in Il very ccstacv
OF JOY. "Oh, to be in England now tho,
Aprlis there! No earthly artist could
ever hope to paint an English spring
time The hedges were a mass of fender
green, the thorn trees budding in a vhIts
profusion, md the sun slttered I'm "A tbou
sand lights on the dcw-spangled grass
on, those dewy April mornings and my
young rebellious heart More life! More
life | was crying to- myself i'm a vague
and cropping way. MY youth Is passing
and | have never lived!' and my heart
ache deepencd with the singing of the
nesting birds.
Two rival birds were oourting their
lady-lovc on nelghboring tree. and the
beauty of their song brought tears 70
my eyes. Life ana love- said l. "and
love Is the only thing that matters And
love, in this sleepy place, is passing me
BY and with n dull heartache [ walked
back to our cottage on the moor But
even there the birds We're Corrtlng he
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 Il careful hand, was Watts great
picture, and | gazed upon 1t for the first
time with new and seeing eyes-"Lovs
and Life and in the shelter of Loves
wings Life rested
| buried my head on the table to shut
II OUT, and the tears ran down my cheeks.
why, Ellen" said a gentle voice tell
me the trouble, dear" ana mother stood
by my sido. could not speak, for words
were lutiic to express the vague STRINGS
at my heart.
rs ii the artist man who was here last
summer?' said she. "Hc may come back
TO us, Ellen. DO not weep so, dear"
ana then into her kindly car ! poured
my lohSinES and my fears. 1t was not
any special love I wanted. but love and
me together. And l told her of the
ATtlst man Kind words. Live up 10
the highest always" ! told her of my
sudden rebellion AT our narrow llfo and
OF the strange heart STRINGS that tho
SprlhS had awakened within me | talked
Tor an hour IN my selfish absorption, and
tneh ! caught sight of mothers face.
huW thlh ana wan it looked; how deli
cal"ly transparent! My heart smoto mo.
Oil' mother, my place is here with YOU"
l ct4cu' ~ on need me most" and for
inc hlSt tmc ! noticed the frailty OF
her pretty Hgur" and the droop of her
slender shoulders.
may not need you long dear Ellen"
SAID she, land then love and life will
come and YOU will be free" And looking
at hcr dear thin face. l think the artists
WORDS cam" true; my self-Centredne>s
lclI from me. my soul woke up, my soul
began to grow. ! must never loso her,
that dear mother Of mine: 7 would de-
VOC my life to her, and find happiness.
elusive Blue Bird, in its true place, at
home
Tho spring slipped by and the days
lengthcuod toward midsummer And
June ana the honeysuCkle and the roses
came IN Triumphant | thought the
clover IN a neighboring field had never
smellod so sweet before. And then the
sudden tragic ending came-for mother
hao been ailns since the coming Of ths
sprns-and one June evening the slender
cora gave way, and she quietly slipped
beyond the pale of earthly things 10
where beyond these voices there IS
peace cannot talk about IL yet; tho
pain is stIll too fresh too new.
Ana later, tho pompous lawyer from
the nearest town arrived. You havs
lived a curious. shut-in life" said he 10
me-. ''Nn!, my dear young lady. YOU"
poor mother has shown a strange lack "
business capUcity. For her wOrldy-all
was sunk IN SNAIL annuity, which has
low, " course, terminated at her death
ANA ! hEd your cottage mortgaged. Have
you no relatives, no intimate friends?
IaoEod my puzzled brains ana
sh1nctar"dly confessed that, beyond the
vicar ami th" parish doctor we had 10
friends.
But my dear youug lady" said the
pnmpous littlr lawyer your financial
position Is now serious one. | must
inform you that even this cottage viii
pass out "l Your hauds-for your mOtael
although not in debt to amy of the local
tradespeople has borrowed from Hrn
n town and YOU are practically peuni-
less. Lave you really no relatives
My mothers brother I'm America is the
only ono 1 ever knew" said I sadly,
And him / have not seen for seven
years. I was at boarding school in Lon-
don then and hc camo over from Pht'a-
delphia 10 Gnglaud ON a business trp
w sl"Ht % day together at the Zoo ana
alhod an l'uuauu.s. 1t WAS rCd-lr.t'r
day Tor mo, remember"
You had better advise him immo-
diately ot your awkward position, mN
child said the little lawyer. "Nour
"a al -s4If tg F4tG