Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-19
ELLEN ADAIR GETS
SEAGULL'S GIFT AS
SHIP GAINS SPEED
Bit of Seaweed a Token of
Happiness to Come.
Ocean Liner Makes Stop
at Queenstown.

VI
Southampton water on summer morn
ing and the little wavelets sparkling in
the SUN! The sea gulls circled round and
round with strange and curious cries, and
on the freshness and the utter clean
ness of their snowy wings! Alone ! stood
upon the steerage deck and watched the
shores of England slow recede. The ocean
soon would roll betwecu-and oh! | loved
my native land! "Good-bye. Goodbye
dear England" | was saying desperately,
"and many waters cannot quencn love!
Then next occurred a curious thing, and
one which gave me courage once again.
For as I leaned against the steorage rail
with sad and tear-dimmed eyes so'i-
tary sea sul came to me. and in her
bcak ! saw something strange. ] am not
superstltious. but my heart stood still,
and breathlessly [ watched her oh, bird
of promise OF the waters, bearinS
token Of returning hope! Above my head
she circ,ed. high Ger that srrny, coal
stained emierating crowd, as clean ana
pure and snowy as the drifting clouds
above. and tutoring strange cries OF pro-
test at the scene she saw. Poor to"-
inc. earth-stained men and women on
the steeragc deck" the sea gull cried.
nature Is always clean and fresh ana
Young You. too. can live as fresh ana
,,aar and fair as t. Look UP throush
nature unto natures God, for you have
Immortality
SEA GULL'S VALUED GIFT.
Down at my feet a little piece OF sea-
weed auttercd from that seabrd's beak.
could have brought kindl!cr message
at is token that the aoods Will pass
and shall once more know true hap
piness, cried; 'and many waters cannot
quencl eternal love. ~
have that little piece OF s'aN eed Sun,
and never shall l part with IT.
The great Atlantic liner swept along
mast Portsmouth all dthc English battle
ships Austere and proud the cruisers
looked that July morning in their deaE
gray dignity. Around them hung q GER
tain brooding air OF stii!ness' t't r''''''
before the coming Worldwide storm.
Down past the Isle of Wight we quick
lv sped and out into the English Cham
mel. A bell changed loud ana carry uln-
ner was announced. / went Deio" anu
ioined the steeraGe crowd The White !
star Line cares well for all, bat on
] shrank away from all these strange
companions. On one side was a Rns-
sian Pole unkempt. unshaNen ana ul-
washed His matted beard ana strange
wild eve gave me vague uucaslleSS,
aud he consumed plateful after platetui (
with ravenous rapidtty. On the othr'
side was a Calician woman with tired,
sad countepauce, a wailing BABY cAHg
ing 10 hey iar | think a Raphael would
-555S.-t0+sd r. to paint her sweet M''0'""
IL stceragc quarters were constructed
Il q fftl1 Of 900 EOu.S--it tL
.oa bare 800 enigrants occupied them
soon az possible ! hurried up on
W again. But what n change was
doe, Gone was the sunlight gone the
coking waves-a wall OF densest tos
met my gaze. a sound. urear'
ttning. sound. as of some lost soul
bdemned to drift these deSolnte waters
a. waiIing from above-our rog-horn,
Inding internationally, [ stood ana
tened in the muftied mist.
STRANGE CALL FROM FOG.
curious eeric call responded on
icher key-so near it sounded that
AharpIv turned to see If It were BY me.
tRut no, the deck was empty, and the
cold gray fog still wrapped us round.
The strange calling and answering con-
tfnued | watched and waited, then on
sudden started in alarm. For from that
mist there soon emerged shape, a tower
ing awesOme shape, that rose | thnk Tor
fifty feet above the sea. 7 E.im7sed
great and silent P"ow-then swathlAS
nists enshrouded all again, Was II a
phantom Of my stupid brain, ! wondered.
THE Kaiser WiE@.m's racing u.s.
think" I heard youthful officer eX-
claim She's a magnificent boat
The curious, vague alarm stiH cNHs
around me- In that dense fog how easy
TO collide Ny thoughts few back TO that
early morning tragedy OF "A short time
ago when within sight ~ shore tie
Empress OF Ireland sank silent 70 her last
resting place beneath the deep calm
waters OF the vast st l.aNTf nee, Poor
Laurence Irving and his brilliant actress
wife, No more We see them On the Lon
don boards. 7 saw him once iu The
Tnwr1tteu Law" and mother said the
great Sir Henry had come back to us
again. Great son has gone 10 Join
greater father
The afternoon slipped br and evening
brought US to the shores of France The
Channel fog had lifted now, and Cher
hourg was in sight 4 busting little ten
der hurried out. laden with passengers
for the big Atlantic liner Dear sunset
of the coast OF France I see again your
glory and your gold The tender rad.-
ance of the deepening Sky cast glowing
shadows limned the gold ana twilight
long upon the steerage deck till purple
shadows limmed the gold and twilight
deepened on the shores Of France.
\ STOP AT QUEENSTOWN.
At length the lateness ot the hour COM
PEELED me TO go down below But 7 vas
10th 10 leave that perfect scene-I think
the hapIess Mary Stuart lovely Queen.
fingered no longer than did I-ard saw
the shores Of her beloved France recede
with no more sad "adleu,
found my sleeping place was shared
by i've Others, and I hastily scrambled
into the topmost berth Upon a yeritable
Jacobs pillow my tired head rested, ana
I believe the dreams Of Jacob must have
come 70 me that night
At Queenstown the next day We paused.
The little town LAY in its quiet hollow
and OH. the gTeeuness Of the Emerald
Isle. Waves splashed against the treach-
erous rock-bound coast, and cautiously
we awaited the outComing tender. At
Queenstown, too I saw curious sight
four little rowbOats looFed beside the
great Atlantic liner; and from these,
weather-beaten Irish peasant women,
bent on selling Irish lace ana fruit at
exorbitaut prices 10 the passengers. were
Lied around the waist by great ropes aad
slowly hauled for - feet aboard our
, mighty vessel. The drst aboard. a big
= dark, handsome woman, was a regular
F01s g.'ifb ha p 10,