Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-05-31
miss ANNA HELD
FAMOUS ACTRESS
is ON DEATH BED

i dark eyes of Anna Held stu smile
| bravely, though she has been told by
her doctors that soon they must close
forever. And there is still that be-
witching sidewise roll to them when
she speaks-just as there used to be
when she sang about not being able
to make them behave. 1t is easy for
1 those near to her to believe that when
death comes-as it inevitably must be
fore long-she will meet it with that
alluring. f1irty glance that every one
who has ever seen her must remem-
ber
But not yet will / die" said the
sufferer yesterday, turning away from
her window in the Hotel Savoy, where
she sat looking down upon Fifth ave
nues traffic. There is something that
! ] must live for. l cannot grow better
than / ammo My good doctors say
/ it. 1t is true-yes. Anna sings and
dances no more. But for while she
lives For a while until certain things
i happen-about France"
In corner of the big apartment a
! black disc was spinning on phono-
graph and there sounded the notes OF
Joan of Arc"-"Do you see the droop-
ing fiuer-de-lis? Do you hear the tears
of Normandy
Once more to go to the hospitals OF
Paris and sing for those blesses-
| that | would much like to do. But
shall not; not again shall l see Pa
ris. shall die here. But-before
die you shall behold-France again
will be altogether France"
Her fingers tapped gently to he
rhythm of the popular song-that
part of it which uses the tune of the
Marseillaise" and says: Come, lead
your France to victory! Joan of Arc
We are calling you'll"
| Music-particular French music
i is helping tremendously to keep up
the spirit of the woman who has
been given and accepted the ver-
dict that there is no hope of recover
from the rare disease which is dis
integrating her frame, that peculiar
myeloma for which medicine has nc
| cure.
| She heard "AlsaceLorraine," an
! other new war song, and then that
smashing French march to the note OF
poilus swing along the Bots - lie
Regiment du Sambre ct Meuse.
This particularly cheered and bright
ened her
/, Il will live," Anna Held said, unit
my dear France is free again Yor
shall see. l will make myself live until
the Huns are driven back across the
Rhine and my country is herself
4 will live she went on with hel
prophecy, until there is no Kaiser
on throne in Germany-until our
great Gen Foch has received from
! IIindenburg his sword in surrender
until France is wholly victorious"
4 Those in the room told her they
hoped and prayed she might live tc
see those things come true
And then ! wish to rest in th'
soil of France" she said (all this
with a smile and with that dainty
French accentuation, full of z's)
where the brave ones rest who fel
at the Marine and the Somme ant
verdun.
How long 9nna Held may survive
no one can tell. +. Donald McCas-
key, her chief physician, said the END
might come at any hour, and yet gaian
with her Uncomfortable will and hel
CHEEKY courage, life might possibly be
prolonged for weeks, or even months
There is not much that can be done
for her. A gallant gentleman from
Gascony, as sche described him, Wis
tied the hotel yesterday and Offered
his blood for TRANSMISSION into her
veins But it was decided that this
emergency measure-already once
tried would now be of no avail.
/ She is simplye living with Eel
strength growing less daily. but hel
courage as strong as ever, and her
smile never falling.