Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-06-27

the 4Oth anniversary of my first ar
rival on October 9th. 1877, as / was
selecting some new scenes of Olym-
pia among their postcards and all the
while my thoughts were carried back
to the old scenes of my youth in the
old Olympia. Mrs. Ford came in and
asked Mr.. Winstanley who the old
gentleman was. He relied, why,
that is Charlie Moore" and before
accosted me in the manner of an old
time friend. l could not recognize
her at once but carefully concealed
my startled thoughts from her while
l brushed up my memory of the old
times we talked over in the few min
utes Of our meeting and l then could
see George Ford once more as l did
in the old days. She had not changed
SO greatly and still looked young and
vigorous although little gray.
Now that she is gene. to join the
Silent League of Nations where peace
Is forced on us by nature. her going
brings to my mind "reminiscences of
the happy, peaceful days of the Olym-
pia knew when young. Those were
happy days in the eighties. when we
entertained ourselves unsteady. dra-
matically. socially and even in the
black art" Of minstrelsy. All Olym-
pia loved music and nearly all of us
sang. or tried to, and when we wanted
to hear the opera of H. NJ. S. Pima
fore. Mikado. Trial by Jury, an Old
Folks Concert or minstrel perform
ance. we had the talent to bunch to-
gether and produce it without calling
for outside help.
well remember the part Mrs.
Ford took in the opera of H. NJ. s.
Pinafore. In that performance Lieu
tenant Henry T. Mayo took the part
of Sir Joseph Porter. X. c. B. He is
now Admiral Mayo on Uncle Sans
big battleship. And Mrs. Ford was
Cousin Phoebe. ! can see Cousin
Phoebe and Sir Joseph Porter Singing
their little dialogue on the left side
of the stage. as though it was only
last week. The scene is something
like this:
Sir Joseph is in love with the cap
tain's daughter. and the daughter is
in love with Ralph Rackstraw. a sail
or. Our former old time citizen.
Otto Ranke. was the captaineand Gen.
eral r. G. O'Brien was the sailor.
Both have joined the Silent League.
Either Alice Warbass or Drucilla Per-
cival was the captains daughter. The
sailor wins out and Sir Joseph is left
detected and in sorrow, but Cousin
Phoebe stands by his side and con-
soles him to the best of her ability.
The scene is quite pathetic there
when Sir Joseph sings:
What shall do? I cannot live
alone" And Cousin Phoebe replies
in sweet tones of sympathy:
Fear not! While there's life III
not desert you. I'll soothe and COM
fort your declining days"
"Oh, no. don't do that"
"Yes indeed, I'd rather"
If I lived to be a thousand years
old could never forget that little
scene as performed by George Ford
and Lieutenant Mayo.
Every one who ever knew Mrs.
Ford knows that the character Of
Cousin Phoebe was perfect fit for
her. Her life in Olympia was per-
feet exemplification of the song she
sang to Sir Joseph Porter X. c. 3.
1t was the joy of her life to "soothe
and comfort" those who were near
and dear to her. She broke no
friendships. She was the same yes
terday. today and forever" and had a
pleasant smile for all.
1t was not the kind of smile that
seemed to be put on with plaster but
a smile that seemed to come from the
heart. A mother and father from
whose goodness she inherited a char
acter seldom if ever excells in real
life. l have a picture of each one of
them that money could not buy. 1t
is better picture than any owned
by the remaining part of the Percival
Sam, John and Buddy 1t is
a picture that took myself, imprint
ed on my memory tablet So life
like to me. and Is visible at all