South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-05-15

! missing. and it had been torn
! through in the middle. but joined
again. A strip OF blue tissue paper.
pasted over the split. preserved It's
negouabiHty.
Enough OF the African bandit for
the present: Left him happy. lifted
the rope and opened the creaky gate.
The house. as I said. was a shell. a
paint brush had not touched il in
20 years. I could not see why a
strong wind should not have bowled
IL over like a house OF cards until I
looked again at the trees that hug
ged Il close-the trees that saw the
/ battle OF Nashville and still drew
their protecting branches around il
against storm and enemy and cold.
Azalea Adair. so years old. white
/ haired. a descendant OF the cavaliers.
as thin and frail as the house she
| lived in. robed in the cheapest and
! cleanest dress I ever saw. with an
air as simple as queens received
me.
The reception room seemed a mile
/ square, because there was nothing in
IL except some rows OF books. on un-
painted white-pine bookshelves. a
cracked marble-top table. a rag rug
! a hairless horsehair sofa and two or
/ three chairs. Yes. there was a pic
ture on the wall. a colored crayon
drawing OF a cluster Of pansies. ]
| looked around for the portrait OF
Andrew Jackson and the pine-cone
| hanging basket but they were not
there.
Azalea Adair and 7 had converse
ton. a little of which will be re-
peated TO you. She was a product
OF the old south, gently nurtured in
the sheltered life. Her learning was
not broad. but was deep and OF
splendid originality in its somewhat
Gated at home. and her knowledge of
the world was derived from inference
and by inspiration. OF such is the
| precious, small group of essayists
made. While she talked to me I kept
brushing my fingers. trying. uncon-
sciously. 10 rid them guiltily of the
absent dust from the half-calf backs
of Lamb, Chaucer, Hazlitt, Marcus
| Aurelius. Montague and Hood. She
was exquisite, she was valuable dis
covery. Nearly everybody nowadays
much-of real life.
| could perceive clearly that
AZalea Awair was very poor. A house
and a dress she had. not much else
I fancied. So. divided between my
duty TO the magazine and my loyalty
TO the poets and essay ists who fought
| Thomas in the valley Of the Cumber-
land, I listened TO her voice, which
was like a harpsichord's. and found
that I could not speak OF contracts
In the presence OF the nine Muse!
and the three Graces one hesitateC
TO lower the topic 10 two cents There
would have 10 be another colloquy
after / had regained my commercial
ism. But I spoke OF my mission, and
3 o'clock of the next afternoon wa.
set for the discussion of the business
proposition.
Your town." I said. as I began ii
make ready to depart (Which is the
time for smooth generalities). Seems
TO be a quiet. sedate place. A home
town. 1 should say. where few thing.
out Of the ordinary ever happen"
II carries on an extensive trade il
stoves and hollow ware with tn,
west and south. and its flourishinl
mills have a daily capacity of NOR,
) than 1000 barrels.
Azalea Adair seemed 10 reflect.
- have never thought of it tina
way" she said. with a kind of SINGER,
intensity that seemed 10 belong I,
her. Isn't it in the still, quiet places
that things do happen? fancy tina
when God began 10 create the eartl
on the first Monday morning on,
could have leaned out of ones win
dow and heard the drops of mu,
splashing from His trowel as IL
built up the everlasting hills. Wha
did the noisiest project in the worlC
II mean the building of the towe
Of Babel-result in finally? a pag,
and a half of Esperanto in the Nortl
American Review"
"Of course" said I platitudinously
| human nature II lilt Sflllt every
where. but there is more color-er-
romance in some cities than il
others"
ION the surface" said Azale;
Adair. Il have Travelled many time
around the world in a golden airshil
waited on two wings-print anC
dreams. have seen Con one Of m.
) imaginary tours) the Sultan OF Tur
key bowstring with his own hand
one Of his wives who had uncoveret
her face in public. | have seen
man in Nashville tear up his theate
tickets because his wife was coins
out with her face covered-with ric,
J powder. In san FranciscO's China
town I saw the slave girl Sing Ye
dipped slowly. inch by inch, in boil
ing almond oil 10 make her swea
she would never see her American
lover again. She gave IN when tn
boiling oil had reached three inche
above her knee. At a eucher part!
in East Nashville the other night
saw Kitty Morgan cut dead by sever
OF the schoOlmates and lifelon!
friends because she had married Z
house painter. The boiling oil wa
sizzling as high as her heart; but
wish you could have seen the fin,
little smile that she carried from
table to table. Oh. yes. il is a hum