The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-04-29
@@~@s.ss..ss.. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
"Eue's Legend
VS. $3.50. ssss'ss

1t is generally admitted that 'e'' is
the most used OF the five yowels. 1t
would be a safe wager that no one
can read at random two lines from
book or newspaper without encounter
ing it. But did its prominence among
the letters of the alphabet ever sug-
gest the possibility of writing
story"-a real story, with characters
and incidents-in which all the VOW
els except "e" should be omitted?
In a quaint old book, not very well
known, there is an example OF this in
genuity. 1t is little story written by
Lord Holland, in 1924, entitled Ewes
Legend" but has nothing to do with
the FIRST mother" of the human race,
or with the Garden Of Eden, altho that
locality would appear to invite the at
tention of any author from whose use
all Yowels save "e" were excluded.
Here is the story;
Men were never perfect; yet the
three brethren, Veres, were ever
esteemed, respected, reyered, even
when the rest whether the select
few. whether the mere herd = were
left neglected.
peter welded Hester Green - the
slender, stern, severe. erect Hester
Green. The next, clever Ned, welded
sweet Ellen Heber.
stephen, ere be met the gentle
Eve, never felt tenderness; he kept
kennels. bred steeds, rested where the
deer fed, went where green trees
where fresh breezes, greeted. sleep.
There he met the meek, the gentle
Eve; she tended her sheep, she ever
neglected self; she never needed pelf,
yet she needed the shepherds even
less.
Nevertheless her cheeks Redeemed
when she met Stephen; yet decent re-
serve, meek respect, tempered hel
speech even when she Showed ten
derness.
stephen felt the sweet effect; he
felt he erred when he fed the sex, yet
felt defenseless when Eve seemed tep
der. She, he reflected. never deserved
neglect; she never vented spleen; he
esteemed her gentleness, her endless
deserts; he reyerenced her steps; he
greeted her:
Tell me whence these meek, these
gentle sheep whence the yet meek
err, the gentler sheDherdessY
",Wen bred, we were exc better
fed. ere we went where reckless men
seek feeces. There we were feeced.
Need then rendered me shepherdess,
need renders me sempstress.
See me tend the sheep; see me
sew the wretched sbreds, Eyes need
preserves the steers, preserves the
sheep; Ewes needle mends her dres-
ses. hens her sheets; Eve feeds the
geese; Eve preserves the cheese.
"Her speech melted Stephen. He
bent the knee where her feet pressed
the green: he blessed, he begged, he
pressed her.
"'Sweet, sweet Eve, let me wed
thee; be led where Hester Green,
where Ellen Hebar, where the breth-
rem We're dwell. Free cheer greets
thee there. Be led there, sweet
EveI'
"Never! We well remember the
Seer. We went where he dwells - we
entered the cell = we begged the de-
cree;
{" Where, whenever, when, 'twere well
Eve be welded? Ed Seer, tell
"He rendered the decree; see here
the sentence decreedr Then she pre-
scented Stephen the Seer's decree:
ERE the green reed be red,
sweet Eve, be never wed;
Ere be green the red cheek
Never wed thee, Eve meek
"The terms perplexed Stephen. yet
he jeered, he resented the senseless
credence, sSeers never err Then he
repented, knelt, wheedled, wept Eve
sees Stephen kneel; she relents, yet
frets when she remembers the Seers
decree. Her dress redeems her. These
were the events:
'Her well-kempt tresses fell; sedges,
reeds, bedecked them. The reeds fell,
the edges met her cheeks: her cheeks
bled. She pressed the green sedge
where her cheeks bled. Red then be-
dewed the green reed, the green reed
then speckled her red cheek. The red
cheek seems green. the green reed
seems red.
"Thes> were cen the terms the Ed
Seer decreed. They then were wed"