Montgomery County sentinel., 1951-01-18
Montgomery SideIights
ELSIE WHITE HAINES

We often remark that a column
of this sort almost writes itself
one column leads to another you
see. This week a letter from our
old friend, John E. Muncaster of
Redland, brings another tale of
old Goshen-a copy of a book of
poems by county school teacher
was the inspiration for a para
graph or two and phone call
provided another lead. Mr.. Mum
caster writes:
"The tales of Old Goshen Church
reminded me of one told me by
a Graybeard along about 1890, so
l guess it must have happened at
one of the old buildings when it
was new.
at seems that two young men
of the neighborhood whom we will
call Jack and Tom (far from
their real names as l can get)
were hot rivals for the favor of
a young and pretty girl who was
frequent attendant at Goshen,
and who seemed to favor both
equally, and went out with first
one and then the other. There
was series of meetings at the
church and both men had asked
for date-she was non-commit-
tai, so one evening Tom appeared
at her door rather early and she
went to church with him. Jack
came along short while after and
was much disappointed to find her
gone but he, too, went to church.
When he got there the meeting
was in full swing, and no one in
sight. A new post and rail fence
had been put around the church
lot which was used also as a
hitching rack for the teams. Jack
stopped and thought. He slipped
his hands in his pants pocket and
said, "I'll do it."
"When church was over Toms
horse and buggy were not in sight.
1t looked as if the horse had got
ten loose and gone home, so after
some argument the girl went home
with Jack.
"When most of the teams were
gone poor Toms was found. 1t
was down at the corner of the lot
the buggy shafts had been put
through the fence and the horse
hitched up properly on the other
side of the fence"
Jack got the girl, according to
Mr.. Muncaster. l'..
y *v* = .,.,,
Il Julia Collins Ardayne is the
author of book of poetry, "Pris-
matte Window" which has just
been published by the Exposition
Press of New York ($2.00) Mrs.
Ardayne taught for twenty years
III the schools of Montgomery
County and for the last two years
hasc served as director of the
School for Cerebral Palsied Chill
dren in Silver Spring.
Combining mastery of both
classical and modern techniques of
verse-writing, With an aptitude for
delicate images and subtle
rhythms, Mrs. Ardayne in one of
her lyrics, "Tahsman," writes:
AS Theseus, tasting Ariadne's
tears, tH
Accepted from her hand the silver
cord
AS clew against the fast-approach-
ing hour
Of trial and sword,
So l, against the darkness OF
my fears
Clasp to my life your confidence
and all
Your thought for me against the
desperate hour,
Else. might | fall.
A poet of the city as well as the
country, Mrs. Ardayne finds
beauty in the sights and sounds
of New York. Her verses cover
wide range of subject matter
and emotion, but she is at hel
best when concentrating on those
aspects of the world that belong
to the lyricist-the passage of thu
seasons, mountains and seascapes
the poignancy of love, and thu
coming of dawn and night. Sh'
says, for example, in "Bay a
Dawn"
There is no silence like this still
white beach