Show EVANGELINE STORY IS REENACTED IN INTHIS THIS TRAGEDY Mrs Martha i 7 Heroine in Modern I Day Account He- He HeV t snit V J By E. E C. C Rodgers N N E. E A. A Washington Bureau 7 1134 1128 Munsey D D. C. C Dec 25 rather thank thee Father I Y Those were her words words the the words of per her whom I shall shaH call caB the Modern I Evangeline the words and they they- were oft of the e Evang Evangeline Longfellow wrote ab about ut years ears and years ago I The The he Ei EVangeline E of or the old Acadian village of or Grand Pre was torn from I IG G Gabriel briel her girlhood playmate and lover when the British deported the French l French en h peasants peasants from their prairie I homel homeland nd and after a lifetime of ot oth heartbreaking h sorrow of fruitless wan wan- of or endless searching for Gabriel Gabriel Gabriel Ga Ga- briel Evangeline found him near unto p death ath in a hospital at Philadelphia Father I thank thee she said Thankful Thankful then that she had found him even though It was to lose him again forever again forever in this life Such was tho the Ev Evangeline of ot Longfellow's never to to be forgotten forgotten tale A MODERN C DERN INSTANCE A And this is the Evangeline of or today In In ln an everyday world she is Mrs Martha Christopher on She too experienced experienced experienced ex ex- ex the pangs and heartbreaks s so her girlhood o of a separation from sweetheart She too too- gave a lifetime I Ito to the finding of him She too found I him She too is thankful that she I found him But there is this difference difference differ differ- ence once The lover she sought for I and found found- But let us begin at the be beginning beginning beginning be- be ginning as Longfellow did 0 Half a l century ag ago a boy and girl were chums in Sweden Their parents I were neighbors and friends The boy William Hudson loved his sweetheart to be married married mar- mar Martha The They were going ried when fortune smiled upon them When William came near the years ears of manhood he set sail for the New Martha was to follow fonow when he gut settled over there Her IIer smiling tear dimmed eyes saw William go away That was some thirty five years ago NO LETTERS The first month brought no letter i back to Martha 1 Another month and it trot t a word from her lover It seemed a lit as though the great unknown world had swallowed him The first year went by and others still no word fr from rp him Williams William's parents di died d and Martha lon lonely ly and sad married another man He too passed out of her life lIf and Marthas Martha's heart renewed its longings for the lover of or her girl girl- hood Ill find him she said as she started out into the New World Year Tear after atter year went by without m meeting ting hi him or hearing from him When VIlen hope ebbed lowest a new clue a letter from someone encouraged her to continue the hunt Here or there someone had heard of a William Hudson There were those who had met him in Canada Canada Canada Can Can- ada a hunter and fisher a lonesome man an a a. man much given to brooding over real or imaginary trouble a man who had few friends He was a Swede they said and had spoken of dreams shattered through no fault of his HE TRAVELS FAR Martha heard he ho was in South America He had been seen there and andIn andin andin in Mexico He had been seen on the Pacific coast and in the South and East But never did they two meet until until And then just just recently Martha when hope almost had been stilled In her heart heard that William was alive and In Washington D D. C. C Hurriedly Hur she closed her little home in Spokane Wash and came to the nations nation's nations nation's na na- na- na tion's capital At last she cried I r have found him l Hope ope and life flared up anew within her The world was brighter and it seemed her years of sorrow and anguish anguish anguish an an- had come to an end and there'd be years of joy and sunshine ahead They told her William Hudson might be found in St St. Elizabeth EUzabeth home SHE SEEKS HOME She didn't know what St. St Elizabeth h home me was Not until she came carne to the doorway And then the whole truth did not dawn upon her They heard her story in the office and an sent s nt for William Hudson Martha who had bid him godspeed thirty-five thirty years before now stood face to face with the man of or that boy old bent broken in life William William WilHam she cried holding her arms out toward the man r His eyes s stared into hers His face was blank He didn't recognize her William she said going near him and placing a hand upon his arm I r Iam Ian an am fUn Martha Dont Don't you know me I r have been hoen hunting for tor you all these years ears HER LOVER MAD But William Witham Hudsons Hudson's mind will wilt never again see nor nor understand To tho w world he has nas ceased to exist and tho the world has ceased to exist for him For William Hudson is mad For the past nineteen years he has been an inmate of St. St Elizabeths Elizabeth's It U w was s Mrs who told the thee asylum officials the story of her separation from him thirty-five thirty years ago ago- and of her searching for him him him- the t story of the modern Evangeline And nd when it was all over when theman the theman m man n had been led back to his room pen hen it was that the modern Evangeline Evangeline Evan Evan- geline broke down and wept and then their it was vas that she thanked ed God for ha having hav- hav ing granted her prayer that th t she might See seer sperl in i life the face tace of or the min man she hc loved oyed I |