Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1911 — Chat Angel of Mercy [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Chat Angel of Mercy

Hnd an Unnatural Daughter SI bo Deserted RcrOld father fly >laria D. Carpenter Copyright by American Press Association, 1911.

The case of Helen Powell turning her poor old widowed father over to the care of his housekeeper, Miss Willard, a woman of thirty-five, puzzled the social world of Deerfield. The wife and mother died when Helen was sixteen years old, and Miss Willard naturally assumed, or, rather, continued to administer, the household affairs. Indeed, she had been during Mrs. Powell’s illness indispensable. A few months after her mother’s death Helen went to boarding school and remained there for three years except during vacations, when she visited some one of her schoolmates. Miss Willard’s entrance to the Powell household occurred when Mrs. Powell was taken ill. Some one was needed, and Miss Willard, who was a social acquaintance of the Powells, volunteered. Her offer was considered by her friends to be one of self abnegation, for she needed no compensation

and would accept none. Therefore, although she was called the housekeeper, she stood on an equal social footing ■with Mr. Powell and his daughter,♦who were under an obligation to her from the time she entered the house.

Helen Powell was a childlike girl, Terr amiable, by no means aggressive and easily upset by a misunderstanding with any one. Those who knew her best assigned this as the cause of her remaining away from her desolate father, thus throwing his care upon Miss Willard. On this account they excused her, but the outer world did not excuse her. She was looked upon as a very unnatural child of a suffering parent.

Miss Willard refrained from any comment upon Helen’s actions, but when pressed for an explanation would say: “Helen is perfectly excusable. Her absence is no fault of her or her father. Devoted to the memory of his wife, he broods constantly over her loss. How can such a household be a place for a young girl just budding Into womanhood?”

Helen was fond of society, and this was excellent proof of Miss Willard’s explanation. It tended to separate the former more and more from the best people of Deerfield and drew the latter closer to them. Mr. Snively, minister of the principal church in the town, preached a sermon on the text, “The greatest of these is charity,” instancing a case of a noble woman who was giving up her life without hope of reward to the care of an old person, while one who should be near and dear to him was spending her time in the worship of Mammon. Etrery one in the congregation recognized in these persons Mr. Powell, his daughter and Miss Willard.

There are always carpers, and in this case they averred that Mr. Powell possessed a little money, and, being an old man. Miss Willard was looking forward to its inheritance. One of her intimate friends, hearing of this slanderous statement, ‘ repeated it to Miss Willard. The lady replied that if anything could induce her to leave the poor old man to his fate this unjust charge would- She declared that she possessed an independent Income of her own, whereas Mr. Powell did not give her enough to run the lonise and that she was frequently obliged to make up deficiencies from her own purse. "Then why do you submit to such injustice?” asked the intimate friend. “Why do you not force that inhuman girl to come and bear this burden, which belongs to her and not to you?” “I promised Mrs. Powell before her death that I would take care of her husband.” A number of ladies of Deerfield were one day drinking afternoon tea together when the subject of Miss Willard’s sacrifice came up. Not only were encomiums passed upon Miss Willard, but vituperations heaped upon the unnatural Helen Powell. “If she ever comes to Deerfield again,” said one of the ladies, “I shall give her a piece of my mind.” “She ought to know how her neglect

of her poor, father is regarded,? Mid another., “I havea mind ,to write to her about it,” chimed in a third. “You don’t need to do that,” snapped a fourth. “I- met her at a ball in Chicago last winter and told her just how people were talking.” “What did she say?” asked the first speaker. “Why, she Just looked ont of those simpleton eyes of hen and said, ‘People will talk no matter what yon do.’ Then a young fellow with his hair parted in the middle whisked her away in the barn dance.” “She doesn’t appear to have any soul or any conscience,” was the last comment, and the ladles turned the conversation upon the coming sleeve for woipan’s dresses. Finally it was announced that Mr. Powell was very ill and his end was approaching. Every one expected this would bring his unnatural daughter to his bedside. But every one was disappointed. Helen did not appear till the day her father died. The town—the social town—was furious. Only a regard for the deceased as an old citizen and admiration for the woman who had been an angel of mercy to him kept most of the circle from remaining away from the funeral. However, strange to say, these two reasons and a third crowded the church where the services were held. The third reason was that there was a universal desire to ogle this dreadful girl who had deserted her father. She walked into the church beside Miss Willard, and every eye was strained to see the two women, who represented the opposite types of sacrifice and selfishness, though it must be admitted that a morbid curiosity rendered Helen the greater attraction. Mr. Snively preached the funeral sermon, but as the deceased had not rendered himself an interesting character, since he had afforded no example of Christian sacifice, the reverent gentleman ignored him and dwelt upon the noble example Of one w r hom he did not name, but whom everybody knew. After it was all over the two women followed the coffin out of the church. The body was disposed of and all was over.

The next morning Deerfield was set agog by a report that Miss Willard had been summarily ejected from the Powell dwelling by that inhuman Powell girl without having been given more time than was necessary to pack her trunks. Women rail from house to house inquiring the truth of the report. It was confirmed. The will had been opened the evening before, and It was found that Mr. Powell had left what little he possessed to the daughter who had deserted him. The confirmation was followed by another report that was also confirmed. Powell had left a fortune close on to a million. The breath of the people of Deerfield was taken quite away.

There are always those to say “I told you so,” and persons who had averred that Miss Willard hhd been after what means Mr. Powell possessed held up their heads. Report after report flew through the town, and most of them were confirmed. One was that Miss Willard was Mr. Powell’s widow and that she would attempt to break the will. This was denied, especially by those who stood by Miss Willard and who declared that nothing could shake their faith in that angel of mercy.

The truth was that from the reading of the will Helen Powell seemed transformed. She stayed that night with a friend and before leaving thd angel of mercy gave her orders to get out of her house by noon the next day. The order was obeyed, and Helen moved in the next afternoon.

It had required several years to work the social circle of Deerfield up to the point that Miss Willard was a saint and Miss Powell was a sinner, and it could not be expected that their positions would be reversed in a day. Indeed, it was not possible that the latter should receive any attention immediately after her father's death. But the glittering spoon with which wealth trolls catches the fish, and as soon as it was known that that “mean o’.d curmudgeon” who had till now been called that “poor deserted father” had died rich the bouleversement of public opinion came rapidly on. Helen kept secluded, and cards kept on being left at her door. No one spoke openly of the conditions of the last few years, though whispers were flying like wireless messages. Miss Willard left the town without making any statement, and the wagging of the tongues of her defenders grew' grad ually less. ' A few months after Mr. Powell’s death the house In which he had lived was sold, and a card for every one received by his daughter bearing the letters standing for pour prendre conge (to say gociby) was sent out. That was all Deerfield society ever saw of the unnatural daughter. Later Rev. Mr. Snively called upon her to apologize for his mistake concerning her, and she showed him a package of letters-that had passed secretly between her and her father, showing how a woman of domineering will and possessing a secret to the old man’s apparent discredit had first got rid of his daughter and then tried to make him marry her; how- she succeeded in forcing him to make a will in her favor and how ike had sent a later one to his daughter bequeathing her all his property.

Miss Willard never again appeared in Deerfield, nor did Helen iPowell ever after make it her home. She maintained that persons who knew so much about other people’s affairs simply by hearsay wei*e not worth cultivating. She never forgave what she had endured during those years of exile in hearing encomiums heaped the woman who was stabbing her and the slurs upon herself.

“PEOPLE WILL TALK.”