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Show 134 MADELYN CANNON STEWART SILVER She was a woman ahead of her time.To friends she was a steady, encouraging, loving guide. She was the inspiring and the kind. one, offering charity of a practical and a spiritual uplifting Yet often she felt discouraged with herself. She fought to con trol irritation and even fury. She disliked the petty routines of housework, cooking, and sewing, but forced herself to complete these duties. She enjoyed teas, luncheons, dinner parties, dances, to concerts, and lectures. She and Harold occasionally maid or have a her to Harold movies. helper encouraged went someone to cook, keep house, and look after the children while she was out. Her poem on "Shadows" may very well have been written when she was at the ranch in the summer of 1934. Harold was away most of that period on inventions and business, and Madelyn missed him more than usual. He occasionally visited her on weekends, but the last Friday in August, shortly before she would be returning to Denver, she conducted a "tryst," which means she had arranged with him in advance to be with The tryst lasted three hours. Here is her record of her in spirit. that spiritual rendezvous, as related in a letter to Harold. The account is long, but worthy of presentation in its completeness because of its vivid recital of her feelings and its memorable lines about the ranch: The tryst tonight lasted more than three hours. I climbed East Mountain and with each step up I came nearer to you and the person I want to be. That mountain belongs distinct ly to you in all my memories. There is only one important memory of that hill in which you memory is a portentous preface do not appear. But that to all the ones that follow. One day [perhaps in 1921 when Madelyn was twenty] took all his children horseback up that mountain. John Papa and Nora were still quite small. We climbed the old trail, one I had gone up many times, but instead of going down Log Hollow as usual, we rode on up the ridge. I remember one glorious moment. We reached a rather level part particularly of the ridge, and Papa began to lope. We all followed, hoofs thundering faster and faster. Suddenly we swooped down |
