The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-06-03

Alone to speak Of her
WHO'S deadl-St. james Magazine.
An ALOE BLOSSOM.
It is one of the miserable things ! life
that there are people to whom the GIT OF
expression is denied. We pity those
whose bodily speech is wanting, y no
one pities the spiritually dumb. Inelr
affection is incomprehensible to us, and
we treat it's victims as though IN some
way they suffered through their own
fault. No cruelty is meant BY this. 1t
is next to impossible for frank and out
spoken persons to comprehend that all
cannot speak, and that much suffering
sometimes lies locked in this enforced
silence.
Helen Miles was n of these speech
less souls.
AS a child she was pale and still. The
aunt who brought her up, and did not
love her, suspected her of "slyness, ard
openly quoted the proverb about s'still
waters" At sixteen she was called "shy,"
at twenty-five stigmAtized IS cold. Tall,
with a good figure and features,
thick light brown hair without the
least gloss or curl, fair,
colorless skin, graceful hand and
arm, she was entitled to pass for a pretty
woman. In fact, women no prettier rank
often as Bellies. But she was not beauti.
full enough for a statue, and as q statue
her acquaintance persisted in regarding
her, which certainly vas not fair. She
had some dim consciousness of this, and
it made her uncomfortable. Her eyes
looked out at times with a pitiful, inquir-
ing look-the look we see in a dogs eyes
or q does; a look we cannot quite read.
Nobody read Helen's. Two or three
people, attracted by this odd face, made
little experiments, fumbled at the lock of
her impossible r~eticence, but it was in
vain; all the incantations, the ''open
sesames," failed; nothing ame of it.
"Cold Is q stone, my dear!" women said
of her, and by general agreement she was
set down IS . person without enthusiasm,
faithfully faultless, icily regular"-a
person who said little because she felt
nothing, TO whom generous impulse Was
unknown. With such . Judgment are
some women judged, and will be to the
end Of the world.
Just one crevice existed in this armor
of nee, through which at times the real
Helen looked out and revealed herself.
Did I say that she sang! Her voice was
low and rich, rather soprano than con-
tralto; its range was limited to . few
notes, but it possessed In extraordinary
pathetic quality. She sang no songs that
other people sang. but took scraps from
this poet and that-Arnold, Tennyson,
Rossetti, Landor--and set them to weird
little harmonies Of her own composition.
Nothing of the limit Of her own nature be-
longed to this unique musical faculty, ex-
cept that she could not always sing, or to
ali people, and that there were persons be-
fore whom she could not sing At all. o.
course this only made every one more
eager to hear her. Happy and light
hearted people find . certain luxury in
being made miserable. 1t was . fashion.
able excitement to sit in the twilight and
have Helen Miles break your heart with
her pathetic voice, and she was greatly in
request in fact her music constituted
her chief hold on society.
Reginald Thurston remembered long
afterward the night when he heard her.
Mrs. LIE Clerc's d~rawing-room Was dim
With freight as he went in-the light Of
q Pickering wood FIRE, which sparkled on
tho sofa where Rosalie Lie Clerc lay, and
sent long sudden shadows across the
floor. From the inner room came the
sound Of singing.
If now you saw me you would say,
"Where is the face l used to prize I"
And | would answer. "Gone before,
It tarries yelled in Paradise"
When once the morning star shall rise,
When earth with shadow f1ees away,
And we stand safe within the door,
You shall lit up the veil that day.
Look up, look q Tor fr above,
Our palms re Grown, 0ur place 10 set;
There We shall meet . once We met
And love with old familiar love.
So Helen sans. her deep notes conveying
awoful passion, which changed Reginald
mood. and made him Ill ct once feel sd
dened and chill. He stood IN shadow til
the music ended. then moved forward.
sHow do you do - said Mira Il Clerc
her gay, friendly voice coming ike relic
after that other. .We are keeping blind
mans holiday. as you Sc, and Aise Mic
has been singing to rs. Can you 6nd
chair in this darkness, Mr.. Thurston
Here's N Oh. Helen, don't stop: &
on"
But Helen had LETT the piano and -
moving toward them. Reginald, Who -
shaking hands with the invalid Roealie
was clad Of this. He did NOT care "a
music g music, and he hated to have hi
feelings drawn upon in society. Besides
he had some curiosity to zee the singer.
She came forward steadily, made q
icy little bend On introduction. and -
down by the fire.
sPlease, Misc Miles, sing something
else"
"Excusc me. Resale: not tonight
"Well." said Mrs.. L. Cefc, IF 20,
won't be persuaded 70 give a more music
We viii hare the g." She lighted II =