The Republican journal., 1881-07-28
Handsome Helen.


sun shines, let the butterflies hutter.
What to them that summer is short |
called Helen Armytage handsome, instead
of pretty, advisedly. She possessed an
attraction quite apart from and beyond
that something sweet, which follows
youth with flying feet, and can never
come again. | fancy Matthew Arnold
had such women in his mind when he
wrote his poem of "1'ristram and Iseult. y
Like Iseult's, the sweet charm of Helen
Armytage "Would not fade with the dull
years away
To proceed according to the precedent,
| ought to tell you that Helen was alto
gether unaware of her attractions; and,
if should, you would not believe word
Of my story. What beauty ever failed to
understand the secret of her power ?
Sweetest lips that ever were kissed,
brightest eyes that ever have shone," do
not underestimate their own value, or
behold themselves in looking glasses un-
consciously. What | do claim for Helen
is that she recognized her beauty as the
gift of Heaven, and was no more vain of
it than a rose of its pink petals. Nay,
with a rare and perfect sense of the fit
ness Of things, she felt the obligation laid
upon her to be better and trucr woman.
because God had made her so fair.
Having told you SO much do | surprise
You by adding to it, that, at nineteen,
she was engaged to Will Trcfethen, a
gay, cavalierish looking fellow who had
no more comprehension of her ideas of
"the obligation OF privilege" and the rest
Of her high ethics than he would of San
scrit. Helen was very Womanly, and like
most women, loved unreaSoningly, though
as it seemed to her for good reasons. She
loved Will because he was handsome,
because he was gay, because he was
young: most of all because he loved her
or had made her and himself think 50.
which amounted to the same thing. That
he was rich, too, went for nothing. The
AlmytageS had money enough; and TO
value it unduly didnDt run in their blood.
Will loved Helen because she WAS 50
handsome. That Was the beginning and
end, the Alpha and Omega Of his passion.
OF course he liked her elegant air, her
dainty, well-bred ways: but he was used
to those in many another girl besides
Helen, and of themselves they would not
have held him. To her mind and soul he
would have been stranger had he walked
beside her to the age of Methuselah-
Just as a person without any ear for music
could listen to BeethOven's sonatas every
day in the year without ever touching or
being touched by the thought underlying
and yitalizing each one. Helen used to
theorize to hint was a way she had
and | really think he WAS Interested ::
while he was lazily watching the swift
color in her checks, her clear, shining
eyes, and her graceful, eager gestures; !;
watching and thinking with a bland
masculine air of superiority 'Let her
spin her fancies now, what harm? She
will forget them by and by, when she has
her children's faces to wash
But that was where he misunderstood
Helen. To her the life was more than
meat, and the body than raiment.
one summer afternoon he went to see
her, in a gallant, purposeless way, as
usual. He found her more handsome
than ever, or else he saw her more clear
ly. 1t seemed to him that he had never
before perceived quite how regal was her
air, how queenly her height, how mag
niticent her dusky hair and eyes, how
perfectly the modelling of her taultless
features, how bright her gypsy coloring.
The sense of her wonderful loyeliness
happened to come to him Just then, like
new revelation. Following this came
the thought of his ancestral home where
she would queen it more royalty than any
Airs. Trefethen of the long line, and he
began to feel impatient to see her there
He was used to carrying out his impulses,
so he pursued this one.
GLOW long have we been engaged 2"
he asked, putting his hand on her hair, a
patronlzlng sort OF caress which he de-
lighted to bestOw on her because it was
one OF his ways of persuading himself that
he was the nobler creature of the two,
and she a meek little woman for whom
his trown was fate and his smile Paradise.
"a year, last week Wednesday," she
answered, with a quick blush Of tender
ness, and no thought Of resentment, be-
cause his memory of the important event
referred to was less definite than he eX-
pected hers to be. 1t was her nature to
give gifts like a queen, generously and
ungrudgingly, and without pausing to
measure what she received in return.
''That is long enough, surely )" and he
lazily pulled her glowing cheek close to
his lips. ~ see nothing to wait for.
Could you be ready in two weeks 2"
Helen laughed. The Armytage con-
nection had wondered secretly that he
had not urged a speedier marriage, but
it had never troubled her. Satisfied with
his love, she had been in no haste to bear
Sh IN hot 10,
SO like you, Will. We have been engaged
twelve months without your trying to
hurry matters at all, and now you think
two weeks enough for all my tineries.
No, indeed; won't abide one particle of
the usual preparations not yard Of lace
nor trlll of musin-ald it will take some
time"
"Well," he said, little hotly, "all
right, if you care more for fancies and
hummeries than for my happiness "
A merry light danced III Helen's eyes.
"lOu've seemed very wretched since
we were engaged, know but" looking
at the young athlete speculatively, "some-
how think you've thriven under it and
Pm not afraid of your getting to be an
empty shade, the ghost of an old despair,
in the length of time it will take me to
make ready my robe Of satin and Brussels
lace'"
Will said he supposed it was all one to
her, and he wished it was to him; but
he was not in the humor to stay any
longer that day. Then he kissed her
with an air Of doing something, which
was an act of exceeding graciousness, the
circumstances being considered, and went
away.
He rode four miles across the country
to his home, the fine old place which had
grown old and picturesque under the
Trefethen rule. Giving the bride to a