Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-02-28
A RUSSIAN HEIRESS.
Princess HeIen and Her pgiIlIon.

famous SlayOnlc poet, and IN many
respects a remarkable young lady. 1t
occurs to me that a sketch of such an
original girl Of the period would be
read with interest. Princess Helen was
too reca1citrant to school discipline to
remain IN any Swiss, German, French
or English pension, and so was
brought up rowing over Southern and
Central Europe with highly accom-
plished mother, albeit of Kalmuck
race. This lady had learned as a child
Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton,
and the Bible. She broke her head,
when she grew up, against all the new
philosophers which have been discuss
ed at Moscow since the death of the
Gar Nicholas. One of her philoso-
piers was Herbert Spencer, whose
system she anna lgamated, perhaps un-
known to herself, with Rousseau's.
This illustrious lady, IN her wander
jahr In Southern Europe, had with
her not Only Helen, but her husband
and three sons, a couple of servants,
and whole squadron Of blood and
Orloff horses, which the different
members of the family took turns in
grooming. She wished to see the
world just as it is, and really to rough
it in Wilhelm Meister fashion. A
Nihilist, aspiring to propagate his gos-
pei ia factories and villages, could
not have shown more tenacity in hold
ing on to the programme that she
wanted to carry out.
In summer the nomads bivouacked
like gypsies in the forests and other
wild places. They had tents and
wheeled vehicles to transport their
camp furniture and heaps of books
which were there their sole link with
civilization. In winter they lay by
in village inns. During all the four
years they never passed through a
large town Or slept in fine hotel.
Helen and her brothers became handy
kept up their Russian, and taught
them English, French, German, and
Italian, which they speak fuently,
and brushed up her rusty Latin and
mathematics, to prepare the boys for
civil service and military examination
at st. Petersburg. The sons and
eldest daughter have grown up; she
has re-entered the pale.of civilization,
and Gcsides In villa near Paris,
where she keeps fifteen horses, two of
which are devoted to the service of
Victor Hugo. She has translated his
works into Russian, and for his pleas
ure, Shelley's and Swinburne's into
French. Helen is mistress of the
villa, and goes to market and music
al class unattended. With her
'nOmadic" experience size fears no
man, and yet feels lawfully shy"
Her expectations are most brilliant,
as her maternal grandfather stands,
ia point of wealth, on q line with the
Demidoffs Before Alexander IL
came to the throne he owned about
100, 600 serfs. Whenever he had q
shooting party at his Oural residence,
he used to send about3. 900 of them to
beat the woods for game. The fair
translator OF Shelley and Swinburne
was brought up according to the pre-
cepts laid down for a boys education
in Emile" Although prospective
heiress of great wealth, she had to
dress in the coarse garb Of a peasants
| child, and to spend many hours day
in genuine and very fatiguing agri-
cultural tasks and dairy business.
| She used to be taken to those dan
gerOus and exciting wolf hunts in
| sledges in which the hunter is really
the hunted. This virile and original
| education formed sprightly and
original little woman, who seems to
be made of spring steel and impression
able nerves, to wear her heart under
her sleeves, to be led in all things by
instinct, and to be lighted by enthusi-
| asm. To preserve her illusions she
avoids crowds, and cultivatss poets
and intellectual socialists, who would
go to any length short Of the dagger,
polsen, or dynamite to come to their
ends. She is scarcely less fond of
dogs than horses, and has in her col
lection a genuine "mops, such as
The Beauties" painted by Lely were
wont to. bear IN their arms at the
Court of Whitehall.
The Princess Helen (she liked to be
called Lily, and, when child, bit her
nurse for calling her by her real
name) was in white cashmere, with a
lace ruff at the neck. Her dark brown
hair was arranged in a single, long,
thick braid which descended below
her waist, and was tied with a white
satin bow. This snowy simplicity
made its mark, and went well with
fine dark eyes, full of life, good nat
ure, and strong intellect and will.
The figure was 1.-THE, and moved with
ease, showing conflicting qualities
modest dlffidence and decision.
There was a wild SAVIOR in it, which
gave TO her a piquant and a pungent
charm. KalmLck blood was distinct
ly traceable, but SO corrected by Slav
as almost to be a source Of curious
beauty. The address and bearing
were lady-like. 1t was said of Rachel
that she filled the stage directly she
advanced from the wings. Likewise
the moment the Russian girl entered
the room, all the grown-up people felt
she was somebody. Herbert Spencer
would have felt justly proud had he
seen the effect she produced.