The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-14

u young friend, buI
several of then
thought they were-which amounted tt
the same thing for the time being. This
is not to be wondered at, either. Helen
Knowlton was q woman of remarkable
attractions. Aside from her gifts as a
singer land she was now at the zenith of
her powers, she was a clever woman, a
student of books and of men, and with
sentiment enough to enable her to inter-
pref poetic characters most successfully.
While not, perhaps, what would be
called beauty, she was strikingly hand
some.
According to classic ideas, her features
were not perfect; yet one seldom sees
finer eyes or q straighter nose, or a hand
somer mouth than hers when she was
talking or laughing. Some people
thought her mouth too large, but Rush
never liked a small mouth in man or
woman; large mouth with glistening
teeth always attracted him. Her eyes
were brown, with jet black lashes and
brows, the former so thick and long that
when he looked into her eyes he thought
of fire burning its way through shrub
berry. Her hair was brown, and grew in
waving lines around her brow, and the
line that marked its growth at the back
of her neck was as clearly defined as
though it had been drawn with pencil.
This may seem a small matter to speak
of, but it is a great beauty in a woman.
Her figure was exceedingly well proper
toned, and she dressed with the most
exquisite taste. With all these physical
attractions, she had an unusually bright
mind She was constantly adding to her
store of knowledge, and what she knew
she knew thoroughly. If she had not
been a prima donna, she would have dis
tinguished herself in some other walk in
life.
AS to her character it was peculiar.
When Rush came to know her intimate
ly he told her she was the most singular
combination of baby and woman he had
ever met, and so she was. She lived in
the world, but she was not a woman of
the world. She could not say one thing
and mean another, and her friends used
to tell her that was an accomplishment
prima donna, of all persons, should pos
sess. She was credulous, yet suspicious;
she was practical to a fault, yet senti-
mental; she seemed cold in her nature,
yet she unconsciously hungered for
love. She made friends easily and took
no pains to keep them, yet somehow or
other they stuck by her. She was at this
time just little spoiled and with reason.
The town was at her feet. There wasn't
a man, woman or child who would not
have been proud to do her a favor.
Ladies We'd with one another in enter
tanning her at their houses, young men
fought for an introduction and old men
toasted her at their clubs. l believe that
if she had chosen to have Union club
men pull her carriage instead of horses
they would have humored her whim.
Everything new that came out in the
way of bric-a-brac, jewelry or books was
sent to her on the instant by some known
or unknown admirer. Artists painted
her in their pictures and poets lauded
her in their lyrics. She had had so much
of this alteration that she took it almost
as a thing of course; yet she was pleased
by every new attention, and never tired
even of the flowers that were showered
upon her. Guarded like a hot house
plant herself, the breath of scandal had
never blown towards her. You could
not look at her and believe that she was
otherwise than pure, and the veriest old
roue would have found himself awed by
her innocence. Yet she was no prude.
She was fond of the society of men and
enjoyed a good time as much as any one,
but she was possessed by very strong
idea of what woman should and should
not do. Her position made it necessary
for her to be particularly careful, and,
she was % years old, she had
never entertained a man alone in a room
IN her life. Foreigners, with their ideas
Of women on the stage, could not under
stand her, but none the less they Joined
with her countrymen in burning incense
% her.
Helen Knowlton's parents had died
when she was baby, leaving her in
charge of an aunt, Miss Rebecca Sand
ord, her mothers sister, who was known
o half of Helen's friends and the whole
musical profession as "Aunt Rebecca."
This good lady was dragon of virtue.
She looked upon her niece as child and
reated her as such; and, as it was kind
Y treatment, it had the effect of keeping
Ter young, so that at % she was as fresh
md youthful in her ideas as most girls
# IS. Aunt Rebecca never let "that
hid" know any of the business details
# her profession. The good lady stood
,etween her niece and the managers.
'he read the contracts; Helen signed
hem. 1t was shrewd manager who
ould get the better of her in bargain,
nd the managers knew it and respected
Ter cleverness.
There were, naturally, a great many
-isitors to the little Gothic cottage in
Vest Twentieth street, where the prima
lonna made her home; but they all had
o pass the eye of Aunt Rebecca before
hey could see her niece, and even then
he matron seated herself in the room,
ct the visitor be man, woman or child,
nd never left till he or she had gone.