The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-06

Wy that time the only
very intimate acquaintance I had. though
knew a good many people. We were abou'
tho same age, though / had lived some time
lonVar than she had. Rut there was some
thing considerate about Birdie which made
MO feel that after all they did not make Sc
much difference between us those few
years whinh had entitled me to be married,
She was much more mature and serious in
sorne ways than l was, but that probably
arose from her greater experience. She
was tho mother Of a most interesting fam
ily, and / had not yet besn introduced to
Boy and the Socialist.
II was indeed through = member of her
family that We became such intimate
friends. II was through Miss Anna. who
had been stricken with the measles. and
through an in complstsness in the matter of
rash which was supposed TO be ''strikingi in
inatsad OF coming out" was giving her
parent the grayest anxiety.
Miss Anna was not Z young lady. as
might at first DO supposed. She was a large
doll, and though she looked young, she was
quite advanced in y%ears-for a doll-for
she was IS years old. She had been the doll
Of Brides aunt, she was universally ad-
mired and respected and her head was made
Of China. The frs. time saw her I had
driven out TO see Brides mamma at the
charming houss in this country where they
lived.
think that as soon as ! entered the room
/ saw Miss Anna and observed that she was
m invalid. She was lying in invalid state
upon a sofa, her kid arms were carefully
tucked away under tho shawl that covered
her, and her blue china eyes were fixed
rather staringly upon space. Evidently she
was concentrating all the energies of = 9i-
Rantic china intellect upon her illness,
whatever it might be. (I have since thought
that-probably fearing its effect upon her
complexion, which was extremely red and
White-she herself had determined that the
rash should not come out'').
Having . strong private affection for
dolls q find it even increases with years.
/ cannot to-day pass the windows Of Le
Petit Main Blsu in the Boulevard des Cap !
ucines without loiterlng) | could not help
casting an occasional interested glance at
the sofa while I talked to Brides mamma
and the major ('tthe major was BRIDES |
pana). |
But suddenly my interest was greatly in |
creased. The door opened and a slender, |
delicate little girl came in, and, seeming to |
think that az the grown up people wore |
talking she would be unnotiosd, went with
the most serious and absorbed little face to |
the sofa. She was a very pretty child. I |
think | can best explain what she expressed |
to me by using a French word and ayinQ
that she looked spirituelle. She was very
slight. and moved yeiy softly, she had fine
brown hair, which hung loose. a pure fair
with a faint rose-leaf color, and a del
icate small face with the ~clearest innocent
golden-bfown eyes I ever saw.
All the unusualness and charm of the
small face one could not see in the first
moment. One would ALWAYS see a pretty,
child, but it was only after / knew
well that / explained to myself what
her unique charm was.
The clear eyes had the beauty Of a crys-
tai pool in the deep forest. a pool which had
never been disturbed and had never re-
aected anything less sweet in nature than
sunlight filtered through the trees, and
little birds chirping as they came
% drink mi battle their wings. such child