Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-01-19

turut thc tfuinafN pita>urs w thes esh
/. wholly wrapped up In the dry details
% her profession. sbe studied hard
every day. and exercised and ate as
carefully n an oarsman In training for
q race. Properly spraking. she had
no,er had any childhood. as sbe had
iegun her studies when very young and
hal lccn singing since che Was In her
teens She liked the life of n singer and
Ne diint like H. The act of singing
las ~ itself pleasure, and there was
ro,hing In the world - exciting 20 her
ls largc AMI enthusiastic audience.
III an audience only knew how much
better music u gets from an artist when
u gives her something In return" sbe
used Ia say. II think u would always
show sympathetic spirit She had lit
tie 10 complain ~ on the score ~ cold.
neS. In her audiences IN New York she
was always treated as though she were
the particular favorite of every auditor.
and the applause when she came upon
the stage only CEASED that they might
hear her sing.
II u not surprising that n woman pf
this sort should have had many admirers
Il was said In society that she could
marry any man she wantci-thai they
all would only b. too happy 90 bcsiow
their hands and FORTUNES uIon her. from
Uncle Lghifcot Myers 10 that much
courici young man. Mr West Hastings
Aunt Ret-cca smiled at the attentions
of Uncle Lightfoot. bui she was moro
severe upon West Hastings, though the
latter was ~ suitable agc. hai an In.
come ~ eighty thousand dollars q year.
and was considered q most desirable
Iafii altogether IIe was looked uJ-on
- oonfrmci bachelor until he met
Helen Knovl,on. a. whom he bcgan
paying devoted attention. very early In
their acquaintance. Hastings was a
man ~ the world. a member ~ half a
dorm cluh-. and lived more like q
Eurorsan than do most Americans lie
had inherited his money. and had never
don. q days work In la. life. which was
- much the worSc for him. bat he was
not - god for.nothing a. arc many 81
his coun,rymen similarly gifiod by for.
tune. II was aid that ho Iatronixcl the
halle, In the persons % it, prmiercs;
but, however this may H.. you could
never hnj woman In society who
would bclic,e u, for there was nothing
In hi. manner 90 l-etoken that he was
not man 20 the most oxquisit. refine
mcnt II u had bccn Livingston Dash.
~ Charlie Vernon. or any one ~ half q
,loicn other well known club men. who
hal tc,u ~ accused. the accusation
might have bren believed
When Archie Tillinghasi told his cous
In lLsssic Archer that be had sen West
Hastings oouTe. with the blinds up.
driving away fron the stage door %
Niblo's Garden during tho run % The
Black Crook. = shc left th. room In indig.
nation. AMI woulI hardly sTcak 10 him
the rcst % the evening. though BE- was
her c~cor 10 tho Charity ball When II
became generally known that Hastings
was paying marked a,tcntions "a Helen
KnOwlton the women saii that she
would do well 20 accept him, that n
marriage with him would b. brilliant
clo-c Tor q brilliant career bat some 81
tho men who knew him lsst shook their
heads AMI sail that. while West Hast.
ings was a "guol fellow. be was hardly
calculated to make a gool husband: that
he would gct tirsi - the bcsi woman In
the world II hc was married to her. and
they wanted to 80 Helen Knowlton
married a. man who would make her
happy Ia the end u her days
That Hastings was Interested In Miss
Knowiton. l. not surprising. she was
tho most fetcd woman In New York. AMI
she was the one woman whose head was
noi turned by his attentions IIe hal
l-.n u-s,l to different sort % woman
on the stage Here was n prima donna
who was a. much of lady AMI as pure
a woman as his own sister. lie hcgan
by pouring the ordinary compliments of
a man ~ the worll into her ear The hal
To- do u In Italian. for Aunt Iebccca was
always on haDdl: but he son saw that
u bor,d her. and that she was only In.
tercstci when be talked sens. lie had
Travelled FAR and wide. hal heard the
native music. Of many countries. aud
opuld 10 very interesting u he chose.
That she listened 10 him bcst when BE-
APPEARED to the bs,si advantage pleased
him. Indeed, she PLEASED him alto
grther. for she gave him a new senSa.
ton. and II there was anything Ia this
world that Hastings honestly loved, .,
vas "A new sensation.
IIc was bcginning to think that he wss
In love with Helen Hnowlton. AMI ~
hc was. to a certain extent lie thought
her cold. but hc also thought her tho
most interesting person be had ever met.
and then be liked 20 L. considered the
favored suitDr of the most popular prima
donna In the country. II pleased him
that the men at the club called him a
'lucky dog. and hs enjoyed hearing u
shisTer~,l. That u West Hastings with
Mis- Knowlton.' II believe III marry
,ha, girl. hc would sometimes say TO
himself. never taking into consideration
tie fact that "that girl" might refuse 10
marry him Then be would think Of his
luxurious bachelor quarters, of his per.
feet freedom from all domestic ties, and
l,s would conclude to wait awhile longer
before making formal offer of marriage,
believing that be- could occupy the field
a. long ~ be- cared to.
Helen KnowliOn liked West Hastings
.cry much. lie wns attentive and
amusing. and be didn't ask her to marry
him. ! think that u be had pa, the
question seriously sl,e would have re-
fus.d him. She was in love with her
srt. Music was tile only thing that re-
allied her IDEAL She looked upon men.
the little she saw 81 them. A. pleasant
companions. that was all Music had
satisfied her longings up TO this time,
and Aunt Rebccca had instilled into her
mind the idea that men were q deiusion
and snare: that her art was the only
thing upon which che could rely.
''The more you 10 for men. the more
YOU NAV do" said that wise woman:
''but the more you do for art. the more
ri will do for YOU. Don't tell me! ]
haven't lived all thee years among men
for nothing. They cant take me In. and
they never could" ] don't think ths
man ever lived vino couli have been In.
,luced to take Mis- Rebecca Sanford In,
Tor be would have known that " he did
10 he would have TO give the rcins into
her hands and resign the drivers box
forever.
Aunt Reb~cca didn't intend that her