The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-05

upon the other for her feet to rest on
while she is playing. Ii you are in search
of new sensation you will surely ex-
perience it when her dimpled fingers
strike the keys. She is very dainty, this
musical fairy, and does not look a day
over 5. So, when she plays on and on,
without notes, and with touch SO soft, SO
true, that you would close your eyes to
listen but that you are following every
movement of the supple wrists and baby
lsh fingers; when you see the rapt ex-
preston OF the sweet face and the utter
Inconsistencies of your presence, you
realize that y GU have before you prodigy
who is also one of the dearest, most
natural little girls in the world.
1t seems incredible that child so young
should have an ear SO positive that, in an
adjoining room, with her back turned to
you, she should be able to name correctly
and without the slightest hesitation each
tone of every chord you choose to strike,
from one end of the keyboard to the other.
This, however, Helen can do with perfect
ease. After she is excused from further
drawing-room duty she runs to the
nursery, where she has large and thirty
ing family of pet dolls, for next to Beet
hoven she dotes on dolls.
Helen has been taking music lessons for
two years. When she was four years of
age Santa Claus brought her toy piano.
She Immediately began to pick out upon it
the various tunes that she had heard
whistled by the boys in the street. Every
sound from the outside world had spe-
cial significance for Helen, who would run
to her little piano and strike note to har-
monte with it. The fire whistle, the
streetcar bell, even the peddler who
lifted up his voice in cry of 'ap-puls,"
were set to music. Before this she had
showed fondness for melody by enthusi-
astically applauding the stray organ
grinders that passed the family residence,
and by singing in unison with tuneful
street gamins, her very fraternal spirit
making the sidewalk in that particular
locality a rendezvous for them, much to
the distress of her relatives, who were
averse to notoriety and small boys en-
masse.
1t was Mrs. John d. Spreckels who really
discovered Helen. One day Mrs. Dodd
had a number of friends calling upon her,
among them Mrs. Spreckels, who is her
self a fine musician. Helen and her Christ
mas piano were brought into reeuisition,
and Mrs. Spreckels, recognizing her won
derful talent, at once interested herself in
her. She urged Mrs. Dodd to lose no
time in giving Helen systematic training
in music, with the result that teacher
was engaged for that purpose. Helen
comes of q musical family. She has two
sisters, enc eight, and the other four years
of age. Monte, the youngest, is as frolic-
some as kitten and does not yet compre-
bend the Importance of patient practice
Frances, the eldest, thinks she would like
to be a dramatic reader when she is a
young lady, but Helen will look at you with
big blue eyes in a rose-leaf face and tell you
shyly that she is going to Europe with
mamma some Gay, to learn to be great
musician. Her future will be bright one,
unless all signs fail.
Reared in lovely, refined home by a
wise, devoted mother, there is no danger
that she will be spoiled with fiattery. She
has not yet attended school, her mother
thinking that two hours day of piano
practice, with private lessons under her
own supervision, is safer plan for the pres
ent. It is one of the ambitions of Helen's
life to be able to strike an octave. She
manages to stretch to one now but cannot
play it. Mrs. Dodd is very modest and
sensible in regard to her bright little trio,
whose constant companion she is, her
calm influence exerting wholesome effect
upon them and rendering them notice.
ably unaffected. Their father, Captain
w. M. Dodd, commands big ship and is
obliged to be away from his family most
of the time.