The Indianapolis journal., 1899-04-17
MRS. KIPLING as A GIRL
HER LIFE At CORNELL WITH HER
BROTHER wOLCOTT BALEsTIER.
Her Ambition Ranged from n Desire
to Explore Africa to Having the
Loudest Dresses in Town.


hood into young womanhood when her
brother. Wolcott Balestier, was my college
mate at Cornell. The Balestiers are all in
teresting and uncommon people. An artistic
talent IS born in them There were three in
the present generation of Balestiers-Wol-
colt, jr., Carolyn and Beatty. Carolyn and
Beatty alone survive Wolcott died in Dres-
den, Germany, on the threshold of literary
career, at the age OF twenty-nine. The
critics of London and Boston believed then
that he had even more promising literary
career than his bosom friend and colaborer,
Rudyard Kipling, had.
Wolcott Balestier Gather Of Mrs. Kipling
and her two brothers) was a delicate, studi-
Gus man, who inherited fortune of over
$4,000 and married young lady with treble
that sum- He made his home at Bratttle-
bOro, VT, where he inherited landed posses
sions from his father. He contributed
eral notable articles TO the North American
Review on current topics. practiced some
law, read books and travelled. He died
about 1879. Mrs. WOlcott Balestier, ST.,
went to Toxic with her little son wolcott
for a year or two, and when the judge and
his daughter and grandchild landed at San
Francisco in 1874 there were tons of bric-a-
brac and costly souvenirs that the Mikado
and Japanese mobiles had given them.
Upon the death of her husband Mrs. Bales
tier and her three children went from Brat
tleboro to live in the quaint old Smith man
sion in Rochester, n. Y. The home there
was broken up in 1889. when the family
went to Europe. Wolcott, Jr, was then
rising in the literary world, and a New
York publishing house sent him abroad TO
contract for manuscripts from rising lit
erary people. Henry James, the novelist,
made Rudyard kipling and Wolcott Bales
tier tier acquainted; L,I Each Fac had admired the
voted friends. That was in the fall Of 1889.
kipling's star was fast rising. His plain
in demand In England. Balestier had writ
ten his Benefits Forgot and a volume of
strong short stories of Colorado mining
d. Howels had predicted in Harper's Maga-
zine a proud future for Wolcott Bales
tier when the latter was but twenty-four.
THE COLABORATED STORY.
Throughout 1890 Kipling and Balestier
roomed near each other and travelled about
England together, while they mapped out
a joint career in literature. They were per-
fectly adapted to each other. They colab-
grated the Colorado and East Indian story.
The Naulahka." When that was finished
Kipling and Balestier turned to other lit
erary labor, and throughout the summer
and fail they worked like Trojans. In Octo-
Der, 1881, the frail constitution OF Wolcott
Balestier began TO weaken. trip among
the Alps was decided on Mrs. Balestier
and her daughter went along TO be near
Wolcott. The young mans case grew worse
In Germany, and at Dresden he took to
his bed with typhoid fever.
Mr.. Kipiing hastened from London and
was with his friend in the last weeks. 1t
Is said that Miss Balestier and Mr.. Kip
ling had been engaged TO marry for some
time, and that Wolcott expressed wish
shortly before he became unconscious that
the marriage might soon take place. ON
Dec. 6, 1891, Wolcott Balestier died. Mr..
kipling and Miss Balestier were quietly
married in London on Jan. is, 1892. VOL
colt Balestier lies. buried in the American
knew Wolcott Balestier well at Cornell
University, at Ithaca, n. Y, in 1SS0-S1, and
a part of 1852 Mrs kIpLing and her mother ,er
at visit. from Rochester, and l became
we'll acquainted with the mother and
daughter. Miss Balestier was not re-
markably prepossessing young woman. In
repose her face assumed peculiarly set
expression, and she had no heed or care for
exercising the most elementary principles
of tact. She and her brother We're much
alike but she had a zeal then TO 90 and do
some famous and glorious things In the
spots OF Darkest Africa, whence Henry M.
Stanley had returned from his second tour
a year or two before She was of medium
height, about five feet six inches, of slight
build and had dark brown hair She mad
dark blue eyes and a pale complexion. Her
serious expression and her absent-mlnded
ways told at first acquaintance how part
Of the time she had lived In another world
from those who were about her.
Like her brother, she adopted extremes IN
fashion. 1t was the spring OF large straw
hats among. women, and hers was mon
ster Bangles were popular among young
ladies then. Miss Balestier carried weight
of enormous bangles about her wrists.
Broad stripes were fashionable, and she
wore skirts with stripes an inch broad.
She was a graceful dancer and she came
from Rochester once or twice purposely
TO attend some college social junction Win
her brother, but ii cannot be truthfully
said she was ever a Dele OF the Corne4i
balls She painted well in water colors, and
her sketches of scenes In the glens and
gorges about Ithaca were praised by the
college journal.
MISS BALDSTIER'S POEMS.
Her ideal man at one time was Henry M.
Stanley, but at another she thought that
the Russian, Tolstoi-who was then coming
into worldwide fame-was quite the great
est man alive. j remember that when the
great English historian, Edward Freeman.
came to Cornell to deliver course OF lee
lures on the English constitution less than
one student there out of twenty went near
one OF his lectures. Miss Balestier came
purposely from Rochester to hear
became bee ~ great gre H friends D of the his
torian and his wife, and the young
Balestiers and the aged Freemans used 10
The old Cornell Era files must have a poem
OF some ten stanzas that Miss Balestier
wrote on "One Who Reads His Story Well,
meaning Edward Freeman, who had read
the annals OF England we'll. At another
time poem on CornelpS bell chime. from
the pen of Miss Balestier, appeared anony-
mously in the Cornell Review. and although
ii was indeed "A very meritorious piece o.
work. its failure 10 attract attention GER
tainly chilled the feelings of Wolcott Bales
tier and possibly of his sister as well.
Miss Balestier was seldom without book
in her hand, whether at home on the
street She and her brother Wolcott used 10
go across the college campus out TO the lit
tie grove OF maple trees along Mill creek
and there read 10 each other for hours.
During the hours OF recitations at the uni
Versity Miss Balestfer was generally in the
great library connected With the institution.
1 remember her now, as she used 10 appear,
seated at one OF the long, narrow, green
covered tables there. with heap of books
about her. She was for time an omniver-
Throughout one of her visits 10 her brother
Wolcott at Cornell in the winter Of lSSl-S2
she read for hours, six days in the week, in
the Cornell library, on the subjects con-
nected with the African eXpiora ton.
The next time she came TO visit Cornell
topic of the day-nihilism. Alexander III OF
Russia had Just been assaSsinated by Nj
hiists and Miss BaleStier plunged deep into
all the Cornell University library had along
the line of political socialism and anarchy
She had positive opinions on the subject and
she was never abashed at expressing them
j recall that she could repeat from memory
whole passages from eloquent grafton Of
Wendell Phillips, in which nihilism was
commended as justitiable.
WOLCOTT BALESTIER
Wolcott Balestier was a thin, very pale