The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-11
Helen Gould as She is.

|
| II was the summer before she became
"oar Helen Gould" the good Helen
| Gould of the soldiers. l saw her again
| recently presiding at a meeting. She
seems to have grown in stature in
poise, and authority. Her face had be-
come stronger, little thinner. perhaps
certainly more rugged and interesting.
She spoke and acted with precision. She
| wore bonnet and looked fully her thir-
~ years. Two winters ago she looked
more like a girl of twenty, and not al
together happy girl. 1 imagine Helen
| Gould in those days was given TO writing
poetry and keeping a journal Her
| views of life were small, and she knew
| her limitations without understanding the
| cause. She gave wisely and well 10 in
| situations of learning; that was carrying
| out her fathers wishes. But signing
| a check, even for a principle, did not
| I'LL the empty hours of the aspiring,
| somewhat romantic girl. For society she
! mad no taste. She had none of the small
| talk of society girls She did not partic-
| ularly care for what they called fun. -
| Woodyerest, the home she had founded
| for crippled children, was her pet chart
| ty. She supported ii, she taught the
| youngsters Sunday school once a week.
| 1t did not satisfy her. Her intensely re-
| ligious nature, united to an equally prac-
| tACdi Turn VI LlliQ, utlHdIluSU q i&ISSE
| outlet. She is now 100 per cent happi.s,
! and she looks it.
| l waited quite a while in the shabby,
old-fashioned drawingroom at Lyndhurst.
Nothing has been changed since the days
Of Jay Gould. Time and wear have mel
lowed the rich furnishings; the light
f1ickered in subdued and tempered through
closed blinds; there was a certain drow-
siness in the air that inclined me ITO
slumber when I heard the rustic of a
skirt, light, quick footsteps, and Miss
Helen Gould stood in the doorway all in
white and smiling just a little timidly.
If she were the heroine Of a novel she
would be described as nut brown
maiden" shapely, round head with
dark brown hair, combed smoothly back.
A round, girIish face with clear olive
skin. Her cheeks are ordinarily without
color, yet they flush now ana then into a
delicate pink. Such pretty eyes. They
have been called large and dark. AS a
matter Of fact they are rather small and
deepset; they are hazel rather than
brown, but they shine softly like two
stars, and are yelled by long, curling
lashes. They look at one timidly, keen
ly, and perhaps mischIevousIy, for Miss
Gould, like all clear-brained young wo-
men, has a quick sense of humOr and is
easily moved to laughter. Her voice is
low and a little bit precise. She hest
tates prettily when she speaks, feeling
for the right word, but wnen she is
moved she speaks rapidly, incisively, and
well. l imagine on these occasions she
is very much like her father In spite
of the plump, girlish hands, with their
line of dimples, that give a sense of
helpless maidenhood, in spite OF the gen
tie voice and a quaint Self-posSession
that suggests underlying t1midity, 1 was
impressed at once with a certain latent
strength of purpose that betrayed itsef
sometimes in compression of the firm
lips, sometimes in an intonation of the
voice, sometimes in quick, penetrative
glance of the eyes.
When Miss Gould repeated gently. 81
would rather not" one realized that it
meant an iron resolve that nothing could
shake.
AN interesting, old-fashioned little wo-
man. l said to myself, who can be
self-willed on occasion" She impressed
me, too, as somewhat isolated IA little
lonely, as though she had not many
friends, and 1 wondered what the future
held in store for her.
We talked together for several hours
that afternoon on all those subjects that
appeal to womanhood. She spoke of the
little children OF Woodycrest. Il love the
work" che remarked, without any enthu-
siasm. You must go visit the home
Promise me you will go see it. L teach
the children myself"
But what do you know of them?" l
asked.
4 know they need my help" she an
swered. 1T is hard for me to know
anything more. 1 can supply their
wants; that is something, isn't it?' 1
felt then that Woodycrest was unable to
fill the void in the big, generous heart,
nodded for bigger things.
She acknowledged frankly that she
cared very little for music, that is to
say and she corrected herself with
little air of precision, Il like music. but
never could imagine to learn it so as
to play with any pleasure TO myself.
suppose it was because 1 was lazy: but,
then, one isn't generally lazy when one is
Interested
Il don't think" she continued, II have
ever cared to acquire an, accomplishment
for mere pleasure. 1t seems so useless
Yes, l studied law. That is something
that appealed to me. l think every wo-
man should have an accurate under
standing of law. When Mrs. Sage first
asked me to preside at a meeting of the
alumnae lawyers, and make speech. 1
refused. 1 disliked publicity SO much.
But when she told me that my taking
a stand of that kind would have weight
with other women, how could l say no,
since principle was involved?'
The real Helen Gould had come to the
surface with the word principle; she lost
her girlish tinidity and spoke rapidly and
with decision.
How happy I felt that I had perse-
vered, when through my knowledge OF
law I was able to materially assist the
lawyers TO clear my fathers name after
his death. 1t was great, great COM
pensatiOn.'
Miss Gould paused a moment. and then
went on. a delicate flush in her cheeks,
her lips trembling little with suppress
ed emotion When I was a mere child
l used to long to do something 10 help
my father, il seemed SO little to merely
love him; TO do what I could 10 sootae
him when he appeared tired or Ill.
used to sit and watch his face when he
came home from the city, and pray he
might need something more from me
than 1 seemed 10 De able 70 give. He
was so little understood, except, by his
own family. He was 50 anectionate, 50
thoughtful, 50 sympathetic with each one
Of US My father is my ideal man
Sometimes 1 think I shall never marry
for until I meet > man who reaches the
standard Of my father, l SHALL never be
satisfied"
And that man must be an American.
as your father was?- ] interrupted.
He must be good, whether he be rich
or poor. An American Or foreigner; bat
am not thinking Of marriage have
a mission 70 perform
a mission 10 PERFORM repeated.
Yes. As I said before, ny dear father
vas misunderstood by those who id n0i
know him He has left legacy 70 ne
I. who knew and understood aim IS per
haps No one else. Il i % make ais
name beloved ard honcred in every good
work J want 70 carry ont tae desires
and wishes that have come - me.
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