The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-04-27

| TO newer Fellowship was STIRRING IN
his heart. She, too, was obviously
isolated from Lena Cummings friends.
Standing in corner by herself, she
was looking on in a startled way of
inquiry that heightened her delicate
beauty. Snow started to make his
way toward her, when he felt his
gaze drawn abruptly to brighter and
more commanding center.
La Zaidee had caught him with a
flashing glance. Such color as she
had! Such dancing eyes! Such
baby-pretty lips! She met him half
way, with both her jeweled hands ex-
tended to give him greeting.
"Oh, Wess," she said, II nearly failed
to come here tonight, till I suddenly
remembered that you were one of
Lenas friends
I'm glad you came" murmured
Snow, not without confusion. Are
you going to sing?"
For these funny brutes?" she re-
piled, with laugh. Not much! By
the way, what ABOUT those races Sat-
urday? You are going to take me.
sure?"
Here, Wesley, give me this girl"
interrupted the voice of Lena Dun
ming. ''Zaidee dear, you've got to
open the ball with song"
II can't l WON'T" said La Zai-
dee, protesting as Lena dragged her
forcibly away. iii slap you, Lena!"
and she burst into mellow laughter.
| Two six-foot actors assisted their
hostess in bringing the unwilling art
iste to the piano. Once there, she
played furiously, riotously, but she
still refused to sing
1t was all unconventional to the
last degree. Hilarity, indeed, was
soon the motif of the evening" Love
| scenes were enacted with genuine
abandon, astonishing to see in a par
| Tor. Coon songs, male approximations
by clever women, cakewalks, TRACE
edies burlesQued, vaudeville audaci
| ties and Partisan drolleries all had
their turn.
1t was not refined. There was
| something bold and daring about it
all. Wesley Snow was dangerously
near to being fascinated by the free
dom and unrestraint about him.
When he looked for Genesta he saw
that she still stood apart, but now
! beside a sweetly pretty, sharp-eyed
little daughter from Maine, whose
sensibilities were evidently under
going something of a shock at all she
saw and heard.
On the two, however, Wesley Snow
stood looking only for a moment.
diverted his attention. He turned
in time to see La Zaidee make flu
tile attempt to escape from several
captors. Kicking and slapping at
the men who held her she was car
ried to the circle, and to Lena Dun
ning's accompaniment she began at
last to sing a rollicking Partisan lyric
Then for an encore she threw back
| her head and treated the party to a
richly unctuous conception of the
coon song: when You Amt Got No
Money You Needn't Come Round
Meanwhile the irresponsible, good
natured Lena had been looking about
among her guests for those who had
not sung. In her quest she bounced
upon the sharp-eyed little Puritan
from Maine
There was no denying Lena, who
knew that her compatriot was a stu
dent at the London School of Orato-
rio. Presently, therefore, the blush
ing slip of a maiden went toward the
piano, with Lena herself to play her
| accompaniment.
To the amazement of all, including
Lena-who played, nevertheless, with
splendid certainty--the opening bars
proclaimed the last song that any
one there would have expected-*'The
Holy City,
The little singer seemed like a child,
an innocent but wonderfully resolute
child.
Pure, melodious, earnest with feel
ing and intensity, the notes came
forth, instantly compelling attention
and silence, and weaving upon the
listeners a sense of ave.
Forgetful of all else, Lena played
as she had never played in all her
life. Like a shaming rebuke to
mockeries, to everything unrefned,
the song scared upward as the brave
little heart swelled with it's purpose.
| VT was not that her voice was great
In volume, but tonight it became all
sweeping in it's purity, it's epic cour-
age, its moving sincerity.
The applause came quickly, in a
crash of sound that brought the little
singer back to earth.
Then she looked about The only
eyes she saw were those of Wesley
Snow, who gazed upon her so oddly,
so appealingly. His face was tense.
When he presently lost the little
singer, Snow appeared like one be-
reaved. He thought, however, of Gen
esta, toward whom he went swiftly.
But Lena Dunning internnced Sho