The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-02

BY MARION HILL, Author Of 'sThe mo-e Obj IN etc

1t presuppOses a decided amount Of
lovableness-a nickname does-and
people who never achieve the indignity
are generally so cramfuI of good points
that they never have room for the one
necessary point more-charm
She was a dear little thing-that
small Henrie-abOut the incest child
that a travelling theatrical company
could ever carry around with il ana
not grow annoyed with. because
youngsters in troupe are generally no
end of nuisance, being neither man
nor woman, neither ghost nor human"
as Poe puts it, of the bells. but
'ghOuls.' Henrie was far indeed from
being ghOui though, to tell the truth.
she was as unCanny a baby as ever
kept grown people guessing; and it was
easy enough. from the look of her. to
tell why her father always called her
his little red hen. for she was copper
colOred as cranberry. This cOmpre-
hensive description has discourage
ingly ugly sound and it fits to a T:
nevertheless Henrie was a. pretty as a
bronze elf, with hair exactly the color
of a new One-cent piece. and eyes and
bTOWs and lashes TO match. Her faith
er, Jack GeTmaine, was pleased as pea
cocks about this coloring, and used to
dress her in bronze velvet with FILINGS
in keeping-shOes, gloves and ribbons
all of the same hue-SO that she was a
red-brown shine from top to toe, like
a sprout of young oak in springtime
She never said smart things. We
couldn't have stood that. But she said
awfUlly shTewd ones, or. at least. a
shrewd thought showed back of the
simple words, as once when she asked
her father:
Jack. why didn't you name me &C.
neva. after my mOther?'' The tragedy
of the business. all uncomprehended
though it was. cast a shadow over the
0rilliance of her, glinting eyes-those
red-brOwn eyes throw lights like
sparks.
Now. naturally il was in Jack Ger
maine's mind that he would rather see
his baby daughter dead than named
after his untamable waif OF a wife
but. of course, he could not voice such
a sentiment. so quoth cheerfuiiy:
What's the matter with being
named after an Aunt Henrietta ,"
As a good many of US were standing
around within earshoS Jack Germaine
put extra hesrtiness into his bluff, and
the child shrank sensitlvely. SHE
brOoded TO herself for quite a while
and then dropped asleep fin a fright
ening fashion that she had-frighten-
ing for the reason that she always
looked IS II she had dfed-great brown
circles underneath her red lashes and
an odd pallor on her tiny face.
We all knew that there was quirk
wrong with her heart action. it was too
fast or too slow or too something: al
any rate. its abnormal behavior was
the reason why Henrie travelled around
with her father instead of remaining
with the Aunt Henrietta in question.
The doctor said the child worried too
much when separated from both father
and mother and had better be with one
of them. It would be a clever doctor
who could induce Geneva Germaine to
saddle her artistic career with the care
of a baby. SO the charge fell to Jack.
OF course. Jack and Geneva were in
different companies Theatrical
agencies and mana gers always care
fully see 10 il that husbands and wives
do not travel together. Even Il they /
had not n this case. Geneva would /
Geneva Cermaine needed plenty OF
room. and got it. All that Jack need /
ed was a home. and didn't get it. That /
such people should marry each other !
is quite inevitable.
Il is wonder Jack Ger1naine did /
not 90 all to pieces during a season. /
for in addition TO an arduous part AMI i
the duties which fell to him as acting /