The Siren's Call
Chapter 1
Ben had traveled to New York to meet with a businessman, Mr. Heflin, who wanted to expand his holdings and therefore, wanted to add a railway line from Canada, through Montana and Idaho and to the California coast and he had heard that the Ponderosa could provide the needed lumber. Ben was flattered that his reputation was vaunted in New York so when Mr. Heflin sent Ben a ticket to New York and wrote that he had reserved a room for Ben in the best hotel in the city, Ben felt that he couldn't decline without insulting the man-something he could not afford to do.
Ben hadn't been to New York since he was a young man and was impressed and a bit daunted by how grand New York had become. He was then glad that Adam had teased and cajoled him into purchasing a new wardrobe for the trip. Adam had said that his father couldn't show up in a cosmopolitan city such as New York dressed like a country bumpkin, a backwoods yokel and Ben had remarked that Adam was having too good a time calling him names. Joe and Hoss had laughed and Joe had said that he would then keep to himself the term that he was going to use to describe his father and they all laughed with Ben feinting boxing Joe's ears. So Adam and Ben traveled to San Francisco and Ben purchased new jackets and shirts and the new style of tie, the cravat, that was popular on the east coast.
And now in New York, Ben didn't stand out but blended in with the other wealthy men with whom he found himself. So, when Mr. Heflin asked Ben if he would like to join him and his wife for an evening of entertainment, Ben accepted with no worry as to what to wear; Adam had insisted he buy a black beaver hat and a cut-away evening coat just in case and although he had resisted as he thought such an outfit pretentious, he was now glad that Adam had insisted.
Ben looked around the grand theatre from the Heflin's box; he had thought that Virginia City's opera house was grand but it was nothing like this. This building had a huge, domed roof and the ceiling was decorated with frescoes of half-dressed women tended by putti. The chandeliers lit the interior with a soft glow that made the women in attendance look even more beautiful than they were. The boxes were draped with deep blue velvet and gold fringe and the whole place emanated a sense of luxury and decadence. And Ben felt at home among it. He was even wearing a gold tiepin in the shape of a lover's knot with a pearl in the middle and matching cuff links-again, at Adam's insistence.
On the way in, Ben had stopped to look at the posters outside the theatre promoting who was performing. The artists had rendered what was supposed to be the likeness of the performer, Hélène, the French Siren, "more desirable than Helen of Troy," it read. According to the print, Hélène sang and danced and was a world-renowned entertainer of much acclaim. Ben smiled to himself as he had never heard of her and he was certain that she was far from the likeness
portrayed on the show posters. Nevertheless, he was happy to be entertained. The houselights dropped and people stopped their conversations to turn their attention to the stage as the curtains parted and revealed a woman sitting on a plush stool, her back to the audience; she seemed almost naked as the dress's back draped low, almost to the cleavage of her buttocks and everyone in the audience gasped even though the place was filled mainly with men. Ben sat forward in his seat, barely breathing. Mr. Heflin put his hand on Ben's arm and offered him some advice in a low voice; he told Ben to be careful-angels can be dark. Ben met his eyes, confused, but Mr. Heflin said nothing else, just turned his attention to the stage.
There was also a chaise longue on the stage right and a grand piano stage left. The man at the piano watched Hélène, taking his cue from her. She slowly slid around on the stool to face the audience and there was an audible gasp, even from Ben although he wasn't aware; she was stunning. She looked as if she was carved from cream, her skin was so white and unblemished. Her golden hair was up in a twisted Psyche's knot and crimped ringlets fell about her face which only framed her great beauty. Ben was enchanted. He leaned forward in his seat as Hélène, dressed in a tunic that resembled a Greco-Roman gown that clung to her legs revealing their shape and also had gold braid wrapped partially over her torso that ran between and under each breast, began to sing in an unremarkable voice. But it was not her singing ability that drew people to see her; she gave people the impression that they were seeing a goddess among them. She was, as Ben immediately concluded, an amazingly beautiful woman who drew men to her as a bee is drawn to a exotic bloom.
Hélène's performance was a series of songs, some lively, some romantic and she moved her arms and swayed in a languid manner on the stool and everyone watched as the gown threatened to fall from her shoulders and reveal more of her charms than intended. When the chaise longue was moved to center stage, Hélène half reclined on it and a young man came out dressed as a Greek soldier and they formed various tableaus that illustrated Paris' attraction for Helen of Troy, some of them provocatively suggestive. Ben considered himself a sophisticated man but yet she caused him to feel overly warm and a certain uneasiness, as to why exactly, he wasn't sure, but it overcame him and he knew that he had to meet her. He had known many women who were performers, many sophisticated, worldly women, but none of them had had the effect on him that Hélène did.
The performance ended to wild applause and Hélène took her curtsies, bending down so low that the men in the audience strained to see if they could view more than was proper and then the curtains closed and Ben informed Mr. Heflin that he thought that he would enjoy more of New York's night life, perhaps to visit some of the other attractions and Mr. Heflin looked at him and said that he hoped that Ben would not be out so late that he would miss the meeting with the other investors in the morning. Ben assured him with a laugh that he would indeed be there; amusement was one thing but business was business and without that, there would be no money for one's amusement. The men shook hands, Ben told Mrs. Heflin how very much he had enjoyed making her acquaintance and then he made a direct path to the stage door intending to meet the lovely Hélène.