Show LITERARY The Girl and One two One two said the town town clock The Girl closed her magazine and softly humming under her breath went to the window What a glorious night it was Clear and serene an and holy like the eyes of the Madonna The great watch dog lay stretched at full length still as the dead the trees scarcely nodded their sleepy old heads to the soft lullaby of the brook but overhead eyed bright-eyed and rosy was the baby moon dancing and di dimpling pling among the fleecy laces on her mothers mother's azure robe It was a poetic night a musical night a genuine night thought the Girl smiling and the air she was humming became more distinct It was ewski's Turning from the window she deftly fashioned the mornings morning's paper into a fan and daintily lifting her skirt with one hand danced that graceful l time old-time best dance of all around a high chair she had placed in the middle of the room Forward she glided with a little kick that would have shamed a Martha Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington dame backward with such deep courtesies that she sometimes lost Mier r balance and went down upon the floor But that did not bother the Girl in the least And all the time she hummed the just two words March four fitted themselves to the air They did not mean march four steps forward as might be supposed they meant On March the fourth will play in inthe inthe inthe the Tabernacle Pad Pad- Ever since the Girl knew that the famous famous famous fa fa- pianist was to pl play y here her one one prayer had been that she should live to hear him After that she did not care how soon she died for she believed that those sound waves would float her right into paradise Where else would they go And if the Girls Girl's spirit sat on one of them where else would it go N Nowhere Nowhere No No- 0 where certainly She would dwell in realms of bliss eternally The Girl sat down on the sofa and thought it all over She was very fond of music more than anyone anyone knew for for who would believe that a a. person who took undisguised delight in rattling Oh where oh oh where has my little dog gone or jerking out the Beautiful Blue Danube Danube Danube Dan Dan- ube or warbling The Sunshine of Paradise Alley in spite of protest upon protest could have any appreciation of music And the Girl did all those things Then too she had such decided ideas on the matter For instance she said it made her nervous to he hear r Joan Hartley play Joan is considered one of the best pianists in the city Her execution is perfect We told the Girl so and she answered impatiently Yes she would execute anything Oh Im I'm not talking about technique I know nothing about it Joan lifts her hands at exactly the proper propel moment counts her two and-two three and-three ands one precisely precisely- her reading is but she sits bolt upright and pu pumps ps out her piece with withas as much animation as she would pump water out of a well She cant can't put expression expression expression ex ex- into it because she has no soul Anyone can be trained to hit the keys at atthe atthe atthe the right time but that isn't playing And besides she favors us with The TheLast TheLast TheLast Last Rose of Summer with variations Ugh If there is anything I detest it is variations Then again the Girl wondered when people would realize that Amanda Wilson Wilson Wil Wilson son couldn't sing Her voice was as big as all America but but- it hadn't one really musical tone in it Anyway the Girl never could bear to hear Im I'm Ti- Ti tannia gurgled through without a smile But the capstone of that Girls Girl's ignorance ignorance ignorance ance was put on last Thursday night when Hetty Soren sang Three Fish Fish- ers Her voice what voice what there was of it it- it trembled all the way way through Twice she almost broke down and yet when she had finished the Girl said it was the most enjoyable thing she had heard for fora a long time Hetty's voice is not powerful but it is liquid sweetness long drawn out And she is sensible too for she will not sing in public because she knows that her voice home-voice cannot fill a hall A great many of our singers will have to learn that Then she sings with expression Now tonight she saw those fishers sail away and the children watching she felt anxious when the storm arose and her h heart art was fairly aching ching for those women Oh it was something like music music music-it it had feeling That was exactly like the Girl Just as asif asif f if she knew anything about f feeling ling Why she went to her cousins cousin's aunts aunt's funeral and did not shed a tear she even smiled and shook hands with the parson after the services So the Girl sat and thought Perhaps she could not appreciate it as an artist would but was that any reason why she should not appreciate it at all No and she was going to hear if she had to sell the great Bible to buy her ticket The Bible was the word of God but music was the voice of God so it would not be in the least The Girl rose and went back to her magazine She had been reading about and now opened the book to look once more on the fine poetic features Then turning again to the window she drew in all the beauty of the the night night the night sweet swee lovely and pure like the eyes of Madonna t I La la la la I Still here dreaming J La la la la la r I iF ly v vGo Go to be ed edLa edLa k I La la la la In the morning La la la la Sleepy hea ed sang the chime One two three said the clock The Girl crept slowly upstairs The faint rays of the moon stealing in rested lovingly on the Mother and Child then wavered about the white outlines of Venus These were the last 1 thin things s the girl saw as her eyes closed 1 and nd her last thought was of At first the girl thought she was in a achurch achurch 1 church for in one end of the room was a i j Gothic arch and within it an art glass window window win win- 1 dow of the Madonna and Chil Child Directly un underneath were an altar and a crucifix But it could not have been a church for another part opened into a conservatory full of ot gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gor gor- sweet-smelling sweet flowers and gay with the song of birds which flew unconfined about it Just within the room near the entrance to the conservatory stood a shining grand piano with a huge rug before it The rest of the room was furnished like an old- old time French salon It was a most unique delightful place What could it be And j how did she come there I A door was softly opened a step was drawing near Through the long conservatory conservatory conservatory conserva conserva- i tory bringing the breath of the flowers with j him came a tall taU slim man with fine poetic I 3 features Ah she knew him at once I It was He ent entered red very softly and looked at her His eyes were not sorrowful as she had read but they were were very very dreamy and they were most kind so that she was not afraid Did you wish to hear me play so very much he asked Oh yes It was all she could say Seating himself at the piano he ran hi his fingers lightly tenderly over the keys The girl drew near the instrument Was Vas it real the king of musicians playing to her an insignificant girl playing girl playing to her simply because she loved it I And such playing First it was a medley ot of chords great grand harmony without tune then it quickened into the Minuet that the Girl was so fond of humming Then it r changed again quicker quicker quicker R There was a whirling of white robes a ar r twinkling twinkling- of white feet bright eyt eys s flashed through clouds of wavy hair Wild as it was it was the ecstacy of the Muses the rapture of the Israelite maidens as they went forth to greet the victorious warrior never the revelry of Bacchus never the abandon of Salome The pianist paused He looked at the Girl and smiled Then he played a little plaintive melody fu full of sadness It was a robed black-robed mother standing beside a tiny white coffin There were lillies Jilies of the valley a all about the cold little form there were lillies of the valley in the little waxen hand hand and and andrue rue was in the mothers There was a tender innocent pe peaceful smile on the baby lips and a world of anguish in the mothers mother's eyes The great pianists pianist's head was bowed the Girl was weeping Then the music sank into a low sad moan All hope had left it Who Vho was this creeping slowly lowly slowly to the altar with her great eyes so full of unutterable despair It looked like the Venus de do Milo that she had in her room at home but the Girl knew that it was Egyptian Mary See how she lies face downward at His feet I See how those firm white fingers tear her hair Too Toolate Toolate late too late I The doors are shut against me I I beat upon them but they wi will not open Too late 0 O God too late I The pianists pianist's head is bent lower the Girl is on her knees sobbing as though her heart were broken But see the other Mary 1 has spoken I IThe The woman at her feet lifts her eyes there is hope in them The Child stretches out His IRS arms to her Oh the joy in her face facer face face- r the adoration I Sing aloud oh ye my people for the lost soul paradise The rhe pianists pianist's hands fall lifeless His eyes gaze straight before him with a look so deep so full of pain that the Girl stands perfectly motionless He has forgotten a all about her f i ri He is looking far down into his own heart he is living a all its bitter pain i Again those masterly fingers are upon the keys Merciful heaven what is it this passionate longing that is burning my life out My spirit is hampered ered and trammelled I 1 II I am bound to the rock 1 I Oh for one moment moment mo mo- ment of freedom one brief moment to know what I might be 1 The face of the pianist was fixed and white as marble his eyes burned the Girl was trembling Oh the utter desolation in her heart the intense loneliness of her hm spirit I The air was stiff stiff- ing Even the trees and the flowers and the rich sky had lost their beauty She was alone alone I In yonder field the children sang and played They smiled as she pass passed d but not one of ot them really loved her In n this crowded street thousands jostled her among them all was not one face he she knew not nut one Here she stood with friends friend s. s about her playmates playmate of her childhood companions of her youth She mingled with them shared their joys and yet they were so far fat away yet away yet she was alone alone Oh to grow near to the suffering the fallen To take their hands and lift them up with her onward onward forever onward No no no I Back to your four walls 0 O my soul I Draw your cloak closer about you You are are re alone alone alone The instrument gave one long wail thrilling deadly in its anguish It was vas the cry of a soul in torture it was the cry of the cross Father Father why hast thou fOt forsaken me Scarcely knowing what she did the Girl flung herself down by the altar and aud raised her eyes to the Christ His Ilis arms were still extended but a flood of glory was about Him so that the Girl could not see His face The glory grew and grew until it hid Him wholly from her view The rehe figure of the Woman also changed Luminous heavenly still she was no longer Mary Who Vho could she be Was Vas she the artists artist's wife or was she his mother She seemed to tobe tobe tobe be both Slowly she moved to the piano She placed her hand lovingly on his head L' L t L f j c f her lips touched his forehead her eyes looked into his and there born heaven was heaven born tenderness heaven-born heaven inspiration in their depths The whole world was full of love divine love All was sunshine there was no nomore nomore nomore more storm It was the the Peace be still The Girl moved nearer They were akin to each other He was no longer a being above all men he was human like herself They had the same longings the same hopes the same aspirations they worked for the same ideals only he was nearer much nearer than she Through his eyes she saw sawa sawa a a glorious country stretching far away into a vast eternity eternity eternity-a a country more beautiful than tongue could tell more holy than a a little childs child's Amen It was her lain ain country It was the land of Canaan the Promised Land of God The light ight grew dimmer and a mist filled all the room The rhe lovely lady moved slowly lowly away The pianist gazed after her Great tears were in his eyes his lips lips' quivered The strain sank lower lowet and lower until it died away The figure at the piano grew gre fainter and fainter until it too was gone The Girl opened her eyes The day was not yet come but the dim light half halt revealed the mother and the child the Venus was white and clear The Girls Girl's pillow was wet with tears and she was shaking in every limb with the emotion of a dream I J i. i J Jean an- an 1 I. 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