Show I A D J I W jj 1 I U For or an Incident In thIs t talc le tho author Is Indebted to a brIef oc nc Goodall a In some newspapers or of ono one NIck ago count published years r to unknown even wonderful and a history ot of power atler Gath and Who whose Infirmity was lika that of NIcholas much wandering In tho 0 of Jefferson county count N Copyright 1903 by Irving Bacheller GATH bad no business solus going to the th war warThe warThe J f 1 The he neighbors were nil nit of n a mind In II that matter He was 11 u frail sort of youth and the only genius J In Besides he was wa about to marry a very cry sweet girl and his going Interrupted a In pretty romance t Even Een the oldest grandmothers that rural ruml community where most people enjoyed a n quite remarkable length of mo and aud tongue ton e felt a n grateful quickening of their blood at the thought of ot It and talked of the comely comel couple until they were actually red In the face But the cause of that Is no part of this tale To 10 go a little beyond Its Us latitude Nick was the son of n a poor musician with a arc really rc sublime genius for the violin He lIe had won the daughter nu of a n rich man by good qualities not the least of which In her were his fine flue face fael and figure and his wonderful gift Ift He eve eye had taught school winters and labored over oer summer In III the fields and by money that came hard haul and went quickly bad had been been able to get et n a small training In music It set his feer feet In the tbt right way however and at twenty he could express e press his wild passion ad nd admirably admirably on the old that was the only thing thin b of value his father had bad left him It was my good fortune to be he passing the home of Bessie B Hammerton the night nl ht before he left I had but lately come to that neighborhood nel anti and had never neer met the young youn man of whom every one ont had 11 something good to say Having been to prayer meeting at nt the red schoolhouse that summer evening I 1 was on my m way wn home In the distance I could hear bear the strains stratus of the they violin lIn coming from the open window of the Hammerton house y The music mu It halted me mt at the gate an old love loc song son that wont went to tomy tomy 4 my heart beart and filled me with sadness and nn sweet memory I leaned on the wall quite alone In the darkness and listened I had 1 always s a na love lore of music Now how I was back bacle again n In the gardens of ray any youth and the music that came to me was like r water poured upon their withered flowers The player was Ay ti putting his bis whole heart beart In those tender old ballads At the last Instas as I came away I could almost hear henr the words An for bonnie Annie Laurie Id lay lav me lilt doun an pee flee Well the boy went off to the war the next day with his gun Jun on his shoulder I did not see him until years had gone one and a n singular bit of history led up to our meeting Separated from his command c In one ont of the charges at nt Chick Chickamauga he was picked up Inside the lines of the enemy emmy north of ot Snodgrass hill hili The only Union soldier ol ler In that part of the field c t It t was a J mystery how he got Jot there He must have crawled m aimlessly lv through the tho th smoke and ruin half a mile or more from where be he b foil fell The men who found him said he was In III a n pitiable condition with his hl skull fractured by n a piece of shell He ne had lost his coat and hat lint and Il was as ns soldiers do when their blood Is hot with the battle hattle fever fer The flue sight of ot him must have hao touched their hearts for they took him up upI I After a few weeks he was able to leave leate his bed But he could not tell them his name nam or where he be came camp from or the smallest bit of his history and there was wM nothing on him that gave gae any clew ell to It He Ht was like n a man whose mind has given all Its lis energy ener to some som one thing until It has neither eyes nor ears for any other and Its feet are mired In the way wa of habit Such Sucha a n man mau gets a kind lInd of mental In which coming to the rays rn s of thought thou ht focus imperfectly J In the mind of Nicholas Gath there them was a confusion of mom memo memory mommy ory my and perception that made a fool of him He would sit dazed I and quiet for a n time and then go goo off orr In a n rage rn e of curses the more I as ns profanity had been no part of his old habit of speech He could express only one thought a fixed filed formula frequently in a low voice It was I love you i After a n little he lie was sent back to the Union Onion army In a trade trado l of prisoners and there nobody was able to place him They gave gavet no t him a n free foot hoping he lie would run Into recognition somewhere some here hereIn In a week or two he seemed to get tt some of what 1 was said to him and of his own perceptions He Ie would say sa that x l he be was WitS hungry or thirsty and express e press pleasure and displeasure 4 but his sentences were wert mostly unintelligible or half completed But for the brief brier legend leend of his hi love loe he be lint had no command of words save eave those that lent themselves to reckless and violent profanity One On day da a big bl crowd of soldiers had gathered about the band tent of an nn Ohio regiment re In Chattanooga They hey were all nil on tiptoes ar nr the outer edge of the tho crowd and some of them wore pushing to set rot et nearer All 11 stood silent their faces lifted and lit with a n common feeling Nick Gath had got his hands on a n violin and was playing pla with all III the masterful power God had given glen him It was ns M If his thought thou ht had bad found one avenue that was J clear of wr and had bad come out of Its ruined castle to look ionic lookup up at the sunlight He HI began bean with Home IT orne Sweet Home and one of the crowd crowl told me mt years emS ears niter how hog some of those old troopers sobbed at the tho sound pound of or it There was no break breal or hesitancy as ns the tho tide of ot his emotion flooded those Inlets of Inspired song that for tor cen centuries r tunes have flown out of the north Into the th great eat ocean of melody The strains of Robin Adair Annie Laurie Comin Tiro the the thes s Rye the Banks and Braes o 0 Bonnie Doon rang out upon the still air of that autumn afternoon thrilling the tho homesick heart henrt of ot the soldier oilier S t The sun sank low and the call for supper sounded but not one of them lifted a n foot until the player handing the violin to Its owner made off muttering curses and unmindful of any an word 1 addressed to him Its the fool and have hate thought It the men whispered as ns they watched him walling walking slowly across the field held his head bead I down as ns If ho be b were In tn deep thought and as I 1 often orten saw him In ln j his da way of life long lon afterward lie Un was not In camp next nest morning and as ns I believe bellee only one of that company ever I saw him again There was none to tell where be he went vent or o r how 4 he be got Jot away He lIe hind had been heen a n problem and a Il mystery now ho j i had put a riddle In every eer mouth month Some set him down for a n spy sp and there those thos who crossed themselves H were at the mention of t him as OR If he h hind had been an evil spirit The officers In that wing of ot tho iho army were glad Ind to be he h rid of their strange guest nest id y Ten Tn years after the war 1 i came to preach in a rural parish parishof of central Ohio was regarded recorded as a luxury ury those s I in that neighborhood and not ninny many were minded indulge to in it I J among mon good people In their way war vav but the look of mighty ml I thoughtfulness with which they put their hands in their pockets pockets to pay the salary was worthy of or a more serious subject With the fairs and the funerals the th marriages the i the 1 picnics the prayer er meetings the three times tines of ot n a if Sunday I T could not help belp thinking that my salary of ot six sl hundred needed a little of at the tb relish of ot cheerfulness J They were straitlaced God fearing people for all ill that and If they lacked In tn cheerfulness I 1 probably lacked d In charity My DIy a severest seerest trial was In providing wholesome and aud possible enter to the tho need ned of It There satisfy were CIt some who would r I ting sing sin but their singing ln was no help to Christian life 1 I was sitting In my study one day da having come conic to a rather unhopeful hour bour We were to have nn um Ice cream festival In the church and I had to arrange l n a of entertainment that was to reco ti all aU the aspirins talent of the parish and be helpful an un u My wife had bad got ot into a temper with the cook stove stoe the cistern was leaking and md 1 I was wn feeling quite like a real homemade hero when a member of the tho committee came to ro report A wonderful fiddler had bad come to a n neighboring town and he thought bt be he could bring brine him over oer to piny play for us liS i much hope bope of his proposal wandering fiddlers have bae so little of et tho the grace of God In them or their music but next day da I saw aw the man he be had pictured to me and felt the th magic of or his power He stood under the big bl maple In the main street sheet of our little village p as 1 I came along alom playing the Marseillaise e 1 I had heard hemd the great ent hymn of ot liberty In Paris Pails when the voices of thousands thrilled d with Its men e but never neer had mp me message Jt It t come to my m ear as now laden with the pride and aspiration of ot a n race I 1 have no doubt the flowering fields and the sweet air all of the tho morning with all nil Its orchestra of bees and birds bird helped the art of ot the player He wa was then rhen n a young youn man of or twentynine but buthis but buthis his hl hair and amid HIli beard were gray ray Ho had a soft light In his hits big dark e eye ye ea cud In lu his bis playing they were full of ot eloquence but butt t when he was Idle the light went out of them and he be seemed to look without seeing 1 stood before him bun until he ho put away his AcH iL R II I I I I II EllET EN El fEl ElV V f i J 1 I i 1 I I 1 ff i I 1 1 I y 1 a 11 I IF F I f J f 7 r j violin and looking up at me spoke the one word woid hunger There was n a pitiful moaning meaning in the brevity of his appeal Couie Come w with ith me and eat cat I 1 said He made no anser but picked ed up his instrument Instalment and came camo along along with me saying sain In a low Jow tone ns as if it were for his Ills own ownen ear en 1 I 1 love loe you ou The remark startled me and 1 began then to study the peculiar conditions of his mind He tie was quite six feet tall and the dust of the road rond was nas on him but 1 I know a n gentle gentleman gentleman man when I see him and he was that A big bag bas was slung with a n strap over oer his shoulder Far to travel I Inquired He stopped a moment his hand upon his beard then he stooped to pick a n flower ower and having crushed the petals looked up Into the sky sly Home he Ire said at last home Then he took out of his pocket a letter which he gave gae me It was wa written by n a minister of the Church of England and was dated at Lexington L Ky It read as follows To 10 Whom It May fn Concern In the name of Christ be kind to this man Some calamity ca has lias befallen him that made a wreck of his mind robbing It of f the better part of Its birthright He Dc HeIs Heis Is a man without a n name or a friend or a l home borne I have bave written to many places about him and accounts of his Infirmity and his genius have gone one far tar and wide but the mystery Is unsolved I 1 believe bellel him to he be a northern soldier probably the unfortunate relic of oC some battle In the lie far south southA A neighbor nel found him In southern Tennessee and brought him hence In the hope hopt of controlling his genius and turning It to some account but that was impossible For tor a number of years year the charity of this county and parish has supported him He ne loves lots to wander abroad with his violin stopping to play when and wherever the spirit moves moes him I 1 have on In Idea that be he may recover recotr some part of his hi loss if under no restraint he Is permitted to go his bis way wn So I 1 have hac sent him off praying ln that lint God will prosper and lead him to his bis own people and that those he meets me ts will love lore him as ns I T do for his hiLs wonderful gift He tie Is I harmless and well wen disposed ed and In his playing there are nr voices out of ot heaven I beg be of you therefore give ie food and shelter to this poor child of God if he will accept them and bear with him as a brother remembering the promises of Holy Writ WritHe WritHe He lIe lay lav la down upon the sofa In my mv study and slept hour after hour until the sun was far down Then rhen he be woke and rubbing his hands bands said I read rend his wishes and took him to tomy tomy my mr room where he washed and find shortly came down to supper In clean linen He Ht ate hurriedly and without speaking Then he went anti and sat at nt one of ot the windows humming an old hymn tune time I had made up my mind to take tale him to play pIny for us that evening at nt the church and when I l carried his violin and aud spoke to him he understood and came along alon without urging He sit sat beside me ml quietly on the rostrum In the church basement There were many about the doors lors who crowded In after us and In a moment the the seats were full After Atter prayer and a few playful fut remarks by a dear old deacon whose applause of his own jokes joles gave gae ne them a n saving humor I T introduced my master of the violin He sat as still sUlI as a fI rock his head bent 1 lIt forward and never once lifted his eyes eres I 1 finished but he lIe made no move moe 1 felt a little touch of fear when 1 brought the violin and laid It in his lap He took the bow and felt Its white bridge of hair and then dropped It on the sounding roof of his Instrument Presently the bow lay lav on the strings s rind and for Cor n a moment teetered In Idle phrases choosing Its lis way war Then Ihen It was off oIT like liken n a fleet horse hors In The Girl 1 i Left T rt Behind Me Te I 1 am nm a man of experience In misery and have ba some come wit to save sat me In contre contle contretemps contretemps temps but I was floored 1 i had brought the time music of the devil into the house bouse of prayer and I 1 was helpless like Hire a man In a n trance I hoped for something better bettor to follow something sacred and solemn enough b to save us Sister Perkins had bad already given Ien me ate n a look and walked out with n a deadly swish of ot her gown Before I knew it the sacred walls of the old basement were in a n riot of tics and am reels Storms torms of ot praise and prayer and mourning bad had shaken their fibers for tor half a century but hurt It was left for me to profane them with unholy music There were wert those to whom It was hallowed with sacred memories of ot of or and conviction of the day of ot mourning of the till hour peace the bride In her beauty of holy vows of ot Imperishable hopes The rune crowd was breaking half of it was gone gODe and mid 1 I got ot to my may feet just lust as ns the player stopped Deacon Harper had risen also and andI T to him but the good deacon bad had scarcely begun berun I gave ave nv way wn say Rny sayin in lag that hat he hoped the people would keep their seats seals when the his chair and aud an nn oath shot out of ot strange e turned in him that made my mv blood chilly Horrible lIo Disgusting Shameful were words that hat the confusion of their retreat Some of the men toen rose above aboc hung back as ns I J came down from the rostrum but most st had hn women with them and were literally |