Show I T THAT MYSTERIOUS BASS The last concert was the greatest success of all The hall had been packed not with people seeking merely to be entertained but with true music lovers The very atmosphere had seemed to beat in harmony harmony harmony har har- mony with the music and Henryk Gignoux going over again in his mind the whole hole affair felt as nearly satisfied with his work as he thought he ever eyer could feel His managers manager's joy had been almost boundless boundless bound less when together they summed up the receipts of the concert tour For one so young and till now almost unheard of such receptions as ashe ashe ashe he had met with were astounding Gignoux looked lazily through the window of the train that was taking him back to N New ew York smiled comfortably and closed his eyes More plainly than on the previous night he felt himself seated before the piano on the brilliantly lighted platform In a pause between two numbers he gazed into the dimly lighted hall At first he could make out no faces though he knew a friend of his was there to give him a puff in the mornings morning's newspaper It was just a black mass of faces But as his eyes reached a better lighted part of the house they stopped He could make out a young girl quite clearly She was leaning forward forward forward for for- ward her lips were slightly parted and a look of absolute rapture was on her face She was breathing quickly as if the last selection had held her breathless The intense look in her eyes compelled Henryk to look straight down into them Her whole face expressed such keen joy and sympathy that he could not help gazing at her Then recovering recovering recover recover- i ing g himself he dashed into the Chopin C minor Polonaise But the look of exquisite delight in her eyes inspired him and he heI I played on as if he was drawing from them the combined harmony of all the old masters He had never played like it before and the audience audience audience audi audi- ence feeling the soul in the music was carried along with it in ecstasy Yes he mused my my long hard work is almost repaid by last night alone Suddenly there came a terrific crash Gignoux raised his head only to have it thrown back violently against the seat by the heavy jar Something fell on his arm arm then he lost consciousness Train wrecks happen every da day He who experiences one never forgets the horror of it Henryk in his dazed condition had only impressions impressions impressions im im- of inexpressible terror pain and confusion These however paled when hen in New York under the hands of a surgeon he regained consciousness and realized his loss With a sickened smile he looked at his handless left arm To any proud man such a loss is almost unendurable unendurable unendurable un un- endurable to Henryk Gignoux Gignoux He realized that all his power had lain in his hands Without his music life was nothing to him He fought against recovery and settled into the deepest gloom His friend Jack Carter tried in vain to rouse him His deep melancholy alarmed everyone When he a again ain went among his former haunts he had no longer his cheerful manners but was gruff and morose He refrained from telling even Jack of the awful nights he spent There was ever before him in his sleep the train wreck in which among the hideous noises ran snatches of melodies the melodies the most unearthly music Out of the confusion two eyes gazed at him no longer with an expression of complete delight but which to suit his melancholy frame of mind assumed a pathetic light These visions made sleep intolerable and he lay awake thinking out the music he used to play Soon these diverse airs seemed strangely to harmonize and he began to work His friends saw the change Gignoux was working on some composition What they did not know He had even moved from his old rooms into a queer old-fashioned old hall where many musical students lived Jack felt a little angry at Henryks Henryk's almost savage ways toward everybody himself included and resolved to wait until his friend of his f t own accord sought him Heretofore he had always done doneso so sooner or i later For weeks when working on some difficult concert pieces he had avoided everyone but just as soon as he felt he had mastered them Jack was the first to share his confidence and hear the story of his hard work But several months passed and Henryk still labored on in his dogged provoking way and Jack found it impossible to discover discover- his doings People began to whisper that Henryk Gignoux was becoming a little bit cranky over his work and they felt rather than thou thought ht that some crisis was near Soon it came The New York musical world was all aglow with excitement over the report of a wonderful new opera composed by Henryk Gignoux Impatiently they waited for its production and again as at the time of his tour and accident Gignoux's name was heard everywhere Newspapers musical journals and musical circles alike were greatly interested in its presentation The opening night of the opera arrived Jack Carter pushed his way through the crowd to find Henryk He had gone to his rooms early in the hopes of accompanying him to the theatre but Gignoux had gone so Jack went alone and searched in every part of the house but could not find him If its it's as big a success as is expected thought Jack hes sure to come round all O. O K and have a jolly supper and an time old-time talk afterwards He needs it badly enough poor boy he seems to be afraid of his own shadow lately The mere sight of me should tell him that Im I'm dying to help him him but but that everlasting pride of his V With ith a strained expression on his face Tack Jack opened his program hurriedly so as not to think too many hard things about his friend At 11 1130 30 that night Jack Carter jumped up the hall steps two at a time into Henryks Henryk's room He expected to be met by him and greeted with that sweet old smile but Gignoux was standing or rather leaning lean lean- ing against the table gazing at his piano with anything but an encouraging encouraging encouraging en en- look on his face II Hello old fellow cried Jack boisterously Henryk started at atthe atthe atthe the voice and turned towards toward Jack to take the outstretched hand II Say Henryk how did you do it Its It's the greatest out I thought I was pretty well up in music but Im I'm stuck here Cant Can't understand C it How did you happen to write anything so strange Jack expected a lively recital of how he lie had conceived the theme of the opera the work he had done detailed accounts of the expense in fact the whole story like those Gignoux had always given after some great success but he was disappointed Henryk murmured something about not knowing how it happened and glanced nervously over his shoulder to the piano again Jack still still jubilant laughed Broke half a dozen pi piano no strings strings in your joy Oh no I only imagined imagined but but nothing Wont Won't you jou ou sit down Jack Jack saw it was no use Gignoux made several remarks about the singing and the crowded house until at last Carter in despair left him somewhat abruptly His conscience hurt him after he had gone along the hall a little way He came back to the door poked his head headin in and said almost softly If If you need me you know where to o send He walked along the hall with his eyes upon the floor Now he was thoroughly alarmed about Henryk for he had seen him on going back again staring at the piano and he thought he must be going to have brain fever In a turn of the hall before he realized where he was Jack had gone straight through a half opened door He looked up to excuse himself but instead stood still and his words of apology remained un un- spoken A girl dressed in dainty evening gown sat on a piano stool half turned from the instrument Her left hand lay motionless motionless' on the key board From all Jack could see she was looking straight at the bare wall but not with a vacant look There was a slightly frightened expression on her f face ce and she seemed to gaze through the boards into something fascinating beyond Jack without speaking crept away II What a pretty girl But he tie heaved a sigh of relief when his foot touched the pavement outside He hated strange things Henryks Henryk's nervous manners the peculiar sudden appearance of the girl and especially the opera he had just heard m made him feel uncomfortable and wish more cheerful company than seemed to dwell in the old hall The public was mystified by the opera The music was so weird and strange that no one could understand it Henryk Gignoux was therefore besieged by reporters but refused to see them Jack thought that things had gone on in their unsatisfactory way long enough nough and resolved to make one more attempt to bring Gignoux back to his old self So a about out a week after the first night of the opera he went early to Henryks Henryk's room and settled himself comfort- comfort aby to spend the evenin evening The two friends drew their chairs near the fire and for some time Jack made remarks about the new rooms The peculiar hardwood partitions and the rounding ceiling struck him himas as being very odd Then nothing was said for several moments until Henryk with a great effort beganI began I I know what you have come for Jack Ive I've acted like a cad I confess I couldn't help it though It was weak to give up so com- com r. r after the accident but my lofty ambitions received such a tremendous blow that it t was impossible to have any sort of pride left I was ashamed to let anyone see how I suffered from something which ought to have made me stronger By keeping all my feelings to myself I made the pain double You have no idea what it was I thought my mind was was leaving me and endured the most intense mental agony day and night Then came the opera I produced it simply out of the chaotic condition of my mind I worked at it in the fiendish way I I did to see if there was really left in me anything worth saving The work was enough to kill any man in his right senses But I wasn't in mine Well you know it was good and after I had seen it on the stage all the anxiety of those months se seemed med to leave me Life held something worth living for after all That night I fairly ran home feverish and excited I knew you would be here later and felt that when I had told you all the tension of my mind would be wholly re re- But I went to the piano to hear again the theme that had done so much for me I began to play it and it-and and oh Jack Ill I'll never forget what I heard beard Henryk rose from his chair his hands clenched his face white white and eyes staring As As I played the air of the opera with my right hand slowly the bass bass' began For a minute I forgot that my left hand was gone Then I realized that I was playing only the treble I was terrified and sprang from the piano Then you came in Jack Jark at his friends friend's wild words jumped to his feet and grasped his arm He thought Henryk was insane and every moment expected some violence o or a complete collapse but Gignoux remained standing standing standing stand stand- ing perfectly still looking straight into his eyes If If I was mad then Im I'm still mad for I hear it yet Listen and he bounded across to the piano Jack supposed that Henryk in his nervous state had heard the accompanying bass out of his distracted mind so with a pitying smile on his lips he listened to the first strains from the instrument At every new sound he expected Gignoux to turn wildly to him and de de- mand Do you hear But he played on until what he was waiting for began and then he had no occasion to ask Jack ack if he heard for he had started towards the piano as the first soft notes from the bass sounded He stood over Henryk to see his hand as it moved rapidly over the keys The sound really seemed to come from that piano When without a single discord or break the accompaniment contin contin- Jacks Jack's breath came quickly as he listened spell bound As for Henryk every note seemed to strike him like a sharp blow It was awful to see him In a moment Jack regained his presence of mind He was too practical to believe in anything supernatural so he looked around th the the room to see if there was any physical solution to the unusual occur occur- rence He perceived that the hardwood partitions and rounding ceiling ceiling ceiling ceil ceil- ing would have great acoustic properties but the sounds were too sharp and well defined to make any such solution solution possible He became more excited the longer he listened until suddenly a thought struck him His eyes flashed and he cried I have it With this he dragged Henryk out of the room and along the hall to the next door Without hesitating a second he grasped the handle and pressed his whole weight against the door ready to break it open if necessary But it yielded quickly and the two almost fell into the room Jack saw what he had seen once before the before the same girl firl and piano but now the girl looked as if she were going to run away ter fied fled at some dome thing she had done Henryk the moment he saw her recognized her as the girl whose enraptured expression had so powerfully powerfully powerfully power power- fully affected him at his last concert He trembled with emotion Stepping towards her he asked weakly It Were you really playing it She understood The sudden entrance of the two their wild expression expression expression sion told her all She looked broken hearted as she said you know Couldn't you tell it was I playing Im I'm so sorry It was the music's fault After I had heard the opera and my very soul was moved to its depths by it I heard the opening air played as I knew by its composer Something drew me to the piano But I thought you would know And you thought something else She stopped unable to say any more Jack forgave her immediately imme she looked too grieved for any anyone one to blame her j r Henryks Henryk's expression had undergone a complete change He seemed even to breathe differently and his voice had a natural ring r in it when he said I I will forget all about it if you will do one thing for me He hurried into his own room bringing back his manuscript He laid it open on the piano before her and said Play it over with me here The two sat down and began the opening air of the opera Jack remained for some time listening and thought how nearly even he had come to being deceived by the bass As he could tell the two t- t pianos of the same make and pitched exactly alike stood back to back and the sounds now coming from the one did not differ at all from those that had come from the two He listened a while longer then went quietly out and smiled as ashe ashe ashe he said to himself They wont won't need me any longer Clarie M. M Ellerbeck b ii i f i |