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Show TENOR IN WORKHOUSE Derelict With Great Voice Sings Himself Out of Prison to Sick Wife. Dy 80NDAY NELLIM. "The way of the trnnxgressor " Tho cleric veered, with kindness aforethought, and supplied a crumb ol comfort lnstond of censure. "The way of tho transgressor may anon bo bordored with roses of Bweet peaco and solitude. The moments of bygone daB may drift back to jou and tide your souls heavenward. In jour hearts jou are not bad. You have perhaps sinned nud jour sins have Identified jou. Dut that does not hold jou from nbout-faclng to homo and Iocd ones, who still trust jou. There is good ahead. When jou hao pal J tho county Its penalty bo sure jou show that sin's Identity wns not complete" com-plete" It was song service day nt tho workhouse. work-house. "Now," said the minister, "let's sing that good old song, 'niess'd Ilo the Tie That Binds.' Everjbody sing Many of you have good voices." The little chapel organ began and the leaders pitched tho tune. Doforo the second verso was reached the chapel was filled with music. Then The visitors bent forward and scanned scan-ned the faces of the prisoners. A voice somewhere among them rang out In rich tenor, clear and clean as a clarion call. It carried Its notes as might a super-chorister. Tho old song echoed and re-echoed through tho cell halls, and the tenor lod all the rest. There was a olco that might have drawn encore and encore from tho most fastidious and critical audience. Yet it was among the prisoners. But where? The third vorse was beginning when tho rapturous tenor was located. His head was thrown back and his ayes, beaming with so mo secret vision. Looked Up Through the Bars to the Sky. looked bejond the rafters. Ho was singing the bong of a fcathorcd throat, warbling and swelling, gliding and dwelling. He was not nwaro that he was being watched, that his song was heard. Then ho dropped his ejes, as If drawn by tho magnetic gaze of the curious, and saw A nolo wafted oor tho room hall sung. Next day music loers went through tho workhouse looking for tho man "who sang tenor at tho song service." Ho was not found. Tho result was tho same as when, Immediately following fol-lowing the song, they had rushed to tho superintendent to know the sing er's namo. He himself had not located locat-ed the olco and did not know. They went among tho prisoners and asked. No one seemed to know, A singer like that unknown? A voice that a critic had admiringly as serted would rival a Caruso, was In tho workhouse, latent, unrequited and timid bejond measure Could It bo that a famous songster had fallen? Tho critic who had "discovered a voice" would not bo satisfied. He Imagined a beautiful mystery In the singer's reticence That he was a prisoner was certain. Ho had boon soon. And ho boro tho prisoner's lnbol, although groomed for his day ol rest. Every roan, at his work and In tho cells, had been questioned. The singer had, somowhore among thorn, answered, "I do not know him." Then happy thought he could not be identified because he was grimy and sollod. He might bo located another an-other Sunday, when he essayed cleanliness. clean-liness. A slngor Ilko that must bo cleanly. So thoy looked again at prisoner after prisoner and Into cell after coll. In tho last cell but one a man was reading. They were walking noiselessly, noise-lessly, and he did not seo them. It was a song book he held. Then he looked up, quietly slipping tho book, back-up, on the bunk. Ho aroso and turned to tho narrow window's bars. Some ono called to him. Apparently ho did not hear. Thoy called again, How they wished thoy had boon nblo to uso his name. But how could thoy know It? "Step this way jou at tho window wo want to speak to you " Ho started, as If undecided. They know he heard. Then verj', cry slowly slow-ly and timid! ho came to them. It wna tho tonor, "What moro do jou want7" It wrfl not llko tho voice thoy had anticipated. It wns gruff and affected There wai an Inflection of distrust The face had passed out of that beauts It possescd when he sang It wns marked by Inebriety Yot w (thai, tho cxtornal Mclousncss wns pierced by Inherited touches of refinement from beneath "Where did jou Rot that olce that tenor'" ono asked abruptly "Oh thought jou had another warrant war-rant for me when I got out Is that all :ou ant' Honest'" "We hao no warrant for jou. We do not know anj thing about jou. Hut wo want to know about j-ourself; about that olce We've como to help jou That tenor has no place In a workhouse" "So that's why jou watchod mo? I didn't know J asked tho boys not to let jou find me" "It's that olcc that olco. Tell us, dl! jou oer sing In opera?" a critic put In "In opera' No I haven't aunt; In years- till that day I guess I hno been too busy nt tho foam to sing Is that whj jou came?" Thcj had found a singer who hnd not found himself They led him to talk "When I was a boy I used to sing In Sundaj school. A big fellow from the church choir once told me that I would bo a great singer somo day; that I had a voice to bo envied, nut I never tried. When I got grown I followed the boys I've been here be foro after a whiz and that day was the first tlmo I ever sang like a man. The sky-guldo somehow got on my nerves and made me forget. I havo boen In this tlmo fifty-five days. Just got fho now. I'm glad, too. for I'll never bo back. Worst time I could hae picked." The Blnger paused and swallowed hard "Wife's sick God's best Uttlo woman; wom-an; little girl my ono best bet she's got diphtheria. I got to thinking when tho fellow said I was not bad, and when ho started the old song I had to sing till jou Baw me. I'vo got a good Ice' Do you know If It might help '" "o stopped and turned back to tho Uttlo window. Ho looked up through tho bars to tho sky nnd his face regained re-gained somo of that soul light It had when he sang Then ho facod about. "If in J baby can lte " Thej stopped htm boforo ho could mako his pledge "You will be out tonight," snld ono who seemed to know "The mayor will pardon jou this afternoon Sing tho sick ones bnck to health, then come to mo some day I will tell jou something worth while" The big tenor's face stared wonder-lngl wonder-lngl Into tho future The shook hands with him and passed down th corridors No one spoke llut ns thov nenred the end of tho cell lows the heard n song following, follow-ing, passing, leading then' It seemed on Its wn to the ferre derelict home And ns the) passed out the groaning gates the slherj tenor notes boro to them tho beatitude, "Dless'd bo the tie Hint binds " (fop right "i: b W O Cliotmuin.) |