Copyright. 1910, by American Press Asso- clation.} i BOUT 100 years ago there was a | very poor young man who | odged in the attic of an old | dilapidated house in the Platz | IRoemer, in the city of Bonn, Germany. | ‘He wus so seasitive of his pow | ithat lie would not appear on the street | in the daytime, fearing that strangers | would scoff at his soiled liven and tat- | tered: clothes. The neighbors declared, | and with. reasonable cause, that the! man was demented. for his gray eyes | giirtered with a strange light beneath | hix pale and massive forehead. His | long hair fell in disordered masses about bis emaciated cheeks. The set | expression of his thin lips betokened | the bitterness of hix life, and the deal- | el in wanx tapers who lodged in the | adjoming room asserted that the | young. man passed hix days and nights | * furiously playing upon an old plano | ana covering great sheets of white pa- | per with incomprehensible scrawls, | Whenever he ventured upon the street | the housewives ran to their doorsteps | to see him pass by. and the children | scoffed at him No one knew his | nate or profession, whence he came or whither he went. He had only one friend, who called every evening at sunset. The latter was a person well ‘Known In the city of Bonn. He was | the tall, gaunt drunkard, Joachim | Fuescher, organist of the enthedral and kupell-meister for monseignenr the bishop. : time Chreistiins eve Master Jonchim, | warmly ensconced in his antiquated | greateont, climbed the rickety stairs | amd without Knocking entered the at- | tic of his friend just at the beginning | of the winter 1wilight. fle found the | young map sitting ar the window, gaz- | ing sadly at the fantastically carved | gubles, the turrets and spires of the | ancient city over which the snow had | spread a shroud of uniform and glit- tering whiteness, i “Ho. ho!" exclaimed tbe kapell- meister as he slapped the young man | on the shoulder “What do | see?’ What do you wean Do you wish to! be forever damned” Come! No black | butterflies on Christinas eve. Look! i i ! The chy t= clothed in its wedding gar ments. the church bells are pealing merrily, nnd already. in anticipation of | midnight, the streets are odorous with | the Havor of Mayence ham and greasy fritters. Very soon the taverns will “HO'" EXOLAIMED THE KAPELL-MEISTER fllumwinate their windows ax an invita. tion and welcotte to the passersby. Aud, above all, monseigneur's treas- urer did aot forget to pay me my sal-' ury. Cowe, comrade! Let us go” \ Suddenly he ceased speaking, and his : gaunt features assumed a sympathetic «expression. When Ube resumed bis -gpeech it was in a gentle and tender > tone: t “Ah, you are suffering as always, my | » poor grand genius'™ i Then the young mun arose brusquely, | savagely wiped away a tear that was! - coursing down his cheek and exclaim: ‘ed in a violent manner: i “Oh. be quiet! | bate the world! Its pleasures are to we like so many | a of a knife. 1 bate the human race: | tnte myself! Genius, did you say” Yes, if that is to be the victim of every torture and every sorrow; to see oneself the subject of insult, sus- picion and public indifference: to hear hunger, thirst and disease knock at one's doer; to feel that all the sublime veices. all the vast inspirations of one's Iheart 10d bralo, are stitied by the cold- mess of death; If it is to be 2 recluse {and a pariah, then. indeed, am 1 a genius But come! These walls, the silent witnesses of my despair. give me Then with unaffected tenderness and paterual solicktude the old organist re- moved his greatcoat and placed it over the shoulders of his friend. But the young wan scarcely realized the act of kinduess, so absorbed was he in his! own meditations. They left the house and walked slow- ly, arm io arm. through the narrow streets, which now were thickly car with snow. The old organist | selected the route, kept a watchful eye | on his compaaion and even tried, with | ihis own eyes full of tears, to bring « | smile to the face of his voung friend. | whose features under the pale light of | ‘the stars looked unusually somber sud ! mysterious, as if in harmony with the , hand lack finesse and breadth. The! i of a lower window. aud it was from (Translated from the French by George Morehead. | silence and solemnity of that winter's night. At last they reached the heights of the suburb called Coblentz, which overlooks the ancient city, and were passing through one of its most ve tired streets when the young wan sud- denly stopped and grasped the arm of his companion. “Hush!” he said. “Listen!” Master Joachim, bending his head to | one side, seemed to increase the vast | “HUSH! HE SAiD “ LISTEN!’ area of his rubicund ears, and in the! deep silence of the night he heard. | modulated by a broken winded harpsi- | chord, some vague nud feeble sounds | that issued frown a neighboring house. | The two friends remained silent and | motionless. i Presently they recognized the melo- | dy. It was an andante, possessing | breadth, sweetness and melancholy. | and despite the mediocrity of her in- | strument and the crudeness of ber | method the invisible performer im- | pressed upon the music u tenderness | of expression that denoted a poetic soul. “Ah, by wy faith!’ exclaimed Master | Joachim. “If | mistake not, that mu. sie" “1s mine,” said the young man. while two tears glistened in his eyes “Listen. Joachim: listen. li is the andante from my first symphony. Ah I was wrong a few moments aun when | cursed my fate God is good and life is worth living. since here 1 my native city some one knows me understands me, loves me! Sinee my spirit is the consoler of another, and » woman no doubt. Yes, yes: it is =n woman, for | recognize the soul. the touch. the feeling of a woman, or rather, of no ange! that heaven in its mercy to the poor and despised has sent to earth this festive night as »o' balm of celestial joy to my poor’ wounded heart.” “Hum: Brou!” growled Joachim | who had become critical on hearin: | his favorite instrument. *1 admit tha the performer displays some feeling but, my good Ludwig. the left hand is feeble, and the arpeggios of the right method of a pupil. my boy." “Silence, blasphemer!” replied the younger man, whose face was now re splendent with joy. “That woman | does not merely play my music--do you understand? She expresses my thoughts. 1! feel it here!" he said. striking his heart. “But. come! | must see her. and here is the house.” Eagerly he drew Master Joachim to- ward a humble cottage. A light filter ed through the badly jointed shutter that room the music came But as they teaned forward near the window in an effort to hear the better the in- strument suddenly became silent as it emitted ome last plaintive note that resembled a sob. ———— i IL { HE young gir! had ceased play ing suddenly. in the middle of a phrase: then she remained motionless and appeared to be absorbed in a reverie. while her fingers skimmed mechanically over the keyboard: finally she uttered a deep sigh. and a moment later, with a ges- ture of despair. she closed the old harpsichord and rested upon her el bows with her face between her hands. “Little sister, why do you not play? It does me good to hear you." The speaker was a young man with an honest but unusually serious coun- tenance. Seated before a table cov- ered with little pots and brushes and under the light of a large lamp, he was coloring those fantastic little animals and grotesque dwarfs cut in wood which are the triumph of the Nurem- berg workshops. “You like to hear me play, my poor Fritz,” replied the girl, “because you have heard no one else, but | despair and grieve when I think how far | am from my ideal. Never. no, never, will 1 produce with these feeble and awk- ward fingers the celestial and sublime melody that soothed and charmed me on Christmas eve a year ago.” As she spoke thus, leaning against | would bring n pitiful smile to the face | cherish and bless it beenuse it brought the old instrument, the young girl re- | sembled the statue of Melancholy. The | light of the lamp illumined her classic i profile and blond bair: her eyes pre- sented a peculiar appearance as if they ' were covered by n veil: she seemed to | be blind: in her attitude and features there were tokens of sorrow and resig- nation, but in the light of her forehead faith and bope shone with rays of di- vine purity and sweetness. All the sur- roundings of this young couple betok- ened poveriy. even misery, but a mis- ery bravely borne, a life of toil marked | by decency und pride | “Yes, | remember,” said the yonng man “It wax on Christmas eve, on Just such a night as this, that you had that adventure, an adventure that ‘ of any but a poor person, and yet | a ray of sunshine into the dark shad- ows of your life. Tell me once more. dear Alice, the story of your adven ture. 1 love to hear you in the deep silence of the night relate the story in your slow and gentle voice, which seems to come from above, while your fingers lightly caress the keys of your | old friend.” She resumed Ler place before the in strument and dreamily played a few chords “Oh. yes,” she said, “that was a di- vine melody. Alas, | can remember nothing of it but this one air, but that simple air is ar broad us the winter sky and ax deep as the ocean. Every | time 1 play it the whole scene returns | to my memory. You remember, Fritz. | you had taken me that night to Aunt | Gertrude, who was very {ll in her little ! attic in the Platz Roemer. and as you | had some work to finish you left me there for several hours. Sitting ar the side of the invalids cot, 1 could hear her breathing, and, although [ could not see her. | imagined the appearance | of her poor face, yellow, wrinkled and emaciated by age, privation, illness and suffering. A profound silence reigned | around me. My habitual darkness ap- peared to be deeper, heavier and more cruel than before, and | trembled as 1 thought how sad and burdensome this life was to the poor and unfor ' tunate such ns | “Suddenly some one began to play a piano in an adjoining room. The mu sic commenced with a soft prelude like the beating of a bird's wings in the distance or the approach of a cohort of angels, aud us the rhythm expanded and increased | imagined I saw the seraphim, all white and dazzling, de scending from the stars and illumining the darkness that surrounded me Then 1 was seized and inundated by an overwhelming harmony which open- + ed to me the gates of paradise. Ah. how can | express the torrent of in _ effable sensations and delicious pleas. ures that submerged my senses in those enraptured moments! Inspired by the wonderful notes that were cre ated by the fingers of that magician, ev- erything around me vibrated and lived Radiant visions greeted my new found , sight. Beautiful saints, brilliant with light and glory, pointed out to me the heaven whence they came and whither they returned—without me, alas, the i cruel ones! Suddenly all this world of dreams faded away and disappeared in ! the night: then. vast, profound. reli | glous, consoling and inspired, the nu dante that | bave retained and learned arose majestically in the midst of the mysterious darkness.’ “Yes,” said Fritz, “and when | re- turned | found you trembling and weeping. and it seemed to me that the features of our poor old aunt were im pressed with an onusual degree of serenity. Iu fact. | imagined that Fa. ther Christmas had paid a visit to both of you during my absence. But on our way home you related to me that strange adventure. Next day | made inquiries and learned that Aunt Ger “LITTLE SISTER, WHY DO YOU NOT PLAY?’ trude’s neighbor was a young musician, mysterious and eccentric, who was on ' the verge of being dispossessed by bis | landlord because he was tov poor to pay his rent and for the additional rea- | son that he disturbed the sleep of bis | neighbors by loud and untimely up- | roars similar to that which regaled | your ears.” | “Do not say that, dear Fritz, even | fn fun. or you will offend me. The | strange musician whom | heard that | night was one of those angels sent to earth by God and known to us by the name of genius.” 3 She remmined silent for a moment, . of her dying aunt. . music reverberated through the hum. | . she listened with all her soul—as a ' saint might listen to the singing of : fire of enthusiasm now blazed in kis | eyes; a powerful emotion agitated his struggiing against ber emotion. Ther | in ap outburst of exaltation she ex | claimed: “Oh, to hear him once more-only | once—would be a foretaste of celestini | bliss!” Instinctively she softly played the theme of her beloved andante as an au | companiment to the foliowing prayer: | “Bright king of this boly night | Christmas, Father Christmas, good Fa ther Christmas, who concealeth thy! venerable head under the hood of the | i great red cloak so full of enchant | ments: thou who this winter's night. | with thy snowy beard floating in the frosty air, doth traverse the world and stop by preference before the more humble and sorrowful dwellings to gratify the modest wishes of those simple souls who have faith in thy power—Father Christmas, grant in: this solemn vigil the wishes of the | humble and devoted servants. on. | kind and loving friend of women anil | children, grant, | pray, that | may henr | him once more!” i Fritz had arisen. much affected by | the fervor of the girl's prayer. He was about to speak when the door suddenly i opened and two strangers appeared | upon the threshold. EFORE the young master of B the humble cottage had recov ered from bis astonishment the eldzr of the two strangers approached him and said: “Excuse our informal entrance. my | master. My friend and | are two very poor hut enthusiastic musicians. We were passing through the street when | we were attracted by the sound of | your pinno and could not resist our! desire to bevome acquainted with the | artist, the unknown brother or sister. | who is concealed in this remote sub urb.” | “Alas. sir,” replied the young man “we are not artists, but only humble | working people. Our life is a very bard one. but my sister sometimes | brightens it with a fugitive ray of sun shine by playing, as she did this even ing. some melodies that she has learn ed” The younger of the two visitors now approached Alice. She trembled visi bly when be touched her lightly oo the shoulder and said in a gentle; voice: “You like that music. my child?" | “Oh, yes!" she murmured “1 love | it—1 cherish ft! | | i It is sublime! Oniy SHE LISTFNED WITH ALL HER SOUL. 1 feel that | can never play it as it) should be played.” i “Bur.” said the musician, who was standing now before the instrument. “you have no: the music. Do you play | by ear” } Upon hearing these words the broth- | er ran to hix sister's side and took her | hand. while she replied in a sad voice: | “Look at me, sir-you who are so | fortunate ns to have your sight. | am | blind.” ! There was a moment of painfal si-| lence. “Ah. my child,” said the musician. | “God afflicts in this life those he wish- ! es to glorify in the next world. 1 also have a heavy cross to bear, and some! times | am tempted to curse my fate, | but 1 always have at my side a divine comforter music! Let it console us| now. Whui you were playing a few | moments ago is not unknown to me | May 1 play it now?" i Without waiting for a reply be seat- ed himself before the old harpsicord. | At the souud of the first few notes. the blind gir! trembled with joy. Had! not the good Father Christmas grant- | ed her prayer? t Under the touch of a master, light | and beavenly as it was, under the | stress of that divine Inspiration, the old instrument became sonorous and! pathetic. Ah, how it throbbed, Sung. | , wept, laughed and sighed by turns! Yes, ves. it was the same that she bad heard n year ago at the bedside As the volume of ble room an ecstatic glow lighted the girl's features. With clasped bands. with parted lips and with ber poor sightless eyes raised toward heaven invisible angels. The player also was trausfigured His face no longer bore the bitter and somber expression that we uoticed there before he began to play. The Framed in the waving torrents his long hair, his face was that of master of human thought. e ceased playing upon a final mn chord; then he bowed his head. and his eyes gazed vacantly into space. His thoughts were no longer of this earth. The inspiring power of bis own music had overwhelmed his soul and marked his pale features with the traits of genius. Suddenly, in a burst of violence. he arose and ran to the window and opened it wide to the wintry air. The moou upon its course reigued [Continued on page 7, column 2.] - a LE Yeagers Shoe Store Are Children Worth Bringing Up? It can't be done without RUBBERS. This is what appeared in a recent number of the American Journal of Health: The family doctor should din it into the mother's head all the time, that the health of their children lies in the feet. Keep the feet dry. Never let them get wet. No child should be al- lowed to go out in snow or rain, or when walking is wet, without Rubbers. REMEMBER, Yeager's Rubbers are the best and the prices just a little cheaper than the other fellows. Yeager’'s Shoe Store, Bush Arcade Building, HELLEFONTE, PA Dry Goods iF Goods ce ——————— a — me——————— —— LYON & CO. Special Christmas Offerings We invite all Christmas sl rs to see our large Bring your lists here for Christmas presents, and we will help you with your selections and save mon ia prices. We give a small list of the many gl LEATHER AND SILVER BEADED BAGS—Leather Hand Bags in the new large shapes from 50c. to $7. Beaded Bags in white and dark; values 85c., our price 50c. Silver Mesh Bags from 50c. to $6. HANDKERCHIEFS—Handkerchiefs for all in boxes and separate; in cotton, silk and linen. SPECIAL.—50 dozen Linen Initial Handkerchiefs for ies; regular 15c quality, our price 10c. The bet- grade hand-embroidered initial; regular 2Z5c., price 15c. One lot all linen Handkerchiefs, embroidered, flowers; regular 35c. quality, price 25c. SILK AND WOOL MUFFLERS—AIl the new things in Silk and Wool Mufflers for men and women. SCARFS—The and finest line of Silk Scarfs in Persian, gold beaded effects, from 40c. to $5. HOSIERY—Fine Hose for men. Ladies’ fine Silk Hose; real value 75c¢., our price 50c. Better quality Silk Hose; real value $1, our price 75 cents. Children’s fine Hose in black and tan. GLOVES—Men’s, Ladies’ and Children's Gloves in wool, silk and kid. £524 SHIRT WAISTS—just opened a | Tl Tl a ey RUGS—Just received a assortment of fine These will make a t present. lowest. COATS AND COAT SUITS—We have made special low prices on Coat Suits for this month. FURS—This week we have again received new Furs. Everything in the newest models in neck pieces and muffs to match. LYON & COMPANY, Allegheny St. 47-12 Bellefonte, Pa.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers