Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-03-16

latfh0gelY lhto--unu thefe was Nne AhauOW
8 nah npop lhe eafsAin. Il sFangAim, ID
ahadoF, btea snake. With 3 cdld bitin
FittlOusly at hisheart he crept iHto the darl,
meas Of the hedge and waited.
"Presently he heard the door open, an
then , Tnlce which be knew % be John Han
flynS, Asaid tBnt she has been crying, b
could tell that JOhH's big form came iht
thehght He walked slowly, silently up lh
hiIi.D Silently, slowly the artist iollowe
him. God ofgiye The poor man If he mean
10 use q kniie-I know be carried one; bhi
On tho brow Of the btu, john, turning, say
thal be vas blioWed, ana marched back upo
his follower Even in the faint starlight, h
recognized Willy by his wide foreign CLOAK
and said, with a strange, grave earnestness il
his voice: % rEf..
"G have had bad news for you, Basset,
would rather you learnt them from some on
who Is less hateful to on than ] am-iuh1
cannot tell never wronged you in an!
way q
ENever tampered, suppose, with my ia
tended Wife2 Never tried 70 lure her AVA
! from me2 Never came 70 her like q thief Il
the night2 Never "pitied the fiddlerP a
one would pity lame cur7'
"'YOu are very hot about It. Basset-bu
you shall know all to o-morroW morning.
"a 4 insist, sir, upon knowing all to. night
tomorrow you may be busy, dischargina
your bales at the pier-headp
John felt the insult; but still very sthb.
bornly, very nobly, held down the passion
that was rising in him.' Willy, for rage had
blinded him--mistook the silence for timldl
ity, andlwant on, rapidly, tauntingly, tlll a
length John answered;
"I went up to Mary Lee tonight, If you
igiH have Il, to tell her that Johnsoa, tue
Bristol banker, has absconded, and that you
are beggarP
"With 3 hoarse shrek, Basset leapt upon
him, and struck him in the face. And then,
the suppressed rage Of years concentrated in
TO one single blow, John lifted his huge arm
and beat him down. 1t was terrible blow
the passionate artist lay like dead log upon
the senseless. Suddenly the moon
shOne out large and full. The light fell
through the thick hedge-roW trees,right upon
Bassets face. John knelt down, and saw that
it was bloody-bloody. He groaned With
shame, the big John, that he should have
struck one 90 trail; but, at last, Basset's eyes
slowly opened, and John still knelt by his
side, weeping like babe.
"What made tim leap up, and then stag
ger back, IS If knife had struck him to the
hearth This: as he knelt by the artist, and
watched him return to consciousness, he ex-
pected TO hear q curse from his lips; be heard,
instead a low, feeble, chuckling laugh. II
was the laugh OF an idiot Willy Basset was
insane ...-.
"Three months afterwards, / followed Ma
~ Lee 70 her grave and when the clamor
and the noise Of the affair had died away.
John Hamlyn took the mad artist To- his
home, and has supported him ever since
"Willy Basset has lost all recollection
of that terrible night he wanders about
harmlessly, quietly villagers, who call him
the Mazed Fiddler, never molest him, andat
times he viii take his violin, and play so
sweetly and so well, that the few strangers
who visit CoombetoWn viii hardly believe me
when I tell them he is mad.n
n1.-wHAT FOLLOWED.
However freely the old school-master had
told his tale, there had been something in It
which had riveted the attention of his listen
er. The two men sat for a while silently,
smoking and thinking. At last, as the even
ing closed in, the school-mastpr was rising
to light his lamp, wien be heard tap at his
door. In another moment John Hamlyn
entered.
The Londoner gazed at him with interest
There was nothing romantic or picturesque
in his appearance. He was simply a big
sea-captain with prematurely gray hair and
aln l., 4.
pilots jacket and smelt strongly Of Caven-
dish tobacco. He said quietly;
81 have been down to the pier, sir the
Sarah Jane has just come in and now find
that poor Basset has left the house. 1 am
going to look for him. Would you like to
come with me, sir2 There's wildish look
about the sky tonight, and should be 10th
to have him caught in the storm that is COM
ing up"
~ suppose we shall iud him in the church.
yard r said the s;hool.master.
"MOst like, most like, sir. l always notice
that on nights like this, he steals away there.
Poor iellowi it can't be helped now. But
had rather lose my right hand than use It
as did one nightp'
The school-mastersighed; and, after few
together for the church-yard. &, 6
John Hamlyn had been right enough when
he said that storm was coming. The day,
as have hinted, had been one of intense
heat, and now there was not breath of air
stirring. As they walked on, they felt op-
pressed by the close, sultry deadness Of ths
night, Their road lay uphill, through a thick,
deep lane, such as every Devonshire tourist
knows; and ere long the utter silence of the
place grew almost terrible. Not a leaf moved
abo1t them; and when, after half an hour s
walk, they reached an open space from which
the sea was visible, they were still more struck
with the gloomy look it wore. A dull,
heavy, leaden look-noW and then there vas
a little white fash before them, when a larger
wave than usual rolled slowly in and broke
upon the rocks--but there was no life in the
sea, so to speak.
AS they paused at the little church, yard
gate, they heard the sound Of the violin
Wiley Basset, standing by the grave Of Mary
Lee, was playing such requiem as never
yet musician has expressed in notes-a re-
QUEEN of such depth of lamentation, such
bitterness Of regret, such vehemence Of self
accusation, yet such overwhelming love and
tenderness Withal, that the three men almost
wept as they listened, and not another sound
was heard save the magical tones with which
the Maze1 Fiddler mourned over mis- dead
love. They did not dare 70 interrupt him
but at last the music ceased; be walked to
wards them, staggering like drunken man
and then, as be reached the gate, sank heav,
lily, fainting, on the ground. At that instant
there was a peal Of thunder in the east
which rolled on, crashing and reyerheratinl
as it rolled, till it seemed 10 break right abovt
them then for a minute utter silence; anC
then binding sheet Of rain fell suddenl,
upon them. They lifted the Mazed Fiddle
from the earth; John Hamlyn, taking Of
his rough jacket wrapped Willy in It as
shelter from the rain; and they turned home
wards. The rain still fell, but far away to
wards the horizon vivid flashes of lightning
leapt over the sea like swords. ...
81 Make haste, for the love Of God u erie
John, striding along with his burden as on
who carried nought; make hSsts he Is We
70 the skin already--it viii be the death c
him o.
I