The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-11-24

clerk was hobbling around picking
them up.
"You are the first, this time, la.
dies" he said.
"The first-then Mr.. Hess has not
come yet?"
"Ah he's come, Miss Sophy; war.
rant him for that The first ladies',
| meant. But he is not playing"
We ran up the steps of the organ
gallery, Abby first. At the head oi
them she paused, and I-neither oi
us knew why-stood still also. The
loft, just coming from such bright
October sun, was dark, and we could
not quite make out what Mr.. Hess
was doing. He was on his knees,
his head bent down.
"Is lie praying ?" whispered Abby.
We crept forward a step. ] said,
''Mr. Hess" There was no answer.
| said it louder Still no answer
Then Abby and /, instead of going
forward, ran back and screamed to
Igether, and brought old Timothy
from the aisles below.
Our poor organist knelt there
DEAD!
We fancled he had felt death steal.
over him, and had knelt down TO
lpray. There was sweet smile on
his face, and one hand was in his
bosom clutching his locket, in which
lay q coiled tress Of faXen hair. We
buried it with him, for we all felt
that it must be some relic of the past
life of which we knew nothing. AT
ter that the organ grew dumb, and
we missed the dear old German face
and the kindly voice with its foreign
accent, which we knew so well, and
without him we had no heart to sing.
Not even at Christmas time. In the
Spring, when violets were on his
grave, we heard that new organist
had been engaged and that the Thurs
day and Saturday afternoon instruc-
Ito" wnS TO commence mud the choir
came together once more in the old
church. The old minister was there
and with him, gentleman who look
ed about thirty years old. lie had
q fine, tall figure, an olive complex
ion, and eyes never seen save when
the complexion is pure olive; Span
Ish eyes shaded by jet black lash
es. When lie stepped forward to
speak to us, l saw that he was
very slightly lame. Kind old Mr..
Danbury introduced us III an improm-
tn sermon. Under the head OF
"firstly," he informed our organist
that we were the most amiablc OF
choirs; to whom, hitherto, all those
dissensions peculiar to such institu-
tions, had been utterly unknown -
| Secondly, he let us know that Mr.
Andrew Hudson had come among
us, and that he was wondrous or.
ganist. Thirdly, he hoped our ami.
ty would continue, and il possible
increase, and then sat down, Will
his face beaming with smiles, to lis
ten to our first afternoons perform
ance.
at the first touch, we knew taa
Mr.. Hudson was master Of the instru
ment but whether we should lilf,
. MN personally was anotht + question
l thought him handsome, Abby Adai
;. did not--and he was certainly gray,
and silent to fault.
j, We were so accustomed to gooC
l Mr.. Hess and his fatherly interest Il
e each and all of us, that even a genia
| stranger would have seemed yer,
d diflercnt--this gentleman peculiarl,
= so from his manner.
c But / walked home that evenin.
with our pastor, and on the way, h
t told me quite romantic story Of on
1 new organist. How at twenty h
J. had saved a child from being crush
: ed by the heavy wheels or a wago
: driven by drunken man, and in th
Il act being so injured, that il was fo
J time thought he would never wal
again except on crutches. How a
d this, the girl he loved--a giddy but
e terfiy with neither heart nor soul
e had Tilted hlm, and married some on
else; and how, even while suiferin
" great agony at intervals, the youn
:; man began TO study music for a pre-
t. fession, by which, in his cripple
= state, he could support his nothc
!, and himself.
l. "He had genius, and -succeede
5, wonderfully" continued the clergy
$ man; "and God has given him healt
If and strcnghth again, almost miracl
IS lously-and for the girl, l belieN
d that for those five long years whic
ID kept him prisoner in his own roo
r and gave him much time TO think, |
lie would have quite forgotten her
'r And sometimes, believe, and b
lie old mother also, that if he could ev,
Mt meet another woman he could lov
a. he will become his old light hearte
P, self again"
le He looked at me as he spoke /
Y was very old, and often muttered h
m thoughts aloud without intending
0r do so.
to "Pretty, very pretty" he mute
o. ed-"Golden hair and blue eyes
ut colored just as she was--and a goo
u sweet girl" then with a start and
newly awakened look--"There's Il
he parsonage, Sophy; Won't you con
on in and see Mrs. Danbury ?"
Is But l was busy that night, al
at l could not. Besides / wanted
as think. The new organist was We
a different person already in my ey'
Its l felt sorry for him and indignG
'as with the girl, and rejoiced that
'se was no longer very lame--as thou
las l had known him all my life; an,
,he hoped that he would meet some n