The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-08-09

!
exactness.
"Sam, my boy" said the cobbler, one
day, ''you shall have an instrument, and
your father shall buy it for you, or the
whole parish shall cry shame upon him."
"But he don't know word of this" [
said
;"Never mind, Sam, my boy, he shall be
glad to know of it )" and he told me his
plans.
At certain times it vas customary for
the choirs of neigh Boring churches to
help each other, and it was arranged that
the choir of our parish should play and
sing on the next Sunday morning at his
parish church, and that be and his choir
should come over to our parish for the
evening service.
"And you, SAM" said he, ''shall take
my place in your own church and please
God, you do as well there az you have
! done here, it will be the proudest day l shall
know, Sam, my boy, and your father and
mother will say so, too"
How 1 practised, morning, noon and
night, for the great day how the old man
darkly limited at prodigy that was to be
forthcoming at the festival and then the
day itself, with it's events,-ail is as vivid
as If 1T were yesterday.
The evening came; aud there, in the
dimly lit gallery, ] sat waiting, with any
master beside me.
"Sam, my boy" said my master, otis
aereat risk it's getting very full. There
Is the squire and my lady just come in.
Keep your eyes on your book and feel
what you're playing, and think you're in
the little shop; I've brought a bit of
leather to help you," and he out piece
of that black leather that has peculiar
acid scent In front of me. The scent OF
it revived me; the memory of the many
hours l had spent there came back to me
at once, and l felt as calm as if [ were
indeed there.
She came at last, and service began
o that night Shall 1 ever forget its
pleasures ?-the wondering looks of the
friends and neighbors who came and found
in me, the despised, awkward, left
saddler's apprentice, the prodigy of which
they had heard rumors. 0 it was glor-
Gus The first few strokes of my DOW
gave me confidence, and [ did we'll, and
knew it, through the hymn, through the
chants, and on to the anthem before the
sermon That was to be the gem Of the
evening; it was Handel's then new
anthem, 81 know that my Redeemer liv-
eth"
1t began-harsh, inharmoni0us, out of
tune-I know not why or how but as it
progressed, a spell seemed upon all but
her and myself; one by one the lnstru
ments ceased and we're silent one by one
the voices died away and were lost, and
she and | alone, bound together and driv-
en- on by an irresistible impulse, went
through the anthem one soul, one spirit
seemed to animate both. The whole con-
gregation listened breathless as to an an
gel; and she, self-absorbed, and like one
in trance, sang, filing me with deli
cious sense of peace and exultatlon, the
like of which have never known since
1t came to an end at last, ana with the
last triumphant note [ fell forward on the
desk In swoon.
When [ recovered | found myself at
home in my own room, with the rector,
the doctor, and my parents there, and
heard the doctor say
81 told you he would, my dear madam;
[ knew he would"
ssThank God ~ murmured my mother
"My dear boy, how we have feared for
you"
What difference. I was courted and
made much Of Genius ~ aud every
clever !" and delightful talent ~ Such
were the expressions l now heard, instead
of "stupid v' "awk ward ~ and "unfi. for
anything :"
My father bought fine instrument and
[ was the hero of the village for months.
1t was some days after that Sunday that
yentured to ask about the rector's niece.
"My dear boy" said my mother; "the
like was never heard. We saw you
there and wondered what you we're doing
but as soon as we saw you with the bow,
we knew you must be the person there'd
been so much talk about and then, when
the anthem came. and we all lett off sing
ing, and they all left off playing, and only
you and Miss Cecilia kept on, We were all
in tears / saw even the rector crying
and, poor girl, she seemed as if in dream,
and SO did you it was dreadful for Inc 10
see you with your eyes fixed on her,
watching her SO eagerly. And then to
look at her, staring up at the stained
glass window as if she could see through
it, miles and away into the sky. o, I'm
sure, the like never was and then, when
you fell down, [ screamed, and your
father ran up and carried you down and
brought you home in Farmer SHADES Jour
wheeler"
After this, I had an invitation to go up
to the rectorv, and there in the long
winter evenings we used to sit :; and while
[ played, she sang. o, those happy times
when she loved me, but only As a dear