The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-06-10

giant salon, and fastened to annOunc
his arrival.
A richly-Ornament harp and
music-desk stood near one of the win
dows. Strauss approached the latter
and, with an apparently Indifferent all
turned over the sheets of music, but hi
hand trembled, and he threw more thai
one hasty glance at the door where hi
, pupil was to enter.
Presently the door opened, and fol
lowed by her companion, the Counties
Sophie entered the room, bowling to he
professor with friendly but somewha
cOndescending air.
The youthful countess was beautiful
very beautiful. A tall JunO-like fig
ure, features of great regularity, com
pleXiOn faultleSSly clear, a wealth o
dark hair that fell in luxuriant tresse
over her shoulders, and large expressive
eyes, formed a magnificent whole. She
carried her head high, and slightly
thrown back, n sure indication of pride
! which, moreover, was eYinced by every
/ movement of the girl, and every eX
preston Of her beautiful face, anC
Strauss only, in his infatu2tiOn,
to see.
| She was only seventeen years old, an
age when most girls retain something
of the ways and manners of childhood
Not so, however, with this girl. There
was nothing about her that reminded
one of the child. She was full-blOwn
" oman, and her whole bearing showed
/ that she was not only conscious that
she was beautiful, but that she was q
countess.
Poor Strauss! He saw only heI
eaUty-tO him she seemed an angel
| descended from brighter world. He
read love in her graceful smile, which
was intended for the master and not
the man, who, as a burgher, she never
dreamed could raise his eyes to her.
Strauss bowed respectfully, and per-
haps somewhat aWkwaTdly, in re-
spOnse to the young girls salutation
the helady-cOmpaniOn seated herself in an
armchair, soon became absorbed in a
book, and the lesson began.
The artist struggled hard to conceal
his agitation but, in spite of his best
endeavOrs, his hand tTembled, and his
voice was husky and constrained.
The unWOnted mood of the teacher
seemed to have attracted the attention
of the pupil for, from time to time,
she glanced at the burning face of the
young man, whose eyes seemed to
meet hers with peculiar expression.
At this moment servant entered,
and whispered few words to the COM
paniOn, WhereupOn she rose, and with
the words "By your leave, Sophie"
left the room.
Strauss was now alone with the cOun-
tess.
"Heaven is prOpitiOus," said he to
himself, OverjOyed." "NOW or neverIn
He grasped her hand, pressed it to his
burning lips, and fell on one knee be-
fore her.
"Countess Sophie" he Whispered,
fixing his eyes on the face of the as
tOnished girl, "dO not be angry with
me for falling thus at your feet. Do not
drive me from you, for / love yOu-lOve
you with my whole, my entire being.
Oh, speak one word, give me some sign
that you do not disdain the love 1 could
conceal from you no longer"
The countess, surprised by this sud
den Outburst, did not seem at the mo-
ment to grasp its import; but, when
she did, she rose proudly, withdrew her
hand, and said, in naughty, disdainful
tone, her Sges flashed with Indignation:
"Sir, you forget where you are. Rise
you are not i'll your place"
"Oh, let me remain here at your
feet, Sophie :" stammered Strauss, who
umisconstrued the agitats IN of the cQ3yl-
tea "Let me hear the word
yo lips that shall make g
~
q What imDudence ~ e. n
countess. ''Rise sir! YC%Ss>!
before the door. How dare yOC
your eyes to me? I-lOve-y0G-
l! You cannot be in y our right mind
sir, or you would not forget that / am
Countess Sophie c., and iat you
are-a musician!'
With these scornful words, the proud
girl left the room.
Half bewildered, the unfortunate
Strauss rose to his feet. His face was
deathly pale, and his cOlOrless lips
whispered only
" A musician, she said-a musicianW
Then, like one intoxicated, he seized
his hat and hurried out of the house,
without noticing the countess cOmpan-
ion, who met him, and asked why the
lesson had ended SO soon, or replying
to the saIutatiOn of the giant Swiss who
guarded the door.
How he got home, Strauss never
knew; he saw nothing and heard no
thing but the scOrnful words of the
countess. He was u prey to deep, burn
ing grief and shame; he had been
wounded in what is a mans most Vul-
nerable point; and, after throwing off
his hat, coat, neckclOth, and every
thing that confined his chest, he strobe
that fell little short of frenzy.
ooh, they have no heart, he cried,
" these high-bOrn women ! Where
others have a heart, they carry an old,
wOrm-eaten parchment, a patent of no
bility, that, they think, makes them
better than other people. What care
they for love, fidelity of soul? To them
the name, a cOat-Of-arms, a long line
of ancestors, is everything. A musi-
clan am Ia musician! And so l am
but, my beauteOus countess, the musi-
clan will liXe in the memory and affec-
tiOns of his fellOw-men when your
name and your cOat-Of-aTms will have
long been forgotten"
Little by little, he became more calm
until his violent agitation gave place to
deep but quiet sorrow.
"And yet, how ardently have loved
her ~ he continued to sOlilOquize.
gave her my whole heart-wOuld have
laid down my life for her. Had she but
told me, quietly, and calmly, that she
did not, could not, love me, her image
would have remained pure and unspOt-
ted in my memory. Why this diSdain,
this scOrn, this contempt? But L viii
forget her" u" he emurmuTed, after pause,
wiping away an unwilling tear; and
then he sat down at the table near the
window, and seemed in deep reverie
And now the genius of music lowered
over the head of the grief laden young
man, and voiced his woes in mOuTnful
tones, that fiOated to and fro OH the ear
of his fantasy until they were woven
into a melody; then he seized pen,
and began hurriedly to write. Note
ranged itself after note; and, when
one sheet was filled, he reached after
another, until the composition was fin
ished.
1t was a waltz; but, inspiriting as it
was, still there ran through its now
| lively, now measured strains tone of