Litchfield enquirer., 1871-04-20

notes of piano fell upon his ears. and filled him, he hardly knew how or why, with strange. sweet, delicious memory. The touch of the performer was that of 8
 master, light. firm, briliants powerful the. music was exquisite; but. it was not the music or the skill of the performer alone which just now fascinated our Lathrop j; it was something suggested by the music, and yet not of it or in it; something of memory and sympathy and friendship, of past hours and realities, that seemed to have turned into dreams for as he listened to the sounds all the crowd and the scene around him vanished away, and he was again in the poor little room of the German
 household, sitting in the twilight, and
 listening to Frederika as she played upon
 the old piano. .s.,..- ..-...0.e.. ...-s ].
 "It's the new pianist. the German girl, 7" somebody said, near Lathrop. s"She has
 has much science. They say she is pretty; let us try to get near and have glimpse
 of her." < As if the words had been addressed to himself, Lathrop suddenly pressed forward. He pushed his way, hardly knowing what he did or why he was so eager, through the crowd, regardless of the trains on which
 he trampled, the laces which he ran the risk of tearing, the angry eyes which turned on him and followed his path. He fought his way into the inner room whence the sound of the music came, and at last he Saw the new pianist. He was not sur- prised somehow. This was what he had expected to see since the first note of the music fell upon his ear. There sat his friend Frederika, only changed because her beauty had become more brilliant and striking; because her magnificent masses of dark hair looked more glorious than ever; because her eyes sparkled more brightly; because the grace, the vivacity, the noble energy, if such word may be used, of her motions and her attitudes, as her fingers ran over the chords of the in- strument, were more conspicuous and eap-
 tivating than ever. There sat Frederika, aud round her white throat was the neck
 lace which had been his parting gift. E The music rippled, sparkled, trembled, sighed and the crowd around the per- former were held in the intensity of admi- ration aud delight. The one thing every one admired yet more than the playing was the manner in which the soul, heart, eyes, and very frame of the performer seemed to be absorbed into her music
 Suddenly there is crash on the notes, 8 pause, silence, the upset of music stand and the pianist, forgetting instru- ment, music, audience, and propriety, had sprung from her place and clasped both the hands of Franklin Lathrop. And it re. quired all our young American s sense of the situation and power of self.control to the kiss he had given to Frederika on part ing, and which his lips, like those of Corio. Janus, had virgined since. s..,.....5
 Then, when the wildness of this first greeting was over, Frederika turned, with great grace aud dignity. to the hostess, and made apology for her abrupt behavior, ex- plaining that she had found in Lathrop 8 dear friend to whom she owed all her suc- cess, and whom she hardly hoped ever to have met again. It was quite pretty and romantic little episode. every body said; and good many of the ladies thought Frederika rather bold, and some even de- clared that they quite pitied that poor MT. Lathrop. But the gentlemen did not seem exactly to pity Lathrop, and. in any case, Lathrop did not much care. I-LGa Ihs
 She had succeeded, then? Yes; and through lis counsel and help. Very soon after Lathrop's departure from Europe her dear father died, and her brother went to live in Berlin, and she resolved to go there with him and to endeavor to become an ar- tist. Lathrop's letter to her she had nev- CT received. But she presented his intro duction to the great German musician, and the great musician saw that there was some- thing in her, made her his pupil. and fnal- ly sent her forth into the world with the seal of his approval. She succeeded in Berlin, in Vienna, In Paris, and in London i; and now, by the advice of her patron and teacher, had accepted advantageous offers to visit the United States. Her patron never knew how strongly she was impelled to cross the Atlantic by the dim. faint ghost of hope that somewhere on the far ther shore she might meet again the friend whom she had lost. s.e.T raj
 It was only last winter when Lathrop thus found Frederika again. Therefore one can not tell much more of the story; and perhaps, indeed. no genuine story-reader will need to be told any more. But people do say that marriage between the bril- liant young German pianist and Mr. Frank lin Lathrop may be looked forward to as a certainty; and for one I fully believe that those who say so are right. -Hape's Mag azine. =