The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-05-16
SPIRIT MUSIC,
The Shade of a Deceased Music Teach
er Presiding at the Piano--A Dead
Mother Instruct1ng a Living
Daughter.

A lady of Indianapolis furnishes the
People, paper there, with the following
extraordinary narrative concerning Lis
cite Bernard. girl of French extraction,
who was one of a car load of orphan,
homeless children sent west from New
York by the Children Aid Society, there
to find homes. My husband had spoken
to Mr.. Friedgen, the agent of the society,
brother of the shoe merchant in Wash
ington street, to bring him little nurse
girl the next car load he should conduct
to the west. This was in the winter of
1864 and '65. That spring, in April,
he brought up Lisette, stating that he
knew nothing of her parentage, and that
he selected her on account of her gentle
disposition from number of favorites at
the orphan asylum on Randalps Island,
near New York, where she had been for
four years.
DREARY WEARY LOOK
There was nothing remarkable about
her but her very mild ways and dreary,
weary look from her deep-set blue eyes.
[ noticed Lesette manifested a peculiar
and intense interest whenever [ played
on the piano selections from any of the
old operas and master pieces. At such
times | would frequently find her sitting
in an adjoining room utterly ohlivious to
anything but the music, from the effects
of which she seemed to awaken when
spoken to, aud would then rouse herself
as if from sleep. This absorption was
the subject of frequent remark in the
family. One night last November, at 2
O clock, my husband and | were reused
from our slum Der by hearing the sweetest
music, coming apparently from our piano.
Our bedroom was off the sitting-room,
ill on the same floor, and Of course we
were frightened The doors fiom our
room to the sitting-room and the parlor
we're all open-the gas by our bedside
burning dimly, but the parlor was dark
ENRAPIURING MUSIC.
We lay moment listening to the per-
feet concord of sounds from the piano,
which we perceived was under the fingers
of a master hand. The music was from
Handel-one of his grand and male. tic
movements, and not one that | had PLAYED
on that piano, and | had not the notes
In the house. The playing ceased mo-
ment or two, and soon began with one of
List S fantasies, one so difficult of execu
ton that none but the highest professors
OF art ever attempted it. l had heard it
the summer before at Crosby's, in Chica-
go, but had never tried it myself. Mr..
j. and | hastily dressed ourselves, for
by this time we supposed some of our
friends had taken this novel method of
serenading US. But who was the per-
former then touching the instrument with
a skill possessed by none of my acquain-
tances? was the puzzling question.
A sOMNANBULIC PERFORMER.
We passed noislessly to the parlor
door; the light from our room by rehec
ton made everything in the parlor visible.
You may imagine our surprise when
tell you that the performer at the piano
was none other than Lisette, dressed in
her gayest suit. with her abundance of
halr put up In style 7 never saw before
on any one, but very neat and tastv.-
Her face was from US. and Mr.. J. mo.
tioning TO me to keep silence. lighted the
gas, and we both went to Lise,te's side
just as she concluded the fantasia. Her
eyes were closed and her face, usually
pale, was now deadly white. At the
same time Lisette. turning her head
toward me and bowling politely, said in