Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-02-02

| ed of the many times she has said
to him, that single melody from
him il worth more to her than the
loud and splendid performance of a
well-dlrected orchestra-feeding a
more subtle need, and sustaining a
diviner life? He talks in a way
that would make one suspect his in
tention to- attack her soon on the
ground of that one delight hhe has
found in him. which has remained
unquestionabls.
His wife understands these symp-
toms we'll enough to know that in
thirty minutes, at furthest, he will
somehow have passed beyond her
reach. Is it not sad, sad convic-
tion to be pressing ON the heart of
the woman? You know now why
shook my head as looked at the
pretty bay window and the outside
greer and perfume. Anybody who
knew the old Pharaohs Intimately,
in the days Of their glory, would
grieve, l am sure, if coprsing over
the sands of modern Egypt, on a
swift Arabian charger, no came
across the great Pyramid stripped
| so bare Of its external beauty. To
think Of the hopes with which that
young woman set up housekeeping
| in that little brick house. and the
track by which those hopes were
retiring, one by one! What is to
be wondered at, and admired, is
the way the good girl stands her
ground and tries to be agreeable,
and to out-rival the gin barrel. 'Tis
not her fault that her husband is
where he is-without work-drink-
ing hard-at intervals all too
brief, rallying again-hating him
self, and sliding down to ruin. No,
believe me, she has not 10 arraign
and convict herself for all this
misery. All at once, as heis rising
from the piano-stool, q ring at the
door bell. Who comes? They have
SO little company out there it is
really a question. Rogers hopes it
is Dixon. Dixon and he are hale
| fellows well met, about once week
all night in tho club room! They
listen; is it Dixon? She fearing,
he hoping that it is. But, if Dixon
were out there, both would feel it
beyond fear or hope, he comes SO
valiantly when he does come. No,
it is not Dixon's voice, but a
| woman's. Husband and wife look
at each other. He means to escape
while his wife receives her COM
pany. She sees his purpose, and
knows that he will accomplish it.
"Oh Lordw she says to herself.
| Will she be thinking sadly, an hour
from now, when she sits alone, that
but for this untimely call all would
have gone smoothly, Pierce, per-
haps, safely asleep by this time?
"Ibeg your pardon for intruding,"
| says strange voice-and how is
Rogers to get oso,rse # the room?
Here is a womarf said feet in height,
at least, who looks kSs's Is = if she might
if she took the fancy to do it, go off,
carrying husband on one shoulder
and wife on the other. 81 beg your
| pardon," she says again, "but have
come here in the greatest distress; "
Pierce Rogers, hearing himself
actually called upon as the champ
ion of weakness, begins to look
grave, and to feel himself equal to
the occasion.
"Pray be seated "ssys the lady
of the house; and'r "a II can the gen.
tleman of tho hodSXs \, but sit down
with the careful deliberation Of a
man whom nobody is to suspect of
inability to rise, or sit, or go where
and when he pleascs. The strang-
er, though not a pretty woman
and, in fact, she is quite the reverse
has, nevertheless, made an im-
preston, and Pierce is gentleman,
if not perfectly sober.
81 have been waiting outside, "
she says, taking the seat indicated
by his action as we'll as his glance,
"hoping to hear the voice which l
have heard so often in passing this
house. | have waited ten minutes,
l suppose, till was afraid l might
he arrested as vagrant, and, as |
was not rewarded for my patience,
l determined to put OH bold face
anu ring the door bell don't
exactly know how to 60 on. May !
tell you what I want, as if you were
a couple of friends?"
"Do, I beg" said Louisa, and her
husband politely seconding the
entreaty, though not under the
devout conviction his wife felt that
here was godsend. Ifthat woman
would only say something interest
ing she might stay and talk for
hours in welcome; indeed the long
or the story the better. Would
that she might even prove to have
the gift of Scheherazade!
II am the organist of St. James
Church." the stranger began, "be-
sides, a music teacher"
"Indeed - said Pierce, but he
stopped there, though it was evil
dent to his wife that he was inter-
ested, and she smiled-oh how in
terestedly she did smile upon the
organist, who, like an angel, had
conde scended to visit her abode.
81 have had = hard time with the
church music," continued this
angel. Everybody who knows
anything about tho church knows
that, so I am not telling tales out of
school. The music committee have,
finally, put the choir entirely into
my hands, and l shall have good
music from it some time. But l
have been obliged to take All cx-
traordinary step. l have dismissed
the tenor singer this evening, and
everything at present looks like
chaos-to the choir, not to me"
"The tenor Of St. James Choir
is the best in the city" said Pierce,
almost sobered by his surprise.
81 know that"
"He has sung there ten years to
| u,,, oa,to:r LuOw1nduo -