New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-30

| Then your violin, Julius, would have thu
magical power of returning to you, in in
spiration, the passion you had befors
| breathed in 1t.
Julius smiled upon the eager eyes. tn,
| glowing face, now SO near his OVID.
"ShOw me, love, how to do it, But i
| would require the sacrifice of my Owl
soul-or some one else's,' he add softly
ITO work this miracle. Everything has it
price, and why should die. to leave my
violin to other hands, to have my passion
my aching heart, made to serve another
No, Lisa, the cost is too great And yet,
| he said, after a long silence, 'it is not iIn
| possible some voices have this touching
| quality; they move you to tears while thu
singers have no ideas of pathos or feeling
| A violin has, to start with, more sensitive
ness than nire out of ten human beings
| But you look like an inspiration yourself
my love, and AS long as you keep those ten
der eyes for NE shall always play at my
| best!'
Lisa smiled as she replied, But were my
| tender eyes cold tonight ~
| ''Do not let US talk Of that. Let me play
| for you now. In this dim freight, alOn c
| with You, feel as though must play, and
! then, too, do not want you to go to sleel
| with the echo of my encore on your ears u
Without waiting for any reply, though he
| look she gave him. he took his violin from
| its case on the table beside him, and after
softly tuning it, began to play, while Lisa,
| sinking down into her easy chair laid her
! head on it's cushioned back and quietly
| listened.
| At first, his music was dreamy and uncer-
| tain in character, although it was gentle,
/ but the melody wandered incoherently
1 through a mare of fantasy as the player
l hardly saeynaH nnpocinys ot bic int ay,
| tons. But soon the tones became tirmer,
| more distinct, ard quick and passionate
air awoke from them. Lisa turned her
head to look at him, her lips parted, the
4uietness tOrsOOk her eyes, she leaned for
ward, and then, by a quick, impulsive
movement, slipped to the floor, and sat
there, leaning her arm on a low cushion,
and looking up into his eyes
AS Julius watched her. his music grew
more intense and sharper. The tones be-
came staccatO and quicker, as some unquiet
thought seemed to vex his heart. He wan
dered among minor tones, he made half
mOdulatiOns and restless combinations,
until Lisa's sensitive little heart could hear
it no longer. Her breath was coming and
going in gasps, her eyes were filled with
tears, and AN indescrioable ferment of feel
ing made her heart beat uneasily. 1t
seemed to her as if some lost love forbidden
u,
eager heart, with paralyzed speech, was
trying to express itself; she listened, as
long as she could, and then leaning over,
she laid her hand on his arm and said
Julius, can not endure itr'
Her lover looked down on her with a
smile that was not all love, nor altogether
pleasant. An enthusiast in science watch
ing the writhing of some dumb animal in
the agonies he had predicted when he gave
ho vniUhf hou Iol
Fortunately, Lisa did not see this, she was
simply conscious of the strong and tender
arm that lifted her from the floor and
placed her on the chair again. Once there,
her head sank YEARLY back into its old
position, and julius played SO softly and
quietly that when he left her, soon after.
she was asleep.
Julius was by no means selfish or cold
hearted man. but he was capable of being
absorbed in one idea, and of sacrificing
much personal comfort to any enter prise in
which his was interested. Before he knew
Lisa, he had lived for his art alone, and
friends. as well as sweethearts, lad meant
but little to him. He now loved her most
heartily, and after their marriage felt her
every day grow more Indispensable to him.
AS she often said, her only rival was his
violin; and yet, as she, perhsps, instructive
ly knew-although being a woman and SO
DESTROYS of being loved for her own sake
alone, she would never confess to herself
it was also her best friend. If Julius had
been thrown into everyday association with
her, he might have been won by her beauty
and her sweetness; but, as it was, he had
undoubtedly been attracted by her sens-
tiveness to his music. He was not only an
artist of very rare merit, but he was com
poser of exceedingly fine music.
Unlike most writers tor their own instru-
ment, he cared but little for music that dis
played his technical ability, but aimed. in
stead, at an emotional development of his |
ideas. He had. perhaps, a morbid desire to |
exercise power over the feelings of his |
hearers, and was never really satisfied un- |
less he had worked himself into intense ex- |
and aroused in others a cores
bonding enthusiasm. As he had said, the
susceptibility shown by Lisa
lad attracted his attention, as she eat in
he audience, and, as actors and artists are
lpt to do, he had soon learned to single her
nut and to estimate the power of his Der.
ormance by the impression he produced on
Ter. Alter their marriage. her influence
pom him grew still stronger, until it
eemed to him that he became more than
yer averse to playing in public, and the
ing row OF expectant faces, the sudden
ursts OF indiscriminate applause, were al
lost hateful to him.
But when he was alone with his wife in
leir shady garden he played for hours with
ontent and pleasure, until her pale and
Exhausted face would warn him to stop. |
hat it pleased her was only too true, for
ne found that her keenest happiness was
listening to him. So subtle became their
understanding of each other that the music
lswered for words, and all the love that
vers find 80 hard to speak was sung by
le violin to her. One day she told him
lat II she were dying she thought it would {
: harder for her to choose whether she
ould rather have his arms around her or
I'VE him free her spirit with his music
But sometimes l think" she added with
e playfuiness that daily became more
re, that il were to lay my ear to your
olin it would breathe again to me all it
Is 10 these happy days told me. So, per
Ups, dear, you might after speaking our
re"ell through 1t. lay it by me, and as }
sted on your heart it would tell me what
'ur lips would then refuse to saw"
julius smiled quietly, as he always did at
e tender little fancies of his wife, but, as q
turned to look at her few moments c
ter she left the room, he was struck by r
e extreme fragility of her appearance. Il
: hardly dared to confess to himself that I
e was weak or sick, but after this he $
uld not help seeing that, day by day. she
ew more quiet, cared less to walk or visit, /
d was more reluctant to see strangers, Il
t more eager to hear the violin, and SO n
ep him by her.
But others had noticed this change before .
r husband had, and, finally, some one a q
10 knew them best spoke OF it, and told h
Ii that she needed medical aid. Her old y
yslclan was sent for, and he indeed | =
lrtled Julius whe he said that medicine =;
'ne could do but little for her, and that it =,
IS morathan probable that nothing could :.
We her life but change. She had no dis a
Sc, he said, but, as sensitive people some y,
les do, she was fading for want of vital H.