Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-05-08
THE LITTLE ViOLlNlST.

yeal5 ago since that time lie has appeared Ia
and various entertainments IA many of
our principal Cities, attracting unusual attenioI
by his musical sh,li. ! confess, however, THAT |
had not henid Of hiin unlil Lust month, but ancr
then do not think IA day has passed when the
ch'ld'a lace has not RISEN up IN my memory, the
little half sad lace, saw 1t once, It'll t3 lutge
serious eyes and Iniantil" mouth.
One morning last January, when told Ch1fey
and Talbot at the brelki,st tabl- that Pliuce Ru-
pert aiI'i his court had come to town,
"5oDe in jays,
Some IN rags,
And some IN velvet gowns,
the news received with great glec, IS you
may imagine tor this meant that we wcrs ~ 20 |
to the play.
am MT going to tell you much about the Play. |
What Interested me most, ond what lleasrd |
Charley and Talbot even beyond the Nalad QlGs N !
herself. WAS the little VioiuIst who came Id tho |
German court nn1 played helarr Prince Rape
and his bride.
1t was such a little fellow lie WIS not more
than year older than my own boys, ana MOI
much ta-i He had Il very swect, eu- tive flc- |
with l'iHe gay eyes, in which there vas d. p,
settled expression which do not Ike 10 see ln a
| chid Looking at hi eyes a.un", You would Have
SAID he was sixtccu u seyantc, II, 1pd =, M,-
| merely a baby
| do not know ouought ol music tp assert Mat
| he had wonderful gculus, or any genius At A.t
boz it seeined to me he played chaGmingly, and
with the touch OF 4 natural musician. | tnought
/" Ghs Last Rose of Summer" the sweetest sttnin
of music in the world aa II Heated up i,om tLe
| small vinilu.
| At the end ut his piece he wa iitrd over the
foot lights Of the stage into thu orlh,stsl where,
| with the conductors stuck III his hand, hs dirpct-
ed tho band IN playing oDc ot Two au-. IN this
he showed carefully trained ear auh peri"'.t
understanding OF the lunsic.
| wanted 10 hear the little violin again. but ms
he made Ills bow to tho auiiasD . and ran e1f At
was with half-wclrcd hr and | did not DIN
with my nei,hbors in ''IliH3 him ht,k "Ihort'a
another performance tonight" -lId TO myself,
"and tho little fellow isn't very strong" lie
came out and bowed, but did not play again.
All the way home from the theatre my chill
dren were full OF the little violnist; and ;ls they
went along, chattering AMI trohckIng i'll trout
Of me, and getting under my feet hike Il couple
of young spanieE, could not help thinking
how dltiereht the poor little musicians lot was
from theirs.
lie was cnly SIN aud a h2f years old, and had
been before the pubhc nearly three yeats.
| What hours ui Toll and WEAKNESS he must have
been passing through at the very tlne when
my little ones We're beng rocked and pc1tCd
aud shielded tgom every uugrute wind hat
| blows. And what au cAlstcnc- w.ls his how
travelling from city To city, praCllcIuE at every
spare moment and performing night aiteI
night, in some close theatre or concert room
When he should be drinking i'll that deep, l. L
freshinG slunI bel which childhood needs HbW-
lever much he was loved by those who hat
him kindly-lt @aS ii hand HE Tor the child.
lie ought to have been turned out into tn,
sunshine; that pretty vlohn-one can easll,
understand that he WAS fond OF II himself oGg Ia
to have been taken away from HIM aud i KIT
string place III his hand instead. Ii God La,
set the germ ot great musician os "A grea
composer III that slight body, surely i
would have been Wise IL let Ine precuu
gut ripen aud hower IN its own good tilIe
, This Is what ihought, walking home II
n a lItl a.. I,nF ~ 4 ~
saw only tho brg ght side oi the picture. an,
: would have liked notEibg better than l.
: change places with lIttIo james Speal lht
!, To stand in tho midst oI FAIRY Iaud An,
: play beautiful tunes on toy iidGlr. Will
all the people clappod their ham s--wna
could quite equal that?
the next morning at the Lreak fast table
7 when opened the newspapsr, which Is al
ways laid aside my plate, tho hrst para
graph my eyes iell upon waa this.
"James Speaight. the infant viollnist, DIE
in this city, late on Saturday might. Al ia
matinee Of the "Naisd Qneen," on thea
teInoon OF that day, when little James Spe
aight came oil tho stage, alter giving hi
e usual violin performance, Mr.. :5heWul
n noticedithat Le appear ell iatigued, and aske
n II he felt nj. ile replied that he mad IA I.ai
It IN his heart, aud then Mr.. SHOW u!l Nuggt Il
is ed That he STAY away from the o.tnIn,; I'ol
Q iormanGe. He retired quito talS, Au
about midnight hI~ tithei heard hItu ~,
Y I"GrucioitS COT lHdi' room Jut. uaott.i. MA
lchtId ~ Hedeell u W sound Wa hatr
h after this, aud HIS father spoke tp him >,,o
: ntterward he received no answer hat i1,u
), his child dead
!. Was there ever ANYTHING saLder thtu thal
u The printed Letters grew uim aud melted Iul
j. each other do / tined IL lead them nsaln.
danced across the table at Charley and lllNo
eating their breakfast, " III the >iant,t .unir-
IRON the window turning lhetr euri, uto le
gold, and | lad not the heat 10 tell thom wa
had happened.
OF all the prayers tAat holled up t. heavs
that Saturday night iIom the bedsidr1 OF sorrav
iul men and women, OF from the cots of haII
20 children, what accents could have fallen mo
81 piteously and teudciiy upon the ear oi li-trl
81 ing angel than the iritl prayer q litIe lam
40 Speaght:
Ool lie knew he WAS dying. The 1.ith lie Al
Ut learned. perhaps, while running at hi, moth4r
10 side long ago, IA some groou En-tsh lluc, can
20 20 to him lhcu He remembered 4, was Christ wt
m said, "Sutier little children 10 como unto NJ,
-5 and the beautiful prayer rose to his lips 'tHl
20 cious God make room tor another llttiu cloiI
fieaveh"
IN | folded up the newspaper slleaily, all / dntlt
" the day did not speak before the bay of 4
little volinists death. but when the tuna can
J for our customary chat in the nursery Told Il
~ story to Charley and Talbot. | do not thIr
they understood il very well, 3nd still les7 y
they understand why fingered SO much long
han usual by their bedside that SUNDAY might.
As | sat there in the dtmiv-hghtsd toaHl
y seemed 10 me that could hear IN the pluse5
- the winter wind, tIintly aud doubuuliy, som
no where in The distance, tue sound OF the little Nj
ia lin.
lisI All that little violin "A cherished relic no
at Perhaps il plays soft rlaintve ans ull 10y itse
"A in the place where 1t Is Kent, Missing the tnW
dc of the baby fugers which used to wakeu it uI
J., III