Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-04-23

effort to move, and this time one word
was feebly articulated:
Muster"
Hester looked up with a startled excla-
nation:
"Muslcl He calls for his music. Do
you not hears Where is its Who knows
about its Is it losts" she questioned
eagerly.
Again that terrible attempt at speech.
The dull eyes opened wide, the feeble
fingers clenched themselves on Hester's
hand, and, with last mad effort of ex-
piring, desperate strength, he raised him.
self and shrieked:
my musici Find It'll Save it," and
then he fell back on his pillow like one
dead.
"You have killed him." said the ply
stefan, angrily, and at the words Hester,
with a moan, dropped down insens.ble.
Not dead But when, after months and
weeks of painful illness, he faced the
world again, he looked like shadow out
of the past. But bent and aged, with
SCARED forehead and whitened locks, the
wreck of his body was not the greatest
evil that had befallen him; for of the
brilliant GENTS of other days no vestige
was left. Saddest of all, the miserable
ghost of his lost hopes haunted him, and
in the ruined chambers of his darkened
intellect he was forever cropping, trying TO
gather up the mystic chords of tuneful
thought which no longer vibrated to his
magic touch. The lost manuscript music
had never been recovered, and, though
his feeble mind failed to take in the great
ness Of his loss, the shadow of something
haa f,,l oh ~ hau
somehow failed to be, lay on him, and
gave his face wistful look, which was
sadder far in its mute endurance than any
wall of speech could have been,
Music was to him now something akin
TO the sound of "sweet bells jingled, out
of tune and harsh"
One day in early spring he went to the
church for the first time, leaning on Hes
ter's arm. The old. familiar look of the
place struck him forcibly and reused his
dormant wits. He sat down to the organ
and glided his hands over the keys; few
jangling, discordant chords followed,
wandering and disconnected; then his face
changed, and, with terrible cry, he
flung his head down on his arms.
"Oh, Hester! tell me what is it | have
lost? Sometimes | almost reach tilt is
in my mind, something beautiful which
almost grasp, and then it eludes me and
fades away. have lost 1t now. Hester !
Hester take me homer
She kissed him and soothed him with
sweet, womanly words, and when he was
more composed she led him away.
Soon after that they were married. In
vain Testers friends threatened and OPP
posed her. She was quietly determined.
I" He loved me when friends and for
tune smiled on him." she answered them.
" He would have given me every great
gift which the world was ready to bestow
on him for love of his beautiful genius,
and shall / desert him now when mistor-
tune has overtaken himS Perhaps-oh,
perhaps some time God may restore to
him his lost mind" Tears filled her
lovely, soft, pathetic eyes. "If l dared
to hope it-oh, if | but might hope for
it, how willingly would give my life to
have it So"
The day before her wedding she re-
ceived visit from Conrad Charters.
at shall not bel" he cried out vehe-
mentlY. mDn you realize what yea are
doings Why, you had better far die at
once, for Robert Field is but little better
than an idiot"
"And if he were an idiot" returned
Hester, bravely hiding her hurt at the
brutal words, "even then would marry
him. / love him, and if not one vestige
of his glorious intellect remained would
be Robert Fields wife, and proud one,
toow
"And so ! believe you would"
answered Conrad, looking with a fond,
mad longing into the small, pale face,
lifted SO undauntedly to his dark gaze.
Hester, you will drive me mad. |
would to heaven that Robert Field was
dead. Why did he not die that night last
wnter?" and he struck his hand furiously
on the table in blind frenzy OF despair.
"God knows it was from no lack OF
purpose In you that he did not die" re-
torted Hester, spiritedly.
She spoke at random, but Conrad
shrank away with white face. The idle
words evidently hit him hard. They cut
close and sharp as steel in their unexpect'
ed descent and wheeling abruptly about
he left her and did not seek her again.
They were married quietly, and after
that, in the tender security Of his modest
home, under the fond and cherishing care
of his wife, health and strength came
slowly back TO the shattered frame OF
Robert Field.
Slowly, too, out of the darkness he be.
gan to wrench, one by one, the secrets OF
his prisoned mind. Old melodies began
TO shape themselves under his touch, dis
cordant and fragmentary at first, but grad
ually assuming symmetry and power
mot quite a wreck" lie would sigh,
wistfully. "Some day some good genst
will unlock my prison door and set me
Free"
In the child that was born to them,
beautiful boy who sang sweet music in
every tone of his childish voice, his pride
was great. He talked of him, listened TO
him, watched him. and dreamed Of him,
predicting future of which Bertrand
was To be the perfect flower, the very gold.
en- rose of joy. So the years passed, and
sweet Hester Fields lair face grew heav-
emily beautiful TO see, with its tired look
OF patient waiting. God only knows how
her heart failed her now at times; or with
what fierce power she wrestled with her
growing doubts, and prayed for strength
to help her bear this cross whose shadow
fell even darker and deeper on her young
lifa