The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-10-06

| Not dead But when, after weeks
and months 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 be-
fallen him; for of the brilliant genius
i of other days not vestige was lett.
| 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, try
| ing to gather up the mystic chords OF
! tuneful thought which no longer VI
| brated to his magic touch. The lost
manuscript music had never been re-
covered, and, though his feeble mind
failed to take In the greatness of his
! loss, the shadow of something beautI-
ful which was to have been, but,
somehow, failed to be, lay on him,
and gave his face wistful look,
which was sadder far in its mute en-
durance than any vail of speech could
have been.
Music was to him now something
akin to the sound of sweet bells jan
| gled out of tune and harsh.
One day in early spring he went to
| the church for the first time, leaning
on Hester's arm. The old, familiar
look of the place struck him forcibly
and aroused his dormant wits. lie
! sat down to the organ and glided his
hands over the keys; a few jangling,
discordant chords followed, wander
| ing and disconnected; then his face
| changed, and, with a terrible cry, he
flung his head down on his arms.
"Oh. Hester tell me what it is
! have lost Sometimes [ almost reach
tit is my mind, something beautiful
! which | almost grasp, and then 1T
eludes me and fades away. | have
lost it now. Hester! Hester take
me home"
She kissed him and soothed him
with sweet womanly words, and when
F, he was more composed she led him
away.
Soon after that they were married.
In vain Hester's friends threatened
and opposed her. She was quietly
/, determined.
He loved me when friends and
fortune smiled on him, she answered
them o"He would have given me ev-
cry great gift which the world was
ready to bestow on him for love Of his
beautiful genius, and shall l desert
him now when misfortune has over
taken him? Perhaps oh, perhaps
some time God may restore to him his
lust mind Tears filed her lovely,
soft, pathetic eyes. IF | dared to
| hope it-oh. il [ but might hope for
it, how willingly would | give my life
to have il so.
| The day before her wedding she re-
| ceived visit from Conrad Charters.
1t shall not be u he cried out, ve-
hemently. DO you realize what you
are doing? Why, you had better far
die at once, for Robert Field is but
little better than an idiot"
sAnd if he were an idiot" returned
Hester bravely hiding her hurt-at the
brutal words, "eyen then | would
marry him, 1 love him, and if not one
mained 1 would be Robert Fields
wife and proud one too.
Il believe you wouldr' answered
Conrad, looking with a fond, mad
longing into the pale face lifted SO
untlauntedly to his dark gaze Hes
ter, you will drive me mad [ would
to heaven that Robert Field was dead.
Why did he not die that night last
winter?" and he struck his hand furi-
ousIy on the table in blind frenzy of
despair.
God knows it was from no lack of
purpose in you that he did not die
returned Hester spiritedly. $3.50
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 unexpected descent, and wheel
ing 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
| began to wrench, one by one, the Sc
crets of his prisoned mind. Old mel
odies began to shape themselves un-
der his touch, discordant and frag-
mcntary at first, but gradually assum-
| ing symmetry and power.
Not quite a wreckP' he would sigh,
wistfully. Some day some good
gcnii will unlock my prison door and
set me free.
In the child that was born to them
! "a beautiful boy who sang sweet nlu-
sic in every tone of his childish voice
his pride was great He talked of
| him, listened to him, watched him
( and dreamed of him, predicted fu-
t ture of which Bertrand was to be the
perfect flower, the very golden rose of
| JOY So the five years passed and
sweet Hester Fields lair face grew
heavenly 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 life.
Had her love. then, been a sacrafee
] In vain? But one day the answer
came! Returning one afternoon from
4 long walk, Robert Field stopped in
! the hall, spell bound by the triumph
ant strains of some new and beautiful
melody floating through the rooms.
His worn face flashed with the old
light of inspired thought; his eyes
dIlated; his whole form shook with a
mysterious emotion.
what is it? what is it? he asked
! of his wife, who came to meet him.
"Bertrands music y answered
proud mother Hester. HE has been
engaged with long time. He meant
it to be surprise for you"
/ Robert Field threw up his arms
with a joyful cry.
. 1t is mine-mine My lost music I
/ The music played for you that long
! forgotten day Hark ! Hester. do
! you not recnpnize 1T nnw2. Oh To