Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-09-18
THE LITTLE BLACK FIDDLE.

of an old house-trunkS, broken chairs,
superannuated chest OF draws, n spin
ming wheel, cobwebs.
Years and years ago tramp had been
taken in at tho door in fanting condi-
ton. He lay all day in stupor on the
settee where they had placed him; and
moved with pity, and in some slight CON
sternation as to what was to become of
him, and of themselves too il this state
continued, the household did what they
could for him. Just before dark he be-
gan to murmur a broken jargon of En-
glsh and foreign tongues, and took his
little black fiddle from his side, and gave
it to Mr.. Brooks with as impressive an
air as if he bestowed a kingdom, the chill
dren looking on, wide-eyed and open
mouthed. Then he died and was buried,
and nobody knew any further about him;
and the children twanged the fiddle II
while, and ut last it was hung up in the
garret, and there had beer the end of it.
The little fiddle hung forgotten on its
and beauty every day, and made the
house nearly ms lively as the ark must
must have been in all the forty days be-
fore it rested on Ararat. Sometimes the
little fiddle vibrated to their laughter,
and gave il faint echo from its hollow
breast, but that was al! the share in it.
What a cheerful group they were, Belle
and Jessie and Fred and Frank, and
chuckling as If that was the freshest joke
in the world. They were just as cheerful
when dozen years had passed, and tho
children were becoming men and women,
childish bosterousnoss was becoming
high bred gayety, and the special talent
was developing that belonged to each of
them.
But the general talent of that family
was for charity. They had genius for
it-a genius, as Brooks neighbors used
to say, Tor turning themselves out OF doors
to let somebody else in; n little house, but
the largest you ever knew, for it held the
most hospitabe to rich and poor, the
waylarer never leaving it unreireshed,
the sufferer uncontrolled.
Yet the means to do so much were
limited. Mr.. Brooks had but II small in
come; Mrs. Brooks found it necessary to
count every penny twice over, aud never
to waste a crumb. But when that was
done there was always something left tor
The widow and fatherless; and the mo-
ment there was anything to do, either tor
North street. or tho Five Points or Bari
boola, Mrs. Brooks door was the one
first raped at. And what vivid inter
est it was that was taken throughout that
house in every case that came up from
the time the little bright heads could clus-
ter together, tho little fingers hold n nee
die, the little legs run an errand ! You
could never see n prcttior sight than those
bright heads, those glowing faces, those
plying eyes. My bunch Of blossoms"
MIR. Brooks used to call them, aud say
they gave their honey to every bee that
vagabondized about them. And by-and-
by, when Belle was eighteen and Jessie
just turning sixteen, and the rest coming
on, this same sympathy with all suffering
was as active rs of old; and Jessie's lovely
face seemed every day to grow lovelcr
and lovelier with the melting tenderness
she felt to every one that needed gentle
word or Decd and when she sang her
songs in the evening, the trait seemed
somehow to have strained itself through
the rich, sweet tones of her voice, and to
touch and always fill his eyes with tears.
"Our JESSIE" her father used to say,
fought to have different instruction with
that voice. If you hadn't been such II
Sandemanian, wife, nil your life, we
should have laid by enough to send her
to Italy, and have her voice cultivated as
it should be-"
"Well. dear, would you throw away
all your pleasant memories of pain re-
lieved and the benefit it has wrought the
chidren's characters, and take it out in
music ?' his wife would ask. 81 should
like to have Jessie's voice attended to ;
but bless you, it might do her more harm
than good"
Harm |" said Belle once, as they
talked it over.
Yes, dear; wo all have our yanities,
aud to nurse ones PRIDE"
"Oh, mamma, bu: TO stand up and lift
a thousand people on your voice as il it
we're wings for them Think of that (!
OF the delight sha could give so many,
and then of the fortune she could make
and things she could do We could
have that children's hospital and"
Very true" sighed Mrs. Brooks
"Very true" sighed her husband. at
would take fifteen hundred dollars TO send
Jessie to Italy. She would be too old to
have it do her voice any good by the time
could get so much together" And
see about the concert she was getting up
for the benefit of tho poor De Maurice
children. whose parents lately organlst
and soprano IN the little church-were
lost in the Destroyer on their way to Eu-
rope for some purpose, at which concert
Jessie was to sing u song, II she could find
the courage.
You needn't be afraid jessie" said
the good minister's wife; "there's nobody
in the audience knows u note more music
than you do"
"Oh, but he wll--the vioinist. you
know; and Madame Reuter-, it sho
comes"
"She's coming. We're to pay OK
penses. And she represented the case TO