Lincoln County advocate. (Canton, Dakota Territory, [S.D.]) 1876-1877, 1876-11-22
! have. And one morning he

| Ai'ohuOu W kHOCk ana leave tne
parcel with a servant but, how unfor.
tunate-the door stood open. He
would steal in and put the music upon
the table. He crept in; he laid the
parcel down softly; but as he did SO, his
eye fell upon miniature. It was a
portrait of his divinity herself, and il
was set in costly gems. These he
neither noticed nor cared for. All he
saw Was the sweet face. He stopped
over it; he took it in his hand.
cit is herself !" he said.
And l think he would have kissed it.
but at that moment he heard scream
and a savage growl.
He turned. The scream came from
Mdlle. La G., the growl from a
gentleman who accompanied her, and
on the instant two hands came down
on Fernande's shoulders and the min.
iature was wrestled from him.
How careless of Augusta" said the
lady, "to leave the door open for
thieves to enter Bly,"
The gentleman Justify called for help.
Fernando said nothing Conscious of
his position he was stricken dumb, and
it was as one passing through the
changing scenes Of dream that he
knew himself to be arrested and cast
into prison.
The prima donna appeared against
him when the time came. She had
found him in her room. He had a
valuable ornament in his hand. She
believed that be intended to steal it.
She had never seen him before.
At this the young man felt that it
would be well to be dead. She had
never seen him before! It was all
fancy. He had not caught her eyes.
She had never noticed him.
The gentleman gave his evidence,
but he was fierce, and called Fernando
a thief, and a rascal, and Fernando
could not say he was not guilty. He
would not even bring his responsibility
forward by way of defense.
" / am named Fernando, and l am
twenty-three years, and l am nothing
and nobody"
This he said when called upon to &C
count for himself, and nothing more,
and he was written down vagrant and
condemned to six months hard labor
as g. thief.
Mdlle. Lac went home pouting
and declaring "that she hated to go to
to such dreadful places" She ate de-
lightful lunch, and afterward finding a
packet upon her table, opened it and
read Fernande's anonymous note, at
which she laughed and hummed over
the song, pronouncing it ve-y pretty.
A few days after she practiced it, and
on being encored one night bethought
her to sing it.
Poor Fernando if he could have
been there to have seen how the woman
wept over his pretty little lay Of love
and death, and to have heard how the
applause rang.
After that the manager besought
Madamoiselle to sing Gloves Dying
Dream" every night, and the lady
obeyed his request.
Amateur singers went mad over it,
and it was published. Having the
name of no composer upon It, it was
believed to be her own, and it sold as
never song sold before.
One day, with party, she visited the
prison where Fernando was confined.
She stood amid her little circle of
cavaliers, and said to one in authority
of the place:
"What do they like, these people
Shall 1 sing love song?"
GAS Madamoiselle pleases," said the
man. Every one understands CHAT
theme"
And Madamoiselle smiled, aud tried
her voice with little trill, and began
poor Fernande's song, Gloves Dying
Dream"
Oh, the eager, glittering eyes that
watched her.
Oh, the flushed cheek-the hurried
breath Oh, the mad throbbings of
the heart of number twenty-four as he
whispered to himself:
cit is my song! 1t is my songp
"What is the matter? whispered
number twcnty-three to number TWEEN
ty:four. II say mon ami, speak"
"What is the matter?' asked the
singer of the superintendent, as the
last ast ;aee.es eff her song died upon hel
lips. "There seems to be some com
notion"
"Thereis little," said the superin.
tendent, calmly; number twenty-foul
has caused it.
"Has he escaped?" cried the lady.
looking as though she had heard that
tiger had broken loose.
"After manner, Madamoiselle,' u
said the superintendent. "He is
dead"
They buried Fernando in whatever
spot of ground is given to pauper pris'
oners. And Mile. La c. sang until
she sang herself into the heart of some
title; but as long as she sings at ali, sine
will sometimes sing "Love's Dying