The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-07-19
"My best, my dearest FRIEND" Umlauf

whispered, II entreat YOU"
Pizarro tears Leonora away. Sh,
, rushes again to the prisoner and AGAR
, protects him. Just here, three bars be-
fore the momentous passage she made .
movement to the left, and in that same
instant Beethoven raised his head and lei
his eyes fall on Leonora.
They glowed like Goals of fire-those
eyes in the orchestra--those dreadful
eyes. They met hers full. Was i,
reality or the trick of some tormenting
fienda She raised herself up little. II
was he himself-Beethoven Instantly
everything danced before her. Only the
two balls of fire remained steady and
seemed to grow larger and larger. She
could hardly see the conductors baton
two bars more-one bar more; then
Then an indescribable terror fell upon
her. Her knees gave way. She grew
deathly faint. She bent backward, her
hands clutching convulsively at her head.
The burning eyes grew larger and more
terrible, and now
"Kill first his wife"
She doesn't sing it, she shrieks it out.
1t was cry of deadly terror-a cry that
pierced the heart Of every nearer and
made itself felt to the very marrow of
his bones.
"My wife, oh, what hast thou suffered for
mew
Sang Florestan.
Leonora, half out of her senses, threw
herself in his arms. 1t was not singing;
she just wept out the
"Nothing-nothing-
Then, for the first, the spell that had
bound every heart was lifted. There
burst forth storm of applause that
seemed as if it would never end. Bee
thoven sat, motionless, with tears in his
eyes.
Terror more and more intense, had
been expressed in her every attitude, her
every look and motion, but it was all so
appropriate to the dramatic situation that
the audience were moved to the very
heart. The young artistic, thanks to those
fair eyes, had come to her Leonora through
anguish and fear. She herself said, later ::
"What, with all the strength of my imag-
ination, and all the exercise Of my intelli
gence, l couldn't accomplish, was done for
me in one decisive instant by real az
ony of terror"
When the curtain had fallen, Beethoven
hurried behind the scenes. He embraced
Wilhelmine - her mother - everybody.
He would have liked to hug the whole
world to his exultant heart. His eyes
beamed, and again taking Wilhelmine in
his arms, he said my Le0nora, my own
Leonora, thanks-thanks. Now my opera
will be immortal - immortal through
YOU"
Who does not know that this saying
was fultlledl Through Wilhelmine
Schroeder Devrient "Fidelio" went the
world over in triumph, while for herself
she won hearts without number. And
had she, in all her life, which was rich
in good work, accomplished nothing but
this, her fame would still have been un-
dying.-I'rdnsloted from the German Of
Neumdnn-lStreld.
RACING WITH THE GIRLs.-The Kirghiz
Tartars have horse races, from twenty to
thirty miles in length. The winner, who
accomplishes the distance at the rate of
eighteen or twenty miles an hour, some
prize. Occasionally, when there is hol
iday, the girls mount the swiftest horses
they can borrow, and challenge the men
to race.
A girl gallops across the steppe-prai-
rie, we would call it, pursued by horse
man, who strives to place his hand round
her waist, she doing her best to prevent
him by hitting him across the head with
whip. If the man does not succeed, he
is still more unfortunate. For she gallops
round him, and SD belsbors him that not
unfrequently he falls from his horse, and
is saluted by the hootings and laughter
of the crowd. But if he places his hand
round her waist, she surrenders at once,
and they ride of together.
Among the Turkomans the question
as u which is to marry the prettiest girl
is often decided in a similar manner.
The young lady, mounted on the swiftest
horse, and allowed good start, is fol-
lowed by her admirers. She avoids those
whom she dislikes, and manages to throw
herself in the way Of the favored lover
The moment she is caught she becomes
the wife Of the captor, and goes with him
to his tent.
A NATURAL fool, who lived in Kirk
caldy, well-known over q great part Of
Fifeshire rs "Daft Willie Law" was
pretty regular attendant on tent preach
ings, at n time when these discourses were