The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-01-25
SaTED BY a SONG.

II was Chris mas eve. A cold. old fash
ioned Christmas, with SHOW lying thick ON
the ground and still falling heavily, with d
to,.ch of fog in the ait. IL was pasr ten
O'Clock, and the streets aud lanes of the
great city were ali but deserted. Merchant
aud broker, clerk add warehouseman, aud
the rest of the busy crowd " ho had throng.
ed those streets by day had one by one
drifted away To their homes, and the lofty
warehouses loomed black and forbddug
over the silent ihoroughfares. Here and
there the gleam from a solitary window
struggledanetfectual with the outer dark.
ness, and served but TO bring into stronger
relief the general gloom and solitude.
Aud nowhere was the darkness deeper
or the sense of desolation more profound
Ihan in st. Winified's court. St. WIui-
fred'S is one of those queer little alleys
which in ersect I'll heait of eastern Lon
don, aud consists, With one exception, of
houses let out as offices, and Il terly desert
ed at night. Tie court is bounded on one
side by ST. Winifsed's church, while in Que
conner stands quaint old hpu e, occupying
n nearly triangular piece of ground aud
forming the exception We have referred To,
having been for many years the resdouce
of st. w inifreds orgauist, NJ chael Fray.
Many of these ancient churches still re-
main in odd iIooks and corners of the citv:
relics of time when London meI chants
md ,e their homes in the same spot where
ON they earned their daily bread, worship
ping on Sunday in these narrow aisles, and
when tGeir time came asking no better
resting place than beneath thuse venerable
flagstones on which they had knelt III life.
The libeIality Of ancient founders and ben
efactors has left MANY of these old churches
richly endowed, aud still, Sunday after
Sunday, rector aud curate mount their re
spective desks. aud Struggle through THEN
weekly task !: bu rortly aldermen and dig
nitied burgesses no longer Till the high
backed pews. 4 wheezy verger and pew
opener, with dozen OF 50 of ancient men
aud women, care takers of adjoining ware
houses or offices, too often form the only
congregation.
St. Winifred's, like many Of its sister
editices, though small in extent, is a noble
monument of ecclesiastical architecture,
having been designed by an architect of
world wide fame, and boasiin stained glass
windows of richest color aud exquisite de
sign, aud oaken carvings of flower and leaf
to which the touch of IA mas;er has impaIt-
ed all but living beau Ih- western ex-
treniity of the church abuts upou narrow
lane, week day one of the busiest in
the city; but on Sundays the broad portal
is flung open i'll vain, for it's invitation is
addressed 10 empty streets aud deserted
houses.
eve, in st. Winifreds court was faint
CLEAN Of fiickering freight proceeding
from one of the windows of the quaint
three cornered house III which Michael
Fray passed is solitary existence. Many
years before the period of our story, the
same month had taken from him wife and
child, and since that time Michael Fray had
lived des"late, his only solace being the
rare old organ, the friend and companion
nf his Ipnely hnnrS The iaSS of fa
and daughter had lef. him without kitl or
kin. His father and mother had died in
his early youth, an only brother, a gifted
but wayard youth, had in his early life run
away To sea, and had there found IA watery
grave. Being thus left alone in the world
Michael Fray's love for music, which had
always beeu the most marked feature ut
his character, had become intensified into
an absolute passion. Evening after even
ing, when darkness had settled on the city,
aud none could complain that his music
interfered with business or distracted the
attention from the nobtr clinlS of gold he
was accustomed Go creep quietly into the
church aud there talk to.him>elf," as he
called i, at the old organ, which ans wered
him back again with a tender sympathy
aud power of consolation which no mere
human listener could ever have afforded
The organ Of St. Winifred's was of com
paratively small size and made but scauty
show of pipes or pedals but the blackened
case aud yellow, much-worn keys had been
fashioned by the cunning brain and skilfui
fingers Of Father Smith' himself, and
never had the renowned old organ ulder
turned out more skiiiful piece of work
mauship. And Michael Fray, by use ui
years and loving, tender study, had got b,
heart every I,e and STOP in tue rare old
instrument, aud had acquired AN almost
mag ical power IN bringing our its :enderest
toues aud ncblest harmonies.
Hear him this Christmas eve, he sits
before the ancient keyboard, one feeble
candle dimly glmmeiing over the we'll
worn page before him hickeriug weirdly
9Ts. tLs s.-o!vut ealyi,,s, md calling :':to