The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-01-11
The Mock Mother.

An IDLE married woman who does not
care for her husband, who either has no
children or else takes no interest IN
them. must have something to give
flavor TO life. Teke The case OF a woman
who has risen from the ranks and attain
ed that social position which the iudiciOus
expenditure of large fortune can gen-
orally give, at least in London. She
must take up something to make her
footing secure. She mnst discover a
rising star in art, science or literature,
and bring him before the public. Per
haps she succeeds in persuading herself
that the passion of her life is for music.
She Is utterly ignorant of the subject,
and without any natural taste, but
meeting, by chance, at an evening party,
a youth with long bair and nimble fin
gers. she decides that he is the composer
Of the future, and invites him TO call
on her at home" As he turns out to
be even more eccentric than she could
have hoped, he Is at once adopted as a
child of the house, and given footstool
at his new mothers knee He comes
after breakfast and remains to lunch
The silent and lon suffering husband,
who expresses no paterDal feeling toward
him, is compelled to retire to his club,
while the wife plays duets with the rising
genius True, the poor youth has Ger.
tam fatal facility, and can ring changes
on a feeble motive, with dexterOu5 &C
compartment formed out o. the common
chord. But his compositions, though
numerous are always slightly incoherent.
There seems no particular reason why
they ever began, why they should ever
end, or why they should ever be counted
as compositions at all. They seem in
variably to be studies OF chords of Sc
qgence from V, rious baphazard oints OF
view. Here and there a truly sweet
little air is begun, but it vanished unfo-
ished, and the attentive listener is sad
dened by his ears nearly as much as is
the critic by his eyes on beholding she
rough sketches of promise. Nothing Is
finished, nothing completed; there is q
certain amount OF talent, out no industry;
there is fancy, but it ends in failure
Naturally his adopted mother sees moth
ing of this. She hears pleasant Jingle,
and is more than satisfied. She talks to
him OF his wonderful heaven-sent origin
atty his poetic'touch, his thrilling tones
Then she begs him to play over again
that air for the LETT hand. As he looks
up from the piano he sees her sitting
spell-bound on the sofa. she ia in a
mOrning-dress of white muslin, evidently
not donned from vanity, for nothing
could well be more unbecoming TO her
portly form. She rises with a deep
drawn ssigh, and declares that, sooner
than believe talent like this can be
vested, she will Tenounce her belief in q
fFtlre state of existence. She startles
him, but being mystical and impression
able as an imperfect musician must needs
= he rises TO The occasion, and endeavOrs
tFefresh her religious belief by a sketch
tA1his own. A new mission presents
Mflf. She must save her boys soul, if
aAS one has soul, which she very much
doubts. He must come daily and spend
.sAe- morning beside her at the piano
She buys bis g Hymn to Sardanapalus, !"
aad Invites him to ner grand evening
f,nsertainments to play the accompani-
s,ents. Afterward, when he is very
fAtd, he is allowed to improvise on the
st opera bouffe, and, as great treat,
\yeive rendering of his latest sacred
Zee. which he composed 20 be played
N she organ in the Albert hall. Next
n prning she tells him that she alone
c \ understand his yearnings and his
2 %us; that she, too, has inspirations
waach none but he can fathom, and
tsen only through the love he has for
her. Hereupon a great horror seizes
him. for her manner is more than ma
ID nal The poor young musician, being
secretly in love with a German princess
whom he saw when on a pilgrimage to
Vienna, recoils, and taking up his hat in
his bewilderment, supposing it is his roll
of music, tries to stuff it into his pocket
and gets out of the room. His want of
presence of mind leaves him an orphan
His hopes are gone, his only chance of
patronage is withdrawn, and if he can get
the position of o. ganist in some obscure
country town, and keep himself from
starving, it will be the future limit of his
ambition. Saturday ReUie,0.