Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1878-02-16

thick on the ground and still falling
heavily, with a touch of fog i'm the air
1t was past ten o'clock, and the streets
and lanes OF the great city were all but
deserted. Merchant AMI broker, clerk
and warehousemen, aud the rest of the
busy crowd who had thronged those
streets by day had one by one drifteJ
away to their homes, and the lofty ware
houses doomed black and torbidding o,el
the silent thoroughfares. Here and
there the CLEAN of solitary window
struggled Intellectually with the outer
darkness, and served but to bring into
stronger relief the general gloom anG
solitude.
And nowhere was the darkness deeper
or 9he sense of desolation more profound
than i'm st. W intreds court ST. Win
fred's is one of those queer little alley.
which intersect the heart of eastern
London. and consists, with one eXcep
ton, OF houses let out as offices, and ut
terly deserted ut night. The court i:
bounded on one side by st. Winnifred'
church, while IN one corner stands q
quaint old house, occupying a nearly tri-
angular piece of ground and forming
the exception we have referred TO, hav-
ing been for many years the residence
of ST. Winifred's organist, Michael Fray.
The only sign of life on this Christmas
Eve, in st. Winnitred's court, was faint
CLEAN of Pickering freight proceeding
from one OF the windows of the quaint
three-eornered house in which Michael
Fray passed his solitary existence. Many
years before the period OF our story, the
slme mouth had taken from him wife
aud child. and since that time Michael
Fray had lived de,Olate, his only sOlace
being the rare old organ, the friend and
companion of his lonely hours. The loss
ui his wife and daughter had left him
without kith or kin. His father and
mother bad died in his early youth, and
an only brother. gifted but hayward
youth. had in early lite run away TO sea,
.'nd had there found waiery grave.
Being thus left alone in the world:
Michael F'ray's love Tor music, which
had always been the most marked fca-
ture OF his character. had become intensi-
fled into an absolute passion. Evening
after evening, when darkness had settled
on the city. and none could complain
that his m;l>ic interiered with business
or distracted the atte"tion from the no.
BILE clink OF gold, he was accustomed to
creep quietly into the church and there
talked to himself us he called it, at the
old organ, which answered him back
again with tender sympathy and power
ut consolation which 10 mere human
listener could ever have afforded. The
organ of ST. Winnifred's was OF compare
lively small size and made but scanty
show OF pipes or pedals; but the black
enel case and yellow, much worn keys
had been fashioned by the cunning brain
and skillful fingers of Father Smith
himself, and never had the renowned old
organ builder turned out more skilllul
piece OF workmanship. And Michael
Fray, by use OF years and loving tender
study, had got by heart every pipe and
stop i'm the rare old instrument, and had
acquired an almost magical power in
bringing out its tenderest tones and
IIOblest harnOnies.
Hear him this Christmas Eve. as he
sits before the ancient Keyboard. one
feeble candle dimly glimmering over the
well-wOrn page before him; Pickering
weirdly over the ancient carving. and
calling into mOmentary life the effigies
of mitred abbot and mailed crusader. A
feeble old man. whose sands of life have
all but run out; sadly weak and trem-
ulous old man. with shaking hands and
dim, uncertain eyes. But, when they
are placed upon those yellow keys, the
shaking hands shake no longer; the
feeble sight finds no labor in those we'll
remembered pages. Under the touch of
Michael Trays deft fingers the ancient
organ becomes instinct with life and
han mony. The grand old masters lend
their nOblest strains, and, could they re-
visit earth, need ask no better Interpreter.
From saddest wall OF sorrow to sweetest
strain of cOnsolati0n-frOm the dirge tor
the loved and lost, TO the pecan of the
jubilant victOr-each shade of human
passion, each tender message of divine
encouragement, take form aud color in
succession, under the magic OF that old
mans touch. Thus, sometimes borrow
ing the song of other singers, sometimes
wandering into quaint LEolian harmO-
MES, the spontaneous overflow of his
own rare genius. Michael Fray sat and
made music, charming his sorrows to
temporary sleep.
Time crept OH, but the player needed
it not, till the heavy bell in the tower
above his head doomed forth the hour of
midnight aud recalled him to reality
again. With two or three wailing minor
cords he brought his weird improvision
=
to an end.
Dear me-" he said, with heavy sigh,
"Christmas again! Christmas again
How many times, wonder! Well, this
will be the last; and yet Christmas comes
again, and finds me here still. all alone
Dear, dear! First, poor Dick; and then
my darling Alice and little Nell-all
gOnei Young and bright and merry
all taken! And here am I-eld, sad and
friendless-and yet live ON, live OH
Well, suppose God knows best!'
While thus thinking aloud, the old man
was apparently searching for something
among bis music books, and now pro
duced an ancient page Ut manuscript
worn almost to fragments, but pasted fol
preservation on piece OF paper Of Il LATER
date. 'sYes, here it is, poor Dick;
Christmas song. WHAT a sweet voice he
had, poor boy! 1t he had only lived
but there! I'm murmuring again. Gods
will be done!'
He placed the music on the desk be-
fore him, and. after moments pause
began. i'll tender, flute-like tones, To play
the melody, at the same time grooming
the words In a feeble voice. He played
one verse of the song, then stopped ane
drew his sleeve across his eyes. The
sense OF his desolatiOn appeared to come
anew upon him; he seemed to shrink
down, doub'y Old, doubly feeble, doubly
fOrsaken-when, 10 a marvel! Sudden
ly from the lonely street without, III tina
chill midnight, came the sound OF VIC
lin, and sweet young voice singing tn