Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-10-20
asWEET BELLS TANGLED"

legs, so to speak, Mac Neil went and
married "a lass without tocher." Shell
had yearned over this extravaganza him
self; and gong down one day with bis
partner to the old place where they had
learned tEeir trade, hearing from the
press-room the old sweet, familiar voice
singing the old sweet, familiar tunes,
Shells heart throbbed to the measure,
and he said to Mac Neil, with big blush
on his broad cheeks, that he supposed
his partner had forgotten little Jenny
Burke, but he, for one, would never for
get her while the world went round, and
he was going in to see her that very day
Whereupon Mac Neil began to redden
too, and led the way so readily to the
particular press that the young English
girl was feeding, and Jenny met his APP
proach in such shy, trembling, glad
confusion, poor Shiel felt his heart sud
denly faint within him, and stole away
after a minute or two, to be alone with a
singular pang of desolation that hai
swept over him. When Mac Neil
joined him. She'll was himself again, but
there was something IN his face that led
Mac Neil to ask him what was the mat
ter had he lost anything?"
"No-yes." stammered poor Shell;
then added, piteously: "Why d1dn'tyou
tell me Mac, that you had kept on with
Jenny2 thought it was q bargain we
shouldn't think of marrying till the bust
ness was we'll started"
$50 it was, Shiel," said Mac; "but you
know what a sweet voice she's got.
Deuce take me, if it didn't haunt me
night and day. You don't know what it
is to havea musical ear; and there's no
harm in being cheered by song or two y
ssTush, man!'' broke in Shiel. ssDo
you love each other?'
1T you'd board with us, shlel, 1 be-
lieve we could save money by going to
housekeeping; and think how nice ii
would be to have snug ingleside of our
oWn"
Shiel WINGED a little from this propos-
al, but couldn't find courage to reject it
SO they took rooms near their place OF
business, and for the first twelvemonoh
or so Macs fiddle was we'll known in the
neighborhood. The boys dropped in fol-
chorus three nights out of four, ano all
went merry as marriage-bel1, till the
feeble pipe of an infant was added to
the refrain, which suddenly subdued all
other music in its vicinity, to the i'm
mense delight of shiel, who, not being
able to raise a note himself, was some
what tired of the melodious conceits OF
others. He did not know that the child g
squeak was singularly low and sweet
and as it gained volume it also acquired
melody Shiel was disappointed to find
the little girl an exact reproduction of
her papi, but could not believe that the
fates Fad willed she should share his
weakness formusic. He declared it was
the monkey that amused her, whereas The
baby's soul was given over to the hurdy,
gurdy
Now take this premature and strik-
lHg procllvity as misfortune Infant
lgodlgies are always more or less of a
nuisance, and little Miss Jeans precocity
grew to an alarming extent as the wears
went by. The firm of Shiel & Mac Neil
fourished. Jenny saved the pennies, and
the only extravagencies were in behalf
of little Miss Jean, whose waxen face
could only be coaxed into glow by the
aid of some sort of melody. And the old
er she grew, the wider her taste expanded,
so that after while new piano was
Unanswered aud engineered up the stairs,
and almost filled Jenny's little parlor.
Many familiar knick- knack had to 90
to the wall or be tucked out Of sight TO
make room for this mountain of mahog.
any.
cts burnin' shame" said one of the
boys, "to give up the dear old fiddler for
the jinglin' of them ivory puppets. Every
new piece of Miss Joan's sets fellows
teeth on edge. One can't have any mere
fun at Macs; he's hung up his fiddle and
his bow; and for my part I'm sick to
cath Of the infant phenomenon"
So were the rest Of the cronies-tney
lell off one by one, and in few years
none we're left but Sh1el; he poor fellow,
sat night after night with his head up
against the wall, the music going in one
ear and out of the other, till it seemed to
him he had become simply sort of hol-
low melancholy tube for the accomoda-
ton of echoes.
What could Mac do, who had alone
kept pace with his daughter, and appre-
ciated to the full her remarkable pro-
ficiency-what could he do but long for
larger, fuller, prouder scope for her?
The ceilings were low in their humble
floor; the acoustic properties were entire
ly wanting in that cramped but cozy
vicinity. Alas! alas! the nest was all too
small for its full-fedged inmates, and
the neighborheod was not what it had
been. Macs business increased .day by
day. He was getting to be quite a
moneyed man. and really an authority in
music. Busts of Beethoven, Mozart,
Hoydn, and all the rest stared poor Shiel
in the face. Look which way he would,
the slightest balls of those old master fol-
lowed him.
And Jenny, finding that the very walls
OF the old nest were almost bursting
asunder, consented at last to move into a
fine new house in new neighborhood,
and have new furniture and new clothes,
a new church and minister, new butcher
and baker, and, worst of all, some very
superior and excellent servants, who took
the whole establishment out of her hands,
and left her high and dry upon the banks
OF prosperity, with nothing to do but to
enjoy herself.
And all at once she began to be most
miserable. Mr. Mac Neil and his remark
able daughter stepped out of their nest
as the Brightest, finest, most sagacious of
hirdo loft tho uor<hlo,o TO- ~ 4