Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-03-04


mitted into the magnificent parlor.
She opened her music, laid aside her
wrappings and taking a short, sharp
peep into a superb pier-glass set in an
ebony frame, revealed the face of Hat
tie Hadwin.
Tall, gay, handsome and careless,
with bewitching drollery about the
mouth, and rather masterful eye.
Presently the door was opened, and a
tall and willtul-looking girl, with a pair
OF flashing blue eyes, almost ran in. She
would have embraced Hattie on the
spot, but the latter stopped the effort in
her own significant way; she laid her
hands on the young lady's shoulders
saying:
well, Julie, how is the voice, and
how have you prospered with the
song?"
Oh, Miss Hattie, papa says / am
hoarse and that / have cold, but let me
try"
Hattie Hadwin had the knack of max
ing herself particularly charming to her
pupils, who all adored her after the
fashion of young girls. Miss Julia Van
Zutph6n was no exception to the rule,
SO the two sat down and proceeded very
amiably for some time. At last the fan
tasy seized Hattie that Miss Van Zut-
phen should repeat certain passage q
given number of times as penalty for
the falling short of the mode of perform
ing it.
The young girls spirit did not bear
the burden very meekly-frst her pride
arose, then modification did battle with
pride, and lastly the spirit of sullenness
descended and utterly paralyzed Miss
Van Zutphen's vocal powers.
A dreaded pause ensued. Hattie,
smiling to herself as the altered intona-
tion fell upon her ear, turned round and
met such full blaze of Indignation on
the pretty face as made her smile great
deal more.
She then commenced thesong herself
She sang it deliciously, and in so doing
forgot or seemed to forget, her surround
ing: The invincible spirit of music
spoke to her of other things, and. as her
fingers wandered over the keys, her face
grew very wistful, almost sad, and she
no longer remembered even to tease Miss
Van Zutphen, who was affected like
Saul, In so far that the mutinous demon
was in some sort charmed out of her,
and she was pondering how she might
best descend from a pedestal of pride,
and make submission to Hattie without
losing her dignity.
The song was finished, and both came
back to realities. Hattie did not care
about conquering herself, but was Won
drously y fond of conquering other people.
SO she devoted an instant to Miss Van
Zutphen, and having ascertained by an
almost imperceptible glance that young
lady's state of mind, she proceeded to
apply the actual remedy. She took the
song and gave it to her. saying, sadly:
Until to-day | always sang that song
with pleasure, Julia, but you have Joined
to 1t less pleasant memory. hope
you will like it better from this moment
than SHALL"
Hattie gave two more lessons on the
avenue. and then walked quickly home
Her father, poor in the first instance,
became poorer still. An amateur mu-
sician, he was compelled to make his
pleasure minister to his necessity. His
health failed him more than his fortune.
As Hattie had said so she had done, and
in The matter of daughter he was,
decidedly, a much to be envied man.
When she returned, he was sitting in
his chair by the fire. thinking long of
her, as the Scotch say. In her eyes he
looked each time she came back more
feeble and shadowy than before.
In quickly told tales like this there is
no room, as there is no need to detail
the course of each day which went to
make up Hattie Hadwin's life. Hattie
law and necessity, but she did her work
90 ho,- ho,-
sufficient to not only support herself
and her father in exceeding comfort,
but to enable her to pay periodical visits
to the National Park bank, where she
was received with that consideration
that speaks the entrance of a person
coming to deposit, not to draw, money.
She was the fashion. Society liked
her, her splendid voice, her gracious
manner, her habits and her rich neutral
tinted toilets.
No tidings from Berthfeld had ever
reached her, yet, in spite of it,she grew to
appear handsomer and stouter; she was
not a-weary because he came not, and,
indeed, presented no resemblance to the
:" Marion of the Moated Grange"
Ten years from the time / last por-
trayed her she entered her fortieth year.
1t was winters evening. There had
been driving storm of sieet and snow,
with keen. bitter wind.
The foOt-passengers on the sidewalks
were whipped, blinded and at last
reused by it, the drivers of horse-cars
disappeared behind the mountains of
wraps, and the homeless poor betook
themselves to alleys and doorways for
shelter. The sky was sullen and lower
ing and plainly informed those who
consulted it that there was worse yet to
come.
do not think any one could look
more comfortable or handsome than
Hattie Hadwin as she sat making the
hot coffee in the snug study, clad in rich
garment of somber hue, but of exquisite
workmanship and finish. Her father,
still alive, was seated in the self-same
chair. His head was very white, and
quite bowed on his breast, and his long,
thin fingers beat time restlessly. She
spoke only a few words to him now and
then, and they were caressing and such
as might have been used to child.
At last she settled herself in her
own lounging- chair, and, opening a
new book, was soon deep in it.. Gradu-
ally the new book found its resting
place on the floor, and Hattie reposed
calmly.
There was a rambling of hack-wheels
close to the sidewalk, and then halt.
But there was no magnetism in the air
to warn Hattie of any one being near
her, more than that gentle shadowy
m a ,, which eha had fepdpd fo,. or, ,,,a,, "