Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-10-16
THE MYSTERIOUS ORGANISE
A Legend of the Rhine.
"Kind hearts are more than eoronets,
And simple faith than Norman blood.

graceful man, with a pale Dut Strlk
ingly handsome face, with great
black, melancholy eyes, and hail
: like the ravens wing for gloss ano
color sweeping in dark waves over
his shoulders. He did not seem tC
notice the sexton, but went on play.
ing, and such music as he drew
from the instrument no words oil
mine can describe. The ast0niShed
listener declared that the organ
seemed to have grown human-that
it walled and sighed, and clamOred,
as if through its pipes. When the
music at length ceased, the sexton
hastened to the stranger, and said /:
"Pray, who are you, sir ?''
"Do not ask my name," he re-
piled. 81 have heard that you are
in want of an organist, and have
come here on trial -
"You'll be sure to get the place, =
exclaimed the sexton. "Why, you
surpass him that's dead and gone,
sir.D
mo, no; you overrate me-" re-
sumed the stranger, with a sad
smile; and then, as if disinclined
for conversation, he turned from old
Hans and began to play again.
And now the music changed from
a sorrowful strain to grand old
p9an, and the mysterious organist-
Looking upward full of grace,
Prayed till from a happy place
Gods glory smote him on the face"
and his countenance seemed not un-
like that of st. Michael, as por-
! fro und hU GuidO
Lost in the harmonies which
swelled around him, he sat with his
"far-seeing" gaze fixed on the dis
tant sky, a glimpse of which he
caught through an open window,
when there was stir about the
church door, and a royal party came
sweeping in. Among them might
be seen a young girl, eyes like the
violet hue, and like wild cherries.
This was the Princess Elizabeth,
and all eyes turned to her as she
seated herself in the velvet-cush-
ioned pew appropriated to the court.
No sooner had the music reached
| her ears than she started as If
ghost had crossed her path. The
bloom faded from her cheek, her
lips quivered and her whole frame
grew tremulous. At last her eyes
met those of the organist, in long.
yearning look, and then the melody
lost its Joyous notes, and once more
walled and sighed and clamored.
"By my faith" whispered the
king to his daughter, "this organist
has master hand. Hark ye, he
shall play at your wedding!"
The pale lips of the princess part
ed, but she could not speak-she
was dumb with grief. Like one in
a painful dream, she saw the pale
man at the organ, and heard the
melody which filled the vast edi-
fee. Aye, full well she knew who
he was, and why the instrument
seemed breathing out the agony OF
a tortured heart.
When the service was over, and |
the royal party had left the cathe-
dral he stoleaway as mysteriOuslya as
he came. He was not seen again |
by the sexton till the vesper hour,
and then he appeared in the organ |
loft. and commenced his task. |
While he played a veiled figure |
glided in, and knelt near side
shrine. There she knelt till the |
worshipers dispersed, when the sex
ton touched her on the shoulder and
said:
"Madame, everybody has gone
but you and me, and | wish to close
the door,"
ST am not ready to go yet," was
the reply; "leave me! leave me !"
The sexton drew back into a
shady niche, and watched and list
ened. The mysterious organist still
kept his post, but his head was
bowed upon the instrument, and he
could not see the lone devOtee. At
length she rose from the aisle, and
moving to the organ loft, paused
beside the musician.
"Bertram ~ she murmured,
Quick as thought the organist
raised his head. There, with the
light of a lamp suspended from the
arch above, falling full upon her,
stood the princess who had graced
the royal pew that day. The court
dress of velvet, with its soft ermine
trimmings, the tiara, the necklace,
the bracelets, had been exchanged
for gray robe and long thick
veil, which was now pushed back
from the fair, girlish face.
"Oh, Elizabeth, Elizabeth J! ejac-
ulated the Organist, and he sank at
her feet, and gazed wistfully into
her troubled eyes.
"Why are you here, Bertram 2"
asked the princess.
"I came to bid you farewell, and
as | dared not venture into the pal
ace. / gained access to the cathe-
dral by bribing the bell-ringer, and
having taken the seat of the dead
organist, let my music breathe out
the adieu could not trust my lips
to utter"
A low moan was the only answer,
and he continued:
"You are to be married on the
morrow ?"
"Yes,' sobbed the girl. "Oh,
Bertram, what trial it will be to
stand at yonder altar, and take upon
me the vows which will doom me
to living death ~
"Think of me-" rejoined the or
ganist; "your royal father has re-
quested me to play at the wedding,
and have promised to be here. If
| were your equal, / could be the
bridegroom instead of the organist;
but poor musician must give you
up"
ait is like rending soul and body
asunder to part with you," said the
girl. "To-night may tell you
this-tell you how fondly | love
you, but in a few hours it will be
sin. Go, and God bless you !"
She waved him from her, as if
she would Danish him while she
had the power to do so; and he,
how was it with him? He rose to
leave her, then came back, held her
to his heart in one long embrace,
and with half-smothered farewell,
left her.
The next morning dawned in
cloudless splendor, and at an early
hour rthe cathedral was thrown open,
and the sexton began to prepare for
the brilliant wedding. Flame-col-
ored flowers waved by the wayside,
fiame-cOlored leaves came rushing
down from the trees, and lay in /
light heaps upon the ground and