Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-10-19

of age were to vote, and each, the town
officials and the poorest artisan alike, had
one ballot.
The great and beautiful organ took up
nearly the whole of the large gallery
over the entrance, and extended up and
up into the clear-story until il was min
gled with the supports of the roof.
In the organ-loft the candidates were
crowded together in eager expectation,
and the chances that were cast from one
to another were not the kindliest. Each
of them had been allowed several hours,
at some time during the past week, for
practice on the instrument, and each
doubtless considered himself deserving
of the position.
Presently, when all was still, Monseig
neur Jules Emile Gautier, a very learn
gentleman of the town, who had been
chosen for that purpose, assembled two
steps of the stairway which curved up
and around the richly carved pulpit,
and announced the name of the person
who was to begin.
should not be able to give, in detail,
the progress of the trial, for the history
of the affair is not minute enough for
that. But suffice it to say, that the last
name on the list was Raoul Tegot; and
the name Immediately preceding it was
that of Baptiste Lacombe.
At length, in his turn, Monsieur
Lacombe, his iron~gr hair disordered,
his hands rubbing together nervously,
and his eyes tiashlng-as was afterwards
remarked upon-with a malicious fire.
stepped forward and along to the organ
seat and for few moments arranged his
stops.
Then he began lightly and delicately,
of the noble instrument, blending the
beautiful sounds into wonderful COM
binations, now and then working in a
sweet melody, and then again upward
until the grand harmonies of the full
organ rolled forth. There was some
thing mysterious and awe-inspiring in
the effort. 1t seemed to the people that
they had never heard music before.
The music ceased. The people came
back to their prosaic selves again, looked
in each others faces, and said, with one
breath, Wonderful p
Gradually they recovered their sober
Judgment, and then, mingled with the
murmurs of admiration were heard the
remarks, "That is fine, but Raoul Tegot
will make us forget itH eyes, wait I'M
TIL you hear Raoul Tegot ~
Soon Monseigneur Gautier assembled
the two steps of the pulpit and called the
name of their kind, generous townsman.
All waited breathlessly. All eyes
were turned towards the organ-loft. The
Ill L. Il.
other. But poor Raoul Tegot could not
be seen.
Where, was he? The people waited
and wondered, but he did not come.
Monsieur Baptiste Lacombe was greatly
excited, and was wiping the preparation
from his heated face. perhaps he was
afraid to come" he ventured to remark
to a man near him, at the same time
looking out of a window
Several noticed his agitation, but they
only said, "Ah, Mon Dieu, how he did
play No wonder that he is nervous"
The disquiet and confusion in the nave
and aisles increased
A messenger had been sent to look for
the missing man, but he could not be
found.
w uUC was W UG uOuc
Finally, some friends of Monsieur La
combe made bold to urge his immediate
election, declaring that he had far sur
passed all competitors; and they even
limited at cowardice on tie part of Raoul
Tegot.
This insinuation was Indignantly de-
MED by Tegot's friends. who were very
but helpless; they knew their
friend too well to believe him capable of
such conduct. He was, they said.
probably detained somewhere by an ae-
cident.
But wherever he was, he was not pres
ent, and when a vote was taken, hastily,
by a showing of hands, Monsieur
ballots as any other person, and, of
course, poor Monsieur Tegot, not having
competed, was not balloted for at ALL
Some returned home, some in vexa-
ton that their favorite had not appeared,
others in little alarmed at his strange
absence. Young Francois Tegot had not
seen his father since early morning, and
could not conjecture where he might be.
The next day the missing organist did
not appear, and his friends began to in
quire and to search for him. But they
were wholly unsuccessful. A little boy
said that he had seen him go into the
church with Monsieur Lacombe early
that morning; but Monsieur Lacombe
said very distinctly and with some
vehemence, that the missing man had
left the church an hour later to go to
cottage at the end of the town, where he
was to give lesson in singing.
So the affair lay wrapt in mystery.
There were many surmises, but nothing
definite was known. A few expressed
suspicion of the rival candidate, but the
suspicion was too great to be thrown
rashly upon anybody. Thus no progress
in the inquiry was made. A human life
did not mean SO much in those stormy
days after the revolution as formerly,
and the mysterious disappearance, with