Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-03-29
= BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA TUESDAY, MARCH 90 1881

III HOs lOCls I.
ballads he had heard At home. All ths
sad and melancholy and touching sssss
that came np'likc dreams Of childhsod,
this unknown player drew flon the,
keys. ISL
His hands kneaded their hearts like
dough, and squeazed ont the tcars ~
from wet sponge. As the strains flowed,
one upon the other, they saw their homes
Of the long ago reared again; they we've
playing once more where the apple blos-
SONS sank through the soft air to join
the violets Oh the green turf Of tho old
New England States; they saw the glo-
RES Of the Wisconsin naples and the
haze of the Indian summer blending
their hues together; they saw the heather
of the Scottish hills, the white cliffs o.
Briton, and heard the sudden roar Of the
sea as it beat upon their memories vague
ly.
Then came all the old Christmas carols,
such as they had sung in church thirty
years before-the subtle music that
brings up the glimmer Of wax tapers,
the solemn shrines, the evergreen, holly,
mistletoe, and surpliced choir Then the
remorseless performer planted his final
slab in every heart with 1Home, Sweet
Home"
When the player ceased the crowd
skunk away from him. There was no
more revelry and element left in the Az
dience. Each man wanted to sneak of
home and write the old folks letter.
The day was breaking as the last man
left the place, and the player, laying his
head down on the piano, fell asleep.
II say paul,' said Gosken, "don't
you want III le rest p &
~ feel tired" the old man said. 'sPer
haps you'll let me rest here for the mat
ter Of q day or So"
He walked behind the bar where some
old blankets were lying and stretched
himself upon them.
II feel pretty sick. ] guess ! won't
last long. pve got ia brother down in
the ravine-his name is Driscoll. He
don't know I'm here. Can yon get him
before morning? I'd like tosee bis face
once more before l die"
Gosken started up at the mention Of
the name. He knew Driscoll well.
'sHe your brothers I'll have him here
in half an hour"
As he dashed out into the storm the
musician pressed his hand to his side and
groaned. Goskin heard the word ''hur-
ryw and sped down the ravine to Dris-
COILS cabin.
It WAS quite light in the room when
the two men returned Driscoll was
pale as death,
my God! hope he's alive wrong
ed him when we lived in England tweu-
ty years ago"
They saw the old man had drawn the
blankets over his face. The two stood q
moment, awed by the thought that he
might be dead. Goskin lifted the blank
ct and pulled 1t down astonished. There
was no one there!
Gomez cried Driscoll, wildly.
Gomez echoed Goskin, pulling out
his cash drawer. "Ten thousand dollars
in the sack, and the Lord knows how
much loose change in the drawerm
The next day the boys got out, follow
ed a horses track through the snow,
and lost them in the trail leading toward
Phoebe.
There was man missing from the
camp. It was the three-card monte
man, who used to deny pointe-blank
that he could play the scale. One day
they found q wig Of white hair, and call.
ed to mind when the stranger had
pushed those locks back when he looked
toward the ceiling for inspiration on the
night Of December "a, 1861.
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GARMENTS OF GLASS.