The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-04-29

ella was for moment out Of her sight.
Suppose this feeling increased, how
should she get awayp She dared not
tell the truth; she could think of no
other preteXt.
1t was her first deception, and, spite
of the voice of nature which sanctioned
it, it weighed heavily upon her young
soul. To her inexpressble relief, with
in few minutes of the appointed time,
her mother fell into gentle slumber.
Leaving some excuse for her absence,
in case she should wake, she fastened
to assume her simple toilet of white,
and, under the guardianship OF her old
master, went to the appointed place.
Now, that there was no withdrawal,
she wondered at her own madness in
coming. How should she stand before
that upturned sea of facesp
"Courage!" her master whispered.
Forget them all. Think that you are
in the cathedral with me-"
With these words she advanced upon
tho stage. A feeble murmur of APP
plause greeted the young deJutante.
TO herself, she seemed walking upon
waves.
An instant, and all grew dark before
her, when her eyes fell upon the grave,
dark eyes Of the gentleman who had Of
ferod her the five hundred thalers.
Somehow they treasured and gave
her strength. Her first notes trembled;
but as her own ear caught them, the
old love Of her own voice put aside all
lesser influence which swayed her, and
she sang as she had sung to the old
saints in their inches, and to the birds
in their eafy nests.
A deafening sound of applause fol-
lowed the last echo, which had died
away in the still more lattering silence.
Again and again she was recalled.
The management came forward to offer
her an engagement at any terms; but
she sadly shook her head. 1t must not
be- Already some dim prophetic in
stinct Of the future was stirring within
her heart.
She hurried from the place with the
five hundred thalers folded in her
breast. She would kneel at her moth
er's feet, confess her fault-if fault it
was-and leave to her the decision of
her future; but on the threshold Of her
home she stopped, as though its shadow
had already struck a chill to her young
soul. There were hurrying feet and
moving lights. Only an instant she
paused, then ran with light steps up to
the room where she left her sleeping.
"Hush" some one said.
But the dying woman had already
heard. Raising herself in bed, she
waved back her child who would have
thrown herself into her arms.
"You have deceived me-" she said.
"You have in you your fathers blood.
He too deceived and deserted his wife
and child! | meant to have kept from
you the truth. You have wrung it from
me. | once cursed every woman with
q voice. You know now why | never
let you sing; why the very sound of
your voice was hateful in my ears"
Mother! mothern' walled the girl;
"why did you not tell me this before3
Unsay your curse, mother DO not let
it rest upon my innocent head. / did
it for your saker
"For my sake?" the sick woman ech-
oed. DIV
But what she would have said was
never uttered She fell back on her
pillow, dead.
"The curse, the curse" moaned Gis-
ella, and sank, fainting on the floor.
When she recovered consciousness,
she found that with the money she had
earned, her mother had been carried to
her last quiet rest.
Some one, who had seen her at the
concert, had unwittingly recounted to
the invalid her triumph, and the shock
had proved more than the shattered
nerves could bear, fastening the al
ready Incorporating end.
IL was long ere Gise LA tried to sing
again; but one day, when want pressed
heavily upon her, she stole into the
cathedral to try her power.
In vain! Her voice was gone--she
could not raise single note.
In that way, she thought, had her
mother warded off her curse. and o
great weight hited Itself from her heart,
spite OF her loss, and, alone in the ST.
lence, there fell from her burning eyes
tears which cased her brain and light
ened her heart.
AS she wcpt, some one entered in the
gloom. 1t was .he maestro, who had
been very kind to her during her i'll
ness, refusing to leave the quiet Ger
man town till he knew the song-bird Gas
he called herr had recovered.
Now his kindly, handsome face looked
down on her.
"Gisella" he said, once made you
an offer that brought you only sadness;
now | would change it into gladness.
My little song-bird, no longer want
your voice for the world, but for myself
and my own hearthstone. Gisella, will
you be my wife?h
Wondcringly she looked into his
earnest eyes.
my voice is gone,n she answered.
81 am no longer worthy even of your
pity"
"Not my pity, but my love. Come
to me, then, my little, voiccless bird,
and let me WOO back your song!'
She was very weak, and he was very
strong, and gathered in his arms, the
shadows lifted, and a mothers blessing
seemed 10 fold itself around her, as she
laid her tired head upon her new-found