Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-09-20

vine hcf impulse, shc slatchcd MS
hand u moment to her lips, then turn
cd,
The man slept little that night, but
when morning came he had delermln'
ed on his purpose iic was rich.-
To crafty q caprice was to give life
now zest, and this, his latest caprice,
babe fair 10 be an interesting expert
mont.
So, when the girl CAME, he unfoldcd
to her his plans, For three years she
was to study, at his expense, at tho
first musical conservatory OF Europe,
then under his patronage she was to
make her debut, After that, it she
felt her debt to him burdensome, she
might repay It as she would, All that
hc now asked of her was to work hard
and realize his dreams of her success.
Would shc do thisy
The next month her new life had
begun. Hard aud difficult work lay
before her, but she never faltcred.-
Her education in other matters she
strovo to remedy in every spare mo-
ment she snalchcd from her music.
But in the end she triumphcd. She
spoke like II lady, was well vcrscd in
all the simple accomplishments. and
sang, the professor said, like an angel.
They could teach her no more. She
would have n contiocnt to pay her
homage. And there was prophecy in
their words.
In II private box, Jack Desmond on
the night Of her debut, listened with
flushed cheeks to the enthusiastic
plaudits which marked her reception,
and saw the flowers rain at her feet,
and her hour OF trial was her hour of
victory.
Again and again the house recalled
her. Shouts of 'Bravo!' rent the air,
but through it all the blue eyes never
lost their look of sadness which so
strangely marked them, save once, and
then as she raised them to that SEEM
ingly empty box, and sent one glance
which said more plainly than spoken
words: 1T is you, not |, who are
the worthy recipient of all this. 1t is
you to whom | owe it,
At that moment; Jack Desmond's
heart beat with u new and marvellous
thrill. In that moment Eleanor had
ceesed to be merely the singer, she
was the woman.
Night after night found him in his
place, and he looked for that one
glance which showed him he was ex-
pected, and absent, he would be miss.
cd. Day after day he spent long hours
beside her.
At the end of the first month that
she sang, she handed him paper.
1t represented -fourths of her
earnings. 1t would repay him for one
year of her expense.
Il owe you so much-all! all =
Think of it! Let not my debt, then,
have the added weight of money
So, then to please her, month by
month, he let her liquidate her claim.
Il will find means to make it useful
to her. he thought, and laid the
money by in the form in which she
gave it.
At the end of six months he return
ed to England. The journals rang
with stories of her triumphs and sue
esses.
They could find her with only one
fault. She was cold-cold as ice. She
had beeu offered the cornet of a mar
quis, prince had sued for her hand,
but all in vain.
He remembered then his idle words,
that one day men would yield for
tune for her smile, and wondered why
it gave him pleasure to have proved
them true.
Could it be that he, Jack Desmond
loved this woman?
With the question, came the answer
Yes!
Yet, though dukes and princes might
lay their rank and title at her feet, he
hesitated. He remembered that night
long ago when she had sang in the
street, and his pride rose up an in
surmountable barrier between them.-
Still, he fastened to Rome. where she
was singing.
She welcomed him us he knew she
welcomed no other, but of his love he
breathed no whisper. His proud old
name he had ever sworn should be
borne but by woman who might give
equal heritage to its future possessors.
For the first time, the sad look in
her eyes, troubled him. Why did it