The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-11-02


ever had, p she answered expected
to be entirely overcome with fright,
but / never felt more at home in my
life
Yes, Bertha played without notes,
and with an orchestra" Mr.. Montgom-
cry remarked. with considerable pride.
Wen, that was something to attain
to, said Mrs. Ia Force.
After dinner Mr.. Montgomery had an
hour or two's business to attend to, and
the ladies were left alone
Mrs. La Force examined the number
less pretty things in Mrs. Montgomery
dra1Ylng-room, spoke of the pictures
with critical appreciation, and at last
halted at the music-rack.
: ! see you have all my pets" she
remarked at last.
Mrs Montgomery was somewhat as
tomshed. She made a point of pur-
chasing all the new music by the best
authors, and one of Mrs. La Forces
especial admirations was difficult and
wonderfully weird selection from Lo-
hengrin.
and has the music Of the future
found admirers in ColoradoP' the
hostess inquired
Colorado has kept pace with the times
In mu &c as in everything e Sc" the old
lady replied, putting on her spectacles
as she spoke, " and all good music is
necessarily the music of the futrrc.''
With this she seated herself at the
piano.
q have enjoyed this selection more
than / can tell YOU" and now the
wrinkled old hands came down on the
keys with a power which made her
companion thrill with astonishmsnt.
On went the performer with a clearnes5
Of touch, a depth of expression, and a
facility of execution which would
shame many a professional, until
Bertha, trembling in every nerve,
drew near, to see as well'as to hear.
"Oh! dearr' she exclaimed. as the
old lady struck the last chord of the be-
wi deFing fms. "Oh dear me! how
bealHnuI!' and then the usually sell
posse ssed and dignifed Bertha Mont
geometry buried her face in her hands,
and wept bitterly,
ssWhyi whyi'' said the old lady;
s'what is the matter?n
OH nothing-I don't known was
the incoherent answer " Don't mind
me. Go on playing, please
Il think we had better talk while"
said Mrs. La Force. taking a seat by her
companion. ''If / were nearer. your
age it might perhaps be safer for our
continued friendship if l ignored the
real cause of your breakdown. It wasn't
Lohengrin, my dear, neither was it my
Interpretation of the selection. 1t was
heart-wail over the grave of your lost
talent. feel as if / could weep with
you, for to me sHch a grave is the sad
dest of all graves.
" But, Mrs La Force, you must know
something of my duties, my responsible
- 4
and all the rest of it, F" Mrs. MOntgom-
cry sobbed. Il thought / was doing my
| best. "
Music was my one talent" Mrs. La
Force resumed, land to that 1 have
chung with all the energy / possessed.
Perhaps some of my ideas in this con-
nection may seem strange to you; but.
my child, great share of my work has
been done with reference to another
state Of existence. | don't know that
/ can give you any reason for this feel
ing except the faith that is in me, but it
is clear to me that the same rules of har-
mony and musical composition obtain
in the sphere to which we are tending
as in this one. The musician here must
be the musician there. You see, my
dear, that l have a very laudable ambi-
| ton to start right. -
+" But do you really believe all this?''
Mrs. Montgomery inquired, her eyes
bright with wonder and tears.
. From the bottom of my heart. /
cannot conceive of a world where knowl-
edge is not obtained by labor. All that
/ ] have achieved in music has been by
hard, persistent toll, and it is impossible
! that such labor can be wasted Some
one might answer that the growth of
the spirit in patience and the other vir-
| tues was compensation enough. 1t does
not appear so to me. If l am given a
talent, and I cultivate that talent to the
best of my ability, it is IN ne forever
! for all it is worth. l am sure of it.
g But my dear Mrs. La Force" Ber-
! tina took one of the old lady S
| hands in hers and tenderly kissed it,
elf you are a musician in Heaven you
can not play with these hands. So what
/ will it avail that you have brought them
\ to- this state of perfection in execu-
/ tionP''
my dear, I shall have hands, and
! they will be all the better for nv pur-
| pose because of what these have accom-
| plished This is one of the details that
| does not disturb me in the least. This
is all that concerns me; l was given a
| talent, and have done the best l could
with it under very difficult circum-
stances. To my mind the conclusion is
as logical as it is comforting"
The next day Mrs Montgomery went
to work in earnest; and though there
were no condolences between husband
and wife in the matter there came to be
better understand ng. Mr.. Montgom-
cry sometimes heard the piano as he en-
tered the house, but the sound of his
steps was sure to put an end to the prac-
ticing. After a while Mrs. Montgom-
cry used occasionally to invite her hus-
band to listen to some new piece, or an
| old favorite, and after a few months of
/ d ligent practice the longed-for imprOv-
isations were resumed. At this crisis
Mr.. Montgomery's delight was pathetic
to witness.
! Mrs. Montgomery found less time for
embroidery, and there were fewer tucks
in the children's clothes, but nothing
suffered that needed her care. The
dinners were as well apo and
| the days when these duties occupied
most of the housekeeper's time
Mrs. La Force did it ALL" Bertha
/ told her husband one evening, after
elcctrifying parlor full of people, her
husband included, land | want to 60
to Colorado and play for her. Her
philo Ophy is n little too much for me-
though | don't see why it shou dn't be
/ true, still
Mr.. Montgomery finished the sentence
with a kiss, Eleanor Kirk, IN Chris
tidR Union.
AT the recent convention of the
! American Humane Association, held at
! Buffalo, n. Y, the following resolution
was adopted: ReSoiCed, That it is the
! sense of this association that a part Of
each day should be devoted 20 the in
] strnction of the cEildren Of the coLntrE.