Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-06-24
Zachary, the Viola Player
FROM THE FRENCH OF JuLEspH vAnrEr'

FROM THE FRENCH OF JuLEsDE yAHTEH
All but be was an artist, b
was, ayound con just rely on 1t
Smaithll " back like 9 leveret
black eyes, curly hair and . sensi
tive mouth.
Wherever he went every on
noticed the buoyancy OF his spirit
~ =. I. an FEss s,s q clever fellow ever,
one said Of him; iii he has no
got dog in. his stomach. no on
la,
OF course, this IL only the wa,
they have Of putting it in Paris
but it means q good deal
Zachary understood all they sait
about him, and let them say it
He had too much spirit to let i
turn his head.
However, one day an astrolo
Qist undertook to tell him hi
future from the lines in his hand
.sMy dear sir" he said, "yor
are projected by three stars to bt
found in the Great Bear. YOU
will reign over modern Europe
by the power Of your bow. For
the present that is all I can tell
you
Encouraged by this oracle,
Zachary started of for the Con
seryAtory Of Music, and was at
once admitted.
He thought to himself: "Stay.
I will enter in the school Of har-
mony like q jackass going into q
Aour-miIl." +" 1t must be remem-
be,ed that Zachary always had an
eye for little joke.
II enter the Conservatory is
one thing. to succeed is another;
but at the end OF the first year he
had obtained the first prize a. .
viola player.
wonder If this dog of a for.
tunc-telIer really saw my destiny
cIesrly?" he said to himself =
aside. as it were, in theatrical par
lance.
1t was to be supposed that the
prophecy referred to his one day
being great master Of the violin
The least that he dreamed Of
was three millions in gold and the
myrtle crown Of Psganini, the
Orpheus Of 1880.
Zone concert" said Zachary,
twill suffice to make me known
in Paris, and consequently to
make me celebrated all over the
world The day after this musical
event I shall only have to stoop
in order to pick up from the
ground branches of laurel and
bank notes."
The walls Of the city were pa
pered with red, green, Fellow,
and blue posters:
sZachary X. has the honor to
announce that he will play o solo
on the viola, tho fourteenth symph-
ony OF Beethoven, in which ia de-
picted the spectacle Of the water
nymphs dancing with the gnomes
on the borders Of q lake in the
Hartz Mountains"
This was pretty taking an
nouncement, an nlluring bill, one
would think.
Alas, atZachary's concert in the
Herr Salon, in spite Of fifteen
thousand bills, q thousand meas
ures for its success, and the assis-
tsncs Of his friends, there was
only three bald-headed men and
an old fellow with a wig present.
Nevertheless. he played all the
same, and he played like an an
gel
1t was not for nothing that
Zachary had the aforesaid dog in
the above mentioned portion Of
PTS anat my.
In going home that evening TO
Mis- cold room in the Dansard roof,
he took himself aside and whisp-
cred to himself:
"lt appears to me, my dear boy.
that it is more difficult than you
thought to be a great success.
Never mind, it takes time, and we
must have little practice. No
Encouragement Let US take an
other startp
The following season. during
the storms and showers of March,
our viola player gave his second
concert in the Sale Erard.
This time he had an audience
OF at least ten persons, among
whom were Russian princess as
deaf as post.
Zachary scarcely took in a
quarter Of his expenses.
From the date Of the second
experiment, Zachary. abandoning
his former pretentions, resigned
himself to giving private lessons
for living at three francs apiece.
but he had to run around from
morning till nightin the wind and
rain, the heat and snow, to find
half dozen pupils.
This mode Of life lasted three
years.
"Ah me-" said the musician to
himself, ''my youth is passing in
a very fruitless way. I have had
enough Of it. No more art for
me. I'll try another kind of busi-
ness, I write good hand and
am good mathematician. Let
me seel l will turn book keeper.
q profession which ought to pay