The Opelousas courier., 1883-09-29
For a moment Carllooked thought

"Thou shall near what the corn sings
when it is growing, and the trees
whisper when the breeze touches them
at night. In the times when I have
lain upon the hillsides, watching sheep,
my fiddle and ] heard it over and
| over"
The lads quaint imaginings touch
the burgomaster's heart, and smiling,
he mods his head to the boy. Slowly
the old fiddle is taken out, the strings
frightened; then resting his chin upon
it lightly he draws the bow across.
The burgomaster starts; he had
thought to hear some childish strains,
yet these notes the boy brings forth
from the old fiddle have in them all
the power of a master hand.
The picture comes before him of the
quiet night, the restful sheep huddled
together on the hillside, the breeze as
it goes sweeping by moaning the trees,
the gentle rustic of the distant grain
growing in the darkness, and the lone
ly little figure of the watchful lad
gathering these sounds and heaping
them up in his heart till they trelnble
forth at his touch upon the vibrat-
ing strings.
Hank! The darkness moves away.
In the east the sun comes flushing up,
and all the air issuddenly pulsing with
the singing of the dawn-birds.
All, Carl Carl-lad,w with thy heaven
born gift, thou hast won the stern old
heart before thee. Thou hast saved
myself a world of wondering, and
gained a life of ease.
The one green spot in the magnate's
heart holds a memory which Carts
playing has brought to life. Again he
is young-a Sutherland in the twi-
light stands waiting for the song of
the young peasant coming home from
her work. The song ome nearer,
and when into her pathway he steps
with o%utstretched arms, he laughs out
jeyously to see the happiness spring
up in her eyes.
Yet fate had come between. 1t was
not fit that the only son of rich old
burgomaster Van Cruiser should wed
with a peasant; so he had come away
at his fathers bidding, leaving behind
his heart among the green country lanes
where dWelt the impetuous little soul
through whose veins ran the fire of
the South. All, God, how he had suf-
fered! Suffered as his father, with
his plegmatic temperament, could not
even dream.
He had pinned so that his studies and
whole life grew distasteful; then, at
length the father had relented, consent
ed grudgingly to his sons wearing the
little field flower where he had hoped
to place a rare exotic.
Not waiting for aught beyond a
bare consent, the son started forth.
eager to gain that SO long denied.
Alas, he came too late. Elspeth had
been but a foolish maid, the neighbors
said, to love the burgomaster's on
a foolish maid to have naught to say
to the village lads; and when the
young stranger left, just seemed to
lose all heart, and one day came home
ill with a fever.
So while the stern old man debated,
Death stepped in and gathered the
wild daisy of his sons heart; and when
he came, the grass was already green
on her grave, and he could but take
away with him the memory Of what
had been, and the knowledge that Of
the two hearts thus sundered, one had
broken.
Long years went by, and the old
burgomaster died. When his son sue
ceeded him, he had married a buxom
unimpressionable dame, who brough
with her a dover Of gold and linen.
She ruled his house, attended to his
wants, and of the two daughters born
Of the marriage, had seen that they
were both well versed in those things
a good housewife should know.
They were too much like their
mother ever to interest him much, and
his heart some times yearned for a son
to bear his name, but none had come.
Carl, little guessed, as he ended his
playing. Of all the thoughts he had
coniured up in the burgomaster's
brain.
.WelI. lad, thou hast a gift, thee and
thy fiddle, Of bringing old-time music
into my heart. Thou has a name
what is it?p
aCarl Mueller; and ! have neither
friends nor home, ave those we win
together, my fiddle and T.
aThou hast not? somuch the bet
Ter. for now thou canst have both
witt thou be a son to me? Thou shalt
be taught. and If thou art clever, as
take thee to be, n day from out thy