The Washington critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1885-1888, 1885-09-04
THE SHATTERED VIOLIN

LIE DIAL i GRED NlUUlN
One night, about dozen years ago,
when the cream of "first night" audi
cncc inParis flowed into the Sale d Athe-
nee, where the great Joachim was adj.
vertised to WELD his magic bow among
the row of first violins in Pasdeloups
famous orchestra, grouped upon the
stage, sat Gustave Thorcz, gentle old
enthusiast smartly buttoned up in Il
well-brushcd black coat, with trim,
gray mustache, and the inevitable bit
of red ribbon in his button-hole.
On his final withdrawal after repeated
calls TO the front, Joachim, in thread
ing his way through the crowded mu-
sicians, their instruments and racks,
passed close enough to old Thorcz to
be arrested by the look of rare aud
dreamy delight upon his wrinklcd
face.
THANK you, mon ami, the great
artist said kindly laying his hand on
Gustavc's violin. MAY your instru-
ment never do less noble service to art
than it has rendered me tonight"
To Gustave his speech was like an
accoladc. Thcnceforward the violin,
always dear, would be sacred to him,
owning but one rival in his revercntial
love. His comrades smiled when, the
concert over, they saw the vieux mus
tache, shouldering his treasure, march
jauntily away with glow of color in
his paid face.
Nearing his lodging, Gustave quick
ened his pace to an almost martial
tread. Mounting the five flights of an
lnterminablc stone staircase he gayly
hummed the verse of u popular song.
'She will have reached home by
this and the supper will be ready. NV
mouth waters for the thigh of that cold
roast fowl saw her put away. Sup.
| posing that | don't tell her at once
about my grand event? That will give
zest to the salad and the cheese 1t
will cheer up my pretty Gabrielle, for
| she has been u triilc tristc of late, I've
fancied. Pretty, willful little Gabrielle!
| have sometimes feared that taking
Mile. Cheri's place in the Cendrillon
has turned her little head. ITEMS. but
| can feel beforehand the roseleaf
touch of her lips when she shall stand
on tiptoc to give her old father deux
gros bons baisets upon the chceksn'
Gustavc had reached the last landing
and was fumbling at his door.
Gabrielle y he called aloud, on
opening it,
No answer, and his face fell.
"She will have been detained to sup,
no doubt, with our good ncighbor,
Nine. Blanchett" he solloquized,
stumbling about in the dark to find
his matches. "What no table spread
for the hungry vieuX papa Careless
petite Gabrielle -
No light, no tempting little feast, no
| kiss of welcome, no answering voice.
| Not then, nor evermorc
People who cared to join in the mad
struggle for life and limb leading to q
rehearsal of the Philharmonic society
of New York, during that period of time
before the society fell into its long and
trance-like tOrpOr, may have observed
among the violins upon the platform of
| the Academy of Music blurred and
sketchy outline of the old Thorez who
had appeared on the occasion of .Jo-
achim's debut at the Athenee. The
warlike mustache Topped drearily; the
| eye had lost its power to CLEAN or
soften; the red ribbon on the worn old
coat dropped like the banner upon Il
forsaken citadel
Gustave had traced Gabrielle to
| America, and had come in search Of
| her, but in the city of New Gork-that
great and pitilcss receiver of all unlaw-
full foreign merchandisc-the clcw was
lost. Obtaining place in the orches-
ira of n reputable society, he had fallen
into the groove of n solitary and I'M
cpinnIl,r lac. "a g., I,
ticcd him ut all Gustavc passed for an
honest old artist whose harmless mania
was the worship of his own violin.
One Friday afternoon of bleak De-
cember day, at the close of the Phil
harmonic rehearsal, Gustavc passed
out of Fourteenth street into Broadway,
where, sauntering aimlessly down the
sunny side of the block he saw lady
descend from carriage in front of II
fashionable shop. lie did not recog-
ni2e the costly wrapping of sealsln,
half shrouding slender form, nor yet
the air of languid luxury. But whose
was that beautiful yelled face, that tress
of escaping golden hair, if not his Ga
| brielle's2
Gasping for breath, Gustave held his
violin against his breast and waited
| When she came ont of the shop on her
way to the carriage he intercepted her.
Without a glance she waved him i'm
patiently aside,
"Gabriclle.' cried Thorcz, with all
his broken heart in that single word.
The girl started, looked him in the
face and caught her breath.
"Gou are mistaken my good man, or
mad. Do you want charity, or shall !
have to ask the aid of II policeman to
help me to my carriage
"Gabricllc!' the old man said again,
| falling back rs if he had been shot.
At this juncturc an interposing po-
| liccman took Gustavc in charge, and
without elaborate inquiry consigned
him, with his violin, to nights lodg-
ings in the station house.
From that night of despair dated the
downfall of his sclfrcspcct. His
habits, before respectable, lapscd
through every stage from bad to worse
and worst. Losing his standing with
musical societies of the higher rank
Gusavc at the outset did not find it
hard to earn n livelihood. Upon the
first occasion when he was engaged to
play for dancing at Il sccOnd-ratc ball
GustaTe tlddlcd like Nmadm0n through
the night, then went home to shed
tears upon his dcsccratcd violin. After
work in the orchesuas of petty thea
tres came music halls, then lower
drinking-dcns. Once when the old
musician came out of one of these
hauntS 10 stink homeward in the gray
of morning, he fell upon the icy side
walk, and in trying to save his violin
received severe conclusion of the
brain.
Getting up from his cot at Bellevue
Hospital after many days of prostra-
ton, something of Gustaye's better ma
ture came back to him, The nurses in
his ward, finding the old fellow expert