The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-04-30
REUBEN.

1t was = legacy from the father VIII,
had died before Reuben was ten wear
old and left him to the care of Uncle
josiah, the brother .of Reuben's Ions
dead mother. The strongest memory
Reuben retained of his father was :
mind-picture of white-haired man ait
ting up in bed, with the beloved violin in
his hands, filling the poor attio-room with
sweet sounds. He was partially para
lyzed even then, and later when his
fingers became helpless, his heart broke
and he died.
Then Uncle Josiah came from the
country to the great city, and took the
lad home. At the bottom of the hair
trunk containing all Reuben's possessions
were safely stored the violin and case.
with score of music the dead musician
had left his boy.
On the farm, in jersey, Reuben found
rough, kindly welcome. Aunt Polly
cried little over the orphan; Sue and
Jennie, kindly maidens, kissed and
caressed him, and Daisy, pretty fossy-
haired Daisy, whose blue eyes were like
twin violets, stole sayfy up to the dark
haired lad and slipped slice of cake into
MS hands. 1t was busy hive, the old
farmhouse, where no drones found
place.
Uncle Josiah disapproved altogether
OF the violin. Never had he heard of
hddler blowing the field or raising stock.
Never had he seen any practical good
come from scraping catgut, and more
than once instant destruction was threat
ened to Reuben's one pleasure. He
grew afraid to raise the sweet sounds he
loved inside the farmhouse, and would
steal away to practice the lessons his
father had taught him by the brook
side, in the whispering woods or the
shady lanes.
Nobody loved his violin but Daisy.
Daisy would softly touch the strings.
and listen with parted lips and shifting
color when Reuben woke the spirits Of
music with his bow Sue and Jennie
did not object to a good, lively dance
tune; but only Daisy would follow Reu-
ben into the world where dreams f1oated
into the sweet melodies, and the bow and
strings talked in musics own language
DAISY alone knew of the lonely walks
with the dear companion; and Daisy's
lips would .quiver and her blue eyes fill,
when the boy whispered in her ear Of
his heart hunger
Years passed away, and the boy be-
came a man.
Scarcely worth his salt" Uncle Jo-
slah pronounced him, and vet loved him
we'll for his gentle obedience, his willing
ness to perform any task, however dis
tasteful.
A dreamy gawk in everybody's way"
Sue and Jennie said, but saved the
choicest bits of the dainty country fare
for Reuben.
" a poor, weakly body" Aunt Polly
said, and her touch was soft on Reuben's
hair, while she sighed gently, convinced
that the pale, thin cheeks would never
grow round or rosy, but "likely rest
under the daisies," she thought pity
ingly.
Only Daisy really understood the
starving, longing Intellect. Only Daisy tisy
grieved when the long, delicate hand
blstered and bled over rough work, and
would never harden. Only Daisy, as
maidenhood came, shrined Reuben in her
heart of hearts, and knew no other could
ever take his place.
Only Daisy filled Reuben's heart Of
all the rough life around him, there was
only one gentle influence to keep his
heart from breaking. The fair blue-eyed
girl, with hair like fl oss silk, alone under
stood him when he talked of the books he
borrowed from the minister, and eagerly
perused. Daisy alone kept him from
the utter despair of heart loneliness
So these young hearts, in eleven long
years, learned the story of mutual truth,
mutual dependence, sympathy, tenderness
and devotion which we call love.
On the day Reuben was 81 he told
Uncle Josiah he loved Daisy, and Uncle
Josiah sadly shook his head.
you'll never be able to keep wife,
Reuben" he said. "Never! love Daisy
too we'll to trust her to you Why look
at it, lad, you've never earned full days
wages since you came to the farm. If
you'd give up your foolish fiddling now,
you might make something of yourself,
but so long as your heart is in that saw
ing and scraping you'll be good for
naught else. It's my advice to you to
smash the fiddle over the first rock, and
then I'll talk to you about Daisy"
Break his violin Destroy his dearest
friend, his sole comfort But for Daisy
What would he not do for Daisy.
Perhaps Uncle Josiah was right Per-
haps, if he had no outlet for the dreams
that filled his soul they would cease to
haunt him, and he would conquer the
may routine of farm drudgery that was
such heart-breaking problem to him.
Perhaps, when all the phantoms that
broke into reality upon his violin were
driven away, he would be the practical
farmer to whom Uncle J Josiah would give
Daisy
Musing thus, very sorrowfully, Reuben
took the violin from its case and went to
the woods, to an opening the country
folks called the fairy ring. Here he sat
upon a huge stone and played his fare
we'll, dirge of hope. Great tears fell
over his pale cheeks, as the weird. mel
ancholy strains echoed through the space
around him. Then he wrapped the vio-
lin once, twice in his orms, kissed it
tenderly and lifted it high in the air to
smash it on the rock. Blu: his heart
failed him His arm dropped nerveless
at his side, and he stood motionless, look
ing sadly at his fathers legacy.
Suddenly there stepped into the
opening an elderly man, gray-haired
and dsrk-eyed, and dressed in city-cut
attire.
$50 you would smash your violin ?"
Lo so;d WVnu had halter aell IT. or