Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-10-13

windOw-the light and delicate notes
fell from her mouth like pearls. do
not know what unfamiliar enthusiasm
seized me as I savored the perfume of
the music-vague as that of faded
fower-a fraternal accord had sudden
ly become established between those
two voices; you would have thought
that after a lapse of years they were
calling to each other in order to make
themselves known; they melted-one
into the other, intertwined, caressing
and warm; the man stopped of his
own accord when Nicette's turn came
in.
His eyes, looking up, were seeking
where the friendly voice came from;
then, mastering his own emotion. as
with quick inspiration, he would
take up the phrase himself at the right
place; and the beautiful melody rolled
out, light and joyous-leaping, intoxi-
Gated with laughter-the deep voice of
the tavern keeper; the pretty out
bursts of Nicette.
And when the last note had flown
away, two cries intercrossed through
the silence:
"Mariani! !"
Eugene Danton!"
"Come upl"
And the musician rushed up the
stairway like the wind
The old woman was waiting for him
upon the landing. He reached it al
most reeling-all pale with the intense
Joy that strained at his heart-and
fell sobbing into the arms held out to
him. What a long, long kiss she gave
him! She took the poor old fellows
head in her hands; and with sweet
hearts fondling, her lips from the
singers eyes to his lips, from his fore
head to his white hair. Too happy
to speak they looked each other in
the face and at last could find nothing
to say but one phrase, which they re-
peated over and over again:
"What lis it really thee ?"
Then, as if to console each other for
their mutual decrepitude, they MUIR
INJURED, almost at the same time:
"Thou has not aged so much, after
ALL"
And yet their embarrassed manner
seemed to give the lie to what their
lips affirmed. Then great pain, sue
ceeding to the first Joy of meeting,
strangled the words in each throat
the man glanced furtively at the poor
dress of the pretty old woman; and
the chill poverty of the chamber
she, on the other hand, could not
take her eyes away from the wretched
tatters of her friend. They had sat
down together beside each other
hand in hand;-and she at last, en-
barrassed by the silence, pregnant
with gloomy thought, ventured to ex-
claim
"Oh! What condition I find thee
in, my poor Mariani'
He smiled painful smile and said:
eyes; it is not brilliant! Times are
hard; one must live, and must sing in
the courts and alleys; I now sing for
two coppers the songs that folks once
paid two louis to hear. | struggled a
long time; | wore out the little voice
left me upon the stages of the most OBJ
scure theaters. If the ascent to glory
is rapid, the descent is almost as sud-
den. [ fell from disillusion to disillu-
sion, into misery and hunger. I live
now upon the bread flung me. How
we waste our good luck while it lasts
But thou, what hast thou become?
Has life dealt as harshly with thee as
with me?"
The old woman did not answer;
with one droll gesture she called his at
tention to the naked room, the cur
tainless window, the narrow bed of
iron, the few frail chairs.
"See and Judge. My last admirer be-
queathed me all this splendor, and
little revenue of 2, OOOlivres. live on
that-alone and forgotten. All! why
did ever leave thee? How happy we
might have BEEN [ loved thee so
much Butt was a woman!"
The old woman's broken voice
borrowed from her heart new tender
ness of tone as she mourned the hap
piness forever lost.
eve held our happiness in our own
hands" he answered; "but we opened
them and let it fly away. Why did I
love another"
And both in chorus, repeated the
query:
Eyes, why?"
They held their peace again; one
might have thought that they were
reading, in their memories, the blotted
pages of the past; doubtless both saw
themselves again in fancy upon the
stage of the Opera Comique-he as the
.'Tavern Keeperiof the Preaux- Clercs,"
In his fine maroon coat with yellow
slashes; she, all coquettishly pretty,
in her role of bride. Then, as now,
hand in hand they advanced to the
footlights. Their clear young voices
gushed out in merry melody; the pub
lie OVnrWhaluad them with apn1aI1sa.
the men roared "Bravo!" The
women flung their gifts upon the stage
flowers and ribbons
t:Adieu! [ must go; have not yet
earned my breakfast" the guitarist
suddenly exclaimed, rising up.
The old woman had also risen; as
he neared the door she wrapped him
In her arms.
"Remain!" she said; "what is
enough for one will suffice for two;
should We get very hungry, we can
sing. Remain!"
He hasitatod- afraid Cf s110wino