The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-11-22
1.-THE DIVORCE MARCH"
AN Ex-WRE TELLS HER STORY on THE
TELL-TAuE KEY BOARD.


Baltimore American: One fine morn
ing the younger woman was walking past
the little house with roll of music in
her hand, when she heard a melody from
the piano coming through the open win
dow. Something in the piece and the
way the piano was handled attracted the
girls attention aud she stopped and list
ened. She grew 80 much interested
that she became bold enough to ask an
old woman standing in the door, who
lived in the house, who was playing. A
conversation followed, the result of
which was the young lady found herself
i'll five minutes in the parlor and talking
with the player at the piano.
"Please tell me-" she said, "what that
piece was2"
.'Oh, it was nothing much. / often
improvise as play. My fingers follow
my fancy, as I suppose is the case with
every body"
81 can't think that was improvised; it
was too good"
''Well, you mustn't laugh when tell
you that piece is really my own compo-
sitioD, through not note of it has ever
been written down. l somehow find
myself playing it very often, hardly
know why, I call it the 'Divorce
March,"
"The Divorce March2' Heavens, what
name for piece of Music!"
''1t's peculiar fancy, I know, but it's
my own. Don't think badly Of me for
it."
81 couldn't do that. It's very beauti-
full. Play it again.
Her long shapely fingers swept over
the keys in delicious prelude, which
led up to the composition proper. 1t
was hard for the young girl, in telling
about it afterwards, to describe what she
| heard. The way she interpreted it was
| this: Bars upon bars of beautiful des
criptive passages seemed to speak OF
| beautiful spring weather, nature in her
| finest dress, the trees full of foliage,
| flowers blooming, soft winds blowing,
ripping streams, and all that sort Of
thing. She fancied she could hear the
song of birds in the bonghs, and answers
coming back. This was youth III full
| glow, and in the tender, joyous, and
sometimes exuberant, dialogue that fol-
lowed was surely two happy people talk
ing and telling of things that lie mighty
deep in these human natures of ours,
and which cannot be found out by super
fetal examination. 1t was something of
love. The melody went on, ripplingly
beautiful, now deeper now lighter in its
go, changing occasionally in time and
key, with noticeable introduction here
and there of a harsh bar or two, the
memory of which, however, was swept
out of the mind by the grand dialogues
and Duets that followed, full of harmony
and life. Those people were happy.
Further on family at first, were frag-
ments of soft marches. bits of melody
resemb bling the famous Mendelssohn and
'Lohengrin" wedding marches, familiar
to everybody, but not exactly like them.
Hero was wedding day. The charac-
teristic quality Of the piece had been de-
velopiDg slowly. Now comes, in slow
time, one of the softest, most moving
lullahys the girl had ever heard. The
pathos of the player, she said was won
derfnl from the first moment she touch
ed the lullaby. 1t thrilled her, but she
could not describe it. She fanciad all
sorts OF things; the rocking of cradle,
the cooling of O babe, love and tears aud
anxiety of the mother mixed, signs, in
FAINT smiles and what not. The march
swept on, its distinguishing parts com
ing out clearer and clearer; crashes Of
discord, little quarrels and markings up
pieadings in the minor key, glorious
bursts of sunshine and sudden dowppour
of storm, enduring in q steady, solemn
march Of separation-an impressive,
gloomy thing, that died away like the
sound Of the footsteps of two people re
treating sadly farther and farther from
each other never to come together again
It seemed all done, when softly there
arose out of the sadness that delicious
lullaby, touching pathetic, tearfal. 1t
went on a little, and faded away in sweet
ness.
When it was finished and the players
hands dropped from the keys the two
women clasped each other like children
about the neck and sobbed as if their
hearts would break.
That's the story of my life in one
shape" said the older, ''and somehow
that's why play it so often. 1 loved
my husband, God knows. 1 wanted "a
cultivated man and | was disappointed.
| could have borne everything for my
child's sake, but the court gave her to
him and [ am wretched. That lullaby
is my ehild's voice. The Judge said /
couldn't take care of it. I'm SO poor
you see, and he is RICH"
|