Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-22

sweet, agreeable words. She might begin at
once, tomorrow, she said. Only one request
! had she to make, she continued, and that was
/ for her to play the Eveliest pieces she knew.
/ Her customers were honest laboring people,
I who usually preferred cheerful music.
The blind girl thanked her with her voics
trembling with pleasure. Asking her not to
/ let her brother know anything about it, at
! least at first" she added
! -Oh! he shall not find it out, rest assured
! Of that" she replied
! The next evening she came and led the girl
: down Directly at the foot OF the stairway
was a door leading into the restaurant The
room, was filed with noisy. carousing men.
I 1t was easy TO read the character OF the place
in their faces.
/ The hostess managed TO have some one con
! tinually to furnish music, 20 make her place
attractive Sometimes it was wandering
4 vioiinst or a street singer, this time it was
/ the blind girl. In corner of the room stood
piano. TO which she guided her, Like a
star with its pure light shining in wilder
ness. was the innocent maiden IN that crowd
! Of uncultured, vicious men.
/ Some of them looked at her in surprise and
I with timidity, and listened for while atten-
!
/ further notice OF her. The blind girl could
/ hear the hum OF the voices around her: but
I did not notice what was passing among them,
Sd busily was she engaged in her performance
and so anxious to satisfy the landlady with
/ her efforts Size selected the brightest and
most cheerful airs, and played INCREASINGLY
/ for more than an hour When she was com
| pletely exhausted her employer asked her to
I--C fba
! led her through the throng Of boisterous ren
| 20 the foot of the stairs, from whence she
usually assembled alone.
How happy she felt At last she was able
/ to tighten her brothers bJrrdan-to do some
| thing toward repaying him for his great and
numerous sacrifices. In feverish excitement
! she groped her way up the long flights OF
/ steps. Convulsively and tightly her little
aching fingers clasped the coin, which seemed
| TO propel a current Of electricity through her
| every vein, so hot was the blood stream that
| coursed from her quickly beating heart She
| had TO stop TO catch her breath at the door OF
| her little room. How much money excites
one," she said TO herself. almost frightened at
| lhe new and peculiar feeling which she felt
over Der first earnings; but still it was only
! for her brother, and the thought of giving
The second evening passed like the first.
| The soft, sweet, ripping notes seemed 10 fall
| from the tips of her flying fingers, and the
sweet, strange music sounded with the tumult
! ike the frightened, disconnected sors of 4
| bird in a stormy forest. Again she received
/ payment for her exertion; which, inexperi-
/ enced in the ways of the world as she was,
seemed a fortune to her.
al ~.
| She had been at the piano longer than
usual, and was just turning to leave when she
felt strong arm thrown around her, and the
coarse voice Of drunken man sounded close
| to her ear.
Give me kiss, little treasure"
! Almost paralyzed with terror, she sprang
! up and attempted to tear herself from the
horrible embrace, but the arm only closed
more tightly around her
| Hold her fast, Thomas"
! Let her co." roared the boisterous crowd.
Help! Help!7 she cried at the top of her
voice, and with an almost superhuman effort
| she tors herself from the fiend and staggered
| through the crowd, der poor sightless eyes
rolling in her fright and her hands held out
before her toward the entrance
Attracted by the disturbance, the landlady
hastened to the spot. Comprehending tl>a
situation at a glance, she grasped the girl,
who, in her fright, trembled like an aspen
leaf, and hurried her through the door to the
foot of the stairs, which she began to climb,
| stumbling at every step, SO full OF terror was
she.
IN the restaurant the crowd tried to re-
strain the frenzied man who was attempting
TO follow hey. y fearful struggle ensued in
which the demon was victorious Throwing
the crowd right and left in his madness, like
straws il 4 gust of wind, he plunged through
the door. Not seeing the blind girl, he
beloved Ike al enraged beast. Then at
tracted by her stumbling footsteps he caught
sight Of her on the first landing. Blind with
passion, and crazed with intoxication, he
sprang after her, mounting three or four
steps ct a time. He caught her, and drew
her roughly IN to his arms.
"Rudolf! Rudolf" she shrieked, and the
terrible cry sounded through the building
from the ground TO the roof. A noise was
heard above, some one was bounding-almost
tUmblins-down the flights of steps.
"MarieIn cried an anxious, apprehensiye
voice, and a hand, thrust from q manly
shoulder, clutched the throat Of the assailant
in q wise ike grip-a howl OF rage from the
cowardly wretch, a mighty blow from
clenched fist between the flaming eyes. The
seEseless, motionless body OF the maiden fell
to the steps between the struggling men.
Rudolf sprans quickly to one side, and the
next instant the bowling, incarnate Satan
was locked in an embrace Of iron. Then a
severe struggle, r. snothered groaning, pow
srful crushing blow-a shriek-a death groan
q rattle in the throat and a food Of blood.
and hfeless corpse rolled down the steps.
Then sll WIS quiet. Rudolf had taken the
life of fellow man-but he realized it not;
his ger. anxious glance sought first the
pale, lifeless face OF his sister. He bent over
her, touched her bloodIess cheeks-felt for
the beating OF her heart which had
stilled its throbbings. Oh, God! Was
she dead! Everything grew black before
him, and he would have fallen but for the
aid of a friendly hand which caught him as
his body svayed toward the edge Of the stair
case. dead! dead!T he muttered; but sum
moning ali his strength, he tendsrly lifted the
body and bore it into the room near by. ard
laid her carefully upon sofa Quickly pro-
curing water, he moistened her face listening
b7eathlessly for the slightest indication Of
respiration A twitching, painful witch
ing around the mouth-then breath and
half uttered sigh
Marie" be said, softly, his heart filing
with JOY.
A smile passes over the face.
Rudolf SIZE whispered, extending her
hands ssarchingiy in the direction O, Is
voice
Thank God she lives! she hvesT he cried,
sinking OF his knees beside the sofa; the grea.
strong figure bowed, and tears OF Joy rolled
down his caeeks-Translated from ti.s Ger
uaan Of W N Harlem