Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-12-19

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may see on Mardi Gras-children and their
parents loaded down with toys and sweet
meats. Camp street and st. Charles were al
most as crowded. And Pepita was in that
throng, holding tight to Tony and her fiddle.
Alas, there was scant money in her purse,
barely enough for supper and the morning
cup of black coffee. The brave heart, the big
heart of the little wo man would not give in
She wentt this restaurant, she went to that.
she tried the instrument, she tried the voice;
All in vain. PUT that brat out |" "Are we
to have that girl for breakfast, dinner and
supper" Learn a new tune, little girl, and
don't come back till you do" Such was
Pepita's greeting everywhere.
At last the sister and brother found space
and tolerance before the counter of an Office
on Camp street. The clerks were gay that
night. They chaffed the silent Tony. They
urged the hungry-eyed Pepita to sing and
play. But still the pay was small, and the
crowd went heedlessly by Presently, how
ever. the street was wild with laughter and
huzzas A company of drummers-
cial tourists if you please-was marching up
the banquette every man of them provided
with tin horn. At their head was young
fellow well nigh as broad as he was long, and
his cheeks were distended as though he had
the mumps Blare! Blare!I Blare!! All
at once he called out, Halt and the drum
mers stood still in column. Battalion,
right face!" was the next order, and the
drummers were thrown into line just in front
of the office where Pepita and Tony had found
shelter.
Something had happened.
Before the advent of these jovial strangers,
just before, tall, broad-shouldered man was
forcing his way through the dense crowds on
the banquettes. There was such light of
amusement and geniality spread across his
face that one might almost say it helped to
illuminate the night. He had a cane in his
hand and he twisted it as he walked along;
probably that accounted in part for his easy
right of way, but when he had arrived in
front ofthe Office where Pepta and Tony had
taken refuge, he was met by a surging crowd
from the opposite direction and was forced
back into the doorway. There stood Tony
and Pepita-Pepita absolutely defeated;
Tony, as ever. stodical and still, looking
quietly on at the eddy that had been created
in this human tide When the stranger en-
tered, he attracted everybody's instantane-
GUS attention-his personality was SO impos-
ing-he was SO tall and so broad, Pepita
reached about to his waist, Tony to his knee.
Every one in the room turned to look at him
as though he were a new revelation of hu-
manity. Maybe it was because he was SO tall
that he overlooked all the big people in the
room. Glancing down he saw Pepita hug
ging her violin to her bosom like the Madonna
in picture. "Little girl" he said to her in
his own language, in voice that was soft
and low, do you play that violn?" ''Only
jus q little" said the child, breaking out un-
conciously into the English, which she had to
speak every day.
iSWoU Iand II tn mo for q u,inu+a cold tho
big man, who had instantly taken in the
whole situation. He began to play precisely
one minute before the drummers came up.
Nobody knows what are the capabilities of a
violin. l have heard nearly all the great
players since Pagannini, Old Bull, Vieux-
temps, Wienowski, Wihelmj and the rest, SO
l believe that violin is everything down
from the cathedral organ to the negro s
banjo, but this big fellow played the organ
music. He made Pepita's instrument ring
like bell peal like trumpet, warble and
carol like Ii bird, murmur, babbeand Groom
like brook; and every note was clear as
crystal, pure and sustained to the very end
of the bow. Well, that was what stopped
the drummeFs-it was enough to stop the
wheels of all creation. Beauty, music, art,
have always belonged to eternity and ami
hilated time The crowd grew thick and
close and dense about that office, nobody
was permitted to whisper. At the conclusion
of every air the people called out "Bravo!"
and "Encore!" The big man was standing
on a goods box in front of the Office; that
stepped down precisely at the head of the
drummer column and began to play the
Marseilaise.
To the rhythmic march of that grand old
hymn of liberty. the people moved on with
the big man, and directly they began to sing,
"March on, march on, ye sons of France, We
sons of Francew till the very heavens seemed
to ring to the welkin.
Every rybody kept time. The musician was
more than usually inspired. The tramp of
so many hundred feet behind him, the en-
thusiasm of the night, the mans own sym
pathy with the spirit OF the festival bounded
in his heart and rebounded Oh the strings OF
the violin. "Marehons, marchons, vos fills
de Francel" the chorus swelled. The column
reached the corner, crossed oyer and moved
up again on the other side. 1t made one
think of 0rpheus leading off the giants and
the beauties of the forest to the magic throb-
bing of his wires Then he ecrossed over again
and resumed his stand on the goods box
Pepita and Tony always by his side. The
crowd closed around him once again, but the
voice of the violin was for the moment still.
Then every hat in that impromptu audience
w
to the stars. Then the crowd-a Southern
crowd-demanded Dixie but the stranger
said:
:'You can't dance unless you pay the I'D
dler. Tony, where is your hatY"
Tony had forgotten all his sorrows, all his
hopes, all the natural warnings Of his infant
heart, oil his responsibilities to Pepita. He
had been carried "over the hills and far
away" All the Italy in him had been
thrilled to the core-the poor little fellow was
in trance of artistic enjoyment. His eyes
were as wide as saucers, and there were dreams
in them Alas he never could believe in
Pepita again as n violinist. That thought
did not occur to Pepita, but do you know
that through all this uproar and hilarity
Pepita never once forgot the burning ques-
tion of Tony's Christmas present You see,
Pepita was little woman; Tony was only a
little man. Consequently she was the more
practical OF the two; 80 when the stranger
said, "Tony. where is your hat?" the little
fe2ow looked up with q sort Of dazed stare,