San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-26


right to use the voice in music is given
to but two or three in an age, and the
chance that the training of one so gifted
should fall to him was too remote to be
considered. To the myriad chances of
failure he preferred his comparative pow
erty and his peace of mind.
What arguments Jocelyn employed to
WOO him from his reserve cannot be
known. But Mr.. Randolph received a
note from the professor, mentioning the
day and hour of his arrival, and request
ing Mr.. Randolph to meet him and drive
him up from the railway station alone.
This was done, and on the way the pro-
fessor stipulated that he should be
enabled to hear Miss Randolphs voice
before she was aware of his presence.
''There is a train back to the city this
evening, sir" he remarked, "and, if |
should conclude to take it, it would be
well to have spared the young lady the
annoyance of an interview" The mat
ter was readily managed. Beatrix sang
with the unembarrassed freedom of
supposed solitude, and the Profess
sor listened. When the young lady
had finished her selection, whatever
it was, she rose from the piano and
passed out through the open window of
the room to the veranda. Here she was
surprised by the appearance of a meager
and pallid parsonage, of gentlemanly
bearing and aspect, with broad scar
on the right side of his face and throat,
and many thoughtful lines and wrinkles
on his brow and around his eyes, who
| advanced toward her with bow and
took her hand AS she looked at him
she fancied there were tears in his eyes.
Miss Randolph" he said, in low and
| very pleasant voice, 81 am to have the
honor of being your instructor; my
name is Dorimar." He said no more at
that time, but raised her soft fingers to
his lips. and with another bow dis
appeared. He did not take the evening
train back to the city, but on
the contrary took up his abode in
the Randolphs' house, and being, in
addition to his musical attainments, a
man of cultivation, and of singular
naive charm of character, he was nearly
dolph as to his daughter, and they all
became very good friends. As to his
teaching, it was a matter between his
pupil and himself, and was not often re-
ferred to outside. 1t seemed to afford
him especial pleasure to think that Bea-
trix was singing for music's sake, and
without any purpose of publishing or
h. a,.
is a sacred thing, my child" he would
often say to her, land like all sacred
things it is shamefully and almost uni
versally desecrated. 1t is not mere
question of voice and ear, but of purity
and loftiness of soul. Great music never
was greatly sung by a charlatan, or a
libertine, or fortune hunter. |, for my
part, thank God that you are what you
are. and that you will never be obliged
to weigh your music against gold. The
world may listen to you if it can, but
you shall be spared the insult of receiv-
ing for it what it dares to call recon-
pense"'
Beatrice acquiesced i'll all this wisdom,
but somewhere in her secret soul she
may have cherished the germ of an am
bition to meet great multitudes of her
fellow creatures, to test herself upon
them, perhaps to delight and inspire
them, if there were power in her so to
do. Three years passed, and then Ed
went to Europe. There was some pre-
text about his attending lectures at
university of mining engineering in
Saxony, but it was tolerably trans
parent pretext. That he should come
back at the end of two or three years
somewhat toned down was the best Mr..
Randolph hoped. As to the question of
funds, after good deal of meditation
Mr.. Randolph came to the following
rather eccentric determination: Ed
was to be allowed to draw on the
paternal resources for whatever sums
of money he from time to time
might require. "You may draw little
or you may draw much, my son."
the old gentleman said, land, be it much
or little, all your drafts will be duly
honored. | shall not restrict you nor
advise you, but i shall depend upon
your own sense of honor and decency, as
Randolph and a gentleman, not to
abuse my confidence in you" This
speech seemed to the utterer of it very
noble and impressive, and also very
sagacious and worldly wise. For if to
put young fellow upon his honor will
not make him reasonably virtuous and
economical what will? Ed certainly
showed himself pleased with the ar
rangement, if not so much impressed by
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