San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-06-12

| childnl,e form. her strength increased with
the difficulty Of her part, and nothing in her
| execution betrayed the beginner
For time Habermann could see nothing.
! The tears rolled down his cheeks Only with
his ears could he revel in those heavenly
strains. . to think it was his chid-his own
| flesh and blood-who held that large audience
| in such breathless rapture.
The applause came like a hurricane She
| stood for a moment with her hands pressed
| over her beating heart while the flowers
| spread out about her ike fragrant garden.
| Her eyes sought her father, but he had slip
| ped out into an aute-room, and sinking into a
| chair, with his head in his hands, the sounds
| came into him like the dull roaringS of the
| sea. That hour made good his whole life of
| sorrow and disappointment. He had notlived
| i'll vain.
There was still more stormy burst of en-
thuSlasm. That called for an encore-but
Elfrieda appeared no more. The professor
came instead to say the young singer had
been taken Suddenly ill-nothing seriOus-but
she could not appear again that night.
Habermann heard himself called He hur-
ried to the green room. How strangely the
artists looked at him! One pressed his hand
sympathetically, and told him his daughter
had been taken to the private room of the
manager. Why was there so much emotion
| ovar a little indiSpositioni In spite of HIM
SELF a feeling of apprehension seized him. AS
| he entered the managers room he saw e.
frieda, with face pale as death ard closed
| eyes, lying on couch The front of her
white dress was stained red He looked with
| dazed eyes at those who stood about her.
| What did it mean:
An earnest faced old man came to him and
| Look his hand.
Control yourself, my friend" said he.
| THE tender constitution of your daughter
was not equal to the strain of the evening.
| A blood vessel has been raptured. She can,
| rsrhapS, DE we'll again, but she can sing no
more
With a cry that was hardly human, Hab-
| ermann sank by her side.
The next day, papers contained long, exag
| gerated accounts of the affair: young
singer, till then unknown, had appeared, and
| by her lOvelneSS of person, as well as her I'M
| paralleed singing, had won all hearts; but
| while the applause still rang through the
| hall, she had fallen behind the scenes, pur-
| chasing success with her hearts blood.
For some days after the concert the unfor-
tunate singer was much talked or; then other
matters came up, and she was forgotten.
1roublous days followed FOR Nlcodemus
| There were times when Eltrleia seemed TO
be recOVerlng-when she could laugh and
| JOke-but those moments OF light made the
| night that followed all the darker. The lung
disease made rapid progress. They had
moved far out into one OF the suburbs OF the
|
city, that she might have the beneht OF Purer
air, for journey to the south was beyond
his means however much he might econo-
| mlZe.
For the last few days she had been worse,
and that was the c;.t.~ Of he" fathers late
ness at the theatr". IL" tIresome the music
seemed to him, WITH IL rn'Iess repetlnons!
II 1t would only en-, =" he''ui go home!
AT last the curtain fell Tor the last Time,
and Hah"rmann rushed out as he had rushed
In, as II fearful some one would restrain MIN
Through the wide open portal poured thlcK
black stream OF humanity, laughing and
talking about the magnlhcence OF the pres
entatlon. Coachmen were crying; Pedes.
trlanS h"rrymg' and the snowhakes twlrled
down without lntefmiSSloh through the misty
air, covering the street with smutty, gray
pulp
PUSHING through the crowd every moment
IN danger OF falling under carriage wheels,
hurried Haoermann with his Vlohn under Ills
arm. turning INTO quleter street, "here
the snow kept more OF Its WhlteneSS' he pressed
his hat more firmly upon his head drew the
skirts OF his coat under his arm anu walked
as fast as the moist snow would allow. Inc
passers by looked after the curious inquire, and
many sno"oaLIs new ABOUT MS ears Out IL
dld not trouble MN; he only rushed forward