The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-03-28

ing shabby Tam O'Shanter in pair
of nervous hands, and out of the little
room hoated voice, pure, silvery, un-
faltering--such q voice as neither of
those two men had ever heard in that
room before. Through all the delicious
measures of that Incompatible melody
it rose and fell, and when at last it
died out in wavy cadences, the tenor
glanced toward his friend with some
thing like very tears shining in his eyes,
and the friend, jumping to his feet, ex-
claimed in nervous haste:
81 know he's your friend, Billy, but
must share him. want him for my
choir. Wouldn't you like to sing in a
choir, boy?"
eyes, sir"
Anthony's face became crimson with
delight, and the poor old Tam O'Shan-
ter suffered more than ever at his
hands.
81 go to the Advent every Sunday
I've picked up lots of things they sing
there"
"only there? Have you had no other
training?"
"Oh, yes, good deal from my fa-
ther, but he died more than year ago,
just after we came to this country.
There are only mother and me left,
and I've been out of job for over a
week"
"Well, Mr.. Whiting here will soon
give you a new one," the tenor said.
will you put him among the re-
serves, Whiting?"
with that voice? No. He can go
in almost at once. l have two vacan-
cies anyway. The last was that little
Scott-Payne boy. He died on Satur-
day."
"What! Mrs. John Scott Payne's boy?
Why, he's all she had"
"Yes; like this little chap. He was
the only son of his mother, and she a
widow-but under nightly different
circumstances"
"Ah, well, WE'LL All her ducats can't
mend broken heart, and she will have
that, know. He was such noble,
gentlemanly lad"
eyes, and a fine voice. l have missed
him badly, but think with very little
training this boy can take his place"
And so it came to pass that before
Johnnie Scott-Payne had been month
in his little grave at Mt. Auburn,
Anthony Kramer was singing in his
stead at the Church of the Nativity; and
while Johnnie's mother wandered
through the desolate rooms of the cost
ly house which she no longer called a
home, finding comfort nowhere, An
thony's mother, selling small wares be-
hind the counter of a little shop on Win
ter street, rejoiced unspeakably that
her boy had SO providentially found his
vocation.
She had no doubt whatever as to its
being his rightful vocation, for, though
she herself was quite as gently born as
Mrs. Scott-Payne, and had lived in the
purple till she had lost her heart to her
young music master and fled with him
from all the associations of her youth
the music master had come of family
who were all musicians, and, unprofit-
able as the profession had proved to
her throughout her married life, she
had never lost faith in it. Anthony had
been named for the father whom she
had deserted but her father died with
out forgiving her and leaving all his
wealth to distant relatives; so, having
only his name as an heritage from his
mothers side of the house, it seemed
but fitting that the boys living should
come to him by means of the gift
which had descended to him in such
liberal proportions from his father and
his fathers people.
AS the winter wore on it became
more and more apparent to the poor
young thing that this gift would soon
be the sole possession of a doubly
orphaned life, for she had never been
robust, and New England climate
made rapid inroads upon her feeble
remnant of strength, and the coming ot
the foe who robs and desolates and
rever restores seemed to be a mere
question of time. For herself she had
no dread of his coming, but her heart
was sore at the thought of parting with
her boy, and, however hard she tried to
| nerve herself for the effort, she lacked
courage to warn him of the trial in store
| for him.
| In the old days he might have guessed
it for himself; but he was so happy anc
busy now, basking in the sunshine Of
his benefactor's increasing approval
earning steady income among tn,
fraternity of which the kindly tenol
was but one, and throwing himself will
boyish fervor into his choir work, that h,
never noticed how the pretty, pale fac,
of his mother was growing daily pale,
and thinner, or if he did notice it, h,
Quilted himself by thinking: "Even i
she isn't quite as strong as she used Il
be, I'm growing stronger all the time
and by and by she needn't work at all.
For long while after his father haC
been taken from them, the world haC
seemed to the poor little fellow yer,
full Of death and sorrow, but now, re
joicing as he did in the new condition
of his life, almost the only time the oil,
sadness took possession of him wa
when, sitting through an especial,
long service in Johnnie Scott Payne
place, it occurred to him to wonde
about Johnnie and Johnnie's mother
OF her his thoughts were especial,
wistful after he heard one of the othe
choir boys saying: "Oh, she neve
comes here now, she's so cut up abou
Johnnie. ! guess, anyway, she couldn'
bear to see Kramer in his place, for MI
Whiting and everybody else think
Kramer like enough to Johnnie to b
his brother. Mr.. Whiting says he didn
notice it until he got in to his surplict
and then he could almost think it wa
Johnnie back again.
"I'm afraid if she saw me she woul