Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-08

w nyKuN through its emptiness.
MEh1 hIIH The golden sunlight Of
XgESS an October afternoon
nsg v1sn penetrated here and
KEhS1T there through the half
MI&kSN ll-H closed blinds and lay
! NlN|1M In patches ON the white
<EVIoSSo walls and carpeted floor.
<Ac[.sJt No e1pecsant stir Of
AN rustling silks and sud-
denly arrested attention
accompanied the first notes Of the wedding
march; no Sigh had been breathed through the
solemn hush that preceded thcm. Within the
incorporating walls dwelt q cold unrespons-
iveness that the persuasion Of the organ left un-
touched. Nevertheless, there was not wanting
a certain suggestlveness that belongs to the In
terror Of an unador ned Protestant church on q
day that Is neither Of fast nor feast. The rich
coloring. the gold and silver magnifcence that
make Roman Catholic church a spectacle, are
wanting; and the straight rows Of seats, the
severity OF such decoration ~ there may be,
are certainly Unconditional In their simplicity.
Yet the dim light; the silence, unreached by the
sounds OF the busy street without; the undein-
able consciousness that II 10 not the presence or
the absence Of men, their voices, their laughter
or their tears that make Of the building an
abode, mark II with q certain peculiar distinc-
ton. Call 1t the presence of Divinity, call 1t
superstition If you will, but It is not humanity.
A man who stood At the foot Of the center
aisle let his thoughts follow one another in
some such strain to the accompaniment Of the
music, which was the specific cause of his
presence there. He was not by temperament
inclined to weekday pilgrimagss through I'M
occupied churches, nor was his Q nature whose
impulses. religious or otherwise, sought eagerly
IN emotional outlet II was the spirit Of idle
ness abroad In the somewhat unssasonAbly warm
afternoon, the laxity that comes with such On
autumn day, whom we feel that perhaps we
mead not, after all, grid ourselves up for the
winter Just yet-theSe Influences, and the sub
dusd sound Of the organ issuing from half
opened door into the noise Of the secular street
OF the New England town, had drawn Randolph
Allan within the conascrated building. He was
lover OF music, and II appealed specially to
him In moods like his present one when the
rush and effort of active life seemed pitiful and
harassipg, and silence and solitude the great
cornforters. That these moods were only occa-
sloual, and penetrated only on sufferance into
what was really busy, practical existence,
proved that Allan was no constitutional idler;
and that they came at all witnessed to the fact
sole contemplation Of the material.
The organ and the player were invisible from
where he stood, bat there was . charm in the
impersonality Of the performance. He could
not tell whether the touch we're that Of Q man 3
or womsn's hand, and il pleased him TO think
to the player. In few moments he took his
place quietly in one Of the empty seats and gave
himself up to the pleasure produced by what he
recognized as no mean skill and knowledge Of
music. 1t was fine instrument and, as if in
sympathy with the joyousness of the sunlight
without, the glad chords Of the wedding march
crashed forth in splendid harmony. The shad-
ows grew deeper, and the sunlight faded slowly,
and the mystical twilight of Wagners creating
Grew about the man, who still sat silent and
listening. The ideal impulses Of his nature had
fuu sway; this sitting in q dim church and lis
tening to the Harmonious vagaries Of an organ
was an experience after his own heart It did
not seem to be a rehearsal Of church music that
was going on, tor one COMPOSITION succeeded
another without hint Of method or continuity
The Watch ON the Rhine followed a song of
Schumann and gave place to some bars Of the
''Iannhauser' march; a rhapsody was broken
on In the middle and splintered into the chorus
OF light opera There was such a
mint OF w1llfulness and such loosing Of
the reins Of an indoient fancy con-
veyed in the variety Of selections that it was
impossible not to speculate little concerning
the person who sat at the organ Once Allan
decided that 1t was O man testing bis knowledge
OF this or that composition, and letting his fin
gers stray Of now and then into melodies of
his own devising. Probably his hair was little
longer than most peoples, but otherwise he
might not be recognized a. an enthusiast In
sensibly this vision gave place to another-that
OF 2 woman, dreamy. impractical, q tribe
lonely, triae exalted. A slumbsr song
hoated In soft sweetness through the church,
and a., after its concluding strain, ths unseen
Allan was entirely sure that 1t was a woman.
he made his escape quickly-he did not wish her
70 be disturbed by knowledge Of his presence,
ana he had no desire to see her. Experience
had taught him the superiority of certain
visions to their tangible representatives, and
n mir aaf 80 to- L
speculatsd as to the frequency Of this organ
practice, he was quite content to allow the role
OF unrealty to cling about her figure As be
turned tho corner of the street he glanced
at his watch and saw that it was too late to
transact the business that he had placed before
him as purpose that afternoon. It was nearly
dark, and be might Is well 60 and have tea with
his cousin Lucy. He usually went and had tea
with bis cousin Lucy when he happened to be
In town. She was all the entertainment that he
needed during his short and infrequent visits to
this particular little city. He doubted II he
should find even as MANY demands for bis
presence here II ftwere not for his cousin Lucy.
who always welcomed him, and generally had
nice girl picked out for his wife. He rarely
saw the girl second time, but she was invaria-
bly, nice girl, as Lucy said, and he always en-
1oyed meeting her. When he came the next
time she was engaged to somebody else. and
Lucy said 1t was all his fault for being SO tlila-
tory-she happened to have just fallen in with
another. 1t really was not easy to settle Ran
dolph in life. The same earnestness and COM
mon sense that made him successful man of
affairs demanded in the woman with whom he
should fall in love a corresponding stability Of
characters reasonableness and strength of
mind that he could admire, while the imseina-
tveness that had led him into an empty church.
away from the work-a-dsy world, to please him
self with fancies, was unsatisfed unless love
should bring to him also something less easily
defined, more visionary and more TRANSFERRING.
No wonder Lucy was inspired to renewed efforts
by the very difficulty Of the task
Randolph" said she today, as he entered
her parlor. II want you to 60 to the Ellis with
me tonight. You will not be bored. promise
you that"
Delighted, Of course. Who IL the apprecia-
tive girl this time2''
1t had never boon part of his cousin Lucy's
policy to keep her msneuvers Q secret Ran
dolph was not q man to be taken unawsres-but
now she hesitated.
II thought would not tell you" ahe said.
Very we'll. suppose shall know the signs
Of appreciation"
His tactt acQuiescence was not altogether
satiafactory. She had told her husband. lust
before, that she felt that this girl really would
understand Randolph, and after all, that was
All that was necessary. Her husband, who had
MS doubts about q woman's understanding any
man, had readily assented.
Indeed. The last one was short Aynre-
mi