The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1894-09-11
THE MISSING KEY.


to know? I reckon it's no use hollerln9
for her. 'Twouldn't be any more com,
fort than calling on that peSky pIanny
upstairs to keep still. l get so tired Of
the tump a-tump.tump Of It, l think l
shall 60 clean daft,,'
And Mrs. Brown-who kept tiny
bakery on narrow street in San Fran
cisco-after one more fruitless eNamlna-
ion of her surroundings, returned into
the house and resumed her laborS,
to convince customers that the bread
and pies which they had seen delivered
at her door that ln,rning were made at
home by her own hands.
: 1t had never occurred to Mrs. Brown
to connect the absence of Nettie with
the humping of the piano.
Nettie having been orphaned at an
early age, Mrs. Brown had ''ta ken her
to raise"
The upper floor CT the building in
which Mrs. Brown lived was occupied
by a. dancing g-master, whose classes met
evenings and whose other pupils were
. taught before noon.
The back yard upon which the bakery
opercd was occ;pied in commonby the
ash barrels Of barber shop, a furni-
ure store:and drinking saloon; also,
there were back stairs ascending to the
dancing hall.
Up these stairs Annette stole one
morning, that she might better hear
the notes of the violin and piano.
She hovered unnouced for some time
just INSIDE the open door-not envioIS
of the graces nor the attire Of the dan
GERS, but devouring the pianist with
her solemn black eyes.
And presently she burst into the
prcsence;0 of Mrs. Brown and cried out:
"Oh, I want a piano! must have
a piano!"" ...
The child is mad! T can only Jay
the rent and keep up the other ex-
penses. Poor Nettie.' and Mrs.
Brown stroked the small head not un-
kindly. BE glad you've got bed 10
turn into of nights
"Are we very poor?' Nettie asked.
-''Yes," said Mrs. Brown, Eve are
very poor"
,':Then it amt wicked for us to
steal?"
'Nettie, what have I learnt you. all
ycur Gfe?' cried Mrs: Brown, in alarm
,:<"Yes, of course. It's as wick I'd for Us
to steal as if we was:miliionaires.' .
care you very sure?'
"Indeed I AMI :: ~-
Then s'pose I shall have to be
wicked" said Nettie, Gtavely9 the shad-
,oas deepening in her dtsky eyes. =
(: Mrs. Blown looked down at the seri:
!. Gus face. before her and laughed till her
fat sides Shock =,
:" "That's3teo nch, - she gasped at
last-''going OUT of a bakery to steal
bread! Child We. ain't gong to starve
just yetn'' :, :: ;
But Nettie did not join the laughter,
and a straight line of determination
settled about her mouth. ~
The following morning she"Ment
again to the open door above. Swiftly
and silently she extracted the key from
it. And after that, the neighbors all
thought that Professors FLEET had be-
gun teaching music as well as dane
ing.
For several months she taught her
self laboriously from an old instruction
book, which had been left on the piano
among files of other music. And then
one day the key turned in the lock OF
the front door, and Nettie was made
aware of Professor Fleets presence by
seeing him standing beside her. -
\ ''Little girl how Is IS shi bis aisHl he asked.
<'I haven't any piano to home, be-
cause we're very poor, so l had to prac-
tice on. yours said Nettie, without
rising from the stool.
"Have you ever beer here before?'
I Il come every day. I've got a key
$2the back door" "
- "Ah. you took the missing key::''
Eyes"
"Who gives you the lessons?'
\"I get them myself out Of this.
SGAshe pointed to the book.
..-''Are YOU 50. very fond Of learning,
,hen?''
tI could not live WITHOUT it," she
said. pasSonately, rising at last and
standing before him with her deep,
,lustrous eyes fixed On his.
:. His face softened. He put out his
hand and touched her sleeve reverent-
", as if she were creature Of 4 finer
clay than himself.
"Would YOU like me to get you a
teacher?''
She clasped her hands in ecstacy,
saying:'. T..
..oh, could you-would you-bc SC
good 50 klnd?,'
"Be here tomorrow at this hour
"Nettie. l have got no money. The
mortgage on my stock Is due, and Will
be foreclosed before the end Of thi:
month. The house rent is already
due. Well be turned into the streets
in few days unless Ncttie, do you
know how old you are?'
Certainly. lam seventeen.
"Quitc woman. Old enough to be
marrjcd."
You once said Twenty-Five will he
young enc Ugh "
"Yes, but then I thought to make
YOU useful to me" You don't know
the ways Of the world, Nettie"