The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-06

gago mo and pay me handsomely only
just to sing. Howl shall love Tint life!
Though 1 shall weary for my littlo goats
at times. They be tho best little comrades
I ovor had. 70 gavo Thorn to me, Jorgcn.
Will yc mind them for MOI"
She looked at him with tears gathering
In hor eyes. He turned half from her anl
nodded.
so thcy sat silont o long whilo, till somo
ono called Sylvolin from below. They
looked over the slope, and there were
g%rannio and tho minstrels.
Jorgen started; thon pnsslonatoly, blind
ly no stretched out his arms to hold her.
"Don't-don't DO leaving me, Sylvclinl
I love yo so, little lassio, 1 love ye SOP
But sho was down tho slope before HI
had finished. She flow like a bird OH the
wings of newborn hope.
Jorgcn sat staring into tho brooklet. Ho
struggled with n sharp pain, till, over
como by grief, ho bowed his hend In his
hands with q dcspniring cry.
Then came Sylvclin's voice, fresh and
sweet. She was singing to the minstrcls.
So it was thnt S~ylvelin loft homo.
Her little heart fluttcrcd with excite
ment to watch all tho strange new things
rs sho sped ON hor way to tho big city.
Her face flushed with pride to think sho
"ouiN oAhS w hA2 thCoC IuOpio aliu DCCOlUO
famous. Then sho would gain nm enor-
nous fortune and build u castle for grannic
and Jorgcn, and tho littlo goats should
come, too, and have u beautiful shed and q
garden all their own!
So sho dreamed and dreamed.
AT last tho journey camo to m end AS
they drove into u dismal looking back
street and stopped before an ugly old stono
house Sylvolin looked round and shivercd
hot n tree, not "a flower.
Professor Hanson touched her kindly OH
tho arm.
Come, lassio, carry your belongings
and follow mo-"
The noXt day she went with tho profess
or to sing in n largo hall to be tried. AS
she entered tho people looked ut her and
laughed. Tho women pointed to hor short
skirts. and many sharp remarks cut on
little Sylvclin's ears, till her cheeks burned
with shame. Tears rose to her eyes, and
as the professor told her to como and sing
sho felt Il lump rising in her throat. He
sat down to tho piano and began playing
tho simple songs she loved so well, with
lots of variations, which so %disflgurcd their
simple charm that Sylvelin's confusion
grow, and sho could not find her voice
amid all those runs and trills. Sho looked
round in despair, and rs she saw tho
hooking faces on all sides she burst into a
sob.
a loud laugh rang from every corner
The professor got up angrily, but Sylvelin
had fed dow the hall and out of tho door.
He found her outside, crying bitterly. Ho
tried to sootlo her and promised tho next
time all would DO well. Ho was gentlo
with the lassio, for he thought rs yet ho
had tho right article. But she said moth
ing.
Many weary days followed, when she
was madO to practice scales and other
queer, ugly things she did not understand.
Her little face looked worn and white;
tho roses had long fled. She thought of
grannic and of her goats, but most of all
She thought of .Iorgcn. Some words seemed
to float past her that shO had paid no heed
to before, and that all of II sudden stirred
an intcnsc longing in her heart, "Don't
leave me, little lassic! 1 lovo you So; l
love you so!'
Then Sylvolin began ailing, and her
voice seemed gone. So they had to send her
home.
AS she drew near tho farm tho sun was
setting, and she saw grannio on the other
side of the slope driving tho cows home.
a strange, new contcntmcnt grow within
her at the sight of it all, and she wondered
how she over could havo left it. "Maybo
the happiness lay SO close that 1 hid it VII
my own shadow" she thought.
She watched grnnnic and felt half re-
licvcd to sec her driving tho COWS into tho
Enclosure, shutting the gate and turning
back the path she had come. Somehow
there was some one else she longed to meet
first-somc one whom she knew would
soon be coming to milk tho cows, and
whilo waiting she went to tho cowhouso
md prepared for tho milking.
nun-, ,ts--1 z.
thanksgiving in her heart that she felt sho
must give it vent in song, so she sang.
During the song Jorgcn entered. She
neither saw nor heard him. He stood still,
listening, his heart beating. Ho could not
believe his eyes or his ears, for there was
n pathoS in Sylvclin's voice he had never
heard there before. 1t almost brought tho
tears to his eyes.
When she had finished. ho hardly dared
approach the lassic. He only whispered
her nnme softly:
"Sylvelin!"
She turned to him shyly, n quick blush
spreading over her pale face.
"Ayo, 1 be come back home, yc see,
Jorgon."
cit DO grnnnio We wearicd for maybe.
iassio."
"Wcll. ycs-that is, it was M exactly
grannio neither"
aye. Maybe rs 1t was the goats?'
mo, Jorgcn, it was ma exactly the
goats neither"
What then? Tell me, little ~lassic."
She looked up at him, and as no gazcd
into her eyes his heart nearly stood still
for joy.
"Sylvclin!"
And ho stretched his arms to her.
Aye, ayei"-Lady.
Power of Music.