Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1895-11-15

visit from Maggie. She came in tears
| to beg his consent; his heart was
| touched at the sight of woman in
sorrow, and, reviling himself for q
| cold-blOOded monster. he told her. in an
outburst of generosity, to go and mar
| ry Luigi as many times as she liked.
After a twelvemonth spent in Italy,
Luigi became perfect. His first ap-
pearance in public was made as Ger
ardO, and, as he retreated behind the
curtains that night, old Jabez Wilson
waited to press his hands and tell
him that his dream was at last real
lied
Jabez Wilson walked out Of his So
licitor's office penniless. The bank Of
which he was principal shareholder
had failed, and this, in conjunction
with few minor disasters, had rob-
bed him Of every penny he had pos
sessed.
He had never in his life done
stroke of work, and was not even ca
pable of a clerical position.
The apartments he had occupied
were given up; the club was never
again to see him or hear what had be-
come Of him; the find old wines in his
cellar fetched sufficient to pay his
long standing rent, with n surplus to
keep him in food and lodgings for a
few weeks-that was all.
From his scanty store he drew a
penny every day to search the papers
for news of LulgiS success. He could
not bring himself to write to him, and
to tell him everything. 1t was pleas
ant enough tC know that the man
whom he had dragged from Obscurity
should at that moment be making
Europe vibrate with the splendor of
his voice.
One night as he crouched over the
fire in the doss house he frequented,
reading the paper, short paragraph
at he foot of the column caught his
eye.
EARLY yesterday morning the body
of q woman was found in the Grand
canal at Venice. She is said to be the
wife of Sig. Luigi, the well known
singer, with whom she is supposed to
have led wretched live. There are
no marks of violence on the body, and
the authorities have passed a verdict
of suicide while temporarily insane"
Jabez Wilson's forecast had been
realized only too fully, and the bro
ken-down man cried like a child.
A week later he stood outside the
doss house with exactly penny in
his pocket
He stood wondering what he should
do, when his musical instincts, which
had been crushed and lain dormant
for so long, arose within him. He hur-
ried along the street, entered shop
and purchased tin whistle with his
one remaining copper.
An hour later he was walking slow
ly along the middle of the road, his
threadbare coat buttoned up around
his neck, an old battered hat pressed
tightly down over the struggling gray
hair that blew in the cold wind, and
his dry lipe pressed against the whis-
tie, he was playing "Home, Sweet
Home"-that was all he knew.
In front of a Respondent hotel he
stood and played, with one foot on the
pavement. A tall, black-bearded gen
tleman, evidently q foreigner, wrap
ped in priceless fur coat, came down
the step of the hotel, in company with
a beautiful woman, in the full glare
of the lamp.
Instinctively the instrument fell
from the lips of the player as he nut
tered half aloud:
'.Luigiv'
The Italian peered into the pale,
pinched, upturned face.
$50 you have come to this, CHIP he
asked in whisper, lest his cOmpan-
ion should hear, at the same time
drawing half crown from his pocket,
my unfortunate friend"
He turned abruptly, half-ashamed,
when the woman by his side told him
to come away from the beggar.
II come, Mirand." Then, as she took
his arm and he handed her In
brougham, Il have pity for these poor
musicians" Weekly.