Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1895-01-08
A WATERS ROMANCE


grew an absent look, and he saw visions
in the blue cigar smoke. There was a
vacant expression in the honest, slow face
as if the fumes and rcek of the music hall
had settled in a kind of fog in his brain.
The opening night was thick with rain
Blurred In mist, the lights of the hall
shone out OH the dripping streets, and an
air of discomfort pervaded the scanty
throng inside. a very decent pas seul had
gono unapplauded, and a prime favorite
of the stage was in tears in the wings
The strings bounded to strain of Bur-
gundy, and out there tripped trim little
figure, peasant garbed and roguish eyed.
You have heard Robin piping full voiced
from his leafy covert and while the drip Of
the rain struck through the hedge singing
Of golden moons afleld. SO rang the music
in the ears of the gaping faced waiter
The hall throbbed with fresh melody, and
moment later with thunders of applause
Emil was interested. She came out twice
again. He wished that she had chosen an
encore a trifle less spirited than her last
song. Her name, he thought, should be
Jennie. But it wasn't.
Late that night wandering voice was
heard down in the mist of the streot-a
gruff voice that seemed to try to recall a
tune all but forgotten. Emil trudged
homeward, damp and pensive. He did
not know that he was disturbing tho peace
What is there in roguish eye and q
trim ankle to cause infatuation? Nothing
in reason, 1t must be confessed But be-
fore the week was out Emil had mado
wrong change several times and brought a
straw lemonade to one of tho oldest pa
irons of the place. He grew preoccupied
And every night as he trudged homeward
his gruff voice essayed to recall a forgot
ten strain.
On Saturday night the music hall was
crowded to tho doors. The gilded youth
of the town were in the boxes, aud in the
full blaze corks popped merrily and light
words passed. Emil was acting very badly
When party of young blades had ordered
round, ho remarked inconscquentially:
"She will como out at 10. You shall see. ;"
lie did not notice that they laughed loud
ly. And tho old tune kept bothering him.
Back among tho palms where the great
colored globes softened the lights ho was
resting a moment when she came out and
stood like merry NIKE in the center Of
the stage. There was the old applause,
and he moved nearer, drawn as all week
he had been drawn. A second and q third
time she sang And then on the ears of a
waiter, listening with his heart in his
eyes, fell the melody which had been
haunting him night and day with Its half
remembered snatches. 1t was silly lit
tic folksong, the childish love of children,
song of Alsatin.
There was a crash, a voice was in the
air." Jcnnie!''- in the aisle lay the
tray, with its broken glasses, and over it,
with pale, excited face, stood Emil.
Angry words rose around him, and in the
confusion tho singer faltered slightly. But
the flowers rained down upon her when
she finished, md the audience seemed
ready to take her to its arms Emil trudged
homeward Saturday night, in fine and dis
grace, happy!
1t was long after midnight and he sat
in his room. Would she remember him
she, the beautiful singer? All, those were
pleasant days in Elsass when the great
Rhine flowed through tho fields, and, a
child, he had played with Jenchen. There
was tiny silver ring in his wallet which
sho had placed ON his finger the morning
that she had crossed the river with her
family and passed beyond the fortresses
below the horizon of France. She must
be good, and sho was very beautiful! He
fell asleep with the ring in his hand, and
a sprite with all exaggerated headdress
danced into his dreams, with the ring for
her girdlc, and, slumbering, he muttered,
"Wunderschoen.
''In Alsatia, where there is no law"
And the proverb continues that dreams
are realities, and peasants pay court to
prtncesses, and Arcadie is come again-in
Alsatia.
Behold Emil at tho music hall, with his
face aglow, busy among his patrons. There
was call for three stems, and le nodded
an honest approval. When he took All
order for Rhine wine, he beamed with sat
isfaction. He shook his head gravely as
he set down an absinthe. The green glim-
mer always disturbed him as of something
impish All tho while throbbed the music,
and the limelights glared on the stage,
where performers came and went. And
Emil waited for her coming.
Night before last he had carried basket
of cut flowers to tho footlights. Last night
he saw her driven away from the stage
door In carriage by tho man who had
sent them. 1t made him uneasy in II vague
way. But tonight there was waiting n
bouquet in which silver ring nestled,
and his heart beat high.
She came at last, the little friend of his
childhood, singing into view, singing
straight into his honest, stupid heart.
And down the aisle he marched with steady
feet, his great bouquet half hiding the
glow of his face. She would find tho ring,
he thought, by and by, and then
AS he handed the flowers ovor tho foot
lights he dared not look up. There was a
tinkling sound, and he raised his head.
The flowers wero ia her hand, but the sill
yer token had become discngaged and had
fallen into her palm and to the floor.
She looked straight at him, and her eyes
were like frozen violets. Tho little ring
rolled neglected into far corner As the
hcartsick waiter turned away tho flutes
breathed tho prelude to the old song of Ell.
sass. And sho never sangit bctter.-Ex.
change.
In the Twentieth Century.
A well known French statistioian com.
putcs tho following figures, based on pres
npf ctafictics for ho cr,1 ~ ho