The herald., 1896-12-26

country, then reddening under the first
hush Of autumn, sooshed and oonsoled her.
'ut presently q chance meeting with an
Did fellow student Of music revived again
in all its intensity the trouble of the i'm
prisoned sense, and once more Christina
lapsed into dull despair
The sympathetic, kindly vicar of tho
place, himself an accomplished amateur
musician and as such keenly appreciativo
of the calamity that had hefallen Chris
tina, sought her out. BY this time she
had acquired the pitiful skilS9ef reading
words by the motions of the lips.
"You must hc brave, u she could perceive
be was saying to her, land resigned
"Would you hee''. she asked.
II should trt, he answered, sticking tn
his guns, land with help perhaps succeed. -
Christina smiled and shook her head.
"You are not the only ono, you know"
continued the vicar, disconnected and
blunderlng in bis effort at consolation.
"There have been Beethoven"
Beethovenr' broke in the girl hotIy.
~ have been reading about him lately,
and hero is what hc said himself. What
humiliation when any one standing be-
side mo could hear at a distance flute
that ! could not hear or any ono heard a
shepherd singing and l could net distin-
guish a sound! Such circumstances
brought me to tho brink of despair, and
had we'll nigh made me put an end to my
life-nothing but my art held my hand.
That is how Beethoven felt about 1t, and
he had his .rt, you sac-thc consolation OF
composition. But what have /? A little
mechanical skill.nnd Passionate love for
music-now BECOME curse to mo- tell
you candidly, vicar, that it Is sheer cow
ardice that prevents mo from taking my
life"
The vicar tried to look shocked, but only
partially succeeded.
cts very sad,' lie said simply, "bue
patience Is the only weapon we poor NOR
tails have against fate-that and timo.'
"And deadly, dreary weapons they are.
But by all means let us console ourselves
with our own mporfections-the impossi-
bility Of retaining sharp edge to our i'm
pressions In time perhaps may become
dull enough TO forget that there is such
thing as music-or heaven. Possibly with
care may make even further progress to-
ward vegetation.
She spoke with great bitterness, ard the
good clergyman, not being able to mako
He was not man, however, to sit
down easily under q rebuff. Christina
Phillipson interested him personally, and
tho problem of her life interested him still
more. He determined, II possible, to find
some tolerable ISOLATION OF that problem.
1t was under the pressure Of his urgent
advice that the girl resumed her piano.
forte practice. The movements of her fin
gers over the keyboard helped, sho found,
to reproduce the score in her mind, and
she took to playing for hours at stretch
until the old Devonshire dame who kept
the house was almost fain to wish she wcro
deaf too.
But, in spite Of this solace and in spite
of the helpful vicar and his admirable
wifc and all the soothing influences Of
rural life, Christina became moro and
more restless and unhappy, and when tho
landscape grew white under hard winter
and tho blue summer seas changed to an
iron gray she fell into SO respondent
state that her friends at the parsonage be-
came seriously concerned for her.
And then an event happened which once
more changed the course of her life.
Returning ono afternoon from a brisk
walk which had lent touch Of color to her
pale cheeks, sho was met at the doorway
by her old duenna.
"There's n visitor to see you, miss" she
remarked, with a half smilu.
Wondering little rs to tho identity Of
this afternoon caller, Christina passed into
her littlc room.
A man sat with his arm resting en- tho
table and his head bent His lack was
turned toward her. but she realized in TN
instant that here was her lover returned.
"Davidr' she exclaimed involurtarily.
David Fraser started to his feet.
81 have found you," hc cried and held
out his hands.
But the girl did not immediately re-
spond, and for II momont they two re-
gardcd each other with mutual pity.
Fraser was wasted by sickness, and tLo
seal Ct great sorrow had left Its mark
upon Christina.
She had borno her trouble dry eyed un-
til then, but the sympathy eErresscd in
her lovers face was too much for her, and
she broke into flood Of tears.
David Fraser was not tho man to neglect
his opportunity. He took hor hILd in Ills
Christina. be said, "wo want each