The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03

EMRIN CESS EOLIE, in whose
=. fathers palace L was for time
-. court physician, had morbldpas-
IA sion for music. 1t should be ex-
planned that she was very young,
being in that uniformed condition peculiar
to many girls who have passed child hood
and are not yet complete women. Her
D. case was the strangest / had ever seen.
Her intellect was of surprising brllliancy
and her nervous condition that of pro-
louged ecstacy. Ali the hysterical tenden-
cies peculiar to- one of her lawless tenn
perament were centered in music of the
grotesque and outlandish order. She
reveled in the weird Hungarian creations
OF lisZt, maintained a Chinese orchestra
and lived IN the queer mysticism of Greg
For the profundity and majesty of Beetho-
ven, the dreamy beauties of Mendelssohn
and the brilliancy of Chopin, she could
cultivate no regard. Only wild departures
from the average claimed her attention,
and her passion for these was as uncon-
trollable as 1T was dangerous.
With this she had an uncommonly
sweet and affectionate disposition and was
exceedingly graceful and pretty. 1t was
clear to. me that this odd musical taste
was merely an indication of profound
psychological condition that at anv time
might turn to some other manifestation.
That she had not vet fallen rashlv and
violently In love | was satisfied was due to
the TACT that all the superlatiVe qualities
of her nature rad found vent thus far in a
fondness for weird music. l dreaded the
time when her .morbidness might make a
:. startling departure.
One of the ladies of the court had a son
who, after long stay abroad in college,
returned and renewed his childhood ac-
qualntance with Eole. He was as strange
IN his way as she in hers. He was about
= u years old, and though possessed of
1lne mind had barely escaped a disgrace
:. ful failure to complete his education. His
pent was Tor music, but his mother, re-
garnlng that as an lgnoble profession
belt graceful accomplishment, did all
= IN -ner power to suppress the tendency and
force him into one of the learned profes-
sioIs: AS result he returned to. the
world sadly crippled in mind, unhappy in
spirit and with wasted body and sfngu-
. larly pathetic expression of face. He was
slight and delicate and his gentle beauty
was more like that of girl than a man.
:, 1t seemed TO me then that he and the
Princess, widely separated as they were
py social barriers, were destined to suffer
each on, the others account.
~ As their renewed acquaintance grew
closer each became aware of an intangible
barrier reared between them but thev were
Ignorant OF its character. The truth was
tnat .sAe. was vastly his intellectual su-
perior, warped and twisted though she
was at that time 1t was impossible for
him to imagine the profounder depths of
her' Character, her infinite capacity for
love, the passionate protest of her whole
mature against the conventions which
restricted. her freedom and which as vet
she sought. to violate only by indulging
a morbid taste for lawless music. All that
he could see was that she loved music of
that kind. This was so contrary to his
own conception of the beauties residing in
that exquisite art that he was thrown into
despair, and tortured himself with pitying
that in her which he could not under,
. stand. That she exercised an indescrlb-
able fascination over him was manifest
he felt it indefnably, but as 1t brought
pain instead of pleasure he could do no
more than nurse his wretchedness and
persuade himself that it was impossible
for them to love each other.
Not. far from the summer palace of
EoIle's father was grand cathedral with
wonderful chimes and noble organ The
beilrlnger was man with q singuIarly ILL.,
e favored and sinister face. He had been
servant OF the kings household from birth
and had. always been a devoted slave to
the beautiful little girl Eolie. 1t was
never suspected, now that she was enter
ing upon womanhood, that this strange
creature had ever cherished for her anv
feeling other than that of a slave. He had
ClSOuldSCN every WILL ana VdGarY that
seized her, and when her odd musical
taste became dominant he had mastered
by dint of stealthy and indefatigable labor
, so muchof the principles of harmony as
enabled him to produce weird and gro
tesque effects on the cathedral organ.
Thus it had come about that many a time
he had induced her to visit the cathedral
by.stealth, where he would play for her
the fantastic creations of his own brain.
1t was doubtless by design that this fell
low had. studiously kept himself from my
observation. When it was TOO late real
izedethe savage character of his heart and
understood the fearful malady which made
him the. central figure of. one of the
strangest tragedies that the world has
seen. Eolie's knowledge that she was so
unlike other girls naturally made her Sc
cretive and at the same time developed a
very strong self-reliance within her. For
all her sweetness, unselishness and affec-
ton she had a will, which, being master
fnl and as yet uncultured, took the form
OF a desperate stubbornness that nothing
could check. In order for it not to be
visible she resorted to secretiveness.
1t never occurred to her innocent nature
that the strange, savage belIringer cared |
Tor her other than as a faithful slave. In
need, his striking dissimilarity to other |
Q men was one of the main bonds that |
hound her to him. He had coarse, rebel |
llousshalf tlnged with gray. His sunken |