The morning times., 1896-03-01
Antonio Had
No Time 10 Play.
"Luigi Anlatl,
Victims. lutcs, violonCellos.
Maker to the Dukes Of Tuscany,
Lonbardy. and Savoy.
Maestro.

| LoIlDaFtlN- ana savoy.
Maestro.
Then little Standardization such was
| our apprentices name-would fall to work
once more with brush and varnish. Pres
entity out of the depth OF the shop shuffled
| Amati, the maesto-a little weakened
| man in gown and skull cap.
Hard at work, ell, Antonio?' he said,
that is good. We will win the crown.
this festival. Never have l fashioned
such a violin as that. 1t is a triumph
1t almost plays by ITSELF
| Then taking the ms trument tenderly
| from his assistant he would tap ii here
and there. listening to the full-toued
! echoes within. All, Antonio" was his
I reiterated boast-"none knows my secret.
| some day, ere l die, may tell you; but
not now. little one, not now. II is a great
secret The laurel crown is mine"
Alas, for the hopes OF The maestro!
| That night as all within the little house
hold slept, the lantern in old Amati's
! chamber, Pickering wildly in those same
| treacherous breezes which brought the
| orange perfume from the hills, set fire to
the arras, or hansings on the wall.
Quickly the cruel flames spread ard the
wainSCoatiDg being dry with summer
Feat, III little time the room was all
ablaZe. Waterman Of the municipal
guard saw the fire and hurriedly bat
tered in Amatis door.
Suddenly above the cracking of the
flames and the hoarse roar of the crowd,
shrilled the voice of the Maestro Amati.
My VIOLIN shriebed the old maker
My prize violin. 1t is left behind in the
flames
Before hand could stay him he had
rushed half-clothed and bare-headed into
the smoke of the burning shop. They saw
his long white locks through the doorway,
and then be was lost to sight A yell of
horror went up from the mob. They
believed him lost.
But no! Two stalwart men at arms
Scrvitors of the duke, no doubt-plunged
after Amati and dragged him back to
the street. Their steel corSelets and he'll
NETS protected them, but the wretched
old violinist was horribly burned Kindly
friends carried him to a nearby house,
where he lay lDseusible through the night
with little Teresina aud Antonio Strad-
ivariuS weeping beside his bed.
Toward noon OF
the next day the How He Learned
maestro recovered The Secret.
consciousness. In
stantly he asked after his beloved violin:
and on hearing that it had been DESTROYED
in the flames, his lamentations were pitt
full TO hear. A length courage returned
10 him. 81 will arise" he cried land
make another. There is yet time to win
the crown. ] alone know the great secret.
Yes, will arise and go 10 work"
But unfortunately the poor maestro found
that his hands and arms had been SO
badly burned that the making even Of a
fiddle-bridge had became temporarily i'm
possible. Then his agony was pitiful
TO hear. All day long he wept and walled.
Night found him raving in the throes of
brain fever.
"Out of evil cometh good says that
sententious philosopher, Nicolo Machia-
veili. Such. indeed proved 10 be the case
in this instance. AS old Amati tossed to
aud fro upon his couch in wild delirium,
The boy, Antonio Stra divarius, watched
patiently by his side-ever and anon cool
ing the maestro's parched lips with med-
Gated draughtS. Sitting thus and listen
ing 10 the violin makers mad rawlings,
he was startled to hear the sufferer, al
ter an interval OF silence, repeat in a
low. mysterious toue, some novel d.
rectlons for the fasbioning of stringed
instruments. Several times Amati repeat
ed these singular directions, and then,
with nianiacal burst of laughter he cried:
That's the secret = my great secret
None knows, but t.
joyous light burned In the eyes of
young stradivarius. He had surprised his
master S secret. Under the spell OF fever,
lie maestro had revealed the method of
making yiolins which none in all Cremona
knew but he, and which had already made
him famous from Rome even to Paris.
Antonio began work. The tools audmater
ials necessary were unearthed, and a coy