The Forrest City times., 1897-01-01


 in for me. Much to her surprise | seemed caught in corner of the box. and she had to pull gently to loose me. Little did she think. my brown eyed darling, that chung on purpose. The case was old, one that had de- scended in the family with me, and as she pulled the bottom came up with ! me and revealed to her astonished gaze u cavity packed with papers, yellowed with age, some covered with writing. Oscar was quick to bounce upon them. And what do you think they were?
 Bonds, dear reader, bonds; together with Bank of England notes and other documents representing solid values. They were counted up and amounted 10 nearly 5000. With them was a docu- ment, written by the great-grandfather of Inez, willing all these to his only daughter, the grandmother who had lived and died in poverty before these things came to view. They belonged to Inez, of course, and made her quite an | heiress. You should have seen the hap piness in those two young peoples eyes. What do you know of joy who never plunged suddenly out of the gloom of poverty into the light of what was by comparison unmeasured wealth? Heaven that evening had dingy walls and bare floors, and just 1 two angels inhabited it as monarchs of all they surveyed. And the golden | harps' had been transmitted into an tique violins. But I assure you golden harps never made happier music.
 All this happened two years ago or more. The poor lover became Prof. Inez became his wife. They were mar ried on New Years eve, and happi- ness reigned supreme. Better still, it | was made so warmly welcome that | it has remained with them to this day. At that wedding there was sweet ml- sic in abundance, and 1 was chief mu- sician among the violns. laughed and the world laughed with me, as it is prone to do with the prosperous and independent. Aud Iningling with the New Years chimes which, from maily tall steeple, rang out the old and in the new, was the angelic voice of my | mistress made vibrant and vital with unspeakable joy. Unspeakable in mere words, of course, but capable of inter- pretation in song. People said my mis- tiess and I were inspired Of course ories voiced in music, and Inez, radiant with love, interpreted in songs sublime. This household has been a happy one ever since, and in the place of honor outranking newer and fresher furniture in the family sitting-room is my an tique case and myself. We see all that is going on, and Inez makes of me sort of shrine, for she loves me still as in days of yore. The constancy of such natures is proof against change. Happy indeed are they who have such friends.
 Near me in the sitting-room stands q crib, and the jewel in this particular | casket is a pink checked baby with those wonderful Italian eyes, and looks in which those of its father and mother seem strangely and mysteriously blend- ed. But it's music? We'll, I do not pre- tend to interpret the songs of all emo tions, and this little cherubs song is 1 too much for me. 1 can stand it's laugh | and enjoy it's cackle or crow, but when | it lifts it's voice for more vigorous mu- sical effort 1 prefer boiler factory or | the filing of saws. l love it, of course, | hut one can love wee sinner without | loving its sins. As an antique gifted in | harmonics and such, l protest against | itS at hn1 If Nlax thnx | enading.
 | The strangest thing of all is that its | father and mother, loving and under standing harmony, seem to love even | it's war yells and efforts when sailing | to windward in house-made squall. | All the same, we shall have christen- l ing this New Year, and from the plans have overheard, it is to be gay event. | His babyship is to be saddled for life with name, and there will be feasting | and dancing galore. We violins love | dancing, for at such events we rule the | roost, and every merrymaker obeys us as implicitly as soldiers obey their gen eral. Even the clulusiest feet step in time to our bidding and dare not dis obey. Come out to the christening. dear reader, and see what home made happy, hearts gladdened and faces il- lumed are like. On the household altar in this little home loves sacred flame burns clear. for the draughts of sus- picion, envy, jealousy, hatred and un- charitableness never imperil its glad some glow.
 This is very simple story, but it may prove to you the power of love and harmony to promote happiness, the pos abilities within reach of an antique violin. We violins are generally happy race, with no hypocrisy in our songs, no strife entangled in our strings. Would that all the world might learn from us the secret of song, the sym pathy which vibrates to 6 loving touch, the intuition which brings two souls together along the magnetic current of memory and music, the trinity of in- spiration which is represented by love enshrined in song and hallowed with the spirit of harmony.