The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-10
Stories of an inland State.

4
| The glistening keys lay under his hand
| He amused himself a moment with the
! shadows that his fingers cast on the white
| bright keys shadows that were faint and
elusive. He passed his right hand slowly
up the keyboard not touching it but study
Ing the shadow as Il followed his moving
| fingers.
Then he rested his hands on the keys and
| looked down into the polished front OF the
great instrument before him. There was
Burr, In satin reflection, in the dark wood;
| a black ghost with cleaning eyes.
Then the shadows Of the rhapsody, he
began. came to him In groups. paving and
clawing like demons demanding again to
be conjured up into music and to dance
with him in mid-air in a mad whirl In and
out among the stars In the moonlight. And
now the rush Of the sucking wind and the
wierd shrek OF the witch astride her
broom In mid-air piercing cloud after cloud
In an angry gallop, purposeless and without
end. And now the globuled notes Of lark
dripping from its slender throat, and the
prrr of amorous breezes in the long grass
and the silken CULVER of the sunlight on a
wide meadow and the queraulous chatter
Of pebbly brook. A young girl with Won
drous eyes stood there a wild-rose in her
lair pout upon her lips, with naked out
stretched arms.
And he crept over the velvet grass. down
where the color of the wild-roses and the
MARBLE Of the robin mingled In blended
color and tone. He touched her hair, and
drew all the tresses out and ran them
through his fingers; he passed his hand over
the palpitating fushes Of her cheeks and
stroked the siIken surface Of her lips, and
knelt and kissed her snowy foot
And then the blasts of the upper air drew
him resistlessIy back and away from the
figure standing there with naked outstretch
ed arms-the shadow OF memory Of an old
love.
The noise, The roaringi He awoke
the back Of his hand to his eyes as a
child tends against both sleep and waking
All yes. He had forgotten. The applause.
He understood now. The audience was ap-
plauding him. Had he been long away7 An
orchestra number next. He must have de-
layed them
laundering came the pillows Of applause.
He arose And bowed The roar beloved
with Increased enthusiasm He bowed again
stupidity. awkwardly. He thought he had
bent his body. He had bent only his head
1t was merely nod
There were women standing on their seats
waving their handkerchtefs Historically.
seine weeping and some shrieking. Several
excited man had taken the aisles and were
shouting with an enthusiasm that resem-
bed high pitch of anger.
One man was not excited He sat down
N nd kp,,+ y HA
turned to his flushed companion who was
wildly clapping his hands
He would have said something but the
roar prevented it.
This man was a specialist He was study
ing his patient
The audience suhsided- The orchestra
started up The specialist settled back He
had recon s:dered his impulse to tell his
friend something. He had enjoyed the con-
cert very much. He was the only man IN
the audience who had been paid for COM
ing instead of paying an admission fee
Burr, the pianist, yirtuasn, stumbled back
of the srenes- Agnes wrapped him IN q
great clpak and hurried him down ana ont
OF the house.
In the cab Burr bent ovrr and said
eagerly:
II saw her tonight
"And you are happy
$50 happy, BY a bronx IN a Meadow
But you must rest now"
ct KNOW" he said wagging his head Il
know"
WHAT"
''You think am crazy"
"Algernon!"
.Don't deny It. I know"
The woman sank back almost IN a faint
'rBut Esten," he said excitedly. Take
her away and the music ceases. She Is my
inspiration. Take her away and the spiTif
OF the song Is dead Take her away and the
girl in the meadow by the bronx Is gone
They always applaud that-they go wild
Take her away and will die. Oh Agnes
You will not take her away Say that"
The woman studied him Acutely and then
spoke.
"Algernon," she said with heavy heart
CLARA Drew, the woman Of your dream is
still a woman Of flesh and blood. Fancy
her as such. Do not chase these shadows
We become shadows ourselves II We dwell
among them.
The man only nodded repeatedly. az one
thinking TO himself and not hearing the
" 0rdS addressed 10 nm.
''Why not write herr Go and see her.
when 1 can summon her here now?'
He shook his head smiling and said:
''Nn"
Agnes was crying now. She brushed
away her tears and strnkAd tbs musicians
head.
ct am SO tired" he munured. $50 very
tired"
He pushed her hands away and sa;dI
1T was another TRIUMPH
yes. 1 have never seen such an audi
sncs before"
And the applause"
simply overwhelming. Algerunn! D.d |
you not hear it,
There was apprehension In the woman's |
voice.
Yes" he said vaguely, ~ believe I did"
She Fitted him ont OF the cab and up the |
steps. He was soon II bed and Agnes sa; |
below al table, nervous and hdsety.
did he Know that had fears for his |
mind? VIII the man never come? And |
his girl in the west, this Clara Drew who |
,esets him. Loving her so why doesn't he |
write TO her? He refused point blank Is |
I because he loves her shadow. the shadow |
he sees in his music more than the girl /
herself? I cannot understand"
She had posted a servant On the porch |
,utside. The bell must not ring. 1t would |
arouse the musician,
AT last the specialist who had watched |
he performer from the audience came ir-
He blew his fingers and walked around |
he room briskly.
ITS very brisk night" he said
Eyes, very brisk"
~ watched him closely tonight" he said /
,ausinG