Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-24
CHAPTER XIX.

With the words starved to death" ring
ing in his ears. Langley walked to Chelsea.
Bitterly he accused himself for his stupid
blindness; all this had been going on for
days and he had had no suspicion of it.
She had from the first undoubtedly stinted
herself so that her father might not 60
hungry, and when, at last the real pinch
came she was too weak to resist 1t. Her
father. isolated by his temper from any
friends who might have seen what was
happening and given warning in time, had
also been unconscious of what was passing
before his eyes, His gruff independence
had slowly famished his own daughter.
"Straved to deathr in the richest city in
world-the granary OF the nations, into whose
ample lap pouns the golden wheat from every
country under the sun that ripens it.
At last Langley reached the studio and
might have known, had he been convemalt
with the habits of the great world, that a
notable function was in progress thereabout
by the numerous carriages with fine horses
and resplendent coachmen and footmen, that
waited near by. In his earlier days Langley
had hoped for pupils to instruct and thus
increase his scanty income, He had cards
printed-"Albert Langley" in the center,
and Teacher of Music" in smaller type in
the corner. These were never used, Lang
ley not having the courage to push his in
quirieS for pupils and secure them. He,
knowing Barney to be fashionable man,
had put some of these cards in his pocket
door the bit of pastebOari was handed to
him.
The boy glanced at the card, dropped it
into the receptacle that contained many 9th
ers, and shouted the name up the stairway,
waiting its ascent with wave of his hand.
The man who held aside the heavy drapery
which covered the doorway, bawled the
name into the room, from which confused
murmur OF conversation came. mingled now
and then with a pleasing ripple of laughter
Tnl tnl iNi cta at In ton NJ
the stair gazed dreamily over Langlys head
as he mounted. -
Taking another card the organlst gave it
to the man at the door.
Il have not come TO the AT Home" he
said Would you give this to Mr.. Hope and
ask II he wilLsees me for a moment. Tell
him l called l3sts night. and could not cons
The man toqls the card and disappeared be.
hind the curtalnsa In an incredibly short
time Barney canie yout, and his reception oil
the musician was Overwhelmingly elusive
My dear fellow" he cried, placing hand
on each shoulder. Of Langly, "can you play
the piano? or course you can. What a
foolish question to ask! l always light on
my feet. Providence has dropped you down
here, my boy don't you know. Here we
have just sent out to scour Chelsea for a
pianist. and heEesyou drop right down from
the skies, don't you know. This is luck
Want to see me?7 OF course you do, and
what's more t9stheI point, | want to see you |
don't you knDw!t Now come right in. I've
got the finest grand piano you ever fingered
m your magnificent instrument case de-
signed by myselfgtold 'em to spare no ex-
pense, and they didn't, don't you know. |
Trust EN- for that. Now come In, come in. =
Mr.. Hope. did not come to play. | am |
IN no condition for playing"
"Of course you didn't come TO play That's |
he beauty of it, You want something from |
ne, now don't your"
Yes. and II you Will give me a moment"
"A thousand OF EN-, my boy. a thousand |
II EN-, but not Just now. Listen to me. You |
want something I've got, and l want come
hing you've got Very well. All England's
prosperity Is based on just that position OF
hings Our commerce is founded on il. Our
mutual country is great merely because she
Knows what she wants. and because she has
the other fellow wants. don't you
NOW. Now, | want a man who can play
lance music and | want him now-not j.
morrow, or day after. or next week. You sne
What i mean. Good. You come in ano
olish us of some waltzes on the new piano,
hen, when It's all over. I'll let you have
What you want, II It's half my kingdom. az