The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-05-20
HIS TRIUMPH.

Alone in his little bare room, Hart
zcll was playing softly, telling tho story
over to himself for tho hundredth time.
1t seemed almost too good to BIO true,
and he could scarcely realize that his
opportunity had come at last, and that
that which he had longcd for all his
life had happened in his old age.
1t was really only n trifiing incident,
tho indisposition of the great soloist
and the substitution of Hartxcll, but to
the broken down little man it seemed
the entering wedge of future fame. and
the melody he was playing that after
noon thrilled with triumphant promise
His life had Econ almost pathetic i'll
its uncvcntfulncss, marked by only ono
distinguishing characteristic, his love
for music. Ever since the first rcmem-
bcrcd days, when lie stood shivcring Oil
the street corners and played uncomrrc-
hcndingly TO al uncomprehending audi
cncc, his violin had been his only real
friend, listening TO him, speaking to
him, i'll sympathy with him always.
Among men he had been Il failure,
his abstraction of mind, together with
an extreme diffidence, rendering him
unit both to follow and to lead. With
i'll himself he might lay plans for vigor-
Gus action, for forcing the world to rec
ognizo tho genius which he knew was
his, but when the time for action came
he always shrank and waited until it
was too late.
And SO tho dreams of his young DAYS
II r. ,fp,,, Sol,
almost where he had begun, an uniden-
tifiablo part Of that great whole, tho
grand orchestra Of the Hyperion.
Never ut case i'll tho company of 9th
ers, he had drawn further and further
away from his fellow men, finding his
only comradeship and tho clearest OK
preston of his thoughts in the clinging
sweep of the bow upon tho strings He
fell into tho habit of putting all his
doubts and hopes into the music which
he played to himself, and it seemed us
though tho violin understood and an
swcred him.
1t came to pass that he rarely spoke
i'll any other way, but went through his
work silently, unheeding the presence
of others, unanswcring their words. His
fellows in the orchestra called him era
zy and made him tho butt for many
pleasantrics of Il personal nature. The
conductor alone recognized the absolute
certainty Of time and strength and pur-
lty Of tone which tho little old man
evoked, and when some one must be
found to take the solo part in the great
Orchestration HartZcll was chosen.
We'll give you chance" tho ia
nous musician had said Remember
your timo and don't hurry, and am
sure you will get through all right,
and Hartzell had dumbly bowed his
thanks and gone home in condition Of
dreamy exaltation to tell the glad news
over and over again to the only friend
whose sympathy he cared for.
The distant peal of the tower clock
reused him Mt last, and he FASTENED
through his simple toilet and went out
into tho cold, drizzling rain of the au-
tumn night. The streets were crowded
with people on their way to tho various
places of amusement, and he was jostlcd
this way and that like frail skiff
among larger craft, but he noticed moth
ing, for i'll tho glory of hope he was as
one marching i'll the procession of his
own triumph.
In the dim orchestra room under the
stage HartZell received his final instruc-
lions from the leader, and then, mount
ing the dusty stairway, found quiet
corner in the wings and sat down to
wait his turn, bugging the violin to his
breast.
From tho auditorium came the faint
burr Of many voices, mingled with Il
snbdued rustling us the late arrivals
settled themselves in comfortable an
ticipation. Suddenly there was hush,
and the melody of the grand overture
burst forth ill all its swinging, swaying
rhythm HartZell listened intcntly. He
had never before been upon the stage
during Il performance, and the music
sounded strangely in his ears. He start
cd apprehensivcly at the rattle of APP
plausc which followed hard upon tho
closing strains of tho overture, and a
wave of nervousness swept over him as
he realized that he must face so many
people. Ho was conscious of a wish that
his trial came later in the programme
instead of being the third number
The prima donna stepped forth from
one of the brightly lighted dressing
rooms and nodded smilingly to Hartzcll