Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-31
Copyright, 1886, by Robert Barr.)
CHAPTER XIX-Continuel.

vim A1iN 49,
''You see. you are in Bohemia" cried Bar
ney. beaming joyously on his many guests,
"and the delight of Bohemia is unconven-
t~ionality. ] danced after the theater till
daylight this morning, and l am as ready as
ever to begin again. Shall We not lunch
because we have breakfast and because
we dine at 7? Not so. l am ready for a
dance any time OF the night or day. Now,
Mr.. Musician, strike up. 'on with the
dance, let JOY be unconhned,' as the poet
says"
Langly could not have played out OF
time or tune II he tried. The piano, az Bar
ncy had truly said, was a splendid instru-
ment. and when the gay waltz music filled
the large room each couple began to feat
lightly over the polished floor. The musician
played on and on, mechanically yet bril-
liantly, and In the pauses between the dances
more than one OF the guests spoke to their
host OF the music's excellence.
oh, yes" said Barney, with a jaunty
wave Of the hand, hes one of my friends.
The mans a genius, don't you know, and is
In music what | am myself In painting
Barney. you always lay it on too thick"
said one of the young men. You'll turn the
~pianlst's head with flattery IL he knows you
consider him as clever as yourself"
perhaps you imagine I'm too dense TO
see through that remark" said Barney, with
the condescension of true genius. 81 know
your sneering ways, but let me tell you
what / meant was that both the musician
and myself are unrecognized by the mob
of commonplace people of whom you are
so distinguished a Representatives" or
Halter myself | had him there" whispered
Barney aside to the lady on his right Yes,
my boy, the day will come when you will
DO proud to say you were invited to these
receptions, which ] intend to make one Of
tba nrtietipc features pf TOp1Dn SOript "
"Why Barney" protested the young man,
I'm. proud of 1t now. / make myself OBJ
joctionable in all my clubs by continually
Dragging that you smile upon me. / claim
that you are in art what the Universal Pro-
wider is in commerce"
do get him to play something while we
are resting" the lady, thus pour
ing oil on the troubled waters.
Langly sat at the piano, a disconsolate
figure, paying no attention to the hum Of
conversation all around him. His thoughts
were far away, in the sualid room where
the dead girl lay. Barney hustled up TO
him, and the musician came to himself with
a start on being spoken to.
"Here are several Hungarian maZurkas-
weird t~hings-you'n like 'em. Just polish off
a few for us while we have some tea, will
you? They are all complimenting your
p~laying-they're people to know a good
thing when they hear it. Won't you have
some refreshment yourself before you be-
gin?"
Langly shook his head and began playing
the Hungarian music. Barney sat down
again beside the lady, smiling with salts
faction at being able to pose as the patron
of so accomplished a musician. The lady
leaned her chin on her hand and listened
intently. -.,.s.i
How marvelously he does those mazur-
kas.' she whispered softly. HE brings out
that diabolical touch which seems to be in
much of the Polish and Hungarian music"
YES" assented Barney cordially, "he
does play like the devil. yet he is an or
ganlst in a church. All, well, ] suppose
Beelzebub looks after our music as he does
our morals"
HAS he composed anything?"
Who? Satan?"
mo, no. You know very we'll Pm speak
Ing of the organist."
composed. Well, rather. He's an
unrecOgnized genius, but I'm going to look
after his recognition. I'm going to bring
out some of his works. if he'll let me. He's
a very modest man, and"
Another likeness to yourself"
Exactly. exactly. I'm always pushing
other people forward and neglecting my own
interests; still, I'll arrive some of these days
and astonish you all, don't you know. You
see. our set doesn't produce men OF genius
like that organist. The upper ten never pro-
duced a Shakespeare"
81 thought it did. Didn't Lord Bacon write
shakespeare"
mo, he didn't. I've looked up that ques-
tion, but there's nothing in it, don't you
know. No, the really great men come from
the common people, The world doesn't know
where 10 look for them. hut l do, and | find
'em just as I found this man, l go for my
society to the afistocracy. but for my
{ geniuses to the democracy"
"But If society does not produce great
men, how do you hope to become the greatest
of painterS?"
'Ah, paintings a different thing. don't you
know. 1t has always been the g~entleman's