Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-12-30

llllO IllG
Orowu and told the boy to move IN
Now, my brother William - chi,
Uncle Joshua, "is something of a vio'
Ilhlst himself He was one of the nortv
Uh the Motel porch, and no sooner had
1ne Policeman stopped the concert than
up ne got and ran after the strange mn.
slclan like boy after circus narade
Billy had been over in par;s tho
winter before and while there had stun.
pied on to lot Of music bv an ola
french composer whom the world had
never discovered, by the name of Fran.
co.'s Fayette This Fayette, my brother
Ioid me, had come to the city century
or two before from somewhere in the
south OF France, with lot of music he
had composed, and then disappeared
his music had lain undisturbed in the
garrett Of an old building many wears
ana from thence had passed into the
hands OF dealer in old manuscripts
and 1t was from him William secured
it.
Now, it seems that the piece viii.
liam had heard the musician play that
night was one of these identical compo-
sitlons by the forgotten Fayette. He
had always thought it marvelouslv
sweet little composition, even when he
played 1t himself. But as he had heard
the stranger render it it was dream
and revelation
Well, the upshot of the matter was
that after much urging and pleading
William managed to bring the boy
home with him that night. After we
had fed him and he had rested and told
us his story, not without great deal of
tactful questioning ON our part, he
finally took his violin and began to
play.
"Ah, " said Uncle Joshua softly, as
he sank back into his chair and closed
his eyes, 81 cannot tell you how he
played. Even l had tears in my eyes
that couldn keep back, And still his
selections we're always from the compo-
sitions of the misty Fayette. Where had
he learned them? He could not tell us.
1t was all in his heart he said. 1t was
the music that had come to him from
murmuring pines and ripping streams,
and some Of it, he said, was what he
heard on stormy nights,
HE played far into the night for us,
and then next morning we had one Of
our darkies hitch up and take him
home. William had given him enough
money for his rent, and the boy prom
ised a speedy return.
| 90 xuoal ,,oceoI an1 fbon aOntho,
week. With his absence the wonder hi
playing had aroused in us increased
Indeed, we almost came to doubt thu
reality of it all. Where had he eve,
heard the music of Fayette? Indeed
how could he have ever heard it at all
He could not be an impostor. The mys
terry could not be explained away on tn
grounds of mere coincidence.
1--WE ere on the point of driving GU
to the uoy's cabin to hear him pla,
again, when one morning bright an,
early, a tall and lanky youth, carrying
an oblong bundle under his arm, cam
up to the door of our house and in
quired for William. He and were eat
ing breakfast at the time, and tn
stranger, evidently Cracker, was ush
cred in.
"'Be you all the gentleman eA Civ
Bub the rent money! he inquired, &C
dressing William. William said tha
he was. We'll, Bub, he's dead, en- h
sent you all this fer to remember hir
by We learned little more. The DO
had died two days before from no al
parent cause. His last request was cor
corning the violin.
1.-TWO months later, when autumn
was we'll on and the nights were becon
ing chilly, William and were sittin
before the fireplace one evening talkin
about the boy who had played sue
wonderful music William was holdin
the violin in his lap, idly examinin
the workmanship Suddenly saw hill
draw the violin up and look closely
the head. There's a name or SOM
thing, he said, 'on this little she
plate that I've never noticed. By Jov
what if He jumped up and held II
violin close to the light. 1t was ham
ing over his shoulder on the instan
And there, very faint, but clear enoug
in the strong light to be read, engravt
in fine French script, was a name thi
sent our hearts a-leaping like MAJ
Bows, the name on the violin was TN
of Francois Fayette denver News