The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-04-14


ly just as Rex gave a yeXed little stamp.
Rex went on walking and singing The
boyish vent to his feelings had relieved
him. His voice rang out oxqusitely high
and clear. 1t was like woman s-like
his mothers, from whom he had inherited
1t, and 1t conjurod up a vision of her to
her husband, shut In his library and busy
with papers. Rex stopped again.
"Confound you You're doing awfully
tonight" he said, addressing his voice as
II 1t were companion.
His full name was Richard Hamilton
Winsted, but years before-1l, to be eX-
plicit-his happy mother ono day when
her husband lnughngly said the baby
ruled the whole house, applied tho name
of kingly meaning TO him. 1t was never
given up afterward.
The boys life up to the timo of this
story can be briefly sketched. Left moth
erless at Z, with memories Of lovely face
and tender, brooding care which still lin
gered with her son. who associated her
vaguely with the madonnas that he saw in
store windows, the boy lived alone with
his father.
Singing was his passion. He was one
Of the leading voices in a famous boy
choir, and the best part of the year to him
was when the Easter music was being
learned. 1t wanted but day before that
great occasion, and all his spare time at
homo was devoted to practice.
Mr.. Hamilton Winstod was an ambi
tious man. lie was engaged in paying
though not extensive business. How to
enlarge it had been problem ever since
he had known what q wonderful voice his
boy had. Within n few months he had
found new object to gain money for in
| the promise of a second wife. 1t was a
handsome girl who had made him this
promise, and his pride amused itself by
fancying how well she must be attired and
in what style she must live when she be-
came Mrs Hamilton Winsted. She was
quite as good as she was beautiful and he
instinctivoly kept from her knowledge
some Of the ways in which he was striving
to grow rich for her sake and the boys.
As it grew later Mr. Winsted S mind be.
came keenor and more alert. The visions
of his promised bride and his son faded to
give place to some new plan of speculation
that suddenly occurred to him. He thought
it all out, aided by calculations on paper,
The sum thaG might be gained was large,
and his face grew clatcd with the joy of
greed. 1t was q look that Miss Leonora
Ellsworth would not have cared to see
there and 1t was not soltened by any pity
for those who would lose If he won.
But in the hall there was another look
on handsome, boyish face. Rex had for
gotten that II was past his bedtime. His
countcnance, agluw at first with an artists
delight in his art, grew brighter with the
realization OF the meaning of what he
sang. 1t was the first time he had entered
SO completely into the spirit of his Easter
music, and he rendered it SO well thu
his father became gradually conscious Of
the words, The repetitons of the faithful
practice fairly burned the syllables into
his soul:
The day Of resurrection
| Earth, tell 10 all abroad
The passover OF gladness,
The passover Of God
From death to life eternal
From earth unto the sky,
Our Christ hath brought US over,
With hymns Of victory.
So sang the clear soprano that in few
hours was to enohant all hearers at Christ
church, and the change Of his intonation
as he rendered the last half of the stanza
was perfect The listener in that quiet
library began to grow very uneasy. Then
, he heard
, Our hearts be pure from evil
That we may see Alright
, and the rest of those words composed so
long ago by John of Damascus "Our
hearts be pure from evil, sang the boy
again and again, as IL some divine impulse
guided him.
"Mine isn't, thought the man. "Mine
Z isn't. Mine is filed with evil plans to-
! night. What am intending to dor Per-
haps wreck some happy homes-perhaps--
for it is all game Of chance, though |
feel pretty sure of winning--perhaps
. wreck my own. Then where would my
pure hearted boy beY But 1t is all for him,
all for his music and for Leonora. Isn't
that good enough motiye"
Then he listened again TO the word:
borne into the quiet library from the hall,
/ At last he fell TO his knees in struggle
= that did not end until late-a struggle be-
,, tween his desire for gain and his strange
J new conviction that his way OF getting |,
lwopld be sinful