The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-01-22
p SECOND PAGANINI,
BY MARGARETTA BYRDE.

TO cough, which sound penetrated to tn
Others through the thin partition.
Hear him now" exclaimed Nora, lift
ing flushed face from the fire Sure it,
hard heart would object to the littl
comfort we can bring him."
Jessie, unmoved by the direct attacl
upon her benevolence, shrugged he
shoulders. Nora covered the plate OF no
toast upon the fender, and rose with diff
Guilty, for she was no longer young.
Leave the mendin', me darlint," sh,
said, with abrupt change of tone from re
preach to coaxing," an knock on thu
come in.
He can wait until we are quite ready,
answered Jessie, tartly. "And that viii
be soon enough to sicken the room with
the smell of whiskey and stale tobacco
"Sure it's bronchitis he's got on him, )
Nora demonstrated ''And there's no fire
in the next room"
Jessie knocked on the wall impatiently
There was no answering signal, except q
cough. A moment after the landlady en-.
tered with the tray. Then Nora left the
room, but soon returned alone
Gle wants to rest she said in regret
full tone.
Giles had his whiskey,' said Jessie,
"and doesn't want any tea. | told YOU
your trouble was wasted OH him.
But Jessie was wrong. Paganni bad
flung himself upon the bed at Nora's
knock, and turned his face to the wall
because of something upon it he did not
wish her to see. In the fast gathering
darkness, what with his increasing weak.
ness, the recollections called up by DR..
Lathom s name, and the resemblance OF
DR.. Lathom's daughter zeal or fancied, &c
some one-another peach bloom, dewy-
Tipped bubble, broken long ago-he was
growing feverishly alive.
Memory, once started on its remorsel rss
track, carried him further into the past,
led him to the starting point of his career,
when he was worshipper, reverent and
faithful, Of true art. 1t recalled the great
master, whose ideals he had abandoned tC
rival genius of lower type, if as I'M.
approachable in his way. He had chosen
the body, not the soul of music. Yet he
had once been at the sacred place where
soul leaps into being.
1t was the masters birthday-that day
of days; and he, with his fellow-students
had gathered to do honor to consecrated
genius. One after another they had played
the masters favorite works, while he lis
turn had come. He had chosen one OF the
most difficult, technically, of the violin
ist's compositions, but the one he loved
best so he played it with all his heart and
soul. 1t was a Rhaps ody, as yet unpub
lished, and new to nearly all present. liz
remembered the breathless silence, his owr
trembling heart, as he wondered, when he
had finished at his temerity in venturins
to interpret work he had never heard tht
master play; his sudden realization, as the
applause of his comrades smote his ear and
the smile OF the master met his eye, that
he had not done amiss. But oh, the ex.
citement that followed when, amid shouts
of enthusiasm, the master arose to speak
He said his work was nearly done, and
he lad his hands upon the shoulder of the
pupil who had last played-old Paggy fell
that touch thrill him now, through the
shabby cloak that covered him-and said
that here, here was one that he trusted
would carry on his loved traditions and
succeed him when he was gone, as an in
terpreter of lofty and ennobling aspirations
The Niviani Sisters had finished theil
tea, and Nora was thinking of making
another attempt to rouse old Paggy, while
Jessie grumbled at the tea things being
kept about, when suddenly strange sound
came from the hedraom. 1t was old paggy
at his fiddle, but in such unwonted way
with vague, hesitating attempts at first
then with scraps of broken melody, tenta
tive efforts at all but forgotten strains
lastly with longer consecutive movement
ended abruptly, as if the player were toe
much moved to continue it. 1t was tn,
Rhapsody.
"Ah! if he would hut play like thatn'
exclaimed Nora, listening with delight.
Five minutas later he entered the room
dazed, and sitting down near the fire, pro
fessed readiness for t. tea that Nora
brought him. He was shivering with colo
Or emotion, or both combined, but hi
rallied by-and-by, and when it was time tt
dress, seemed quite his usual self, except
for that ncessant Wheeling cough.
The Town Hall was pac,ed long before
it was time for the concert to begin. DIR
Lathom and his daughter were in theil
places, the centre seats of the third row
and watched with interest the assembling
of the little orchestra.
"Yes, that's he," whispered the doctor
as old Paggy came quietly to his place.
A near-sighted lady near them exclaimed
what a fine-looking old MANI seeing bu
the white hair and Roman profile.
"a wreck" said the doctor, regretfully