The San Francisco call., 1898-02-19

1 the club had done all that busy men could do to make the affair a success. Germaine lent to the occasion the dlg- nifty and grace of his presence; also his portrait of Rizzoforte, before Wnlcn crowds stood gazing in reverent1al awe Germaine, too, fingered near the por- trait, not that he was in spirit one of the worshipers at the musical shrine, but that admirers might whisperlngiy point him out as the famous critic who possessed the portrait and the great Rizzofortes friendship. While he posed here, ostentatiously unconscious, pres entity from the next room came strains of music. Germaine started. That familiar, loved melody-it could be nothing but Gorgioni's Polonaise. Sac rilege! Dissertation! Browning por- tentuously, the great critic turned to enter the next room, when the quite aud1Dle words of a man near by stayed him.
 It was Bauvin, the violinist. whose handsome dark head was close to the blonde curlS of a girl, a pupil of his, whose childish face was lighted by love and awe.
 Yes, Rizzoforte did play it, Bau- vln was saying. You're right about | that. Nevertheless, it's cheap, a piece or show-off, musical fireworks, in short. IL always catches the crowd, though. Listen to the applause An, Germaine. Miss Lovelsby, M. Jules Germaine, the 'Shouter's critic, you know. We were speaking, Ger maine, of that little barcarolle of Heuers Of course you remember Riz- ZoIortes playing 1t repeatedly as an en- core. l never could see, myself, why Fhe chose anything so meretricious. understand that he had a great con- tempt for musical taste out here. How It must have disgusted him to have to play such stuff But, of course, you know more about his feelings than any one else in town.''
 Germaine stammered something. bauVln's Knowledge of music was be- yond suspicion. What could be the meaning of this? He dared not ask, but his bewildered musings were cut short by Miss Lovelsby's voice.
 clear soprano softly.
 No. corrected Bauvin. a trife pe- dantically. Its 'Tra-la-la-la-la- la'-you take it too slowly" l And stepping up to the portrait. pointing to the notes written in the corner, Bauvin whistled softly and slowly.
 That's it." Bauvin turned at length, That's about the tempo Rizzoforte ap- proved isn't it, Germaine? Oh, how the man did play! You must read Ger maine on the way RiZzoforte played Gorgioni's Polonaise, Miss Lovelsby. It I will give you an insight into the spirit of the composition that nothing else | can."
 1 At another time. Germaine would have listened to this praise with the slightly bored, deprecating manner he | had learned to assume when his praises | were sung. Just now, however, he felt bewildered, dizzy. His fame, his mod est fortune had been built upon that famous critique of Gorgionis Polo naise, when, in truth, he now discov- cred it wasn't critique of the old mas | terpiece at all. In his desperate ignor- ance, on the night of Rizzoforte's first concert, which inaugurated Germaine's career as a musical critic, the unhappy reporter had heard only the encore which the disdainful artist had thrown as sop to his audience. And all Ger maine's eloquence, all his repeated, hyperbolical paean of praise had been | offered up for Heuers Barcarolle, which Buavin had st1gmatized as | '.meretriciOus.
 1 Germaine went home. He was too miserable, too disheartened to endure more Of course, he had been aware of his own ignorance but he had yield | ed to the charm of being great for so long that he had forgotten how little | he really was.
 
 His early departure was an oppor- 1 tunity for Germaine's enemies to de- clare, that in his desire to have the pub l. lie note the eccentrfcities- of his genius. the famous critic was becoming posi- lively unbearabfe, personality; though no one could deny his eminence in his profession. MIRIAM MICHELSON.
 Peanut taffy, best in world. Townsend S.
 
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 The most nutritious food for Alaska is Er11its will