El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-07
A LUCKY ESCAPE.

I'm going to bring Nicholi around
to play for you, girls" Rex Brooks said
to Ethel and me one evening. HE is
a superb pianist and intensely inter-
esting. 1 found him at recital at
music hall and interviewed him. He
has engagements enough already to
keep him here all winter"
"Is he handsome?' 1 ventured laugh
ingly.
Very" replied Rex, enthusiastically,
and there's a magnetism about him
you cannot resist. You'll enjoy meet
ing him, I'm sure" And Rex kissed
Ethel good-by, little thinking he might
ever regret introducing to her man
who has so much magnetism" about
him.
My sister Ethel had been engaged to
Rex Brooks for a year and they expect
ed to marry as soon as Rex's promised
promotion to the editorial staff OF the
daily occurred.
We girls were orphans and lived in
a tiny fiat in the city, supporting our
selves by giving lessons, Ethel in mu-
sic and in drawing; and, although we
were poor, hardworking e. Is, we'man-
of life. One of our greatest pleasures
was our friendship with Rex, friend
ship which, on the part of Rex and
Ethel, soon ripened into love. So when
they laughingly asked my consent to
their engagement-for 1 was two years
cider than Ethel gave it willingly,
and Rex had been like a dear brother
to me ever since.
He was noble, warm-hearted young
fellow, very Industrious and ambitious
and 1 felt that Ethel would be safe in
hts keeping.
A few evenings later Rex brought
Nicholi around. He was an Italian,
remarkably handsome, with a dark,
foreign sort Of beauty, graceful in his
movements and possessing a voice
sweet and musical, although, having
been but a year or so in this country,
he spoke English rather imperfectly.
They had been in the room but short
time when Rex begged Nicholi to play
for us.
He rose at once and went over to the
piano.
Then something strange happened.
He struck the keys in a plaintive min
Z little vase Of Venetian glass standing
on the mantel, a gift from Rex to
Ethel, was shivered to atoms as If by
: blow and fell in tinkling shower
o the hearth beneath. We all sprang
Involuntary to our feet and Rex cried
out:
''Was it hit by a sound wave, Mich
5if?"
"a thousand pardons," Nicholi ex-
oIaimed; at was my fault, and yet not.
Objects like people have keynote. I
truck the keynote of the little vase, it
-lade rsponse and too great was the
fort, SO it made shatter-'what you
al it?'"
We had been startled by the Incl
tent, but Nicholi's words in his imper-
ct English created a revuIsion Of feel
lg and we laughed heartily.
The fragments were gathered up and
The Italian returned quite calmly to the
-iano and played a weird composition,
'eginning with a swift, imprisoned
movement, which gradually merged
into a slow, soft, pleading wall or Ia
nent. I shivered as he ended. I did
rot like the man, nor did 1 like his
husband yet could not but acknowl-
sdge the great charm Of both.
~Nicholi would break a woman's
heart with as much composure as he
froke your beautiful vase" I said to
Ethel after the men had left.
But he did not break the vase,
DEAR" demonstrated Ethel; "you heard
what he said about the keynote, Nam"
"Oh, yes. 1 heard was my reply,
but 1 do not understand it. But I
am positive of this. If he found the
keynote, as he calls it, to a woman's
heart, he would not hesitate
''Come, come, Man." interrupted