The times., 1899-04-09


again, think. as it is never repeated in
the singing, and always should be-
know that the tears rolled over my cheeks
and dropped into my lap. l have a vague
remembrance of the Nice Boy enthusiast
tically and brokenly begging me to marry
him tonight and so to Venice with him
tomorrow, and my ecstatically consenting
to that or anything else. l am sure he held
my hand during that period, for the rings
cut In so. the next day. And l am almost
sure-indeed | am quite certain-but why
consider ones self responsible for such
things? At any rate, 1t has never happen
cd since
And when 1t was over we went up hand
in hand. and the Nice Boy said, What
what is your-your name?" And l stared
at him. expecting to see his dirty clothes
drop of. and his trailing clouds of glory
wrap him round before he vanished from
our eyes. His heavy eyebrows bent to-
gether His knees shook the piano stool
He was laboring under an intense excite
ment. But l think he was pleased at cur
faces.
"What-what the devil does it matter to
you what I'm named?" he said, roughly.
.@Oh it doesn't matter at all, not at all.
[ said meekly; only we wanted, We want
ed" And then, like that chit of seven
teen cried too. I am such fool about
music.
Now you know what mean when l say
l can play he growled savagely. He
seemed really terribly excited, even an
cry "fll play one thing more. Then you
| go home When l think o what | might
| have DONE great God, can't die till I've
shown 'em! Can II Can die? You hear
| me, You see" His face was hvid. 1
ought to have been afraid but wasn't.
you shall show them," gasped. You
shall! Will you play for the hotel? We
/ N.
"Oh, you shut upIv he snarled You!
| I've played to thousands, l have. You
don't know anything about it. It's the
devils drink that's KILN me. 1t ruined
me in Vienna. 1t spoiled the whole thing
| in Paris. It's goin' to kill me-" His voice
was a shrek. He dropped from the stool,
and from his pocket fell a bottle. The
Nice Boy gave queer little sob.
"Oh, it's dreadful. dreadful" he whis-
pered to himself He jumped up on the
platform and seized the mans shoulder.
Come come" he said. Well help you.
Come, be man! You stay here with us,
and We'll take care of you. Such gift as
/, yours shall not go for nothing. Come over
to the hotel, and I'll get you bsd.
The man staggered up. He was much
older than | had thought. There were
deep, disagreeable lines in his face. There
| was a coarseness, too-but, oh, that
Spring Song,?, Now, how can that be?
| My brother -in-law says-but this is not
his story. The man got onto the seat
somehow.
You're a decent fellow he said.
When I've done playing you go out Right
| straight out. Dye hear? FL come SSe
you tomorrow morning"
| Then he shut his eyes and felt for the
keys, and played the Chopin Berceuse. AMI
it is an actual fact that wanted to die
then. Not suddenly-but just to be rookie
into rest, rock into rest, and not wake UP
any more. 1t was the purest. sweetest,
most inexpressibly touching thing l ever
heard. | felt so young-so trustful, some
how. / knew that no harm would come.
And then it sang itself to sleep and we
went away and left him, with his head
resting on his hands that still pressed the
keys. And we never spoke 1 think tie
girl came out with US, but I'm not sure.
And at the door the Nice Boy gulped, and
said in a queer, shaky voice, I'm not
nearly good enough to have sat by you
l know that-you seem so far away-but
want to tell you" And l said that he was
much better than THAT none of US were
good-that | thought it would be all right
in the end-that after all 1t was being
managed better than we could arrange it
that perhaps after all heaven was more
like what we used to think than what we
think now. There is no knowing what VI
might have said if my brother-in-law hat
not come down to see where / was. Ant
then l went TO sleep like a baby.
~.
should like to end the story here
should like TO leave him bowed over tn,
keys, and remember only the most exqui
site experience of my life in connection
with him. But there is the rest OF the tale
and it really needs telling.
1 didn't see the end. The Nice Boy ant
, my brother-in-law saw that, and l onl!
know as much as they will tell me. Th'
Nice Boy went over and got him the mex
morning. He said his name was Decker
He said that he had spent the night in th-
soIemnest watching and praying, and h
had held the bottle in his hands and neve
touched a drop of it. They gave him a batl
and clothes, and fed him steadily for tw,
days. He grew fat before our eyes HI
looked nicer, more respectable. but NOR
commonplace He refused to touch tn
piano, because 1t gave him such a craving
for drink He hated to talk about himself
But he let slip occasional remarks abou
London and Paris and Vienna and Leipsi
that took away ones breath. He mus
have known strange people. Once he toll
, me u little story about Clara Schumanl
that implied more than acquaintance, an
he quoted Liszt constantly. He was al
American beyond doubt, we thought. H
spoke vaguely of secret that even Lisz
had missed. I guessed it was connecte
with that wonderful singing quality tha
T made the instrument a human voice uude
his fingers. When / asked him about it h
, laughed
/ You wait" he said confidently. "Yo
, just wait. I'll show you people somethin
5 to make you open your eyes. l know
You're good audience, you and you
/ friend. You make a good air to play il
' You just wait
l And | have waited. But never agai
, shall hear that lovely girl sing across tn
= hills. Never again will my heart gro'
big. and ache and melt. and slip away t
t that song. "Du. Meme Leibe. Du-' oh,
e was not of this earth, that music. Perhap
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