The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-06-30
VOL. XLIV---NO 25

to the Thames Oh his way back to
the Remington, it looked like a river
in Greenland; ice foes were floating
across it, flocks of sea gulls were
whirling overhead, and the inky
houses looked out on steamers hem
med in by ice. Yes, it was desperate
ly, bitipgly cold that night. Even the
match. sellers and the uewsboys had
gone shivering home to their dens.
Only one or two policemen, mUifled
in great coats, passed along, silent
watchers of the night. The streets
were dumb-locked III a snow sleep.
Leonard got as far as the middle of
the bridge, then his foot slipped on a
trail OF ice, and he fell forward, his
head against the stone parapet. A
mist came over his eyes, he saw again
the warm room he had left, he heard
Clara's voice, he felt the touch of her
hand, and then he saw the stars.
/ a ragged woman came and looked
at him, Drunk" she muttered. II
wish to God was.n and she went on
her way. Then the burly policeman
| came and took him by the arm, Here
you, get up out of that! move on,
can't you!'' But there was no move,
| ment. On the calm, dead face,
to murmur Love and Life The
full moon looked down on the FROST
locked river, with its ships embedded
in ice, and there was a great silence
over all.
At the inquest. next day, the yer.
dict came-it was common one just
then, died from syncope, caused by
cold and exposure"
On the thin figure there was no
shirt, and Clara's knitted wooden
mitteDs were his warmest clothing.
She knew it all next day from the
evening papers. Hot tears filed her
eyes as she remembered Leonard
Denham' s sad, wistful eyes, and his
beautiful playing.
Mr.. hermann says now that he
could have got him splendid situa-
ton at the theatre, to accompany the
singers. How | wish he had known
it before, poor, poor fellow, No friends,
no one to care for him. Love and
Life he said he had never known
them. Perhaps he knows them now"
Clara took the WORKOUT mittens
from her pocket, and looked tenderly
at them. but she said no more.
"A shocking thing" remarked the
boarders, as they drew their chairs
closer to the fire. The newspapers
are quite full of horrors today. 1t
certainly is terribly cold, we are in for
another hard frost"
More than two years afterwards,
Clara Simpson-no longer Simpson
now, but Mrs. Theodore Martin-was
sitting on a bench looking over the
pier at Cromer. 1t was summers
evening, soft and sweet. She and her
husband were Oh their honeymoon,
and AS they glanced out on the moon
lit waves the band struck up a valse,
dreamy, delicate, sad. 1t was the
same which Leonard Denham had
played on the evening of Mrs. Bax-
ter's party-the last evening of his
pathetic life.
ut isl it is,n cried Clara, clasping
her hands, II remember it quite
well. Iplayed little tiny bit of it
once from memory. 1t is the very
same, l know. OH Theodore, he is
not dead. when his music lives to us
like this. And see, here in the pro-
eramme, it is called "A Frosty Night!
By L. Denham.' How did it get to be
knownt"
How did it get to be known By
the simplest way in the world. DIR.
Hermann, the German professor,
understood harmony, h jotted down
the notes, got the valse published, it
became a tremendous success, and
was soon heard on every band and
barrel organ throughout the country.
Leonard Denham had not tried quite
in vain. The refrain of his music
echoed in thousands of hearts when
love was strongest, and thoughts too
deep for tears.