Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1900-11-09

am busy man, as you know, made
moiselle, and have to deny myself many
pleasures. | have ventured to intrude
on you, for which you must please lay
the blame solely on me. because have
a little patient down there in the vii
lage whose recovery seems to depend
entirely on YOU"
ION me!'
my patient is little child who has
been at deaths door through fever, and
whose one desire, night and day, has
been to hear you sing. We thought it a
delirious fancy that would pass, but it
seems that, had she been WELL she was
to have come up to the castle one day
when you sang to the villagers, and
that she lost her chance through this
illness. She raves and weeps alternate
ly and will not sleep, begging always
to be taken to you so that she might
ask you to sing one little song to her"
where is she? Take me to her, doc
tor, and l will sing to her at once"
Half an hour later, with all her soul
in her exquisite voice, she was stand
ing in the cottage singing a song of life
and love to the bewildered villagers.
while the sick child propped up by pill
lows to hear the desire of her heart,
| cried out that it was an angel who had
come in answer to her prayers.
1t was midnight twelve hours since
EUo had aH tln el, Il .
death from the village home, and she
was holding great assembly hushed
and spellbound, while her voice, no
longer softened and subdued, rang with
all its glorious power through the large
opera hall which she had lately added
to her castle.
| 1t was the moment of her crowning
triumph, the moment when Desdemona,
! realizing to the full her danger, and the
| infieXible purpose of Othello, trans
formed by jealousy into murderer,
ceased to plead for her life, and in
stead, proudly and passionately de-
clared her innocence.
Count Devas, the Italian singer who
had already won universal applause for
his wonderful rendering of Othello,
faced her, the madness of rage that was
consuming him portrayed vividly in
every feature Of his face, in every
movement of his tense, nervous fingers.
There was silence, intense, dead ST.
lence for an instant as Evas last note
died away and then, as she covered her
eyes with her hands, the Count, with
one swift step, was at her side, press
ing with ruthless hands the cushion on
her upturned face, and the curtain be-
gan slowly to descend ON the death
scene.
An electric thrill ran through the
audience, the horror and despair Of the
! tragedy before them seemed suddenly
real and tangible; the scream, strangled
in its birth, that came from the beauti-
full singer seemed an appeal to them for
help; and then an amazing thing oc-
Cured
In the excitement of the scene no one
had noticed the sudden arrival in the
hall Of Dr. Harrowden, who, pale and
breathless. stood watching the descent
of the curtain, until, apparently over
powered by impulse, he ran up the hall,
leaped up to the stage, and, springing
across the footlights, threw himself
upon the Count.
In the desperate struggle that ensued,
momentary as it was, before the para
lyzed onlookers rushed to separate the
combatants, no one noticed that Eva
herself had not moved and lay still
under the cushions.
There was the fash Of knife, an ex-
clamation from DR.. Harrowden, and
then, as he dropped, stabbed in the
shoulder, dozen hands were on the
Count, and, though he fought with the
limitless strength of madman he was
overpowered at last by numbers, and
carried off the stage, bound and help
lessf
DR.. Harrowden, whose faintness was
only temporary, had risen already, and
disregardinR the help offered him. hur-