Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-08-14

muscle tense. Than ~ ~ bach - hiD'
seat With " smile ~ ~ that vgas al-y
most beatlnc. " The5 heav enH chimes
were complets. "A HI WORK 49, done,
and now Il thsusanda III would Stand
speechless, struck dumb with ths naS-
nlncent melody u III chimes II
bells He With Iii own hands would
make such music with hin bells that
wherever THY werc the whole world
would come to hear them. These were
the thoughts that nlled the mind ct tho
young musician-mechanlc % he Listen
ca to the reyerberat ting melody Of the.
tone Of the last bell. Then he fell back
In bio chair and the color lied from biz
facs. The fever, which bic untiring
energy had kept Of for % long, seized
him u last Z. l s5$' q >: X, u 5St
The; next morning Z neighbor passing
~ the shop, CHANGED to look in the win,-5
dow and saw the form Of the fever
stricken young man lying across hid
workbench. He went inside, thinking
that be might be dead and when he
found what his real trouble was lifted
Giuseppe to the cot he had used for z
bed Ia the back Of the shop. 4 ply.
sician was summoned, and an old wo-
man was sent to nurse him. = = st5aS%as,
For Eve weeks Giusepps tossed on
his cot raving about his bells-,-"his
glorious chimes"-"his children with
the heavenly voices" $50. .,... .i%r
In order to 90 on with bis work in
making his set Of chimes Giuseppe had
been compelled to borrow. What little
his father had left behind him had
been exhausted before the end Of the
drst:. year. He had borrowed on the
strength Of the generous sum that had
been promised him. by the cathedral
which was to have his chimes When
he fell sick and gave promise never to
regain his health again, the bailifs
came and took away his chimes to
satisfy his creditors, "#",-
But Giuseppe Giovanni did get we'll,
his health came back, and when he had
strength enough to get up from his
couch he went to find his children-his
bells. Els first thought was to hear
again their voices, to make them sing
such melodies as the world had never
heard. as no bells had ever sung. And
when he found that they. were gone he
became stupid-he could not realize
that they were gone. Who could have
come and taken away his bells. his
children, whose conception had taken
years-long years Of unremitting toll?
He went to the physician who had
tended him during his fever and was
told that the bailiffs had come to his
shop and taken them for his creditors.
He went to the bailiffs and was told
that his chimes had been sold at pub
lie sale to the highest bidder, foreign.
er whose name or country was not
known to them. He begged them on hia
knees. to give him some clew that might
lead him to the purchaser. They told
him gruf1y and uncivilly that it was
none Of their concern who bought the
chimes SO long as they were sold and
his creditors satisfied. There was
little money over the claims against
him, he was told-a few lire-but he
flung the offered money in their faces
and left them. bis heart broken and his
spirit gone. .> ... ..4... >,
That night he sat; before his bench
In the little shop, bis chin resting on
his breast, the picture Of despairing
and broken man. All night long he sat
thus, and when morning came he rous-
ed himself and, raising his hands above
his head, said, God grant that some
where in this world Of thine l may
again find my chimes-my bells-and,
IL but once, only once, that may hear
again their voices!'
The next morning the Genoan set
out with one purpose-to travel the
world, II need be, to search for his
chimes. Day after day, week after
week, month after month and year aft
er year he trudged along from town to
town, city to city, country to country.
vainly seeking his chimes. Part of the
time he spent in various cathedrals
and churches mending chimes and ring
ing them, to the delight of all who lis
tened. Before he had even reached
middle age he was bearded old man.
bowed and bent and travel worn; but,
like the Wandering Jew, he pursued
his weary way.
The broad waters Of the Shannon
were colored beautiful red by the
fading rays of the setting sun, which
was almost visibly dropping through
the trees to the west of the city of
Limerick. when an old man with head
and shoulders bent and leaning heavily
on stout staff came slowly along the
highway that led to little ferry at the
river bank. His long beard was as
white as snow and hung nearly to his
waist His face was swarthy like that
Of man constantly exposed to the
sun. When he spoke to the ferryman,
it was in a voice used to many tongues.
The boatman helped him from the
shore into his skin and gave him his
coat Tor 4 cushion on the rough hewn
plank! which answered for a; seat. The
old man raised biz head feebly and
looked about him. Finally his eyes
fen On the spits 1t Hereford cathedral.
and there they tested; lighting up for