Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-06
The impresario choked and moder.


"Of course you will, maestro" God.
firth said, coolly, "and you may, but
to-day I will be master Of my own
hands. So will come, Mr.. Hoffman,.
if you will wait two seconds"
He left the room and returned in.
stantly with plaid thrown over his
narrow, STOPPING shoulders and his vic.
lin case under his arm.
Come" he went on, with an impish
laugh and glance at the impresario,
scowling in his easy chair; "the macs
tro will recover when we are gone.
Do you live here, Mr.. Hoffmann?" as
they emerged into the sunlit street.
"Quite close" Ernest Hoffman, said.
| curtly, as they left the high road and
turned down narrow Savage street
Godfrith Ak gave glance at the
dreary, demure houses right and left,
and laughed quietly to himself.
Eden in tatters for somebody, sup.
pose. Do you live here, Mr.. Hoff.
mann?" as Ernest pushed open the
door of No. $50. Have you any other
children?'
No" Ernest Hoffman, said, as he
preceded the little fiddler up the creak.
ing stairs; "only this one-and his
mother is cripple. This way. Clara,
he is here" Dark blue eyes met the
dark gray, in long inquiring glance;
then q thin hand, soft and white and
cold, went out to clasp the little fid.
dler's thin, hot fingers and a soft voice
said:
"Oh, 1t is good of you to come-so
good! Ernest told you how i'll our boy
was and how he longed to hear you
play? And your playing is n marvel.
How do you? why She with
drew her hand with a little cry.
you are not a child at all, and
thought"
mo, am not child" the little fid-
dler said, looking at her puzzled face
with clear, candid eyes. Il am seven.
teen. Yes with a shrug) am child
in size, 1 know-I stopped growing
when was nine"
"Are you gypsy? Forgive me-"
Clara said with a pretty blush, "but it
has been said so-ana wondered If it
was true"
II am of gypsy blood on one side,
madame" Godfrith Ak answered-"the
mothers"
81 am afraid" Clara said, as he
opened the violin case and took the in
strument out, handling it lovingly,
you ought not to have come out in
this east wind. You have been i'll,
surely"
"No." Godfrith said, quietly. 81 am
never strong, madame. But am never
i'll, either. Shall 1 begin to play now,
madame? Where is your boy?"
I'm the next room - through that
open door, if you will be so kind. Err
nest" as her husband made as If he
would follow the little fiddler to his
boys bedside, 'let them be alone to-
gether, dear. Our guest will like it bet.
ter, I know. Madge would say l am
absurdly fanciful, dear" as he came
to her side with a surprised face But
1 feel as if you had brought here a
good fairy who will cure our Uric,
and-what is that he is playing?"
"a cradle song, madame" Godfrith
answered for himself, through the open
doorway. ut is Norwegian lullaby"
The lullaby crooned softly away into
silence, and then Clara from her couch
saw the little fiddler bend swiftly over
the bed and kiss her boys flushed, de-
lighted face with murmured 80, this
is better than the Albert Hail."
Then he took up his bow again and
drew it over the strings in a swift,
dainty dance measure, all light, airy
passages, through which Clara could
feet. She listened for a few minutes
with a half smile on her lips; then her
eyes. puzzled and half afraid, went
wistfully to meet the little fiddler's,
and came back to her husbands face
with an unsatisfied fear in their blue
depths. Ernest, do know that song?
1t seems so-and 1 wish almost-I wish
he would not play it"
MADAME, l am half way through it..
l must go on to the bitter end now,"
| the little fiddler called to her, with a
tremble Of laughter in his voice. II
shall soon have DONE"
II don't like it," Clara murmured,
distressfully. 81 seem to know it,
and"
She lay listening in silence for some
minutes, then the fear in her eyes kin
died into a flame, and she caught at
her husbands hand with the look of
a terrified child.
ERNEST, l remember; it is the Dance
of DEATH that the Bohemian gypsies
play. Stop him."
| "My dear Clara" Her terror
made even unimaginative Ernest
Hoffman, turn pale, and he turned yet
paler when the music stopped in the
middle of an airy dance movement
"On the 26th inst, suddenly,
of heart disease, Godfrith Ak, violin
ist." That was what the third para
graph of the Telegraph said, but Clara
Hoffman,, sobbing over the newspaper
cutting, cried: 81 told you knew that
dance-and the gypses say that death