The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-05

In one OF her queer moods. Would you
like to hear her sing?"
AS the old woman evidently expected an
enthusiastic assent ! gave 1t with as
short notice.
Hush! she Is coming. You mustn't
mind her laugh
1t was we'll she gave me this warning,
for the sudden wild shout of hilarious
mirth which I now heard from the region
Of the staircase was so startling, that
without these words of caution l might
have betrayed myself. AS 1t was, I kept
my post in silence. watching for the girl
who | had every reason to believe had
given the bottle Of prussic acid to Leigh
ton Gillespie. Would she prove to be the
Wild unkempt woman whose beautiful
look he had endeavored to describe to the
Salvation Army captain? l hoped not;
why. l hardly knew.
Suddenly there broke upon my eyes
sight have never forgotten. woman
came ina woman, not girl-and while
her look was not beautiful-far from it
she had that about her which no
man could see for the nrst
time without emotion. Her features We're
ordinary when taken by themselves, but
seen together possessed an individuality
whose subtle attraction had been marred
but not entirely destroyed by the count
less pTlFdllOnS she udu eFlueuLly uuoeA-
gone. And her hair, wild and uncared
for though it was, was wonderful; SO was
the air of yivacity and rich, exuberant, life
which characterized her. Though her
cheek was pale and her arms thin, she
fairly beamed with that indefnable but
spontaneous gladdness which springs from
the mere fact Of being alive, a gladness
which at that moment did not suggest
drugs or any unwholesome source. l was
astOnished at the effect she produced upon
me, and wached her eagerly. No common
unfortunate, this. Yet it would have been
hard to find among the city's worst
woman more bedraggled or more poorly
nOuriShed.
"Sing!" cried old Mother Merry, with
an authority against which l instinctively
rebelled, though l had seen the object of
it for only couple of minutes. You
feel like it and l feel like hearing you.
Sng!"
The woman's throat throbbed She stop
ped where she was and threw out her
arms. Then she smiled and then she sang.
| have heard Guilbert, l have heard Lof-
tus, but neither of them ever made my
temples throb my heart swell, or my
breath falter as this woman did That
she chose the saddest of all songs-she
who monment before seemed hardly able
to contain her laughter-could not quite
account for this effect; nor the fact that
these flights of tragic melody rose from
out a misery which no laughter could
cover up. 1t was genius, great and Won
derful genius, misdirected and lost, but
still heaven-given and worthy of an ar
lists recognition. AS she sang On I
yielded her mine, for my heart swelled
almost to bursting, and when she had
finished and stood poised, rapt, ecstatic,
enthralled with her own melody and beau
tiful with her own feeling, I found my
cheeks wet with tears. l had never wept
at anyone's singing before.
Dance came in fresh command from
the miserable bag behind me.
I had forgotten Mother Merry. >& .
But the raised face was contemplating
dropped forward at these words, and the
arms. which had moved all through the
singing, fell inert.
Il have 10 strength" she walled. Yet
! IN another instant she was swaying, turn
ing, rising and falling in mazes of move
ment so full of grace and charm that !
scarcely missed the music which should
! nave accompanied them. 1t was more than
dance; 1t was drama; instinctively !
| followed her feelings and knew as by a
species of revelations what each motion
was meant to convey. 1 watched her as
would some charmed being; for the marks
or care had vanished from her features
and the lips, which had been drawn and
Whlte, burned redly and the hair. which
| had dung In deshevelled locks. now blew
out in live curls, athrill with FASHION and
breat hing forth rapture ond love. Sudden
ly she paused. Mother Merry had pointed
me out with the words
The gentleman is looking for you"
instantly her beauty shrivelled and van.
lshed. Her hands went up to her face
CrOnphp6 ka
| the floor.
NO, nor she walled, and would hay,
! fled, but Mother Merry forced her back
| Inc gentleman wants something. HI
wants drop Of what you gave the othe,
one that night. You remember. the nigh
the boys slid away and left us to tn,
police"
1nstictively her right hand went to he
bosom and her eyes looked wildly int,
mine: suddenly she saw the moisture OF
my cheeks.
o""Oh! he's BEEN crying, Mother Merry
been crying. Perhaps now can cry. too
should like to: it's better than sing
ing And she broke into sobs so VIC
lent that I stood aghast in mingled Dit,
and amazement.
Just then the policeman looked in.
How, now?' he cried. What's up?'
My impulse was to shield her from thi
fellows curiosity. Motioning him away
l whispered in her ear:
"You haven't said whether you woul
give me what I have come for"
What Is that?'
"a drop Of what kills trouble; kills /
at once, instantly and forever. I an
wretched, heart broken (God knows
spoke the truth.)
She stared and what remained of ligh
in her face went out,
Il have none-noW." she hoarsely as
sured me-
Then get 1t where you got that
81 cannot. | got that when it wa
easier to smile, and dancing was not fol
lowed by dreadful pain. Now" sh
tried to laugh as she had few mo
ments before. but her iocund mood ha
passed. One would never imagine fro1
her present aspect that she had just float
ed through the room an embodiment O
joyousness and grace.
you gave it all to him, ALL?" ques
toned.
The emphasis did not strike her, o
rather it assumed a different place in he
mind that on nv lbs. "To him?' sh
repeated, shrinking back with evident dis
trust. ~
EYES," I pursued, following her an
speaking I'M her ear: "the sailor lad VIII
took it away from here that night. Poi
son-prussic acid-a phial you could hid
in your hand"
She broke into laughter, not the ex
preston Of Joy, but that of defiance If no
derision. She was but a common woma
now.
Sailor lad!" she repeated, and laughe
again.
| felt that the moment had come 70
speaking the significant word Lookin
around and seeing that Mother Merry wa
not too near. / whispered:
"a sailor lad with a gentleman's name
| You know the name: SO do I-LeightO