The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-15
A COSTLY SYMPHONY.


she thought. having handled much coin
IN her day, that there wasn't the true ring
ABOUT the proposals which she from time
10 time. and not much time between times
al that, had received The South side
=Eouth had about given her up when Billie
Benson appeared on the scene
J Billy was white goods clerk, and II he
faa measured. his salary as he did his
c.oth ne wouldn't have needed yard
stick. Billy. however, had good address
] and possessed plenty Of assurance he
vas talking over the matter one night at
/ the South Side club with four or ave d
! Els churns. al least two OF whom he sus-
rected had as he elegantly phTased II IN
/ MS thoughts, been against the game ana
/ lost Billy heard much al every one Of
/ these gatherings Of and from which had
] these gatherings Of Frances Marsland and
/ fer four millions. ard how the pick OF
1 tho south town had tried 10 win both girl
! ana money The only trouble with these
/ fellows is he said 10 himself they
/ dldn't go II the thirg right. Then ne
( turned to Jack Masters and said: Jack,
/ don't take any particular interest in this
I thing, but ] wish you'd tell me II this
! Mss Marsland that hear so much about
I has any fads,
she has two. Billy" said Jack They
are money and music. But, as matter
I o. fact, my boy, I think the money IS q
! if I may use such a word in speaking Of a
giri with four millions, on the subject OF
/ music. She'll talk sonatas, rhapsodies.
symphonies 10 the end Of the string. She
knows ali about the old masters and the
| rroderns and all that, and she always car
Ties roll Of music as big as her roll OF
| bills. and that's saying a heap.
Billy Benson unused. He thought musing
= as the eminently proper thing 20 do in
a case ike this. Now. to be candid. Billy
Gidn't know any more about music than
he did about Aramic, but Billy was a good
hUffeT. 1t was not long after this that
he met Miss Marsland. and he laid him
self out to play the part of Apollo with
the lyric prominent Il was apparent 70
ell the South side circle and to the re-
jccted ten particularly that this white
Gcods clerk had made an impression.
2 hey didn't know. Of course. that Billy
spent three nights OF every week in the
nusic room of the Newberry library He
dug into the old masters and he skinned
over the moderns. He thought the mod
ems were dead easy. Had Billy been
musician he might have learned that out
Of some of the dusty old Spanish and
other southern European music manu-
/ scripts that he turned over had come
many an air which has done much 10 give
fieeting fame TO certain composers Of to-
day Billy didn't know anything about
this. however, and the public knows about
as little, so enough of it, but Billy
| crammed He had all the schools at his
tongues end. He was bright enough. and
in the course of a month he could talk
adagio, andante, allegro and all the other
as. and down 20 the rs. too, for that
matter.
Billy Benson felt that at last his pur-
pose if not his heart, was tune like
that of the medieval trou5adour who sang,
outside OF his lady's latticed window For
some reason or other Frances Marsiand
thought she had struck the right thing at
last. Billy confessed to her that Of play
ing he knew not a thing. but that he had
made a hard study of music, and therein
Billy told the truth. Whenever Miss Mars
land tested the metal of his musical
knowledge the ring came right Here, at
last. was the man whose nature responded
to her own.
Billy went nearly bankrupt in concert
and opera tickets. For the theater he
said he cared but little. Music was the
spring from which his soul drank. II is.
indeed. sad to relate, but music, both vo-
cal and instrumental, was to Billy Ben
son the worst of bores. He never was
quite certain whether the orchestra was
rlaying Home. Sweet Home. or The
Last Rose of Summer but the program
was always at hand and when it came
down to names and composers William
was right there.
1t was settled at last TO the satisfaction
OF the South side that William Benson
clerk. was 10 pick the persimmon- The
persimmon in this case was bit passe,
but persimmons are Il fruit that IS said
be better after il has been nipped little
BIZ time and frost. and then, again, the
persimmon is a golden fruit Billy knew
he was a hypocrite, but he excused him
self Tor playing the part on the ground
that il was the duty of every woman with
money TO get married. and that If some
fellow didn't play some kind OF a game
the Narsiand millions would so eventu-
aIlv to some home f0r decayed SpinsIers.
Billy knew that the time was fast APP
preaching when he would have TO put the
test question. and that on the answer
would depend either ward sticks and white
goods for several more years or Fanny
Marsland and millions for life. lie ASKED
her TO go to the last symphony concert OF
the season with him She was delighted
of course.
they are 10 play the grandost 81 mphony
il an music Every pulse of your being
will be awake 70 the subtleties Of the
rvfhrn and TO the concord OF sweet sounds
ticular which awakens mind ans heart
and soul 20 the higher, the better and the
u1rer THINGS OK ne ] sil1t4 ~ ti'-Ai litEN
20 90 with YOU a kindred spirit.
Billy felt a little conscience stricken 81
this. but they want To the last symphony
concert of the year. Billy never had been
able 10 feel az any ~ the hundred and
one musical entertainments that ne mad
been attending ans Of the awakening
thrill upou which Fanny lIarsiand rhail-
sadized He felt specially unlike any
awakening thrill that Saturday nlght.
Miss Narsland was In an ecstacy Per
feet. exquisite. soulful she murUured
occasionally. Then. suddenly. the sweep
OF The symphony changed Ihe passage
which was u awaken mind and hsart
and soul n the hieher and the puTer
thines q lie was vibrating from the or
chestral strings
Frances turned % william Benson. II
is here. Mr. Benson she said listen
with your whole being
sound suhdued hut uulnistaka0.e = as
the answer Discora ~ discortss It was
q snore Billy Benson was ssieep-
Three DAYS latvr Jack Masters met b-ilF
Benson "a the street Billy. he SAID,
~ understand the symphcny coacert
fund dsrclx This year amounts q eSii
There's "a mistake sofae'y here. JACK
said Bifv. The deficit IS S5.es pins ilsf
a - 81 EDWARD r. CLARK
A Question in New York.
an interesting point arises-in view ~
the Gecisioa ~ tac courts. = does I-t
s. a.s al