The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-11-01

When the graphopnOne arrived and
was set up in proper shape, Miss Ann
tested all the cylinders.
cit is wonderful ~ she exclaimed.
1t was nearly midnight before she
realized it, and hastily taking off the
horn, she stole quietly to bed.
The next night the whole perfor-
nance was repeated. Afrer a time,
she selected her favorites and they
were repeated many times. Finally
they narrowed down to one, soft
low love song, followed by a lovers
impassioned speech to his cold and
disdainfu1 sweetheart.
She was glad Steve had refused to
come in, for this gave her unbounded
pleasure, and she would not have
heard it as often if he were there.
81 am old enough to be sensible, "
she sighed to herself.
During the long years since Steve
had lived at Wesley Hall, Miss Ann
had never asked him to come into the
cherries, stiff parlor. He was con-
tent to sit in the dining room, by the
big wood fire. Watching the shoot
ing, darting flames, he must have had
dreams, but what they were she never
asked him.
Zone of my cylinders is out of
ORDER" she said one morning, "and
it is my favorite piece, too."
Perhaps I can fix it" Steve vol
unteered.
She brought it to him and he rub
bed it carefully with a silk handker-
chief. That night she put the roll on
and it worked all right.
For weeks and months the love
song and lovers speech entertained
her evenings. She began to look for
ward to the time when she could lis
ten to the graphophone's pleading.
She realized how lonely her life lad
been before she Bought the plaything,
but she forgot the many rolls of songs
tucked under the lounge. The graph
ophone's repertoire had narrowed
down to the one love song and lovers
impassioned speech. Almost mechan-
ically, she filled in the pauses by tell
ing the unseen speaker all her heart
aches and about her loneliness. Soft
ly she answered the low, impassioned
pleadings.
The graphophone stood close to the
outer door which led to a side porch
not in use any more. Miss Ann used
it to cover up the door, and as Win
ter approached the wind blew through
the cracks so badly that she thought
she would have it lightly boarded up.
Before doing so, however, she had
the graphophone moved. Steve was
away at the time, so she called in one
of the colored men, first carefully
locking up her silver spoons. She
was not used to any man coming in
the house, except Steve. In moving
the instrument, the cylinder fell to
the floor and cracked. Miss Ann
cried herself into headache over it.
II can never get another" she
sobbed, "for I do not know the name
of it and I cannot describe it."
The bare idea of this dyed her pale
cheeks deep crimson.
Steve did not return home until
supper time, and Miss Ann, whose
eyes were red and swollen, did not go
to the kitchen at all. She knew Kate
would get him what he wanted.
From force of habit, and because
she really could not help it, she sat
down in front of the now dumb graph
ophone. She leaned her head weari-
ly against the hard chair, and closed
her eyes. AS was her wont before
adjusting the horn, she said quite
softly, "Sing me a song, beloved"
From the other side of the room
where the graphophone had stood,
mans voice sang the song she had
grown to love. She was startled at
first, but she did not move.
II am dreaming" she thought.
The song finished, the deep, rich
tones continued and in the old famil-
lar words told of undying love.
The graphophone was silent but
the voice spoke on.
Realizing at last that it was a hu-
man voice, that it had been ever since
the first time the cylinder had work
ed wrong, her countenance became
hard and rigid. She clinched her
hands and her breath came fast. The
speech was nearing the end now, and
she caught the last sentence as she
left the room:
Turn not from me I love you,
oh, my beloved p
The tender pathos of the tone crept
into her heart and she knew that it
was not intended as joke to hunili-
ate her.
She went to the dining-room but
Steve was not there. She called to
him from the door.
eyes, Miss, I am coming" came
his response. "The horses got loose
and" He could get no further.
something in Miss AIMS eyes caus-
| Ing his own 10 IaIl.
IT want you to come into the par
lor with me. I am lonely, now that
the graphophone is broken"
When they went into the room
Steve's eyes moved restlessly about.
In answer to his unspoken question,
she went up to him and laid her head
on his breast.
81 had it moved this morning."
she said, so low that he had to bend
his head to catch the words.
At first he could not, dared not, re-
alize his happiness then with the
truth came also great power. He
clasped her to him, and rained kisses
on her upturned face.
eve do not need that now," she
said shyly, pointing to the graphic
phone.
| Steve understood.