Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-01-18
The Over ure to TannhauSer

| The Over ure TO IannhauSer
1t was fetc night N the Botanical
gardens My,iads OF fairy light shonc
SO tly among the tender green Of tbs
leaves, and hung in graceful fcstoops
across the avenues Of trees, The SOUND
Of talk and laughter, and the soft frou
FROM of silken skirts across the grass min
gled with the strains of the Greuadier
guards inimitab!e band The air was
sweet with the scent OF roses. aud laden
with the fragrance ot a s0r.0cS summer
night
In one of the secluded ueo}S, secure
from observation, man and a woman
| sat IN earnest conversation, The band
| began the overture to "'lannAauesr,' and
| because they both loved it, because the
music held for them many memories, they
paused in their talk Ia listen, The man
imprisoned his companions hand, and
| held il silently. Under the shadow Of
| her big black hat, her eyes, which were
| tender and luminous and misty, sought
| his face, and rested there in fullness Of
| content. The charm of the music, its
wonderful heights and depths, its mar
velous insinuations of passion, templa-
| ton and sin, of rcnunciation and hnal
| publication, held their tongues in thraIl,
1T is beautiful" said the girl, with
sign, as tHc last notes UitN away On tut
| evening breeze. And ii holds so many
| old associations; so many memories OF
! you are mingled with it, Godfrey, an4
! after tonight there win be an added
| memory-a sad, sweet, haunting, melan-
| chOly one
The man leaned forward and took he?
| other hand in his.
I'VE stand tonight" he said, Eat tho
| parting of the ways. The future looms
| before us dark and uncertain. There
| may be long Silences, and many doubts
| and fears Promise me, Lenore, that
| whenever and however you may hear 1t.
| the music shall flash a message from my
! heart to yuurs--a remembrance OF to-
| njght-of all that we have said and
| promised one another"
Dear heart" she whispered softly, Il
! shall need no reminder My thoughts
| will be always with you. Butt prom
ise, Godfrey"
Aud then they fell to talking once
| again as those talk who, loving one an
other stand on the eve of parting-of all
| their hopes and plans and fears, and Of
! the dim uncertain future
| The fashionable crowd sursed unheed-
| ed around Them the stars shone out one
| by one, sparkling like jewels in the dark
blue, cloudless sky, and the moon swung
high in the heavens like ball of golden
fire. But for them at that moment the
world held neither crowd, nor moon, nor
| stars, but only one another. Their hori-
zon was bounded by each others eyes.
Ii was the height of the season at
Homburg, and the usual arlstocratlc cos
mopolitan crowd We're lelsurely slipping
their after-dinner coffee and liquors on
the hotel terrace Above the Talnus
heights a "curled moon. like a little
feather" was slowly climbing the sky;
down in the Kurgarten the band was
lplaying one of Strauss dreamy waltzes.
At the far end ~ the terrace, in Il lit
tie secluded nook behind two immense,
palms, girl sat, slowly tanning herself.
She had made some trivial excuse to cs-
cape from her party whose gay talk and
merry laughter Jared upon her nerves.
| She wanted to escape observation TO
gain time for thought. In half an hour,
or n quarter even, she knew that MIR,
ChartcriS would discover her retreat
would press for a definite answer to the
question he had asked her a month ago
in town And her answer was not ready.
Her mothers cool, diSpassionate sum
ming up of the situation required 10 her:
she could almost hear her clear-eut, in
ciSivc, well.hred tones. Aud she was
forced to admit that, much as She might
dissent from it, her mothers view held
truth and common sense.
Ii was SO long since anything had been
heard of the punitive expedition upon
which that somewhat ineligible young
man, Capt Godfrey Page, had been en-
gagged.
Ii was practically beyond doubt that
the rumors which spoke of betrayal and
wholesale massacre were correct.
thc authorities themselves had accent
, cd that view. Mr., Charters was an eN-
ceiient part, and a most agreeable man.
/ that was very trivial objection now
adaNS
I.rnore was, she feared. somewhat Oh
lNioOS ot the fact that she was already
at the end OF her third season.
And the maternal tongue, so much ut
home IN the giving of such couuselS tShe
, had married four daughters SUCCESSFULLY
/ had run gEhly on. while Lenorc vainN
, fr'ed to beat down the sick despair that
aSS3iled her nj her mothers words BUT
even IN her heart hope was beginning
, To DE at last, Ii had come 10 be a
poor withcred little plant, struggling for
hare existence for there WAS no SuS-
/ tcnancr. no uougj~hment. net anything
r for il 10 feed upon
/ And slowly, too, her resistance to Mr..
- CharteriS suit was weakening II
seemed - her tonight that she must ae-
! ccpt the Inevitable that the net was clos
ing around her. Ii she must needs marry
, somebody and of that she felt wen as
) Sured he mother had left her in no
doubt ON thar point--wcll, then. Mr.,
J Charters waS less objectionable than
SOme others
\ man came ont on the terrace sud
locked eagerly about hUn His face fell
; at first, hut hghtcncd again when he
e caught sight OF the solitary figure in the
! oajm-Shaded nook
lie threw away his cigar aud was AZ
her side IN second, Il appeared tn her
that the psychological moment had ar.
= rived
She s'SSaycd Il smile al welcome. and
made room for him beside her The
moon had climbed 4 little higher above
/, the TaumS heights. aud down in tine
lNurgaCten the hand was still PLAYING one
Of Strauss dreamy waltzeS.
lie came to the point at once, and she
listened silently, her fingers nervou<iv
clasplng and unclaSping one another. She
had decided to accept him. and she was
nervlpg herself for the moment when
he should pause
And then, quite suddenly. in the midst
Of Mr.. Charters eloquent pleading OF
his cause. the first few bars II thu, oyer
turr to "TannhauSer' Smcte the evening
air. fcnoye started and sat M very
| STRAIGHT