The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1903-04-30
BENTON, LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, APRIL 80, 1903.

u Ills trinity u uepeHueHcc anu Iosc,
blI my heart is panied as l write,
fer l cannot forget the sadness of
the climax, and l must hasten on.
One by one the strings of Kubel-
efsky's violin snapped, and each
catastrophe seemed like swapping
of his heart string. When but one
string was left he confined his violin
exercises to a few short minutes each
evening, playing the Carnival OF
Venice" without variations, as ar
ranged for one string by Bounod.
1t was not much, but it was some
thing, and without his violin Kubel-
efsky would have been lost.
And then one evening the last
string broke!
The moon was nearing the west
ern horizon, and dark clouds were
crowding up from the east, but a
food of silver light still suffused the
sea and the ship. Kubelefsky was
leaning with his back against fun
mel, and Toto was sitting in the
steamer chair.
When the last string snapped,
Kubelefsky let his hands fall to his
side, and depth of woe and
horror passed over his face SO great
that Toto, knowing something was
amiss, sprang from her chair and
ran to him, mewing piteously.
AS the first paroxysms of his grief
passed, Kubelefsky burst into tears,
and, bending down, seized Toto and
pressed her to his heart and walked
back and forth.
"You are my all now, Toto" he
cried, my last hope, my only friend!
You will not desert me, sweetheart.
You will not fail me. In you l can
trust"
His cries were more like those OF
one seeking assurance than of one
speaking fact, and Toto licked his
hand and put soft paw against his
cheek and sought in every way cal
can to reassure him, and this gave
him great comfort. Presently he
became quieter and seated himself
while Toto lay in her customary
place on his lap he fondled his mute
violin as mother might fondle he1
| dead babe.
Occasionally tear would well il
his eye, but he would dash it aside
crying:
| ''No! I will be brave! I have m,
Toto
Again he, would sway his body t.
and fro, crying:
my poor violin! My poor Strad
So dead, SO silent! Oh, 1 am bereft
1 am undone!"
Thus he passed the night, with
out sleep, and all the next day h,
walked the deck constantly. III
would not allow Toto out of his sigh
an instant. AS the evening lrev
and when the hour arrived at whicl
he was wont to play his daily "car
nival,' he fell under cloud of mel
ancholy. The longing to hear tn
voice of his violin rent him in a thou
sand ways. He craved it as an opiur
eater Graves the drug, as a drinke
Graves alcohol. His nerves were ur
strung, his hands trembLcd.
''And this!" he cried. "All this be
cause I have not one poor Ittl
string, one piece of cat"
He did not complete the word, 10
his eye fell upon Toto sitting at hi
feet gazing up at him with trustfu
confiding eyes. Did she tremble a
he began the word, or was it hi
imagination that deceived him? II
tried to put aside the thought tha
had flashed across his mind. II
struggled with himself. But a powe
greater than himself seemed to urg
him on. His poor, mute violin SCENE
to cry out to him. His fingers SCENE
to plead for the touch of the string
All the musician, all the artist. urge
him on. But when he glanced {
Toto-his friend, his companion, h
sweetheart-he paused.
1t was midnight before the stru.
gle was ended, and through it a
Toto sat patiently at his feet in Pc
feet trustfulness, purring love son
When at last he moved his boo
swayed and he staggered like OF
, drunk with wine, and for the fir
time he shut Toto out as he entert
the cabin. When he came on dee
again he carried bottle in his ban
, and the label bore the legen
"Chloroform!"
Toto had wandered away, but
Kubelefsky's foot touched the de,
she came running toward him.
!, 'Come, Toto" he said. They e
tered the dark cabin together, and
: closed the door.-N. Y. Times.
Mr.. HelIeau Finds Tele phones.
} M. Paul Helleau, a French exquisi