The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-08-13

Frances Marsland and IN
TC~ cidentally her four millions.
Frances was South Side belle If she
wasn't a South Side beauty. She had
some sense with her millions, and she
thought, having handled much coin in
her day, that there wasn't the true
ring about the proposals which she
from time to time, and not much time
between times at that, had received.
The South side youth had about given
her up when Billy Benson appeared ON
the scene
Billy was a white goods clerk, and II
he had measured his salary as he did
his cloth he wouldn't have needed n
yard stick. Billy, however, had good
address and possessed plenty of assur-
ance. He was talking over the matter
one night at the South Side Club with
-four or five Of his chums, at least two
Of whom he suspected had, as he ele-
gantly phrased 1t in his thoughts, been
against the game and lost. Billy heard
much at every one Of these gatherings
Of Frances Marsland and her four mill
ions, and how the pick Of the south
town had tried to win both girl and
money 1.-The only trouble with these
fellows is" he said TO himself. they
didn't go at the thing right" Then he
turned to Jack Masters and said:
'Jack, don't take any particular in
terest in this thing, but l wish you'd
tell me If this Miss Marsland that L
hear so much about has any fads,"
"She has two BLY,, said Jack.
"They are money and music, but as
matter Of fact my boy, think the
money is a poor second. Fannie Mars
land is a crank. If l may use such n
word IN speaking Of n girl with four
millions, on the subject Of music.
She'll talk sonatas, rhapsodies, SYM
phonies to the end OF the string. She
knows all about the old masters and
the moderns and all that, and she al
ways carries a roll Of music rs big as
her roll Of bills, and that's saying a
heap" .......
Billy Benson mused Tie thought
musing was the eminently proper thing
to do in case like this. Now to be
candid, Billy didn't know any more
about music than he did about Ara
maic, but Billy was a good buffer. 1t
was not long after this that he met
Miss Marsland, and he laid himself out
to play the part OF Apollo with the
lyric prominent. 1t was apparent to
all the South Side circle and to the re-
jected ten. particularly that this white
goods clerk had made an impression,
They didn't know, Of course, that Billy
spent three nights Of every week i'm the
music room Of the Newberry Library.
He dug into The old masters and he
SKINNED over the moderns. He
thought the moderns were dead easy.
Had Billy been a musician he might
have learned that out Of some Of the
dusty old Spanish and other Southern
European music manuscripts that he
turned over had come many an air
which has done much to give fleeing
fame to certain composers Of to-day.
Billy didn't know anything about this,
however, and the public knows about
ms 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 ais. and down to the
rs. too, for that matter.
Billy Benson felt that at last his pur-
pose il not his heart was a tune like
that Of the medieval troubadour who
sang outside Of his lady's latticed win
dow For some reason or other
Frances Marsland thought she had
struck the right thing at last. Billy
confessed to her that OF playing he
knew not n thing, but that he had
made hard study Of music, and there
in Billy told the truth, Whenever Miss
Marsland tested the metal Of his musi-
cal knowledge the ring came right.
Here at last was the man whose nature
responded to her own.
Billy went nearly bankrupt in concert
md opera tickets. For the theatre he
said he cared but little. Music was The
spring from which his soul drank. 1t
is indeed sad to relate, but music, both
vocal and instrumental, was to Billy
Benson the worst Of bores. He never
was quite certain whether the orches-
ira was playing Home, Sweet Home"
or The Last Rose Of Summer" but the
program was always at hand, and
when 1t came down to names and COM
posers William was right there. 49,