The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-08-21

- al'e' announcer lt!eu 10 ger
u n y Frances Marsland ana in
5cES cidcn@ly her fourmlllions.
Frances was q 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 4 white goods clerk, and If
he had measured his salary rs he did
his cloth be wouldn't have needed q
yard stick. Billy, however, had a good
address and possessed plenty OF asSur-
ance. lie was talking over the matter
one night at the South Side Club with
four or FIVE of his chums, n least two
OF whom he suspected had, as he ele-
gantly phrased it in his thoughts. been
against the game and lost. Billy heard
much at every one Of these gatherings
Cf Frances MaVslaud and her four mill
ions, and how the pick OF the south
town had tried TO win both girl and
money. THE only trouble with these
fellows is" he said to himself, "they
didn't so n the thing right" Then he
turned TO Jack Masters and said:
Jack, I dent take any particular in
terest in this thing. but I wish you'd
tell me if this Miss Marsland that l
hear so much about has any fads."
She has two, Billy" said Jack.
"They are money aud music, but as a
matter Of fact, my boy, I think the
money is a poor second. Fannie Mars
land is q crank, if may use such a
word in speaking Of a girl with four
millions, On the subject Of music
She'll talk sonatas, rlapsodies, SYM
pEonies to the end OF the string. She
knows all about the Old masters and
the moderEs and MI that, and she al
ways carries 4 roll OF music as big as
her EQll Of bills, Gnd that's saying q
heap. .Ssss.--.,Esa -z->-.... =
- Billy Benson mused. he thought
musins was the eminentIy proper thing
to do in a case like this. Now to be
candid, Billy didn't know any more
about music than he did about Ara
maic, but Billy YVES q cocd buffer. 1t
was not long after this that be met
Miss MaySland, 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 in the
music room Of the NeWberry Library
He dug ilto the Old masters and lie
SKINNED over The moderns He
thought the modeyns were dead easy.
Had Billy been a musician he might
have learned chat 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 feetinS
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
crammcd. He had ell the schools at
his tongues. end. lie was bright
enough, and in the course Of a month
he could talk adagio, andanta, allegro
and all the other as, and down to the
Us, too, for that matter.
Billy Benson felt that at last his pur-
pose if not his heart was a tune Ike
that Of the medieval tyoubadour who
sang outside Of his laGT's latticcd win
dow. For some reason or other
Frances 1Iagsland thought she had
struck tie right thing at last. Billy
confessed to her that Of playing he
knew not a thing, but that he had
made a hard study o1 music, and there
in Billy told the truth. Whenever Miss
Nfarsland tested the metal o. his musi
cal knowledge the ring came right
Here ut last was the man whose natur,
responded to her own.
Billy went nearly bankrupt in concor
and opera tickets. For the theatre he
said he cared but little Music was tn,
spring from which his soul drank
is indeed sad to relate, bat music, boil
vocal and instrumental, was to Billy
Benson the worst Of bores lie Gever
was quite certain whether the orches
ira was playing Home, Sweet Home,
or The Last Rose Of Summer" but tn,
program was always at hand, anC
when it came down TO names and com
posers William was right there.