The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-04-25

aa
0ubf 4g IS pleasant ! admit, 70 tel
Of this trinity Of dependence and love,
bpG my heart Is panied as write,
for 1 cannot forget the sadness Of
the climax, and / must hasten on
One by one the strings Of Kubel
efsky's violin snapped, and each
catastrophe seemed like a 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 Bouhod-
e was not much, but it was seulss
thing, and without his violin Kubel-
efslgy sggoald have been lost.
And then one evening the last
string brokei
The moon was nearing the weat-
eTn horizon, and dark clouds were
crowding up from the east, but
flood of silver light still sufused the
sea and the ship. Kubelefsky was
leaning with his back against a fun
mel, and Toto was sitting in the
steamer chair.
When the last string snapped,
Kubelefsky let his hands fall to his
side, and a 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 paro1ysms Of his grief
passed, KubeIefsly burst into tears,
and, bending down, seized Toto and
pressed her to his heart and walked
back and forth.
Gou are my all now, Toto" he
cried, "my last hope, my only friend
You win not desert me, sweetheart.
You win not fail me. IN you I can
trust"
His cries were more like those Of
one seeking assurance than of one
speaking fact, and Toto licked his
hand and put a soft paw against his
cheek and sought in every way cat
can to reassure him, and this gave
him great comfort, Presently he
became qaieter and seated himself,
while Toto lay in her customary
place on his lap he fondled his mute
violin as mother might fondle her
dead babe.
Occasionally a tear would well in
his eye, but he would dash it aside,
crying:
sNOl ! win be bravel I have my
Toto.'
Again he would sway his body to
poor ylolnl Ny poor StradI
So dead, so silent! Oh, am bereft,
/ am undonel"
Thus he passed the night, With
4 out sleep, and all the next day he
walked the deck constantly. He
would not allow Toto out of his sight
an instant. AS the evening drew
near ne became even more restless,
and when the hour arrived at which
he was won't to play his daily "car-
nival," he fell under a cloud of mel
ancholy. The longing to hear the
voice of his violin rent him in thou-
sand ways. He craved it as an opium
eater Graves the drug, as a drinker
Graves alcohol. His nerves were un-
strung, his hands trembled.
"And thisi" he cried. "All this be-
cause I have not one poor little
string, one piece of cat"
He did not complete the word, for
his eye fell upon Toto sitting al his
feet gazing up at him with trustful,
confding eyes. Did she tremble as
he began the word, or was it his
imagination that deceived him? he
tried to put aside the thought that
had flashed across his mind. He
struggled with himself. But q power
greater than himself seemed to urge
him on. His poor, mute violin seemed
to cry out to him. His fingers seemed
to plead for the touch of the strings.
All the musician, all the artist, urged
him on. But when he glanced al
Toto-his friend, his companion, his
sweetheart--he paused.
1t was midnight before the strug,
Gle was ended, and through it al
Toto sat patiently at his feet in per
feet trustfulness, purFing love song
When at last he moved his body
swayed and he staggered like one
, drunk with wine, and for the first
time he shut Toto out as he entered
the cabin. When he came on decl
b | agaln ne cAIA4eu a pot1AS ~ MS A0uu
and the label bore the legend
"Chloroforml"
Toto had wandered away, but a
Kubelefsky's foot touched the decl
she came running toward him.
. "Come, Toto" he said. They en-
tered the dark cabin together, and b
closed the door.-N. Y. Times.
lgr. Heiieau Finds Telephones.
0 N. Paul Helleau, a French exquisite
e who has recently been "doing" NeE
s York, was asked when he returnel
to that dear Paris the other day hos
: he liked the American metropolis
r 'Ah bas New York;" he cried, wit
e shrug Of disgust Messing bu
5. telephonitis in ze air" But, say
!, the Chicago Record-HeraId It wa
:, perhaps only natural that M. Helea