Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-11-03

Carl was hurrying to get home, as
he Always did, and in crossing the
street his foot slipped. He fell, and the
wheels of a dray passed over his left
one as he lay PROSTATE on the pave
ment- In the drugstore where they
carried him the doctor, looking first
at Carl and then at me (for my case
had burst open), cried out. suddenly,
in a voice that shook with emotion,
'Mein Colt! it is the little violinist
of the Odeon, Carl Schilling. The poor
boy, he will never play again!"
Except for the injury to his arm,
Carl a not hurt, and although the
surgeons did not cut it of, as they
at first declared must be done, yet in
spite of all their electrical. appliances
it hung limp at his side, and the ia
nous specialist the Herr Director of
the Odeon brought from Berlin only
shook mis- gray beard and muttered
"incurable' when he examined it.
Things got pretty bad for us in the
little home, for Carl could do no work
of any sort with his useless arm. The
pupils dropped away one by one, and
soon, very soon, our small savings
were all eaten up. Carl was far too
proud to allow any of his friends to
help him, and indeed they were all
poor enough themselves, having all
they could do to manage to fight their
W. battles; but then, 1 think he con-
cealed the real state of affairs so well
that nobody but me realized how very
bad they were. There was not always
food, and to make matters worse, Elsa
began to droop, and her pretty face
became sharp and drawn. Wine and
other nourishing things were out of
the question, and at last Carl, tor
tured by seeing his wife fading be-
fore his very eyes, declared he was
going to sell me; but Elsa begged him
to wait. '"The good God will not for
sake us, my husband" she said, brave
ly. HE is trying our faith in him.
Trust him just a little while longer,
my Carl; surely he does not mean for
you to part with either of your sweet
hearts, for he is not cruel"
Carl put me back in the box again,
but the next night the end came, and
the greatest sorrow I have ever known
| overwhelmed me. l heard Carl's step
on the stair-lagging now, and, not
quick and bounding as of old, and nc
merry whistle on his lips. He came
into the quiet room, and all at once
there burst from his lips such a cry of
anguish and bitter despair that all my
strings shivered in dread and terror,
I heard him calling to Elsa like a
mailman to speak, to look at him, tc
answer, or he should die.
Presently (and words cannot tell you
what a relief it was to mel I heard hel
dear voice. Very faint and weak II
was-so low it was impossible for me
to understand the words-but l knew
Carl was sobbing, and accusing him
self of being selfish and heartless, ant
after a little while he rushed to the
door and called Frau Weller, the land
lady; then he snatched me up, and ou'
into the street we went,
Well, the rest is soon told. Carl sole
me to a violin-collector who was yer.
rich, but not a musician at all, TO
which | was thankful in a dull sort O.
way; for although I was willing ant
glad to help Carl, my heart was deaf
within me at parting from him, and
could no more have sung under an
other mans touch than a miserabl
two-forin imitation Of myself can in
terpret Handel's Largo.
Carl laid his chin on me to sa,
good-by, and I tried my best to com
fort and tell him that I understood
and not to mind me-that I loved hin
and was proud to help him-and
think he knew, for when he lifted hi
face two great tears were glistenini
on my brown body. My new owne
carried me to Munich and placed me il
the museum. There l stayed for man
weary years, as l said at first, mute an
voiceless, wishing l might crumble t
dust and be done with it all-the mem
cries.
One day-Gott in Himmel, what
day!-I dreamed I saw Elsa's ghost
She came and stood in front of my cas-
for a long time, and looked at memo
as | had seen her last, pale and thir
with an awful look in her eyes, bu
/. young and fresh and fair, as she ha
looked the day Carl first saw hel
, standing under the linden trees.
1t was on a. rainy afternoon tn
, vision came to me. The museum wa
deserted, and |" was running over !
my mind a solo in the first violin PAL
Of the Messiah, For Unto Us a Chill
is Born pretending to browse to es
r cape the senile whimperings of the oil
Amati. All at once she was standin
squarely in front Of me.
OF course, l realized after the frs
shock that it was not a dream, an
that the girl was flesh and blood, an
: not my Elsa at all it had been ]
years and more since l had left he
dying in the little home. She was 6
like her, though, as one could well in
+ agine two people to be alike-tt
same eyes and shiny hair, and a loo
t that reminded me of Carl, too, and ser
) a great wave Of inconsistencies an
longing all over me.
What a grand old violin" she sal
. coftIy "a borcolf. so raa1 Sfradivaril1