Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-02-11

tTcI1OIO, Eel 'liI1e w his ear Win Il
| certain trcmulous sweetness. 1t was
| soft and slender but the listener knew
it could I've lifted with fullncss and
| power if the singer would. 1t spoke
| only Of the song, yet the listener
| thought Of the singer. Under the
| moon thoughts run into dreams. and
| he dreamed that the owner of the
voice. she who quoted "rhe Walrus
! and the Carpenter on Fisbcc's notes,
| was ono TO laugh with you and weep
| with you. vet her laughter would be
| tempered with sorrow and her tears
with laughter.
When the song was ended he struck
the rail lie leaned upon Il sharp blow
with his open hard. There swept over
him feeling that he had stood precise
ly where he stood now on such night
Il thousand years ago; had heard that
voice and that song and been moved by
! the voice ADD the song and the night
| Just rs hc was moved now. He had
| long known himself for Il sentimental
| ist lie had almost given up trying to
cure himself. And he knew himself
| in love with some one. In his earlier
! youth his affections had been so con-
| stan.y inconSNu. that he finally came
| to settle with his self respect by rec
| ogniHing in himself Il fine consistency
! that worshipcd one woman always. 1t
was only the shifting image Of her that
changed. Somewhere lhc dreamed.
, web
yet mocking himself for it, there was n
| girl whom l." had never seen who wait
| cd till 10 should come. She was every
thing. ('niil he found her he could not
| help adcrin- cthc"i who possessed lit
| tie pieces and suggestions of hcr-hcr
briliancy. her courage. her short upper
| lip. like Il cur!cd rose leaf" or her
! dear voice or her pure profile. lie had
no recollection Of any lady who had
quite her eyes. He had never passed
Il lovely stranger on the street in the
old days without Il thrill Of delight and
warmth. If he never saw her again
and the vision had only lasted for the
time it takes lady to cross the side
| walk from Il shop door to Il carriage
he was always Il little in love with her
| because She bore about her somewhere
as did every pretty girl he ever saw,
suggestion of the faraway divinity
One does not pass lovely strangers in
the streets Of Plattvillc Miss BriscOe
was pretty. but not at all in the way
that IIarkless dreamed. For five years
the lover in him that had loved so of.
ten had been starved Of all but dreams
Only at twilight and dusk in the sum-
me-, when strolling he caught sight Of
woman's skirt far up the village
street. half outlined in the darkness
under the cathedral arch OF meeting
branches. this romancer of pettcoats
could sigh n true lovers sigh and, IL
he kept enough distance between, fly
yearning fancy that his lady wandered
there.
Ever since his university days the
image Of her had been growing more
and more distinct. He had completely
settled his mind as to her appearance
and her vOirc She was tall almost too
tall. he was sure of that: and out of
his consciousness there had grown q
sweet and vivacious young face that he
knew was hers. Her hair was light
brown, with sold lustcrs (he reveled in
the gold lusters on the proper theory
that wien your fancy is painting a
picture You may as well go in for the
whole thing and make it sumptuons).
and her eye, were gray, They We're
very earnest, and yet they sparkled and
laughed 10 him companionably, and
sometimes he smiled back upon her.
The Undne danced before him through
the lonely years, on fair nights in his
walks and came to sit by his fire on
winter evenings when he stared alone
at the cmhers
And tonight here in Plattville. he
heard Il voice lie had waited for long,
one that his tickle memory told him he
had never heard before. But, listening,
he knew bettcr-he had heard it long
ago, though when and how he did not
know, rs rich and true and incffably
tender rs now. He threw II sop to his
common sl/lso. Miss Sherwood Is n
little thing" che image was so surely
tall, with II humpy forehead and spec
taceS." he said to himself. cor else n
provincial ycuns lady with big eyes to
pose Mt YOU" Then he felt the ridicu-
lousness of looking after his common
sense on moonlight night in June;
also. he knew that he lied.
The song had ceased, but the musician
fingered. and the keys were touched to
plaintive harmonies new 10 him. He
had come to Plattvlie before "CavAl-
lcria Rusticana" won the prize at Rome
and now. cntranced lie heard the IN
tcrmoZzo" for the first time. Listening
to this, he feared 10 move lest he should
wake from summer nights dream.
A ragged little shadow lifted down
the path behind him. and from soil
tary apple tree standing like Il lone
ly ghost in the middle OF the field
came the WOO" Of a screcch owl twice
1t was answered-twice-fro a clump
OF elder bushes that grew in fence
corner fifty yards west of the pasture
bars. Then the barrel of Il squirrel rifle
issued lifted out Of the white elder bios
SONS, and lay along the fence. The
music in the house across the way ceas-
ed, and Iiarllless saw two white dresses
come out through the long parlor win
dOws on to the vcranda. 1T will he
cooler out here" came the voice of the
singer clearly through the quiet. "What
n night"