St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-12-10
4 S7RAD|KAR/lLS'
g. STONY.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
\ By William Forster Brown.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VI OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
EOR many years after fate parted my
i Carl and I, remained in the Kali
ser Museum, situated on Linden
Strasse, in the city of Munich, sus-
penued from a brass hook screwed in
the top of very tall glass case.
This museum was dull place, the
other instruments there being exceed
haps, for a decrepit cello who claimed
to have been created by Nicholas ANA
ii, and who was SO overbearingly con-
ceited that 1t was a WEAKNESS to con-
verse with him. So spent the long
hours that hung SO heavy in wonder
ing if my glorious voice would ever be
heard again, and dreaming of the old
days-and Carl. How well remember
the time / came to him! Fretting
over my sorry lot, l had been lying,
dusty and neglected, in my case for
more weeks than like to think about.
on an out-of-the-way shelf in dingy
pawnshop, when one day my prison
was opened, and looked for the first
time on Carl Schilling's face.
I shall never forget that face!
Young, fair, with dreamy, tender eyes
that revealed the violin-soul hidden in
their blue depths; and good-ach Colt!
such good face. My heart leaped
with hope, for knew intuitively that
he was a musician, and fearful that
hn Sr1n ~ th1 i01,f tod oh
would deceive him as to my real worth,
rs was being put into his hand con-
trived to slip so that narrow beam
of light from the small window would
fall squarely into my left F hole; for
beneath it, on the inside of my back,
L. scrawled the signature of the mas
ter, Antonius Stradivarius.
Carl's hand trembled ON my neck
20 I knew that. he had seen what
wished him to see, and all at once a
panic seized me, and I almost re-
GREETED my Slip was afraid his agi-
tation would betray my secret, and
that the Jew who owned the shop
would suspect my real value, and put
such price on me that the boy could
not pay it for Carts youth and neat
but threadbare clothing showed well
enough that he was not wealthy. l
might have spared myself the fear,
however, for the pawnbroker sold me
for two thalers-(think of that, will
you, two thalers-for me!) little
dreaming of the fortune he had let slip
through his grasping fingers, and I
left the detestable place under Carts
arm. a@
A life began for me then, can
tell you. In week my new master
had fathomed my every mood, and
I responded to his touch with my whole
soul-Gott in Himmel! the boy could
play like an angel. He was only
arst violin in the Odeon theater, but
when he tucked me lovingly under his
chin, whispering that was his ''lit-
tie sweetheart" would pour out my
soul with JOY and pride until the Herr
Director himself would turn about in
his high chair to look at us-indeed,
he offered Carl thaler upon thaler for
me, but my master only patted my
neck and laughed.
"Nein, mein Herr" he replied, hap
PLY; "ir is useless. There is not
enough money in all Germany to buy
my little sweetheart"
After a time Carl found another
sweetheart dear little sunny-haired
fraulein, who soon loved me almost
as well as Carl did, only I think she
always stood little in awe of me,
which is not to be wondered at, con-
sideripg who l am. Was l jealous?
Not a bit Of it. Elsa was SO sweet
no one could have helped loving her,
and when she and Carl were married
I tried so hard to hum the wedding
march that my G., string snapped off
close to the nut.
Sometimes, on an evening when
there was no performance at the thea
ter, Carl would lift me out of my old
box, while Elsa sat smiling at us with
her knitting, and would sing to them
(you cannot imagine how beautifully
/ would sing) Of the grand, mysterious.
terrible Alps; of the somber pines and
cleaning ice-gorges and Edelweiss,
songs the wind had whispered to the
pine-trees in far-off Switzerland, from
whose fbers half my being had come.
Shortly hushed, eager expectancy |
fell on our little home, that made
Elsa shy and wistful and Carl hold his |
head very high. Some one was coming |
to share our hearts. Then for very |
mischief I used to sing bits OF broken
melody and soft, grooming lullabys-
things the south wind breathes to the
baby pines-just to tease Elsa and send I
the blood rushing to her cheeks, and
made Carl laugh aloud in sheer hap
piness, at which Elsa would come and
lay her soft forehead on my brown
side, hiding her faae on Carts should
er.
While we were all so happy, like
q bolt OF lightning across the Jungfrau
the trouble came. It happened on
vet night coming from the theater. :