Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-02-27

| or silent beauty, passive and stiil vet
bre1thiag an antique message. sad
! mysterious. reassuring. But there had
come divine melody adrift on the air
Through the open windows IL fioated
indoors some one struck a peal Of sill
yer chords, like harp touched by q
lover. and woman's voice was lifted
john Harkiess leaned on the pasture
barr and listened with appraised head
! and parted lips.
ITO thy chamber window rowing. low,
hath led my feet"
The Lord sent mamma to the children
OF Israel in the wilderness. Harkless
had been five years in Plattville, and 8
woman's voice singing Schubert's Ser.
enade' came to him at last as he stood
by the pasture bars of Jones' field and
listened and rested his dazzled eyes
ON the big white face of the moon.
How long had it been since he had
heard song or any discourse of music
other than that furnished by the Plat.
vile band? Not that he had no taste
Tor brass band. But music that he
loved always gave him an ache or de-
hght and the twinge of "reminiscences
or old gay days gone forever. Tonight
his memory leaped to the last day of
a June gone seven years to morn
Ing when the little estuary waves
twlnkled in the bright sun about the
boat In which he sat, the trim launch
that brought CHEEKY party ashore
from their schooner to the casino land
Ing at Winter Harbor, far up on the
Maine coast.
Tonight he saw the picture as plainly
as If 1t were yesterday. No reminis-
cences had riser so keenly before his
eyes for years. Pretty Mrs. Van Skuyt
sitting beside him-pretty Mrs. Van
Skuyt and her roses what had be-
come Of her? He saw the crowd of
friends waiting on the pier for their ar
r1val, the dozen or so emblazoned class
mates Qt was in the time Of brilliant
hannels) who sent up a volley of col
lege cheers in his honor. How plainly
the dear old, young faces rose ND before
MIN tonight, the men from whose lives
ne had slipped! Dearest and jolliest of
the faces was that of Tom Meredith.
ciubmate, classmate, his closest friend.
the thin. redheaded third baseman. He
could see Toms mouth opened at least
a yard, 1t seemed, such was his frantic
righteousness. Again and again the
cneers rang out, "Harkless Hank
iess! on the end Of them. In those
DAYS everybody, particularly his class
mates, thought he would be minister
to England in n few years. and the or
chestra on the casino porch was play
ing The Conque-ing Hero Comes'' in
his honor and at the behest of Ton
Meredith. he knew.
There were other pretty ladies be-
sides Mrs. Van Skuyt in the launch
load from the yacht, but as they touch
ed the pier, pretty girls or pretty wom-
en- or jovial gentlemen, all were over
looked in the wild scramble the college
men made for their hero. They hailed
him forth, set him on high, bore him on
their shoulders, shouting "Skal to the
Niking" and carried him up the wood
ed bluff to the casino. He heard Mrs.
Van Skuyt say: "Oh. we're used to il.
We've put in at several other places
where he had friendsr' He remember
ed the wild progress they made for
him up the slope that morning at Win
ter Harbor-how the people looked on
and laughed and clapped their hands.
But at the veranda edge he had no.
ticed little form disappearing around
a corner of the building, young girl
running away as fast as she could.
See there" he said as the tribe set
him down; you have frightened the
populace." And Tom Meredith had
stopped shouting long enough to an.
swer: ITS my little cousin. overcome
with emotion. She's been counting
the hours till you came-been hearing
about you for good while She hasn't
been able to talk or think of anything
else. She's only fifteen, and the crucial
moment is too much for her. The great
Harkless has arrived, and she has fed"
But the present hour grew on him
as he leaned on the pasture bars. 1t
had been reminiscent day with him.
but suddenly his memories sped, and
the voice that was singing Schubert's
"Serenade" across the way touched
him with the urgent personal appeal
that present beauty had always held
Tor him. 1t was a soprano and without
tremolo, yet came to his ear with q
certain tremulous sweetness. 1t was
soft and slender. but the listener knew
1t could be lifted with fullness 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 1.-THE Walrus
and the Carpenter" on Fisbee's notes.
was one to laugh with you and weep
with you. yet her laughter would be
tempered with sorrow and her tears
with laughter.
When the song was ended he struck
the rail he leaned upon q sharp blow
with his open hand. There swept over
him feeling that he had stood precise
ly where he stood now on such a night
thousand years ago; had heard that
voice aud that song and been moved by
the voice and the song and the night
just as he was moved now. He had
long known himself for q sentimental