The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-04-05
NUMBER %.

From the window where the singer sat
a silvery laugh fioated out. The win
dow closed, and the voice accompanied
his music no more that night.
Next day at the Office he stole many
furtive glances at Miss Dumont and
tried TO decide whether he was in love
with her or with the voice he had
heard the night before. Already he
was beginning to think Of it as The
Voice mentally capitalizing the worda-
Before the day was over he decided
that he was in love with Helen Du-
mont. The graceful turn of her head
and the purity of expression in her big
brown eyes seemed to him worth all
the voices in the world But In the
evening The Voice again accompanied
his violin playing. and for an hour he
was near to forgetting Miss Dumont.
This went on all through the spring.
and Herman began to lose flesh under
| the strain of trying to decide whether
| he was in love with a beautiful girl
or a beautiful voice Time and again
he wrestled unavailingly with the shy
| ness which prevented him from get
ting better acquainted with Helen Du-
| mont He often met her on his way
home in the evening and knew that
she lived somewhere close, but he
could never quite get his courage up
to the point of asking permission to
| call on her.
Then he made up his mind that he
| would see the owner of The Voice. He
knew that she lived In the house next
to the place where he boarded, but .
projecting bay window cut OF the
view Of this house from his window.
and he had no way of knowing what
room the owner Of The Voice occupied
One evening in June he made his
opportunity. At the end of a waltz
song which he had been playing he
! softly laid down his violin and stepped
on to the next fire escape balcony. He
was long armed and athletic, 30 IL
was with little difficulty that he work
ed his way along from one fire escape
to another until he had rounded the
point of the bay window. The bright
moonlight made him easily visible on
the fire escape. and he knew that he
stood an excellent chance Of being
| shot for a burglar, but physical danger
was not half so terrifying as the pros
pect of continuing longer with his love
|, divided between a voice and woman.
, As he reached the point of the bay
window he peeped cautiously around
It. He saw girl leaning out Of win
dow. and he instantly darted back. The
girl was Helen Dumont He had not
known she lived so close to him, and
he hoped she had not seen him. he re.
solved to wait where he was until the
girl with The Voice should come back
to her window. He had &c wait only a
few moments before he heard The Voice
humming the refrain Of the waltz sona
which he had been playing few min
utes before. Again peeping cautiously
around the wall, he again saw only
Helen Dumont. She saw him and
laughed that sweet, silvery laugh hs
had heard before.
1t struck him suddenly and very
forcibly that he was a fool, a big Ger
man, musical, sentimental fool. The
owner Of the voice was Helen Dumont
Therefore he must be twice as much in
| love with Helen as he had thought Il
possible to love a woman. Very quiet
ly he made his way back TO his OWL
balcony and picked up his violin again
II, stupid fool that he was, he couli
not speak for himself, he could max,
his instrument speak for him. Tht
Voice was silent, but he did not care
He knew that she must understand
AS a finale he played composition o
his own only in time to escape epithet
hurled at him from half dozen near
by houses.
And, once having told his love witt
the violin, he had less difficulty thai
he anticipated when he called on Hel
en- Dumont the following evening ant
proposed in due form.
Mr.. and Mrs. Herman Muller live Il
- one of New York's prettiest suburbs, II
a cottage where Violin music and sing
/, ing can disturb no neighbors. The VIII
III is Just as happy as a woman can b
- who takes vast pride in her husband
! talent and stupidity. She is eve
= prouder of his stupidity than of hi
= talent. Herman-well, he has neve
got over falling in love with his wifi
=, twice, a thing possible only to stupid
= ity like this.