The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-09
Our Daily Short Story

sing a little" replied the girl. My
name is Ethel"
Mine is Pietro." replied the italian.
Let us sing some more and divide
the money"
So was formed the new partnership
and day after day and evening after
evening the two sang on the streets
and divided the capfuls of silver each
night.
One morning Pietro counted his
hoard and found that he was rich be-
yond his early hopes. But he did not
| contemplate going home to Italy as he
had intended No. for his veins ran
with liquid fire as he heard in his
| heart Ethel singing a love song. He
had heard her night after night and
! thrilled under, the magic of her voice
| until pleasure became a pain and he
could scarcely draw the bow over the
violin. Her beauty had grown on him
until life held nothing for him ex-
cepting her. He could stand 1t no
longer He would speak to her. He
| would tell her his great love. They
would be married and sing on togeth-
err forever.
She listened to him at first annoyed,
then frightened at the intensity of his
passion. Then she rose sorrowfully.
L am sorry, Pietro," she said. Il
cannot understand 1t at all We have
been very happy in our work. Now I
will have to go away again. Good bye."
And so she left him beating his head
with his hands. Again she went to a
distant city. this time wiser and older
Straight to a great manager-this time
Rosenbaum. Would he hear her sing.
Oh. yes. he would. If she did not take
too long about 1t. On his feet, hat in
hand, at the first notes. Would she
sing agafn-and again-and again. To
be sure he would make a place for her
If she did not come too high.
No she would not be exorbitant Only
one thing must be guaranteed. No
ogling by manager or other artists. If
any person annoyed her in this way he
was to be discharged AS for Rosen-
abum-well she told him the story of
Oppenstein. He. as well as all others,
must keep their distance.
And so her work began again. She
became a great hit at once and Rosen-
baums purse waxed plethoric Society
crowded the theater. Rosenbaum was
besieged to permit her to sing at a
select social affair at the Landervlips
The manager saw 1t would be a great
advertisement. 1t was. Other similar
engagements followed. Ethel was
pressed to enter into the social festivi-
siSS' NAtIi anu women eagerly sought
to meet her. She was courteous, SIM
pie and cold
One night at one of these social func-
tons. after she had sung. a man of a
new type was among those who crowd
ed to her side. He was big and broad
shouldered and tanned. He wore his
clothes indifferently. His hands were
big and broad and the fingers rather
stubby, instead of being long and slim
like Pietro's and those of most of the
men she knew. His eyes were keen
and compelling. There was sense of
power in his every movemnt II said
lew OF the nice things about her sing
ing whlch the other men said, but he
was eager and insistent and she found
herseH carried away to the refresh
ment room by him. His name was
Gray-Raymond Gray, and later she
learned that he was a civil engineer
who had won great fame overcoming
obstacles of nature in the far west
ana now was eagerly sought by engfn-
GERS the world over for advice and as
slstance. He attracted her as no 9TH
er man ever had-but she could not
tell why or whether she liked the a.
traction or rebelled against it.
She saw much of him after that He
mad the entree 20 exclusive socie.y and
seemed always to be where she sang
Also she saw him often at the opera.
He never compImented her on her
singing. This piqued her and made
her curious Other men could not say
enough. Why did he follow Ter so
persistently?
One night after she had sung at
her very best and had sent the music
lovers present into ecstacies of dosnair
Gray sought her side and took her into
the conservatory She determined to
wiring a word of praise from him.
How did YOU like my song Mr.
Gray?" she asked, directly.
Il think you are the most beautiful
woman in the world" he replied. a $ in
answer to her question. His eyes look
ed straight into hers and he went ON
Il love you-love you better than anv
other man ever loved any woman. viii
You be my wnfe?"
And as she looked into his ewes
something she had never known awoke
in her nature.
On the side of a great mountain in
the far west there stands a house over