Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-11-03
S7RAD|KAR/US'
STORY
Observation-Disclosures
By William Forster Brown.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

~
TOR many years after fate parted my
Carl and l, / remained in the Kali
ser Museum, situated on Linden
Strasse, in the city of Munich, sus-
penoed from a brass hook screwed in
the top of a very tall glass case.
This museum was a dull place, the
other instruments there being exceed
ingly inferior to myself, except, per-
haps, for a decrepit cello who claimed
to have been created by Nicholas ANA
ii, and who was SO overbearingly con
ceited that it was a WEAKNESS to con-
verse with him. So I spent the long
hours that hung SC heavy in wonder
ing if my glorious voice would ever be
heard again, and dreaming of the old
days-and Carl. How well I remember
the time i came to him! Fretting
over my sorry lot, I had been lying,
dusty and neglected, in my case for
more weeks than l like to think about,
on an out-of-the-way shelf in a dingy
pawnshop, when n day my prison
was opened, and 1 looked for the first
time on Carl Schilling's face.
/ 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 a good face. My heart leaped
with hope, for l knew intuitively that
he was a musician, and fearful that
the gloom Of the poorly lighted shop
would deceive him as to my real worth,
as l was being put into his hand I con-
trived to slip SC that a 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,
is scrawled the signature Of the mas
ter, Antonius Stradivarius.
Carts hand trembled ON my neck
SO / 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-I 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 a price on me that the boy could
not pay it for Carl's youth and neat
but %threadbare clothing showed well
enough that he was not wealthy. ]
might have spared myself the fear
however, for the pawnbroker sold me
for two thalers-(think of that, will
you, two thalers-for mel little
dreaming of the fortune he had let sliI
through his grasping fingers, and
left the detestable place under CARTS
arm.
A life began for me then, l can
tell you. In a week my new master
had fathomed my every mood, ant
l responded to his touch with my whole
soul-Gott il Himmel! the boy coult
play like an angel. He was only
first violin. in the Odeon theater, bu1
when he tucked me lovingly under his
chin, whispering that I was his "lit.
tie, sweetheart" I would pour out my
soul with joy and pride until the Herr
Director himself would turn about II
his high chair to look at us-indeed
he offered Carl thaler upon thaler fol
me, but my master only patted my
neck and laughed.
"Nein, mein Herr" he replied, hap
ply; 'it is useless. There Is no
enough money in all Germany to buy
my little sweetheart"
After a time Carl found another
sweetheart a dear little sunny-hairet
fraulein, who 500 loved me almos
as we'll as Carl did, only | think sht
always stood a little in of me
which is not to be wondered at, con
sidering who am. Was | jealous
Not a bit Of it. Elsa was so swee
no one could have helped loving her
and when she and Carl were married
1 tried so hard to hum the wedding
march that my G string snapped OF
close to the nut.
Sometimes, on an evening whel
there was no performance at the thea
ter, Carl would lift me out Of my oil
box, while Elsa sat smiling at us wit
her knitting, and / would sing to then
(you cannot imagine how beautiful.
l would sing) Of the grand, mysterious
terrible Alps; Of the somber pines AM
cleaning ice-gorges and Edelweiss
with Gods wide blue sky over all
songs the wind had whispered to tn
pine-trees in far-off Switzerland, iron
whose fbers half my being had come
Shortly a hushed, eager expectanc,
fell on our little home, that mad
Elsa shy and wistful and Carl hold hi
head very high. Some one was cominI
to share our hearts. Then for yer,
mischief | used to sing bits Of broker
melody and soft, grooming lullabys-
things the south wind preathes to tn
baby pines-just to tease Elsa and SEN
the blood rushing TO her checks, an,
made Carl laugh aloud in sheer hap
,piness, at which Elsa would come an
lay her soft forehead on my brow
side, hiding her face on Carts should
er.
While we were all SO happy, Xix
a bolt Of lightning across the Jungfra
the trouble came. 1t happened on
wet night coming from the theatei