Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-12-16
Fast fell the slect.
When a little child angel
Passed down the street
With trailing pinions
And weary feet.

lcapable of movement He fell back helD-
/ Jess in his chair. His face blanched. and
/ his pale blue eyes became pathetically
senile. 1.-THE Requittalr' An, how
t often had his voice sung it while Maude's
/ deft fingers inproyised an obligato to the
torrent and crash of the piano
! Ii was the same Obligato: he worll
swear TO that. But how could Oh ~
course. she and her husband had pub
/ lished it between them. Made money on+
! of that. She can never have had any
| love for him.
/ He poured out another brandy on3
soda and drank it eagerly. But Still he
heard. the thin, faint obligato. the purs
| chidlike voice:
Having kissed the woman,
Having kissed the woman
And left her
And left her
And left her dead.
The violin seemed to wall I'm on tho
high note. Surely it was fancv- liz
memory was playing tricks with HIM. 10
street children could play like that. No.
he was sure of it.
How fanciful | am tonightr said
Marmaduke; II keep thinking / hear ali
sorts of things. o God he shrieked,
mot thatr
Ills voice leapt up to a scream as he
staggered to his feet and pressed tie
| button OF the ELECTRIC bell
Outside, little clearer and frmer. the
vlolln ana voice Were playing and sing
ine Ave Maria"
Alarmaduke heard no more fer n space
All he could hear or see was Il scene. Il
sound, in the ORA wing room of n dead
day. But he pulled himself together.
and again the voice and violin came TO
his ears; the voice and violin of the
present, not the past.
/ n in lIa1.i lane
dictus fructus ventri tut Jesus. Sancta
Maria. ora pro nObis, nobis peccatoribus
nunc ct i'll bora, n hora morris nostrae
| Amen"
Marmaduke had sunk back in his
chair. No one had answered the hell:
the SCI wants. butler and all Were outside
IN the area snow looking up at two wee
shlverlng hgures making angel music on
the holy night.
The man shook in his char-shooll
with rage and remorse, and. above all.
with self-pity.
The servants voices were loud below
in the area. \ child's voice Quivered in
the night air.
lie reached out his hand and again
primed himself Then he went quickly
and firmly to the bell and pressed his
finger furiously upon the button, keeping
it there some seconds.
Marmaduke suffered with rage and
some feeling which overpowered him and
left him helpless, which was new to him,
and which he fought against.
A door slammed below stairs: then at
the top of the passage from the kitchen
to the hall. A hurried step came on the
tiles. The old butler stood in the billiard
room.
&c so at once, Latimer," he said,
and send those noisy little beasts away.
Why didn't you answer the bell be-
fore? ego. Look sharp. Send 'em off.
DO you hear meE for latimer stood
looking at him queerly
"Yessir,' said Latimer. "SuttnIy SIR
AS the butler turned to go the first bars
OF the Ave Maria" again stole into the
bright, warm billiard room. The front
door opened and the sound of voice and
violin came in clear, firm and beautiful
Whoever the performers were, they We're
true musicians.
The millionaire waited TO hear the
harsh words spoken-the harsh order
given. And rs the prayer thrilled and
pulsed through the air, grown more chill
in the draught of a bitter Light rushing
Ftough the hall, feeling of dull re,
Morse came upon him. He called out:
wait a minute, Latimer, take this to
them"
But Latimer neither answered nor re-
turned. The voice and violin poured ont
their harmony
Marmaduke Redfern rose from his
chair and went into the hall. He found
the old butler standing silent, gazing
with staring eyes ut the scene on the
doorstep.
The great volume of electric light in
the hall shone bright and clear on two
small figures. One was that of a poorly
cad boy of y, from whose mouth the
Latin came with perfect intOnati0n and
enunciatioC BY his side stood girl
of 10. Her poor cotton frock barely
reached below her knees, and her shabby
cotton stockings hid their holes in burst
ing boots. thin sOled and penetrated with
the snow. 4 coarse shawl was tied over
her head, once round, so as not to be
in the way of the cheap yellow violin
eyes were raised upward. Her cheeks
were pale with want. Her lips were
tremulous and blue with cold and an
| guish. But the bowling of the hand and
arms were Maude's the eyes were
Maude's; the face was Maude' $.
Then the man whom the old Maude
| knew and no other knew awoke. With
| cry he tottered out on to the doorstep.
! fell on his knees and ciasped his arms
about the little violiuist, who started
! back for moment, afraid Of his eager
ness.
.NIaude.' the millionaire called.
.Maude-my. darling-eome home; come
| back to me-
The old butler guiped. kicked over a
! hall chair. and gave Il feeble cieer.
Marmaduke raised the girl in his arms;
| Latimer snatched up the boy. and sob.
J bling and gasping the men bore the Chi!
dreI- TO the warmth of the great fire d,
the billiard room.
As they put them down in the deep
seated chairs the clock on the marble
mantelshelf struck j., and the bells Of
the churches in Langham place and all
about the great city changed out ii,
peals of joy. "ChriSt is born they
men. james Blyth in Black and White.