Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-17

Don't think of it again, dear child |
haven't the least regret. / am only glad"
And he knew all the time-the gentleman
who is blind! And he never said a word about
it, but just talked to me and told me all about
the show, and said l could take his book to
read! How good he was! Why is he so good
to folks he doesn't even know"
The professors wife smiled proudly "He
could not be otherwise than courteous and
kind, though he were to try-Herr Reinhardt
could not. And moreover" She paused.
The girl was listening intently her eyes fixed
on Elizabeth Reinhardt's face with a curious
eagerness. Again that strange, dim sense of
Familiarity that had tortured her at the play.
my husbands heart is always very tender
toward young people, especially toward those
whose age is near to what would have been that
of Our little one 1t was the great sorrow of his
life, and of mine, losing her"
did she die?"
There's worse things than that. 1 don't
know how to say it, but as long as you had her,
you loved her and took care of her. and when
she died you cried about her and put her away
in her little grave, all quiet and safe. l can
tell you what would have been worse. If she'd
never had no one to care whether she died or
not; if she'd never known any home but big
square brick building with three hundred other
children that nobody wanted; and if she'd
drifted about all her life, and didn't know
where she'd come from nor what her name was,
nor even whether she had one by rights-oh,
there's worse things than just dyin!"
as it your own story you have been telling
me, poor child!"
told me was picked up in the streets of Chi
cago, and no one ever knew where I'd come
from. There'd been an accident on a street.
car; several people were hurt, and one man
was dead. He lay there by the track with
crowd of people around him, and l stood a
little way off, cryin' so at first they thought
must have belonged to him. but when they
asked me if he was my father | just cried
harder and shook my head. Then they thought
was lost and took me to the police station;
but when nobody ever came to claim me,
they knew I'd just been deserted, and then
they took me to the asylum That's all know
amt never thought much about it till now.
don't know why l can't think of nothin'
else since last night Oh-my father and
didn't want than to leave it like that!" The
hard, tense voice broke at last.
In the next room, Ned Abercrombie and the
professor, the formers lesson being over, were
running remniscently through the score OF
"Siegfried," trying favorite bits here and
there. The blind mans touch on the piano
keys was firm and sure, and the boys voice
rich and moving as it rose in vibrating sweet
Ness Aeh m0cht ieh Sohn
nteine Mntter seh'n!0
nteine-Mntter!-
Elm Menschenvetb!-
Elizabeth Reinhardts arm was about the
shoulders of the girl Poor child! Poor little
one! Don't sob so! And don't blame them,
your poor father and mother! Perhaps they
died and could not come for you. Be merciful,
since you cannot know Or if they did not die
listen while tell you the story of our sor-
row, and you will see that one may love ones
child and yet make irretrievable mistakes.
mo father and mother ever loved their
child more than we did ours We had been
happy before; but after she came-I cannot
tell you! She was such beautiful little crea-
ture, so loving, so gay-a happy little fairy
with her great blue eyes and her laughter and
her glorious hair! She was born at Bayreuth,
and it seemed as if the very spirit of the place
had entered into her little soul, for she loved
music, from her babyhood, with strange
passion. She would never cry if only her
father would sing for her. Often took her to
the theaters where he was singing, for he
wanted always to have us near him. Many
an evening she spent sound asleep in my arms
in one of the flies, wrapped in big shawl, and
if she happened to wake she would crow with
delight at the sound of the orchestra and the
"When she was three years old she would
MARBLE like little bird and we began to
dream dreams of her future. The greatest
prima donna of her generation-that was
Emil's modest ambition for his little girl He
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