New-York tribune., 1906-06-17


II but lust talked TO me and told me all about
the show. and said | 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 tie
could not be otherwise than courteous and
kind, though he were 10 try-Herr ReInhardt
could not And moreover" She paused
The girl was listening intently. her eyes fixed
on Elizabeth Reinhardt's face with 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 NINE losing her
Did she dies
"Yes"
There's worse things than that. | 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. II she d
never had no one to care whether she died or
not; if Shed 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
Is it Your own story You have been telling
me, poor child; .,--..,..-
told me was picked up in the streets OF Chr
Cago. and no one ever knew where I'd come
from. There'd been an accident on a street
car; Sc -eral people were hurt, and one man
was dead He Law there by the track with
crowd of people around him, and stood
little way off Cryin' so at first they thought |
must have belonged 70 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 10 the police station ,
but when nobody ever came to claim me,
| they knew I'd Just been deserted, and then
| they took me 10 the asylum That all know
| | amt never thought much about it till now
| | don't know why | can't think OF nothin
else since last night Oh-mv father and
mother'd better have killed the child they
didn't want than 70 leave It like that The
| hard. tense voice broke at last.
| In the next room, Ned AbercrOmbie and the
professor. the former lesson being over. were
running reminiscently 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! pr5cht ich Sohn
nerne Nn:tsy Seh'ri-
msine- -Nnteri-
eiu lIGHSChsHVefbi-
Elizabeth Reinhardt's arm was about the
shoulders of the girl. Poor child Poor little
ONE Don't sob sol And don't blame them,
YOUR poor father and mother Perhaps they
since YOU cannot know. OR if they did not die
listen while | tell YOU the story of our Sor-
row. and YOU viii sec that one may love ones
child and Vet make Irretrievable mistakes.
No father and mother ever loved their
child more than 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 ha;r' She was born at Bavreutk
and it seemed as if the very spirit of the place
had entered into her little SOU, for She loved
music, from her babvhood, with strange
passion. She would never cry if only her
father would sing for her. Often | took her 10
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 a big shawl and
II she happened TO wake she would crow with
delight at the sound of the orchestra and the
singing.
when she was three Years old she would
warbe like little bird. and we began 10
dream dreams of her future. The greatest
prima donna of her generation-that was
Emil'S modest ambition for his little girl. He
used TO say he must save his voice and strength
so that he might sing with her when she made
her debut. The Wagner legends he told her
for nursery tales He took tp ,alliDO bprb his