The Washington herald., 1907-01-09
HOW PIETRO PAID HIS DEBT.
BY SADA B. CUSHMAN.
Copyright. 1907. by Mary McKeon,l

I panion. Grayson invited him to share
/ his dingy lodgings for the night and
/ Grayson's comrades significantly tapped
/ their foreheads at this latest eccentricity
/ Of their friend. for though they were
! possessed Of numerous eccentricities OF
| their own. as men Of genius must ever
/ be. surely even they might deem Il the
/ hallmark OF insanity 20 take from the
/ street a ragged yOungSteT and give him
/ a glimpse OF better things through the
medium OF n mode OF life that 10 these
young men Of mighty ambitions seemed
| dTeaTily poverty stricken.
/ From the point Of view OF the man
/ on the pile Of straw. the shOddy mat
/ tress seems luxurious. while 10 the man
on the shoddy, nothing seems worth while
| but one Of floss. Added 10 Grayson's in
explcable treatment Of the dagO kid, they
told the story of his hallucinauOns. How
In the still nights he claimed 10 hear
bursts Of exquisite melody such as only
the great masters Of music might dream.
and dreaming, reproduce. Grayson was
only a humble student, and Try as he
might he could not reproduce those haunt
/ ing melodies that would give him no rest.
/ With his awakening. the melodies were
suled and only their echoes, Ike the
remembered taste Of some childish
delight the name and substance, color,
and form Of which We have long for
| gotten, remained. lie haunted the opera
and concerts. but he could never hear
/ them save in his dreams. Because he
dreamed these things. and yet could in
teTpret them no better than his average
companion student, they called him daffy.
Daffy. PietTo thought him, when IN the
wee small hours of the night he awoke
and heard those glorious sounds His
tTst quick glance showed MIN that his
hosts bed was empty. His second showed
him the figure Of the young man standing
full in the light Of the moon, his violin
IN his hands, his face slightly uplfted,
and with a transhguring look upon IL that
would have made him pass almost un-
recognized among his best friends His
eyes were strange, staring. unearthly, and
Pietro encountering them, shuddeTed and
dived under the coverlet, where ne lay
trembling. awaiting to feel the hands of
his uncaHny host upon him. Seconds
passed, seeming like hours to him. The
food Of harmony still poured on uninter-
rupted, and he peeped cautiously forth
again. and forgot his fear in his keen
enjoyment. Pietro's ancestors had been
ministers of the gospel OF music. though
he did not know il. and his ear drank in
those exquisite sounds greedily, though
his ignorant brain knew nothing Of their
worth.
Days passed. and Pietro was still a
guest In GraysOn's lodgings The man
had taken a fancy TO him, and dreaded
the loneliness that must follow his de-
parture. Pietro's business affairs had i'm
proved. The election was over. as he re-
minded Grayson, who replied that he
could see no marked improvement in his
own affairs. PietrO answered sagely that
a feIer never kin tell. I was pretty
hard up that night me an you first seed
each other, and now see, I made dollar
an a quarter to-day, and you kin have it
wells not"
Thanks" replied Grayson. declining
the proffered silver You're 4 pretty
good pal of mine, aren't you, Pete?'
Grayson spent a good many of his
spare moments teaching the boy 10 play
on one OF his viOllns, and was surprised
and gratlfed at his rapid comprehension.
His own affairs looked darker us the
days went by. The employment he had
found to help him through his music
course was taken away and ne was left
stranded. Coming in one day after a
weary round Of disappointments. the
sight OF the boy handling his most cher
shCd violin. which no one else had
right 20 touch, angered him unreason-
ably. Before he had time to demonstrate,
the boy had commenced to play, and at
the first notes the man stood speilbound
Slowly, uncertainty. with many blunders.
the child PLAYED, and Grayson listened 20
one Of his own dream pieces He was
bitterly disappointed that this child this
vaif Of the streets, whom he had be-
friended, should have heard his music.
and, having heard, had been given the
power 10 interpret IT, though imperfectly.
You thieving brat" he exclaimed.
grasping the lad roughly. Where did
you learn that? Who taught you my
music?"
"Aw, cut il outr' said Pietro, wriggliuc
away Ike an eel. You learned me yer
old squeaks yerself in de night when
youse git dem bughouse fits on"
He told of the many nights he had
awakened to the sound Of music. and
struggled to reproduce it. He ended with
a request uttered with an elaborate
carelessness that failed TO conceal his
reah earnestness, that Grayson teach him
To become zone of dem sure 'nough
fiddler chaps" Grayson, with the har-
m0ny ripping through his brain. ready
at last 70 be put up1n paper to open up
a brilliant pathway 10 its authors cue
cess. gT3vely shooR his head and an
swered1 Sure"