The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1907-12-18
Harris
Genius.
BY COLIN S. COLLINS.
Copyright, 1907, by NJ. NJ. Cunningham

fioated out, now round and full, now
the merest whisper of divine melody.
No mere amateur 1t was who tenderly
bowed the violin. Hart had heard the
best of those who had come to America
ON tour, and he knew that this was the
playing of a master.
Even as child Morris Hart had
been strangely moved by music, and
now his soul thrilled as the almost
human notes pierced the air For n
time he could not locate the player, but
at last he caught glimpse of girl as
lovely as the music she made.
She stood ut the window of sQualid
tenement that faced the building In
which Hart had his office and, all unr
conscious of the notice she attracted,
played on and on. The same airs she
played over and over again, but the
trial balance waited while Hart drank
In the melody. At last, with sigh,
she laid down the instrument and,
carefully putting It away, busted her
self with the preparation OF her SIM
pie meal.
Hart turned again TO the trial bal.
ance which the bookkeeper had laid
upon his desk, but he could not Danish
from his thoughts the fair musician
and the picture she made framed In
the opening In tho rough brick of the
rear wall,
She was fair with the fairness of the
north, but her ewes were the lustrous
black of the I.atins. and in her face
was an odd mixture of the cold repres.
sion of the north horn With tbe ms.
sion of the SUMMER south. Even In the
poor dress she wore she did not lose
her aueenly stateliness of herring and
the collarless. shabby waist BETRAYED
the round fullpess of the neck and the
dazzling Wilderness OF her shoulders.
For n man who had hitherto account.
cd women things of little importauce
the girl of the violin occupied much
of Harris ottentian that afternoon and
In the evening she absorbed his
thoughts to the exclusion of all else.
Hart was early Mt his office in the
morning He Ind passed an almost
sleepless night and had come 10 the
Office in the hone of finding forpetfpl.
ness of the girl I'm the absorption of
work. He gathered nm tbe mail from
the floor I'm front of the letter drop and
mechanically busted himself In oncninp
the envelopes.
But scarcely had he bepun when
from across the wards came the sound
of the violin. Today she stood slightly
more In the she low and he could hare.
ly discern heyIa& though his memory
needed no $500 ,p ana ne MID SEQ
her as plallap IS he had the day be-
fore. when sb. had stood inst IN front
of tho window oyar ona o,,or a,,ot,,
she played the same airs. The head
clerk came In for the mail, and Hart
waved him away IL was not until the
violin was put away and the girl sat
at the window with some sewing that
Hart could give his attention TO his
affairs.
Late In the afternoon the violin was
taken up again. and once more Hart
stopped work that he might drin,, In
to the full the sweet strains that seem.
ed to gain an added beauty from their
environment
For week or so Hart enjoyed the
daily concert: then there came a day
when the windows were closed and the
violin did not sound. In some way
Hart worried through the day Int
when evening fell. instead of going
direct to his club, as was his custom.
he hunted up the little house on the
back street. Ii was with difIicuIty
that he located the apartment. but Mt
last he found the right one and made
eager inquiry OF the slatternly woman
who announced herself as tho ioni-
tress.
They were gone she told him tho
little old professor and his daughter
She did not know wbere tbov had
gone. They were ANNOYING the other
tenants with their everlasting n,avipo
and had been asked to move On that
account
"Great heayensw posned Hart .yo,
would probably tnrn ont paderewskI
HIMSELF
I've don't take tbim Uunooriapsp
explained the ianitress .srha littie
Dutch professor was had enouob Diyil
another wan nv Thin comes In bera !"
Hart turned o,vov baor,sio, ana a,s
couraged. Now that tho girI was oono
he felt that he had lot mas. ont 90 hIs
life the one woman who world have
made him bapny All the evening In
moped at the clnb and I'm tho days 10
come the emplovees Mt tbe ot,,ca askea
each other anxiously IL the depression
in stocks had impaired the capitaI of
the business. Only bust less worries
could account to the. for Harris irrI-
liability.
Then came night when one OF bis
associates Mt the club insisted upon
carrying him off to vaudeville house.
."There's n musical act on that Won
will like. You can't afford to miss It,.
he urged, and Hart went for COM
pany's sake. though he detested the
mustcal offeripps Of vaudcriIlo