Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-18

Hart stirred uneasily as the tones
fioated out. now round ana full. now
the merest whisper of divine melody.
No mere amateur it was who tenderly
bowed the violin. Hart had heard the
best of those who had come TO America
playing of master.
Even as a child Morris Hart had
been strangely moved by music, and
now his soul thrilled as the almost
human notes pierced the air For 4
time he could not locate the player, but
at last he caught a glimpse of a girl as
lovely as the music she made.
She stood at the window of a Squalid
tenement that faced the building in
which Hart had his office and, all un-
conscious of the notice she attracted.
played on and on. The same airs she
played over and OYER again, but the
trial balance waited while Hart drank
in the melody. At last, with a 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 the rough brick of the
rear wall
She WAS fair with the fairness of the
north. but her eyes were the lustrous
black of the Latins, and in her face
was an edd mixture of the cold repres-
sion of the north born with the pas
sion of the SUMMER south. Even in the
poor dress she wore she did not lose
her Queenly stateliness of bearing, and
| the cOllarleSs. shabby waist betrayed
| the round fullness of the neck and the
dazzling whiteness of her shoulders.
For Il man who had hitherto account
ed women things of little Importance
| the girl of the violin occupied much
| Of Harris attention that afternoon, and
| in the evening she absorbed his
| thoughts TO the exclusion of all else.
Hart was early at his office in the
morning. He had passed an almost
sleepless night and had come TO the
| Office in the hope of finding forgetful-
ness of the girl in the absorption OF
| work. He gathered up the mail from
the floor in front of the letter drop and
mechanically busted himself in opening
the envelopes.
| But scarcely had he begun when
| from across the yards came the sound
of the violin. Today she stood slightly
more in the shadow, and he could bare
| ly discern her face. though his memory
| needed no refreshing. and he could see
her as plainly as he had the day be
| fore, when she had stood just in front
| of the window. Over and over again
she played the same airs. The head
clerk came in for the mail. and Hart
waved him away. 1t was not until the
| ciolin was put away and the girl sal
at the window with some sewing that
Hart could give his attention to his
| affairs.
Late in the AFTERNOON the violin wa,
taken up again. and once more Har
stopped work that he might drink il
TO the full the sweet strains that seem
cd to gain an added beauty from theii
environment.
/ For week or so Hart enjoyed til,
daily concert: then there came q day
when the windows were closed and tn,
violin did not sound. Iii some way
!, Hart worried through the day. bu
when evening fell, instead of goin:
direct TO his club. as was his custom
he hunted up the little house on til,
back street. 1t was with difficult,
that he located the apartment. but a