The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-10-08

But don't want to sing" and, I'M
needing alike entreaty and command,
the child. a girl of about - years, with
"a willful, yet beautiful gypsy face,
whirled away into another dance.
AS one watched her he noted the
grace and fire of every motion. She
seemed a creature of air, so light was
she. With perfect ease and abandon,
she followed every change Of the mu-
sic, seeming never to tire.
AS the players fingers wandered of
into some sweet minor chords there
came startled look into her face Then,
as the music continued in the plaintive
strain, she yielded to the spell. Once
more her body swayed to that fantas-
tic dance of her childhood, once more
her voice rose and fell to that weird
sweet song.
And, as he listened, over the face
OF the master there came look of rap
ture, while with the instinct of the
true musician, he accompanied the
strange air with all it's subtle changes.
| Then, as the song ended in a breathing
of heartbreak and despair, he turned
to the child. the tears streaming down
his gentle old face.
"Ah, monsieur, monsieur" he cried,
sit is the voice of an ANGEL"
! While her child was singing far away
across the sea, the mother was dying.
On poor bed with scarcely covering
for her wasted body she lay, clasping
to her breast little dress, old and
worn.
] AS her husband bent over her, trying
in his rude fashion to adjust the ragged
pillow
/ "Hark!" she whispered. Listen! l
hear my Leah singing"
The great auditorium was filled to
overlooking. Every seat in the vast
room was taken and the boxes were
taxed to their utmost capacity.
Never had a prima donna sung to a
more cultured and enthusiastic audience
Time after time, the great house had
broken out into uncomfortable APP
plause, and now, as the performance
neared its close, Leah, the gypsy, ="
again appeared, and the people once
1 more settled into the expectant quiet
that always accompanies the presence
of star
A perfect type of gypsy beauty was
she; hair the blackness of night, eyes
where hid that dangerous blending of
love and fire, cheeks through whose
olive the tint of carmine cleaned, lips
Of the rich red that belongs to all tropi-
cal natures.
A moment she stood gazing out over
that vast sea of faces.
One amCpg them she knew was there
watching her with eyes full of question
and longing.
So she had met his gaze for years, all
most since the morning he first saw her
a little child asleep in his fathers Ii
brary.
That she was a gypsy he knew, but
where she came from or why to his
fathers house he had never learned
Ihat father, a stern, silent man, had
never courted inquiry About a year
before LEANS coming to their home the
light OF the place had gone out with
the death Of an Only daughter, the idol
OF the widowed father To that lost
daring Leah bore mere than a passing
resemblance and because of this like
ness the boy shrewdly guessed that the
little eirl had come to take the dead
child's place.
Though he loved Leah, to him she had
always been an enigma. Together thew
had grown to manhood and woman
mood, and as yet he could not fatbom
her dual nature
Nor could she help him. To his oues-
tion and pleading she could only saw.
some day, when the evil power leaves
me, you shall claim me; till then be
content. Some day ! shall be free: the
STARS nave told it. And with freedom
VIII come the memory of that gypsy
song my mother taught me. Once it
returned and thought heard her call
ing me-but it was only fancy-and the
song is forgotten"
Ana now as he eazed longingly at
TINS woman, so strange, yet so beautiful
a woman in whose soul two spirits
seemed striving for the mastery. one
good, the other evil. he noted startled
listening expression fit across her face
lter eyes looked far beyond. She saw
not the great audience; unheeded was
the orchestral prelude.
Her soul was far away; she saw
gypsy camp, circle of admiring facos
clustered round little child. she boord
the thrum, thrum of an old guitar and
a mothers voice pleading: AGAIN
Lean Once more, as If led by mower
other than her will. the 1.-the form
sWaEed TO that dance of long ago: onca
more was heard the song so sod anS
sweet Again she felt the tender ior
ing presence of her mother. q qontio
peace stole into her heart, her sonl
seemed MED with rapture and. as her
song oled away in the last weird notes
sue turned TO her lover, her eyes wet
WIN WY, tne sweet due Of love, her voice
auii Oh me tender notes of surrender
anu as ne listened he knew that the
evil mower had 1DFf l. NAiS