Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-04

CHAPTER vi, (Conttnued).
Elisa, my dear, this was the young
man I tell You find to help me in
my SO great experiment, the expert
ment that will SO rich make us that
you VII no longer cook the Kinder
Brust end the Kartoffelin.
'..Ah. but l shall never, with all
that money. find SO good cook.
teach her as child" he added, for
Fnbian's benefit.
The young man had stepped for
ward eagerly at the introduction, as
though hoping that Elsa would shake
hands; but the girl, still keeping he:
eyes on his face, had made an un-
conscious movement backwards, as
though from some unseen danger.
Then she said gravely, "You are
very welcome and went on distrib-
uting the dishes about the table.
Fabian never forgot that meal,
though he was too famished to appre-
ciate the excellence Of the cooking.
appearing to devour either the food
cooked it. He was more successful
in the former effort than the latter.
Won Tarsenheim devoted his attention
ian's relief He felt like butterfly
which has had the pin taken out.
After supper, Elisa cleared the ia
bile, while the two men smoked. Won
Tarsenheim seemed absorbed in some
reflection or calculation, which caused
him to ignore the others presence,
and yet he could not help feeling that
he was in some way concerned in
what his host was thinking of. That
hideous experiment, no doubt. He
began to wish he knew the worst.
When Elsa returned she carried a
violin.
What sort of music do you wish
tonight, my father?" She spoke as
though this music was matter of
course between them.
"Ah! the music-yes, it must be of
triumph, for with this young man
shall succeed; and after much work,
and many years of disappointment, it
liz fine to succeed
Elsa began to play the War March
Of the Priests, from Athalie. Fabian
did not know much about music, but
he was aware that there was a force
and fire about her playing such as he
had never heard before. And how
lovely she looked, with her up-tilted
face bent over the instrument, and
her figure vibrating to the irresist-
ible swing of the music! Soon she
left the original and wandered away
into the realms of improvisation She
played as though she was playing on
an army to victory. sweeping the
earth before it, continuing it's con-
quering course across Keeling worlds,
till it was stopped by some dark
brink, some chasm which the music
could not bridge. There were no final
chords. The girl simply stopped play
ing and walked out Of the room.
My God!'' murmured the young
man.
ELISA makes the good music
yes? teach her that. too
You! Are you musician?"
II am more than musician know
where the music come from, and why
1t come to some people. And know
more-how to bring 1t to people who
have it not-like Elsa had it not
Why, you must be wizard-a ma
gician!"
Magician? All yes. The magi,
the great ones, they knew much-and
in the library of Alexandrine-bu it
burnt. At your schools they will tell
you 1t was all burnt. Yes?" He
questioned Fabian more directly than
he had hitherto done.
"Of course it was burnt. The Chris
tians and Omar and
My friend" said Won Tarsenheim.
impressively, what was carried off
into the desert was not burnt My
mothers tribe" He began mutter-
ing In some strange tongue. as though
quoting. Perhaps it was only his i'm
agination, but Won Tarsenheim seem
ed to change before his eyes. Ev-
erything that was European seemed
to be gathered up, like curtain, leav-
ing him face to face with an Oriental
And he was in the power of this man,
this evil-looking Oriental But how
ridiculous be was! In the heart of
London, he had only to walk out of
the room, out of the house. If he