The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-01-16
Harris
Genius.
BY COLIN S. COLLINS.


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Hart stirred uneasily as the tones
hoated 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 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
time he could not locate the player, but
at last he caught glimpse of 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 I'M
conscious of the notice she attracted.
played on aud on. The same airs she
played over and over 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, hut her eyes were the lustrous
black of the Latins. and in her face
was an odd 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 stateIiness of bearing and
the cOllarleSs. shabby waist betrayed
| the round fullness of the neck and the
dazzling whiteness Of her shoulders.
For a 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
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 drink 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 day
when the windows were closed and the
violin did not sound. In some way
Hart worried through the day, but
| when evening fell, instead Of going
direct to his club. as was his custom.
he hunted up the little house on the
back street. 1t was with difficulty
that he located the apartment. but at
last he found the right one and made
/ eager inquiry Of the slatternly woman
who announced herself as the JAM
treSS.
They were gone, she told him. the
little old professor and his daughter.
/ She did not know where they had
gone. They were annoying the other
tenants with their everlasting playing
and had been asked to move on that
account.
Great heavens" gasped Hart. You
would probably turn out Paderewski
himself"
We don't take thin Hungarians. -
explained the ianitress. The little
Dutch professor was bad enough. Diyil
another wan nv thim comes in here"
Hart turned away heartsick and dis
outraged. Now that the girl was gone
he felt that he had let pass ont of his
lie the one woman who would have
made him lappy. All the evening he
moped at the club, and in the days to
come the employees at the office asked
each other anXiously if the depression
IN stocks had impaired the capital Of
the business Only business worries
could account TO them for Hart's irri-
liability.
Then came Il night when one of his
associates at the club insisted upon
carrying him off to Il vaudeville house.
There's musical act on that you
VIII like. You can't afford to miss it,"
he urged, and Hart went for com
pany's sake, though he detested the
musical offerings of vaudeville.
Ihe seats were easy, smoking was