The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-03-13

| opera-but you must not fail me. For
at the years beginning l vowed that
if at its end l had not written the
opera and found the voice, / should
die. See, here is the pistol, loaded
| here, beside you on the table-Hush!
your High C again?" He listened. mo,
only my Imagination. Well, kiss your
lily hand anyway-ah, you have no
hand? Your cherry lips, you say? No,
no, l am not worthy. Just the
hem Of your garment-ah, but l see
you haven't any on. See, as COM
promise, I kiss the name of the pho
tographer. Thrice happy man to have
posed you!'
Angelo placed Mile. Jolie upon his
little old wobbly piano, draped
wreath of withered autumn leaves
around her, blew out the light, drew
back the window curtain, then in
moonbeam sat down to compose. The
MUSES. must have been 7saiting round
about, for in a moment he was playing
softly The inspiration fairly flowed.
Angelo was in heaven. That greatest
of joys, the joy of artistic creation,
was his He played a long tinle-un-
til the moon went down. Then by
the yellow lamplight he wrote down
what he had played.
For two days and night he slept
but little and ate nothing; the divine
fire needs no replenishing! The hap
piness that the years had denied him
was his at last to measureless extent.
Like Israfers, his heart-strings were
!, lutte, and the Cosmos itself was
busy playing upon him!
-Ln nio.ht hn fn1
! earthly faintness within him. Il am
not hungry, little one" he said to
Mademoiselle Jolie, lit is simply my
stomach"
Early next morning there was
> knock on Angeles door, He knew the
landlady's peremptory tap, SO, SILVER
ing with terror, did not answer. But
! the landlady knew Angelo, too. She
threw little card through the tran
som-and then laughed that Earring
laugh of hers.
"A ticket to the vaudeville tonight,
signor,' she called. "Mademoiselle Jo-
lie, who is much interested in you
wants you to hear her new song
Angelo sat motionless. With horror
| struck eyes he gazed at the ticket on
the floor. 1t was red. 1t seemed to
burn. 1t seemed to burn into him
| Vaudeville! A ten-cent show! In
stinctively he put on his goggles and
stuffed his ears with cotton. Go?
4 Never!
He awoke late the next morning.
Y The most golden of sunbeams lay
I across him, but alas. the landlady' S
strident voice was calling him through
4 the transom.
"Signor Angelo"
YES"
"Mademoiselle Jolie was terribly cut
= up because you weren't at the vaude-
vile last night. She leaves for a swing
around the circuit the end of the
l. week and wants to see you before she
1T goes"
if All that day he worked feverishly,
y unremittingly. That night the COM
/? passionate gods pressed down his eye
lids and made him sleep. In the morn
v. ing he dared write little note to
u Mademoiselle Jolie stating that he
d should do himself the honor of calling
TT on her that night after the theater.
L. More singular still, he dared tiptoe
ir down the hall and slip it under her
st door.
lie That evening with the ending of An
" gelo's year came the finishing of An,
:" gelo's opera. The wretched little
10 piano was glad. So was Angeles
v scratchy pen. So must have been
ID the overworked muses..
lie In the remains of his ancient dress
d. suit Angelo, primped, pruned and
e. primed, waXed, polished and perfumed
ID sat waiting. He was dreadfully ex
n cited He was hot and cold by turns
n But he was resolute.
lg AS the clock struck IL he heard
Ii. footsteps on the stairs. They were
lg rather heavy, but whose could they
n be but Mademoiselle's? He waited
Id awhile SO she might have time tt
to change her frock, then with a glacier
Ill around his heart and mountain ir
of his throat he went out into the hall
tx Yes, there was the light under hel
e, door. In a daze, maZe-somehOw-
IN he moved toward it, knocked, e0ere(
and found himself face to face with
- a vision of loneliness beyond the wild
,g est dreams of amorous sultans.
Say, old man, this is too good,
I laughed Mademoiselle Jolie. in hel
sh deepest contralto. You're daffy OF
e me, amt you? Well, look here.
h. And she took off her golden hair, he1
ey bosom and her hips. Say, grandpa
ar I'm just nice, clever little halfwa,
he decent man, that's all-Willie Will
tie kins, the greatest female impersona
IT. tor on earth!"