Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1909-12-24

CHAPTER /.
THE VOICE IN THE zoe.

nut of tie unromantic night
out of the somber blurring
January fog, came voice
~ lifted in song. a soprano.
rich. full and round. young. yet ma
tured. sweet ard mysterious as a
night birds, haunting and elusive as
the murmur of the sea in a shell-a
tilt from LA File de Nine. Angot." q
light opera long since forgotten In
New York. Hillard. genuinely aston
tshed. lowered his pipe and listened.
The voice rose and sank and scared
again. drawing nearer and nearer. Ii
was joyous ana unrestrained. and
there was youth in 1t, the touch Of
spring ana the breath Of flowers. The
music was Lecocq's-tthat rs to say.
French-but the tongue was of a .coun-
try which billiard knew to be the gar
den OF the world Presently he OBJ
served shadow emerge from the yel-
low mist, 10 come within the circle OF
light. which. faint as it was, limned in
against the nothingness beyond the
form Of a woman. She walked direct
ly under his window.
As the invisible comes suddenly out
o. the future to assume distinct pro
portions which either make or mar us,
so did this unknown cantatrice come
put of the fog that night and enter into
HiIlards life. to readjnst its ambi-
tons. to divert its aimless course, to
give impetus to 1t and a directness
which hitherto 1t hsd not known.
All"
He leaned over the sill at perlous
angle, the lright coal of his pipe spill
ing cometwise to the areaway below
He was only Hubeonscious OF having
spoken. bur this syllable was sunlcleht
to spoil the eneBantment. The vobee
teased abruptly. with an odd break
The singer hooked up. Possibly her
establishment SURPASSED even fhat on
her audience For q few minutes she
had forgotten that she was LII New
York: she had forgotten the pain IN
her heart. there had been only sn ir-
resistible longing to sing.
Though she raised her face. he ceuld
distinguish no feature. for the hgh'
was behind. However. be WIS man
who made ND his mind quickly Bro
bette or blond. beautiful or otherwise.
i needed but moment to find out
Even as this decision was made ne
was la the upper hall. taking the stairs
.ao at bound He ran out into the
light bareheaded. Up the street he
Jaw a flying shadow. Plainly she bad
anticipated his impulse. She was
ZONE. He cupped his ear win MS
land In vain There was nothing put
.og and silence
Well. II this doesn't beat ths
Dutchr' he murrnured.
He laughed disappointedly. IL dio
rot matter that ne was three and thlf-
y. He still retained youth enough 10
eei chagrined at such a trivial defeat
Here had been something like gen
tine adventure. and It had slipped IKE
satef through his ciun<y fingers.
Deuce take the fog. But for tnat
I'd have caught her"
But reason promptly assed him
What he should have done had ne
sught the singer Yes. supposins ne
iad. what excuse would be have haa
o offer. Who could she BET "haA
Peculiar whimsical freak had Sent hef
singing past his window al ] oeieeA
Of the morning? A grand opera slhsea
returning home from late sntf1E
Bat he dismissed this opinion even ~
he advanced it. He knew something
about grand opera siHeers. Ihey At
tend late suppers. il is true. out enes
ride home ia luxurious carria7ss -1i1
neTer risk their golden vesees p a.a'p
careless If romantic fashion As -
besng a cernle egera star. ne felEsss'A
% admit the Possibility. ard Y r.
gate. this we.I satisfied cens' ~ z. !.
. the darks Of Hmba. He tad llF@1N
rasca-
a policeman care numbering otsf Is
add Or subtract BIS qnefa q t9tsfs's
III she aEair- u wisely 81 i*s
ska ~ailea fo- Az1-