The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-09-23

come and see me-" Margaret an
swered. Come and sit down and tell
J me how you got here-and why!"
Well" he answered slowly, as they
seated themselves side by side on the
hard green sofa. Il don't suppose
can explain, so that you'll understand
hut I'll try. Different kinds of things
brought me. l heard you were here
from Lady Maud, and l thought per
haps might have an opportunity for
little talk. And then-oh, / don't
know. I've seen everything worth
seeing except q battle and 'Parsifal,
and as it seemed so easy, and you
were here, l thought I'd have a look
at the opera, since l can't see the
! fight"
| Margaret laughed little.
II hope you will like it." she said
Have you a good seat?"
II haven't got a ticket yet" an
swered Mr.. Van Torp, in blissful ig
norance.
'No seat" The prima donna's sur
prise was almost dramatic. But how
in the world do you expect to get one
now? Don't you know that the seats
for 'Parsifar are all taken months be.
forehand?"
Are they really?" He was very
calm about it. Then 1 suppose
shall have to get ticket from a spec.
ulator. l don't see anything hard
about that"
MY dear friend, there are no spec
ulators here, and there are no tickets
to be had. You might as we'll ask for
the noon"
Il can stand, then. I'm not afraid
Of getting tired"
There are no standing places at
all! No one is allowed to go in who
has not a seat. A week ago you might
possibly have picked up one in Nun.
ich, given up by some one at the last
moment, but such chances are jumped
at! I wonder that you even got a
place to sleep!"
We'll, it's not much Of a place"
sail Mr.. Van Torp, thoughtfully.
There's one room the size of horse
box, one bed, one basin, one pitcher
and one towel, and I've brought my
valet with me. I've concluded to let
him sleep while I'm at the opera, and
he'll sit up when want to go to bed.
Box and Cox. l don't know what he'll
sit on, for there's no chair, but he's
got to sit"
Margaret laughed, for he amused
her.
Il suppose you're exaggerating little
Bit" she said. Its not really quite
30 bad as that, is it?"
IT'S worse. There's q lunatic in the
next room who calls me E. Sharp
through the door, and has lodged a
complaint already because l whistled
while l was shaving. It's not very
good hotel. Who is E. Sharp, any
way? Maybe that was the name of
the last. man who occupied that room.
I don't know, but 1 don't like the i'd ca
of having a mad German pianist for a
neighbor. He may get in while I'm
asleep and think I'm the piano, and
hammer the life out of me, the way they
do. I've seen perfectly new piano
wrecked in a single concert by fel-
law who didn't look as if he had the
strength to kick mosquito. They're
so deceptive, pianists! Nervous men
are often like that, and most pianists
are nothing but nerves and bair."
He amused her, for she had never
seen him in his present mood.
"E sharp is a note," she said. ION
the piano it's the same as F natural.
You must have been whistling some
thing your neighbor knew, and you
made a mistake, and nervous mu-
sicians really suffer if one does that.
But it must havt been something rath-
or complicated, to have an E sharp in
it! 1t wasn't 'Suwanee Rriver,' nor
the Washington Post either! In
deed, l should rather like to know
what it was"
"Old tunes I picked up when 1 was
cow-punching, years ago." answered
Mr.. Van Torp II don't know where
they came from, for l never asked,
but they're not like other tunes, that S
certain, and like them. They re.
mind me of the old days out west,