The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1909-03-10

ally StOIy Nv. WI
opera-but you must not fail me! For
at the years beginning l vowed that
: if at it's end l had not written the
, opera and found the voice, I should
I die. See, here is the pistol, loaded
here, beside you on the table-Hush!
} your High G again?' He listened mo,
only my Imagination. Well, kiss your
l lily hand anyway-ah, you have no
5 hand? Your cherry lips, you say? No,
: no, am not worthy. Just the
hem of your garment-ah, but l see
3 you haven't any on! See, as COM
promise, 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
t wreath of withered autumn leaves
g around her, blew out the light, drew
back the window curtain, then In
). moonbeam sat down to compose. The
=. Muses. must have been waiting round
about, for in a MON nt 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 time-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 Israfels, his heart-strings were
lutte. and the Cosmos itself was
busy playing upon him!
', The second night he felt quite
earthly faintness within him. II am
= not hungry little one," he said to
4 Mademoiselle Jolie, lit is simply my
stomach"
70 Early next morning there was a
. 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
N threw little card through the tran
M ] som-and then laughed that Earring
N laugh of hers.
i "A ticket to the vaudeville tonight,
II signor," she called. "Mademoiselle 10
II lie, who is much interested in you,
a wants you to hear her new song
II Angelo sat motionless. With horror
II struck eyes he gazed at the ticket on
! the floor. 1t was red. 1t seemed to
! burn. It seemed to burn into him.
Vaudeville! A ten-cent show! In
: stinctively he put on his goggles and
n stuffed his ears with cotton. Go?
4 Never!
81 Il 1ofo hn
" The most golden of sunbeams lay
\ across him. but alas! the landladys
: strident voice was calling him through
the transom.
y "Signor A1gelo!"
Il YES"
I "Mademoiselle Jolie was terribly cut
~ up because you weren't at the vaude-
." Vile last night. She leaves for swing
around the circuit the end of the
H. week and wants to see you before she
OF goes"
if All that day he worked feverishly
zy unremittingly. That night the com
4? passionate gods pressed down his eye
lids and made him sleep. In the morn
". ing he dared write little note tc
u. Mademoiselle Jolie stating that he
I'd should do himself the honor of calling
TT on her that night after the theater
IL. More singular still, he dared tiptoe
lir down the hall and slip it under hel
st door.
lie That evening with the ending of An
NV gelo's year came the finishing of An
:" gelo's opera. The wretched little
be piano was glad. So was Angeles
w scratchy pen. So must have beer
nd the overworked muses..
lie In the remains of his ancient dress
ID. suit Angelo. primped, pruned ant
ed sat waiting. He was dreadfully ex
in cited He was hot and cold by turns
n But he was resolute.
ngi AS the clock struck II he heart
Iii. footsteps on the stairs. They wer'
ng rather heavy, but whose could the,
CHI be but Mademoiselle's? He waite'
lid awhile so she might have time t.
to change her frock, then with a glacie
MI around his heart and a mountain il
of his throat he went out into the hal
ok Yes. there was the light under he
10 door In a daze, a maze-somehow-
en- he moved toward it, knocked. entere
and found himself face to face witt
y, a vision of loneliness beyond the wild
-, est dreams of amorous sultans.
- Say, old man, this is too good.
7 laughed Mademoiselle Jolie, in he
sh deepest contralto. You're daffy O.
ne me, amt you? Well, look here.
III. And she took off her golden hair, he
ev bosom and her hips. Say, grandpa
var I'm Just a nice, clever little halfwa
he decent man, that S all" line WI
tie kins, the greatest female impersons
Mt. tor on earth!"
1t
-, No "Peaceful" Boycott There.