The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-12-27

iuS Suuueuiy, IN the mlQQIe OF
u phrase; then she remained
morionless and appeared to
be absorbed in reverie. while her
fingers skinned mechanically over the
keyboard finally she uttered deep
sigh. and moment later. with a ges-
ture of despair. she closed the old
harpsichord and rested upon her ell
bows with her face between her
hands.
Little sister. why do you not play?
1t does me good 10 hear you"
The speaker was young man with
an honest but unusually serious coun-
tenance. Seated before table Gov
cred with little pots and brushes and
under the light of large lamp. he was
coloring those fantastic little animals
and grotesque dwarfs cut in wood
which are the triumph of the Nurem-
berg workshops.
You like to hear me play, my poor
Fritz replied the girl. because you
Lave heard no one else. but despair
and grieve when | think how far | am
from my ideal Never, no, never. will
produce with these feeble and awk-
ward fingers the celestial and sublime
melody that soothed and charmed me
on Christmas eve year ago"
As she spoke thus leaning aRs Inst
the old instrument, the young girl re-
sembled the statue of Melancholy. The
light of the lamp illumined her classic
profile and blond hair; her eyes pre-
sented peculiar appearance as If they
were covered by a veil; she seemed to
be blind: in her attitude and features
there were tokens of sorrow and resig
nation, but in the light of her forehead
faith and hope shone with rays of d.
roundings of this young couple betok-
ened poverty. even misery, but mis-
cry brayely borne. life of toll marked
by decency and pride
Eyes, | remember" said the young
man ut was on Christmas eve, on
just such night as this, that you had
that adventure, an adventure that
would bring a pitiful smile to the face
of any but a poor person, and yet
cherish and bless it because 1t brought
ray of sunshine into the dark shad-
ows of your life. Tell me once more,
dear Alice, the story of your adven-
ture. | love to hear you In the deep
silence of the night relate the story in
your slow and gentle voice. which
seems TO come from above, while your
fingers lightly caress the keys of your
old friend"
She resumed her place before the in
strument and dreamily played a few
chords
"Oh. yes" she said. that was a di-
vine melody. Alas, | can remember
nothing of it but this one air, but that
simple air is as broad as the winter
sky and as deep as the ocean. Every
time | play 1t the whole scene returns
to my memory You remember, Fritz,
| you had taken me that night to Aunt
| Gertrude. who was very Ill in her little
| attic in the Platz Roemer, and as you
had some work to finish you left me
there for several hours. Sitting at the
side of the invalid's cot, l could hear
her breathing, and. although | could
not see her. | imagined the appearance
of her poor face. yellow. wrinkled and
emaciated by age. privation. illness and
suffering A profound silence reigned
around me. My habitual darkness ap-
peared to be deeper, heavier and more
cruel than before, and l trembled as
l thought how sad and burdensome
this life was to the poor and unfor-
| tunate such as l.
Suddenly some one began to play a
/ piano in an adjoining room. The mu
sic commenced with a soft prelude like
the beating of a birds wings in the
distance or the approach of a cohort
Of angels. and as the rhythm expanded
| and increased | imagined saw the
seraphim, all white and dazzling, de
scending from the stars and illumining
! the darkness that surrounded me
Then | was seized and inundated by
| an overwhelming harmony which open
ed to me the gates of paradise All
how can express the torrent of In
| effable sensations and delicious pleas
ures that submerged my senses ii
| lhOSe euidptuIeu AOneutSt 1HSplrct
by the wonderful notes that were ere
ated by the fingers of that magician. ev
erything around me vibrated and lived
Radiant visions greeted my new found
sight. Beautiful saints, brilliant witt
light and glory. pointed out to me the
heaven whence they came and whittier
they returned without me, alas, the
| al Al. =.
dreams faded away and disappeared il
the night; then. vast. profound. reli
| gious, consoling and inspired. the an
dante that have retained and learned
arose majestically in the midst Of thu
! mysterious darkness
YES said Fritz. "and when re
turned found you trembling ans