The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-11-21

studies
AZ she approached home that night
the girl paused In amazcment. Her
mother had company. and she was
laughing Elnora ettcred the kitchen
softly aud peepcd into the sitting room
Mrs ComstoCk sat In her chair hold
Ing book and every few seconds q
soft chuckle broke into real laugh.
Mark Twain was doing his work. while
Mrs.. Comstock was not lacking In q
sense Of humor Elnora entered the
room before her mother saw her. Mrs.
Comstock looked up with flushed face.
where did you get thls7" she de-
handed .
II bought IT," said Elnora.
Bought II! With all the taxes duer'
II paid for It out OF my Indian mon
ey. mother" said Elnora. II couldn't
bear 10 spend so much on myself and
nothing at all on you. was afraid 90
buy the dress I should have liked 10.
and thought the book would be COM
pany while was gone. haven't
read Il, but do hope it's good"
"Goodl It's the biggest piece OF
foollshness I have read In all my life.
I've laughed all day ever since found
H. had a notion TO so out and read
some Of II TO the cows and see II they
wouldn't laugh"
IF II made you laugh, it's a wise
book" said Elnora.
"wiser' cried Mrs. Comstock you
can stake your life it's a wise book II
takes the smartest man there Is to do
this kind OF foollng." And she began
laughing again.
Elnora. highly satisfied with her pur-
chase. went to her room and put on
her working clothes. Thereafter she
made point OF getting a book that
she thought would interest her mother
from the library every week and leav-
ing II on the sitting room table. Every
night she carried home at least two
schoolbooks and studied until she had
mastered the points Of each lesson.
She did her share Of the work faith.
fully. and every available minute she
was in the fields searching for cocoons.
for the moths promised TO become her
best source of income.
She gathered large baskets OF nests,
flowers, mosses. insects and all sorts
Of natural history specimens and sold
them to the grade teachers. At FIRST
she tried 10 tell these instructors what
to teach their pupils about the speci.
mems but, recognizing how much
more she knew than they. one after
another begged her to study at homo
and use her spare hours In school to
exhibit and explain nature subjects to
their pupils. Elnora loved the work,
and she needed the money. for every
few days some matter OF expense arose
that she had not expected.
When the music swelled from the
school orchestra Einora's heart almost
broke with throbbing Joy. for music
always had affected her strangely, and.
since she had been comfortable enough
In her surroundings to notice things,
she had listened TO every note TO dnd
what II was that literally hurt her
heart, and at last she knew. II was
human voices. and they spoke a Ian.
guage Elnora understood. Il seemed
to her that she must climb up on the
stage. take the instruments from the
fingers Of the players and make them
speak what was In her heart She
fairly prayed to get hold Of one. II only
for second
That night she said TO her mother:
81 am perfectly crazy for a violin.
am sure ! could play one; sure as I
live. Did any one Elnora never
completed that sentence.
Hush Numbered Mrs Comstock
BE quiet. Never mention those things
before me again-never as long as you
live. loathe them They are a snare
Of the very devil himself They were
made TO lure men and women from
their homes and their honor. II ever I
see you with one In your fingers l will
smash II In pieces"
Naturally Elnora hushed. but she
thought Of nothing else after she had
done justice to her lessons At last
there came n day when for some rea-
son the leader of the orchestra left his
violin on the grand piano. That morn
ing Elnora made her first mistake In
algebra. At noon. as soon as tie
great building was empty. she slipped
into the auditorium. found the side
door which led to the stage. and. go
ing through the musicians entrance.
she took the violin. She carried II
back into the little side room where
the orchestra assembled. closed all the
doors. opened the case and lifted out
the instrument
She laid II on her breast. dropped her
chin on II and drew the bow softly
across the strings. One after another
she tested the open notes. They re-
minded her OF things. Gradually her
stroke ceased to tremble and she drew
the bow firmly. Then her fingers be-
gan TO fall. and softly. slowly she
searched up and down those strings for
sounds she knew. Standing In the
middle OF the floor. she tried over and
over II seemed scarcely a minute be
fore the hall was filled with the sound
OF hurrying feet. and she was forced
to put away the violin aud go TO her
classes. OF food she never thought I'm.
I'll she noticed how heavy her lunch
a