The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1912-12-04

MN. Inc pause ana the fresh ne
ginning of the strings scarcely dis
turbed his ecstatic reverie. A deep
hush lay upon the vast assemblage,
broken only by the voices Of the vio-
Inns. And then, in the zone OF silence
that lay over the listening people
silence that vibrated to the memory
of the strings-there rose a little
song To Hambleton, sitting alb
sorbed, it was as If the circuit which
galvanized him into life had suddenly
been completed. He sat up. The sing
er's lips were slightly parted, and her
voice at first was no more than the
half-voice of flute, sweet. gentle, be-
quilting. It was borne upward on the
crest of the melody. fuller and fuller.
as on a flooding tide.
Free of my pain. free of my burden Of
sorrow.
At last shall see thee
There was freedom in the voice, and
the sense of space, of wind on the wa
tiers. of life and the love of life.
Jimsy was a soft-hearted fellow. He
never knew what happened to him;
but after uncounted minutes he
seemed to be choking. while the or
chestra and the people in boxes and
the singer herself swan in a hazy
distance. He shook himself, called
somebody he knew very well an idiot,
and laughed aloud in his joy; but his
laugh did not matter, for it was
drowned in the roar of applause that
reached the roof.
Jim did not applaud. He went out
doors to think about it; and after
time he found. to his surprise, that
he could recall not only the song but
the singer, quite distinctly. 1t was
tall, womanly figure. and fair. bright
face framed abundantly with dark
hair, and the least little humorous
twitch to her lips. And her name was
Agatha Redmond.
"Of course she can sing; but it
isn't like having the real thing-'tisn't
an Alto" said Jimsy ungratefully and
Just from habit.
The days experience filed his
thoughts and quieted his restlessness.
He awaited Aleck with entire pa
thence. Monday morning he spent in
small necessary business affairs. Sc
curing, among other things, several
hundred dollars. which he put in his
money-belt About the middle Of the
afternoon he left his hotel, engaged
a taxicab and started for Riverside
The late summer day was fine, with
the afternoon haze settling over river
and town. He watched the procession
of carriages, the horseback riders, the
people afoot. the children playing on
the grass, with feeling of comrade-
ship. Was he not also tasting free
donna lord of the earth? His gaze
travelled out to the river. with the
glimmer here and there of a tug-boat.
little steamer, or the white sail of
pleasure craft. The blood of some
seagoing ancestor stirred In his veins.
and he thrilled at the thought Of the
days to come when his prov should
be headed offshore.
The taxicab had its limitations. and
Hambleton suddenly became impa-
. tient of its monotonous slithering
along the firm road. Telling the driv'
, er to follow him. he descended and
, crossed to where Cathedral Parkway
switches on. He walked briskly. feel
! Ing the tonic OF the sea air. and circled
] the cathedral. where workmen were
lounging away after their days toll
; The unfinished edifice doomed up like
, a giant skeleton OF some prehistoric
, era. and through its mighty open
arches and buttresses Jim saw fieecy
, clouds scudding across the western
sky. A stone saint. muffied In burlap
, had Just been swung up into his
windy niche. but had not yet discard
} ed his robes of the world. Handle
I ton was regarding the shapeless fig
, ure with mild interest, wondering
: which saint of the calendar coHld lool
/ so grotesque, when sound drew hi
) attention sharply to earth. II was I
|. small sound, but there was some
D thing strange about 1t. II was start
ling as fash in a summer sky.
; Besides the workmen. there was NJ
/ living thing in SIGHT on the hillsid