Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-10-08

/ sue ttle0 10 Tell tuo00 LuStkoCtukU WIN
to teach their pupils about the speci.
mems. but. recognising how much
more she knew than they, oos aftss
another begged her to study at home
and use her spare hours In school to
exhibit and explain nature subjects 10
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 Elnora'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 fnd
what 1t was that literally hurt her
heart, and at last she knew. It was
the talking Of the violins. They were
human voices, and they spoke q Ian
guage Elnora understood It 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
Tor a second.
That night she said to her mother:
II am perfectly crazy for q violin. l
am sure / could play one; sure as I
live. Did any one"- Elnora never
completed that sentence.
"Hushr thundered Mrs. Comstock.
BE quiet. Never mention those things
before me again-never as long as you
live. 1 loathe them. They are 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 I will
smash 1t in pieces"
Naturally Elnora hushed, but she
thought Of nothing else after she had
done justice to her lessons. At last
there came a 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 the
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 1t
back into the little side room where
the orchestra assembled, closed all the
doors, opened the case and Lifted out
the instrument.
She laid 1t on her breast, dropped her
chin on 1t 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. It seemed scarcely a minute be-
fore the hall was filed with the sound
of hurrying feet, and she was forced
to put away the violin and 60 to her
classes. OF food she never thought un'
til she noticed how heavy her lunch
box was on the way home, so she sat
on the log by the swamp and remedied
that. The next day she prayed that
the violin would be left again, but her
petition was not answered.
That night when she returned from
the school she made an excuse to 90
down to see Billy. He was engaged In
hulllng walnuts by driving them
through holes In a board. His hands
were protected by q pair Of Margaret's
old gloves, but he had speckled his
face generously. He looked well and
greeted EInOra hilariOusly.
me an the squirrels are laying up
our winter storesw he shouted. "'Cos
the cold is coming, an the snow, an II
we have any nuts we have to Ok 'em
now. But I'm ahead, COS Uncle Wes-
ley made me this board, and can hull
a big pile while the old squirrel does
only ist one with his teeth"
Elnora picked him up and kissed him.
"Billy, are you happyi" she asked.
"Yes, and SOS Snap" answered Billy.
"You ought to see him make the dirt
fiy when he gets after n chipmunk."
He espied Wesley and ran to show
him q walnut too big to 90 through the
holes. and Elnora and Naryarst went
into the hs0se.
-TKsy talked OF rany t.iiigs for q
time. and then ElnoFa said suddenly,
Aunt Margaret, Ike music"
"rve noticed that In you oil youf
life" answered Margaret.
"I can make a violin talk" announc-
ed Elnora. and then In amazement
watched the face Of Margaret Sinton
grow pale.
"A violIn!- she vavered. "where did
you get violinT
"They fairly seemed 10 speak to me
IN the orchestra. One day the con-
ductor left his In the auditorium. and
I took Il, and Aunt Margaret l can
make IL do the wind In the swamp,
the birds and the animals. can
make any sound I ever heard on it.
II had q chance to practice little
I could make It do the orchestra music
too. I don't know how know. but I
do
"Dd-dId you ever mention It to
your motherr faltered Margaret.
"Yes, and she seems prejudiced
against them; but, oh. Aunt Margaret.
I never felt 30 about anything, not
even going to school. just feel as
II I'd die II I didn't have one. / could
keep 1t at school and practice at noon
a whole hour. Soon they'd ask me to
play in the orchestra. I could Keep
IL in the case and practice In the
woods In summer. You'd let me play
here over Sunday. oh, Aunt Marga-
ret, what does one eost1 Would 1t be
wicked for me TO take Of my own
money and buy a very cheap one7 1
could play on the least expensive one
made"
"oh, no, you couldn't A cheap ma
chine makes cheap music. You got
to have a fine fiddle to make 1t sing.
But there's no sense In your buying
one. There isn't a decent reason on
earth why you shouldn't have your
fa"-
"My fathersv cried Elnora. She
caught Margaret sinton BY the arm.
"My father had q viollnl he played
iti That's why I canl Where Is It!
Is It In our housef Is It In mothers 8
roomf