Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-03

L
was a little bit to blame. 1 told her
about It; and she at once said, 1t
must be the angel: at any rate, you
can do no harm by asking him. I did
so; and the mans voice replied that,
yes. II was the angels voice, the voice
which I was expecting and which my
father had promised me. From that
time onward, the voice and l became
great friends. 1t asked leave to give
me lessons every day. l agreed and
never failed to keep the appointment
which 1t gave me in my dressing
room. You have no idea, though you
have heard the voice, of what those
lessons were like"
mo, / have no idea," said Raoul.
What was your accompaniment"
I'VE were accompanied by a music
which do not know; it was behind
the wall and wonderfully accurate.
The voice seemed to understand mine
exactly, to know precisely where my
father had left off teaching me. In a
, few weeks time, l hardly knew my
self when sang. l was even fright
ened. I seemed to dread a sort OF
witchcraft behind It; but Mamma
/ Valerius treasured me. She said that
/ she knew / was much too simple
/ girl to give the devil a hold on me.
/ My progress, by the voices
I own order, was kept a secret between
/ the voice, Mamma Valerius and my
] self 1t was a curious thing, but, out
side the dressing-room, / sang with
| my ordinary, everyday voice and no
body noticed anything. / did all that
! the voice asked. It said Wait and
see: we shall astonish Paris!' And I
waited and lived on in a sort OF
ecstatic dream. II was then that I
saw you for the first time one evening,
n the house. l was so glad that
never thought Of concealing my de-
light when / reached my dressing
room. Unfortunately, the voice was
there before me and soon noticed. by
my air, that something had happened
1t asked what was the matter and /
saw no reason for keeping our story
secret or concealing the place which
you filed In my heart Then the
voice was silent. ] called to It, but it
did not reply; begged and entreated
but in vain. l was terrified lest II
had gone for good. ! wish to heaven
1t had, dear! That night.
went home in a desperate condition
told Mamma Valerius, who said
Why, of course, the voice is jealous!
And that, dear, first revealed to me
that ! loved you"
Christine stopped and laid her head
on Raouls shoulder. They sat like
; that for a moment, in silence, anC
they did not see. did not perceive the
movement, at a few steps from them
OF the creeping shadow of two grea
, black wings, shadow that came
along the roof so near. so near then
closing over them.
! The next day." Christine contir
. ued, with a sigh, 81 went back to m,
dressing-room in a very pensive franz
: OF mind. The voice was there, spok
/ to me with great sadness and told m
: plainly that, If / must bestow m
9 heart on earth, there was nothing TO
:. the voice to do but to go back t
!, heaven. And IL said this with sue
"a
i ought then and there TO have suspect
ed and begun TO believe that wa
I the victim of my deluded senses. Blu
, my faith in the voice, with whic
the memory of my father was S
closely intermingled, remained undii
turbed. l feared nothing so much a
l. that / might never hear ii again;
had thought about my love for 20
!, and realized all the useless danger {
J! It; and | did not even know if 20
n remembered me. Whatever happeneI
n your position in society forbade N
Is to contemplate the possibility of eve
II marrying you; and / swore to Ii
n voice that you were no more than
Il brother to me nor ever would be an
e that my heart was incapable of ar
lie earthly love. And that. dear, We
why | refused to recognize or see yC
T. when ! met you on the stage or
70 the passages. Meanwhile, the houl
during which the voice taught n
were spent in divine frenzy, unit
le at last, the voice said to me, You ca
now, Christine Daae. give TO men
Id little OF the music of heaven. dor
n know how IL was that Carlotta did n
come TO the theater that night n,
d. why / was called upon 70 sing in b.
rs stead; but / sang with a rapture
~ had never known before and felt f
a moment as If my soul we're leavir
Id my body"
lie ''Oh, Christine" said Raoul, n
n heart quivered that night at every a
cent of your voice. | saw the tea
stream down your cheeks and ! We
is with you. How could you sing, sill
1 like that while crying?"
at Il felt myself fainting," said Chr
n tine. Il closed my eyes. When
ed opened them, you were by my SID
Al, But the voice was there also, Raou
by l was afraid for your sake and aga
ce / would not recognize you and beg
on TO laugh when you reminded me tn
lg, you had picked up my scarf in I
ny sea! Alas, there Is no {
,e, ceiving the voice, The vol
as recognized you and the voice "
Jealous, II said that. II
sic not love you, would not avoid yC
ed but treat you Ike any other old frieI