Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-08-15
CHAPTER XII.
Wherein Elnora Discovers Violin ane
Billy OjscjpIines MARGARET.

ut the bridge the next morning
IL She slowly walked up the
IL street and turned in Mt the
vide entrance to the school grounds.
She scarcely could comprehend that
Only week ago she had gone there
friaudlese, alone, and SO sick ut heart
that she was physically Ill. Today she
bad decent clothing, books. friends and
scr mind was at case to work on her
studies.
As she approached horne that night
tine girl paused in amazement. Her
mother had company. and she was
laughing. Elpora entered the kitchen
softly and peeped into the sitting room.
Mrs. Comstock sat in her chair hold.
ing a book and every few seconds a
soft chuckle broke into n real laugh.
Mark Twain was doing his work. while
Mrs. Comst0ck- was not lacking In a
sense Of humor. Elnora entered the
room before her mother saw her. Mrs
Coustock looked up with flushed face.
where did you get this?' she de-
manded.
IT bought It." said Elrora.
"Bcnght It! With all the taxea duew
II paid for it out Of my Indian mon
ey, mother" said Elnora. Il couldn't
bear to spend so much on myself and
nothing at all on you. I was afraid to
buy the dress should have liked to,
and I thought the book would be COM
pany while l was gone. I haven't
read It, but do hope It's good"
Good! It's the biggest piece Of
foolishness l have read In all my life.
I've laughed all day ever since found
It had notion to go out and read
some Of It to the cows and see II they
wouldn't laugh"
If 1t made you laugh, it's a wise
book" said Elnora.
WISER cried Mrs. Comstock. "You
can stake your life it's wise book. 1t
takes the smartest man there is to do
this kind Of fooling." And she began
laughing again.
Elnora, highly satisfied with her pur-
chase, went to her room and put OH
her working clothes. Thereafter she
made a point Of getting a book that
she thought would interest her mother
from the library every week and leav.
ing 1t 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, nosses, insects and all sorts
OF natural history specimens and sold
them to the grade teachers. At first
she tried to 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 home
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 Elnora's heart almost
broke with throbbing Joy, for music
always had affected her strangely, ami,
since she had been comfortab BILE enough
in her surroundings to notice things,
she had listened to every note to find
what 1t was that literally hurt her
heart, and at last she knew. 1t was
Tho talking of the violins. They were
human voices. and they spoke a Ian.
yuage Elnora understood. It seemed
10 her that she must climb up on the
>tage, take the instruments from the
Anfers 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:
II am perfectly crazy 70. a violin. l
an sure l could play one; sure as l
i've. 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 snare
Of the ve.y devil himself. They were
made to lure men and women from
their homes and their honor. If ever I
beo you with one in your fingers I will
Dmash It in pieces"
Naturally Elnora hushed, but she
thought Of nothing else after she had
done justice to her lessons. At last
there came day when for some rea-
son the leader Of the orchestra left his
violin on the grand piano. That morn.
ing EInOra 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, 60
ing through the musicians entrance,
she took the violin. She carried 1t
back into the little side room where
Che orchestra assembled, closed all the
9oors, opened the case and lifted out
che 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 1t seemed scarcely O minute be-