Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-05-09

| impending. His little cruise looIneu
up large, important, epochal. he
laughed at himself and thought, Win
his customary optimism, that Vaca-
ton was worth waiting twelve years
for. if waiting endowed it with sucn
a flavor. Jim knew that Aleck woulu
relish the spin, too Alexis nature
was that of a grind tempered WIN
sportiness. Jim sat down SUNDAY
morning and wrote out the whole pro
gram for Alexis endorsement, sent
the letter by special delivery and went
out to reconnoiter.
The era of Sunday orchestral con-
certs had begun, but that day, to Jlnrs
regret, the singer was not contrai'o'
Dramatic Soprano" was on the pro
gram; a new name, quite unknown 10
Jim. His interest In the soiols'
waned, but the orchestra was enough.
He thanked Heaven that he was past
the primitive stage Of thinking any
single voice more interesting than the
assemblage of instruments known as
orchestra.
Hambleton found a place in the dim
vastness of the hall, and sank into MS
seat in a mood of vivid anticipation.
The instruments twanged, the audi
ence gathered. and at last the music
began. It's first effect was to rouse
Hambleton to a sharp attention 70 de-
tails-the director, the people IN the
orchestra, the people in the boxes;
and then he settled down, thinking
his thoughts. The past. the future
life and its meaning. love and It's
power, the long, long thoughts OF
youth and ambition and desire came
flocking to his brain. The noble con-
fiuence of sound that is music worked
upon him its immemorial miracle; his
heart softened, his imagination glowed'
his spirit stirred. Time was lost TO
him-and earth.
The orchestra ceased, but Handle
ton did not heed the commotion about
him. The pause and the fresh be-
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
N 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 II 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 a flute, sweet, gentle, be
, quilting II 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
At last I shall see thee"
/ There was freedom in the voice. and
the sense of space, Of wind on the wa
r 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 hay
; distance. He shook himself, called
J. somebody he knew very we'll an idiot
: and laughed aloud In his Joy; but his
laugh did not matter, for 1t was
: drowned in the roar Of applause thai
t reached the roof.
3 Jim did not applaud. He went out
! doors to think about 1t; and after 9
3 time he found, to his surprise. thai
, he could recall not only the song. but
r the singer, quite distinctly. 1t was 6
= tall. womanly figure, and fair. bright
!, face framed abundantly with darh
hair, and the least little humorous
twitch to her lips. And her name wal
, Agatha Redmond.
"Of course, she can sing; but Il
isn't like having the real thing-'tisn'
(. an Alto" said Jimsy ungratefully and
T Just from habit.
: The days experience filled hiI
{ thoughts and quieted his restlessness
] He awaited Aleck with entire pa
{ tience Monday morning he spent II
!. small necessary business affairs. Sc
curing, among other things, severa
e hundred dollars, which he put in hii
money-belt. About the middle of the
+ afternoon he left his hotel. engaged
s a taxicab and started for Riverside
e The late summer day was fine. will
e the afternoon haze settling over rive
r and town. He watched the procession
8 Of carriages. the horseback riders. tn,
a people afoot, the children playing oil
Z the grass, with feeling of comrade
: ship. Was he not also tasting free
+ dom-a lord of the earth? His gaz,
d travelled out to the river, with tn,
I glimmer here and there of a tug-boat
!, a little steamer, or the white sail o
e a pleasure craft. The blood of som,
h seagoing ancestor stirred in his veins
and he thrilled at the thought of thu
!, DAYS to come when his prov shoult
: BIZ headed offshore.
o The taxicab had it's limitations. an,
I Hambleton suddenly became impa
4 tient OF its monotonous slitherinI
t along the firm road. Telling the driy
/ er to follow him, he descended an,
|. crossed to where Cathedral Parkwa,
d switches OF. He walked briskly, fee
y ing the tonic of the sea air, and circle,
e the cathedral. where workmen wer
d lounging away after their days toll
The unfinished edifice doomed up lik
9 a giant skeleton of some prehistori
n era, and through it's mighty opei
s arches and buttresses Jim saw feec
-.