The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-04-19

feeling as If some vital change was
impending. His little cruise doomed
up large, important, epochal. He
laughed at himself and thought, with
his customary optimism that vaca'
ton was worth waiting twelve years
for. if waiting endowed 1t with such
a flavor. Jim knew that Aleck would
relish the spin, too. Alexis nature
was that OF a grind tempered with
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 Jlm's
! regret, the singer was not contraito.
| Dramatic Soprano" was on the pro-
| gram; new name. quite unknown 10
| Jim. His interest In the solo!st
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 his
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 TO 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 Its
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 VIC
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. il 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
halfvoice of a flute, sweet. gentle, be-
quilting. It was borne upward on the
crest of the melody. fuller and fuller.
as on flooding tide.
Free Of my pain. free Of my burden Of
sorrow
At last I 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.
.Iimsy 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 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 that |
reached the roof
Jim did not applaud. He went out
doors to think about It; and after a
time he found, to his surprise, that
he could recall not only the song, but
the singer, quite distinctly. II was a
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-'tisnt
an alto" said Jimsy ungratefully and
Just from habit.
The days experience filled his
thoughts and quieted his restlessness.
He awaited Aleck with entire pa
tience. Monday morning he spent in
small necessary business affairs. Sc
curing. among other things, several
hundred dollars. which he put in his
About the middle OF the
afternoon he left his hotel. engaged
4 taxicab and started for Riverside.
The late summer day was fine, with
he afternoon haze settling over river
and town. He watched the procession
Of carriages. the horseback riders. the
people afoot, the children playing on
he grass. with feeling of comrade-
ship. Was he not also tasting free
Iona lord Of the earth? His gaze
travelled out to the river, with the
ylimmer here and there of a tug boat.
/ little steamer. Or the white sail OF
pleasure craft. The blood of some
;eagoing ancestor stirred in his veins.
ind he thrilled at the thought of the
lays to come when his PROV should
y headed offshOre
The taxicab had it's limitations. and
suddenly became impa-
lent of its mOnotonOus slitherine
along the firm road. Telling the driv-
n to follow him, he descended and
crossed to where Cathedral Parkway
switches off He walked briskly. feel
ng the tonic of the sea air. and circled
he cathedral where workmen were
ounging away after their days toll.
The unfinished edifice doomed I'D like
/ giant skeleton Of some prehistoric
FRA, and through its mighty open
riches and buttresses Jim saw heecy