Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1913-01-30
THAT WORN PAPER
Teacher of Music Tells Pupil OF
His Greatest Interests in
Life.
BY ELLA N. BANGS.

bNoidh rhuIlOTeSQue, ne SicuScu uP
meet the intent gaze of a young girl.
animated, vivid as a tropical flower In
her dark beauty. She was leaning for
ward, with glowing cheeks. and red
lips parted. and from that moment the
young yiolinist was conscious OF no
one else In all the vast audience.
Who she was he knew not. and she
was lost to sight as the program ended.
Eagerly he looked forward TO the next
concert, and yes-she was there. Again
he realized only that one presence n
through the following days the thought
of Der was the deep undercurrent be-
meath whatever else might occupy him
at the moment.
Suddenly one evening as he sat
alone in his little room, something
seemed to say, What of the promise
to your father"
The young man started up. Had the
words been spoken? Had he been
dreaming? That promise to his father
and all else had faded into insignih-
and his father, dying, had
begged from him the promise to de-
vote his life to the u which had
taken them from Germany, their IA
therland, to England, and later to
America. Now, to bring back his In
terest. he took from his desk a r
paper. and spreading 1t out before him,
sat with elbows on the desk and
hands rufiing his blond hair as he
read the long familiar story. The facts
were that years ago the great-srand-
father, for some service rendered the
emperor, had been presented with a
violin made by the Incompatible
Stradivarius and inlaid in the wood
OF its back was his name, Ludwig Won
Hartmann. This priceless treasure
had in time passed to the son. another
Ludwig. who, being of a wild, adven-
turous nature. found himself at a GER
tain time in such straits that he had
pawned the violin intending later to
redeem it. When that day came the
violin a not to be found.
Sobered, the son spent his life in
the vain search and, dying, besought
his son-Rudolph's father-to continue
the work. While Rudolph was a boy
something gave his father reason to
believe that the violin had been car
ried to London. Thither father and
son went, remaining until a clew was
found leading them to New York.
Once more father and soR had TAX.
en- up life in a strange country. but
within a year of their arrival Hart
mar the elder had died. leaving Ru-
dolph to carry on the search alone.
Aside from the value of the instru-
ment there was a legend in the family
that success and good fortune would
come only with the return of the vio-
lin to its rightful owner.
Striving to shut out the in
terest. Rudolph set about making in
quiries, haunting music stores, pawn
shops, dealers in antiques. and every
place where there seemed a POSSIBLE
ity of finding trace Of the lost Strad-
ivarius,
One evening as Rudolph sat alone
he heard a knock at his door, and an
swering was confronted by a middle
aged man with an air Of prosperity.
who said questioningly:
This is Prof. Rudolph Hartmann"
81 am Rudolph Hartman"
The stranger presented his card
giving the name Phineas West, and
a moment later made known his err
rand Il have come to ask II you
take my daughter for a pupil on
violin"
"A child-a beginner"
Well the man smiled slightly.
81 suppose she is a young lady to
others. She Is still a child to me-"
The matter vas arranged, and a
few days later Rudolph was making
his way toward the home Of his pros.
pectiye pupil. He knew Phineas
West only as one of New York's
many minor m~illionaires. and he as
far from finding fault with the fact
that he wished him to teach his
daughter.
He had waited a few moments in
the deliberately appointed music room
when the portieres parted and Jaque
line West entered.
Was he dreaming? For a moment
the young teacher believed he must
be, for she who was coming toward
him was the girl who had lived in his
thoughts from the day he had first
seen her.
Going up to him. she gave him her
hand. 81 want to thank you, Profes-
sor Hartman, for ~consenting to take
me for a pupil"
Rudolph pulled himself together as
he returned, perhaps 1t Is | who
should express the thanks. You have
taken l~essons-yes?"
"A few"
Let me hear you play"
The girl took up her violin. and
without notes began to play. She did
not play well and her teacher
watched her a moment in p~erplexity,
He, with quick intuition. guessed,
and rightly, that she had purposely
not done her best, and Immediately
master Of the situation. he said
gravely:
"yo, cap do hotter tina that Miss