Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-05-15

have not"
I should have been only too glad TO
help her in this respect. but there is an
uDwrltten law that n man cannot give
to n woman except under certain ex-
ceptlonal circumstances.
~ will make another suggestion to
you I said. supplementary to my
6rst. Suppose you pose for artists. and
II you make more than you require
for your living you may give the sur
plus in exchange for instruction"
Her face lit up with hope. ZACH,
herr. you have given me n valuable
plan! And If 1t Is successful J shall
W everything to you. You have told
me that there Is u value to artists In
my head and neck, and you have told
me that ] have n voice. Neither Of
these things l knew before today.
GOodby. and God bless youg"
"One moment ! said. before we
part. / should like you to carry back
this basket affair In which l carrled
my luncheon to the landlady OF the
inn from which I came. She furnishes
these r~eceptHcles to travellers as an
advertisement to her hOstelry."
showed the girl the name Of the
Inn sewed In wOrsted letters on the bag.
While she was not looking at me /
slipped a piece Of gold into II. then
handed II 10 her. ] knew my landlady
well and was sure that II she found
the money inside she would compel the
bearer to take It. having no right to II
herself. It could not very well be re
turned TO me. Regretting that / dared
not do more for the poor girl, ! babe
her goodby. she appearing grateful
for my sympathy.
Five years had passed. / had settled
down a married man and had given up
travelling abroad on foot. But l had
not given up a tHste for the lne nrts tn
which ! was born. One after another
prima donnas were visiting New York.
l went n night to the opera in New
York when the Academy OF Music was
still The only opera house in that city.
When the prima donna came upon the
stage her face seemed familiar to me.
and when she sang l recognized In her
voice certain qualities that l had heard
In that Of the girl had met between
Leipzig and Dresden Eve years before.
Perhaps l might not have recognized
the face alone or the voice alone, but
the two together convinced me that
the lady on the stage was the girl /
had met abroad.
l kept my seat till the end Of the last
act. when. taking out my card. ! scrib-
bled beneath my name in pencil, "On
the road to Dresden; luncheon, with q
pint OF German wine," and sent it to
the prima donna behind the 1t
was not long before | received an invi-
tntion to meet the lady. whom found
waiting for me before driving to her
hotel. The pressure Of the hand with
which she greeted me told me how
well she remembered and how appre-
clative she was Of the trihing favor |
had done her.
This is no place to talk" she said.
I'VE people OF the stage always sup
after u work, and you must come
with me for a return Of the luncheon
you gave me when | was famished."
j entered the carriage with her md
on arriving at her hotel found set out
I'm her private parlor an elaborate sup
per. We sat down to table together.
and | asked her to tell me what had
happened to her since we parted on
the road Ave years before.
81 will begin back Of that" she said.
II will tell you how 1 came into the
condition you found me. But | tell It
to you only because l consider that my
being In my present position is due to
your friendly advice"
Before proceeding further she show
ed me ON a chain about her neck the
gold coin l had slipped into the lunch
basket which | had sent to my land
lady.
II am the daughter of a German
baron. l was brought up. as most Eu-
ropean girls are, to understand that
my parents would choose the man /
should marry. My father chose for me
a man about his own age who was
very wealthy and as disagreeable as
he al wealthy. l was not In love
with any one else. but ! rebelled
against marrying a mai lOnthed. My
father told me to submit or leave the
home In which / had been carefully
brought up. not thinking that l would
do the latter. That same night when
all were In bed left in the clothes In
which you met me and with what
money / could scrape together.
whether my father tried to find me
or not do not know. / think he has
considered me dead TO him. At any
rate. l have never heard from him
since ! left home. As for my mother.
though she might yearn for me. she
would be too submissive to my father
to oppose his will in anything.
after leaving you l went to ORES
den. where l posed for artists. as you
suggested, and, getting a little money
together, began the study Of music. ]
did not need to make a living that way
long. for my voice proved 80 promising
that 1 was taken up by n who was
glad to pay for the finishing OF my ed
ucation. l making a contract to sing