Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-02


The woman brought one Of those,ss.
cases on which catgut was stretcb.s
and from which have been H.
oped our modern stringed instrument.
He struck a chord. and in an ins,an.
silence fell on the assembly. Tb.-.
was something weird in IL that M az
present had ever heard before. The
he began to sing. Every person with,-
sound of his voice was thrilled wis
strange sensation. He began low a,a
soft, as If singing lullaby to a chgd
gradually rising till his song had an
the wiIdness Of a storm wind passng
through the rigging Of a ship. Their
after a succession OF demoniac nots. j
his voice fell into a bssso profando
giving an impression that internal frss
were rumbling in the bowels OF The
earth.
Meanwhile Marin had kept her evss
fixed on him. speiIbound Martin rho
was watching her, now and again ha,
drew a short dirk he carried In his bel.
as IL about to plunge IT in the stran.
gers heart. But every time he did 81
something in the song unnerved him
and he let the knife slide back into Its
scabbard.
When the song ceased Maria's mother
made another attempt to change the
conditions. She asked the stranger II
he would not play for the company TO
dance. Immediately be struck chord
that shot a current of exhilaration
through every one present He struck
another, and all began to sway.
third drew men and women together
in couples Then began the merries,
music that had ever been heard in that
quiet village
First the younger persons present
went spinning over the floor, then
those who were older, till all were
whirling. Children, youths, married
persons and white haired old men and
women were dancing merrily. while
shouts OF laughter accompanied the
spirited music to which they moved
The longer they danced the wilder
grew their antics. Most of them wore
wooden shoes, and the clatter was
deafening. Now and again when
dancer kicked high his shoe would fy
off and go sailing across the room
But no one paid any attention to the
missiles, though they were In danger
of receiving serious injury.
Persons who had not been invited
to the betrothal, hearing the noise, came
to the windows and looked in. So
catching was the music and the dane
ing that before long couples were mov-
ing on the sidewalk in a wild whiri
AS the dance went on these were join
ed by others till it seemed as IL the
whole town were bent on beating the
payements with their wooden shoe
in crazy caperS-
The man who made this mad music.
seeing Maria dance past him without
partner, dropped his instrument and
put an arm about her, and the two
went whirling like the rest The legend
goes that the music went on without
the musician, though some versions
have it that by this time the people
We're so crazed that music was not
needed to keep them in their mad
dance. In vain old Aarhuus and his
wife endeavored to call halt within.
and the mayor of the town tried 10
stop the dancing without 1t was all
the mayor and old Aarhuus and his
wife could do to refrain from dancing
themselves.
Finally there was a clap of thunder,
and sudden silence fell on all the VII
lage. Persons stood looking at one an
other, wondering why they had been
dancing now that they had no desire
to dance. In the house where the De-
trothal was celebrated all the candles
went out. They were at once rehght
ed, and everybody began to look TOT
everybody else. Martin was there
male and haggard. He had been dane
ing more wildly than any one else ana
showed the effect more than others
Then cries arose:
where's the stranger who bewlten-
ed us?"
where's Maria"
A search revealed neither OF them
A girl said when the clap of thunder
came she had seen the stranger ana
Maria whirl up in the air and disap-
pear above the housetops. one gave
one story; another gave another Mar
tin seemed paralyzed. He was tnihA-
ing what old Stair had said on one oc'
casion. Before you shall possess my
daughter I will give her TO the devh.
For long while the legend was tnat
Maria was never seen again on eartn'
Then after mems minds had peen
broadened it ran that when the cap
came the stranger was about 10 spifn
Maria away, but met the village priest
who was coming with view 10 quie'l
ing the tumult, and the stranger, calcn'
ing sight of the cross suspended to tns
fathers rosary. skunk away and dlsap
peared. This version adds that Maris
was found at her fathers house. anu
the old man, Mortified that he had 80
nearly given his daughter TO Satan Re
Tented. gave his consent TO the mate,
and Martin and Maria were marrieu
But when they went to the church iu
the ceremony Maria carried c'osS
with her, fearing the devil might De oA
the watch for her and spirit her away.