Oxford Democrat., 1914-06-02
TO her hostelry."

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 piece Of gold into 1t. then
handed It to her. I knew my landlady
we'll and was sure that II she found
the money inside she would compel the
bearer to take 1t, having no right to 1t
herself. It could not very well be re-
turned to me. Regretting that ! dared
not do more for the poor girl. l bads
her goodby. she appearing grateful
for my sympathy.
Five years had passed. I had settled
down married man and had given up
travelling abroad on foot But I had
not given up taste for the Hne arts to
which / was born. One after another
prima donnas were visiting New York.
I went one 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 had heard
in that of the girl had met between
Leipzig and Dresden FIVE 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 abrond.
kept my seat till the end Of the last
act, when. taking out my card. l scrib-
bled beneath my name IN pencil. ION
the road to Dresden; luncheon. with
pint of German wine," and sent 1t to
the prima donna behind the scenes. 1t
was not long before received an invi-
tation to meet the lady. whom l 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-
ciative she was of the triiing favor |
had done her.
"This is no place to talk" she said.
I'VE people Of the stage always sup
after our work, and you must come
with me for a return Of the luncheon
you gave me when / was famished.'
/ entered the carriage with her and
on arriving at her hotel found set out
In her private parlor an elaborate sup
per. We sat down to table together.
and I asked her to tell me what had
happened to her since we parted on
the road five years before.
~ will begin back Of that" she said.
II will tell you how l came into the
condition you found me. But ! tell 1t
to you only because consider that my
being in my present position Is due to
your friendly advice"
Before proceeding further she show
ed me on q chain about her neck the
gold coin 1 had slipped into the lunch
basket which l had sent to my land
lady.
II am the daughter Of German
baron. 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 rs disagreeab!e AZ
he was wealthy. l was not III love
with any one else, but / rebelled
against marrying man loathed. 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 l could scrape together.
"Whether my father tried to find me
or not I do not know. I 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 I went to Dres'
den, where l posed for artists, rs you
suggested, and. getting a little money
together, began the study Of music.
did not need to make living that way
long. for my voice proved SO promising
that I was taken up by one who was
glad to pay for the finishing OF my ed
ucation, / making q contract to sing
under bis management as soon as
had completed my studies"
spent a pleasant hour listening to
her recital. during which time she
told me that she was welded to her
profession and would never take hus'
band, a resolution she kept. On the
| following day my wife called on her.
invited her to our house. and she after
ward spent the most Of her leisure
time there. She always wore the gold
piece had surrepdtiously forced her
TO accept when she was without O
kreutzer in the world.
Soon after my prima donna became
famous. after one of her returns from
America to the fatherland. she visited
her parents. She found them quite re-
duced from their former grandeur. BY
this time their daughter was becoming
rich. and she continued so long as they
lived to pour gold into their laps.