The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-04-03
THE MIDNIGHT VOICE
CONTINUED from Page 81

A0As mO1uAu6 ue lOuuu RAY nanO
still on his own just as he had placed
1t on hearing the voice. Ray still
slept and Dave could not help thinking
that he looked like what he really
was, the grandest man he had ever
met.
He waited till Ray was awake before
stirring and when the latter did open
his eyes they both exchanged some
mystified merriment about the mid.
night singing.
IF we hadn't both heard it each of
rs would think the other had dreamt
It," said Dave. Il never slept on such
q problem before. What does the
sphynx tell you about it,"
"The sphynx says" answered Ray,
that the singer is young because her
voice, sweet and true as it is, has not
reached it's climax. / should say that
the voice is about twenty years old"
"What does the sphynx say about
the singer?" asked Dave.
'The sphynx says" answered Ray.
that she is full of responsiveness and
of faith to have sung as she did"
After they rose they went out of
the cot to find more visible clue, but
the thick growth of grass prevented
any trace of footsteps.
All Of that day Dave could feel that
his friend was spellbound with the
voice and that he kept singing the
Regina to renew the sweet impression
of the night.
The afternoon brought strange let
ter through the rural delivery post.
1t was directed to "The Campers in
the Cottage on the Far Side of the
Lake." and it read: please excuse
me for breaking into your singing last
night. l was waiting for my fathers
automobile which was delayed by an
accident and l felt safer near house
than in the open road. The Salve Re-
gina made me feel secure and what
you said was so beautiful and the
singing so inspiring that could not
help joining in.
"The Midnight Voice."
The avidity with which Raymond
sought to keep the letter gave his
friend heartsinking solicitude. He
said to himself, when he said NO
last night to my asking him If he had
ever loved, maybe it was the last time
he could say so, but he is too splen-
did to have his life wasted by chasing
a star"
"You keep the letter." he said to
Ray, because it was your song and
sentiments that evoked it but I'll keep
the envelope so as to have souvenir
too"
The next day, while marketing in
the village Dave took the envelope to
the village postmaster.
Whose writing is this?" he said.
please find out. It's important. I'll
leave it with you so you can match it,
but don't you lose it on your life.
You can send it back and what you
learn in this" leaving self-addressed
stamped envelope.
tits important" repeated the post
master to himself and then to his
young assistant, so they referred it to
the carrier that delivered the letter
and he identified 1t. Another carrier,
when asked, recognized it as collected
suburb called The Point. So Dave got
the answer with his returned envelope,
"Whiter probably at The Point" and
the next day found Dave at the Point
inquiring, "Whose automobile met with
an accident two nights ago? Something
of value was left behind" alluding
thus ambiguously to Raymond's heart
and supplementing little description
of his camp. The lady he asked
the proprietress of the Points home.
like boarding house,-said at once, ut
was probably Mr.. Glare and his daugh.
ter Miss Eva. They went back to the
city last night. Yes, she walked
around the lake night before last to
meet her father who was coming out
here and she certainly had an anxious
time of it when he was so long com.
ing and she didn't want to walk back
alone in the night. If you could let
me have the jewel you mention,
could forward it to her"
Eyes, it is jewell" answered Dave
"but l haven't got it with me-" fol
Raymond's heart was hardly portable
or mailable. But if you could please
get me her address, he added, "I'l
take steps towards her getting it.
And with the procured address he de
parted. Back to the city he hied next
morning while Raymond was busy
canvassing.
When Miss Eva Glare appeared ir
her own parlor in answer to his in
quiry for her, Dave found that she
fully bore out Raymond's conception
Of her age and even more fully bore
out, the Easter-like associations o
her singing, for she was clad infor
mally in flowing white and her COLDER
hued hair made with it suggestion
of an Easter lily. He thought h
xro,,1d toll hor On 1,,hor ho lyrory ho