Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1917-04-24
TheVictorious
Defeat
By KATHERINE HOWE


NCopyish, A'A'' ny w. VI. Nhaptnah.l
"rve got to play ragtime in a cheap
cabaret-or starve."
Philip Hutchins looked at the girl
before him with an odd mixture of
humor and despair.
"Oh, Phil That's awful It's heart
breaking-disgraceful I"
"Not as disgraceful as borrowing
money till people get on the other side
of the street; Or-or being carted of
to the morgue." He tried to speak
lightly, not wanting her to know how
much 1t cost him. In Germany he had
been the great masters best pupil. At
his first concert he had made the piano
speak the poetry of Chopin and Liszt
till the critics had cried Bravo" But
the war had come. and also the end Of
his income, and he had returned to
New York to try to make q living with
his art, with this result.
"But you, little girl If l could only
make them give you your chance. 1t
wouldn't be long before Ruth Lambert,
the violinist, would be blazoned in big
letters on the billboards."
"Fm afraid that'll never come" The
tears gathered in her eyes, and her
voice was so near the breaking point,
| she could not trust herself to go on.
"Don't say never" he cried, with
an attempt at being courageous. II
tell you, Ruth, I've heard great artists
in Berlin, and you-you have it in
you"
"But no one'will pay me for playing.
l can play before these clubs, and at
| afternoon teas till the end of time, and
| It never occurs to them l have to pay
| room rent and have at least two meals
| a day. / don't know how to get rich
people interested in me-somehow /
can't do 1t, and l have haunted the bu-
| reaus and agencies till the very
| thought of one makes me sick. It's
| just about as pleasant a prospect to
think of going home-a failure-as-
as what you said"
"But you're not failurel" he as
serted. II know fine playing when !
hear It'll You are bound to make your
mark Go home for little while. Call
1t q needed rest, short vacation, and
maybe before long shall be making
enough for both of us. Then you
shall have your concert, and we shall
be together all the time"
For answer she put her hand in his
and he drew her to him. 1t had beer
understood now for several months
that "some day" they should be "al'
ways together" 1t began with their
first meeting at Burleson's studio re-
ception, when her accompanist failed
to appear, and he offered to be sub
stitute. How wonderfully he had
played, following, helping her till the
violin and piano seemed to talk to-
gether and understand each other.
"Oh, if you could only get the ear Of
Merriden !" he exclaimed. "He could
make you'll"
"You might as well try to get the ear
of the czar of all the Russias. Pm not
going to attempt it again. Yesterday
when 1 called, after making an ap-
pointment, the secretary said Mr.. Mer-
riden could see no one, as he was not
well and was going away for a rest.
So what's the use?"
"You ought to have called yourself
Mile. LAMBERT, or something foreign"
laughed the young man.
That's itp she exclaimed, indig-
nantly. IF, instead of Hutchins, you
ha$l posed as the great Hutchinoff, or
any sort of Russian, with long hair,
you would have been having them at
your feet by now. Oh, it makes me
furious to think that Americans will
let their own artists starve while they
just shower flattery and money on any
thing with a foreign name"
1T won't always be So" he said.
Maybe not; but I've got to give 1t
up and go home. Phil, l don't believe
you quite understand all that means.
You see, my mother made sacrifices
| for me to come TO New York to study.
My father was always against 1t. He
made it pretty hard for both of us.
Now mother hasn't any more money TO
send-and l wouldn't want her to-if
she had. / meant to be earning some
| thing by now. l didn't want to go back
till had. You see, father is bent on
my marrying a man-an old friend of
his who has barrels of money. He was
| terribly angry because l refused. He
said l would come to my senses yet,
and come back. This man writes me
every little while saying he is wait
ing. II doesn't seem to make any diff
ference that l have refused him, and
send back the letters unopened"
"Well," smiled Hutchins, 81 like his
grit; but" and his face grew serious,
'yOu wouldn't"
"Never, Phlli Never!" she broke in.
'But you see now"
"Oh, dearie You mustn't go! You
mustn'tp