The Lamar register., 1919-12-10

the moonlight from the sweat of their
labor. They all seemed dull of face
but mighty of muscle. None, not one,
of Trevor's people was in sight-a
very surprising fact, for the African
loves II gossip with the stranger with
in his walls.
There was quite long silence; then
came the muffied tones of the phono-
graph. rising bell-like through the
night IN climbing aria from Faust
Suddenly the snnnd wayered. sweryed
and fell to wrangling Of frightened
notes as though some one had swept
the instrument from its balance. A
second later here was the thud of
heavy boot on wood. Trevor's door
flew open and the still wailing phono-
graph was hurled as from catapult
fifteen feet through the air. 1t fell to
the hard-beaten ground of the patio
with terrific splinterlng crash, rolled
over on one side and was still. An
drea's eyes had been watching II, fas-
clnated; now they swerved and stop
ped almost with click of the sudden
ly arrested muscles.
Between her and the door of Ire
vor's hut stood the towering figure of
a man In quarter profile. She could
see his great shock of bushy red hair,
n bit of his shaggy beard, his enormous
ly broad shoulders and the white gleam
of his two hands hanging almost at his
knees. He was hatless and dressed
in faded blue dungarees many sizes
too small for his bulk.
As she watched him he raised his
arms In a wide still gesture and began
to Sing. AT the first note, quite I'M
conscious OF action. she let the door
swing open and stepped out on the
veranda. II was the aria from Faust"
the same aria. but oh how different.
The voice of this man was like a huge
and glitterlng serpent of sound that
writhed smoothly into the air, chal-
lenging the dome of heaven itself.
If there was one thing that Andrea
knew better than another. 1t was the
accurate valuation Of every operntlc
voice that had sung Ia Europe during
the last decade. She had been taken
to Covent Garden regularly before she
was out. as a matter Of education, and
no less regularly after her eighteenth
birthday, as matter of matrimonial
business.
She knew instantly that this extra
ordinary apparition In the wilderness
was nothing less Than the solution of
a world mystery. lie could be hut one
man and that person whose tremen-
dous triumph had been so short as TO
leave him with fame but without
name. She was hearing the Great
voice-the voice OF the star that had
shone for single night; resounded
but once through the Scala. set as
swiftly as II had risen and disappeared
forever. leaving behind no trace be-
yond memory so short that Il had
become a recollection almost unbeliev-
able TO the few that had heard 1t.
Now her ears were filled with its
music to the exclusion of thought or
reason or consciousness of self. She
became nothing more than a sentient
channel. The easy power Of the Voice
lifted IL beyond the common standards
of vocal classification and gave it the
allure and the terror Of the superhu-
man. Its tenuity seemed a thing in
corporated apart, an actual substan .e
with beckoning arms and hands. It
drew her slowly. steadily out into the
quivering moonlight. held her. lifted
her face with IL toward the sky.
With her breast rising and falling in
aching accompaniment to the mount
Ing rhythm. cheeks pale, lips parted,
eyes staring in vain pursuit OF the In
credible flight of sound, she stood,
slim tense figure for once made free
OF that domain that Is beyond art, he
yond genius and is called quite simply,
Gift Of God. With Il toss and back
ward shake of the mans great head.
the voice climbed smoothly to that stu
pendous high @ that has wrecked the
reputation of many pygmies and
brought fame to a daring few. II held
and still held until earth and moon and
stars seemed little things that paused
to listen, obstructed In unimpOrtant
courses. Breath suspended until her
lungs were near to bursting. Andrea
waited for that note to come down in
to the range of normal belief. but to
her mind at least II was destined to
hang eternally In the heavens. for the
man had turned.
Her eyes knew horror for the first
time. The mans face was half oblit-
i