The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-12-21
RECORD NO. 30, By Ida Clyde Clark

any home but this one. Are you nome
sick, too, mammyg
"im pow'ful tired hearin' bout dat mans
voice., ez if er man could come up out'n de
ye'rth an den be swaller'd up again th'out
my seem 'im," she began. Il reckon dey
takes me fer plum fool-blin' en- def en-
dumb: knows, ct anybody knows, DAT no
man dom come ter dis house Nv o night, fer
ter see you; en- done tole 'em So"
Amelie gasped in surprise and pain.
Nanny" she cried, what do you mean
what have they said? How could anybody
talk about me when there is nothing to say?
Surely they must know that do not have
visitors-men visitors! Why there is no
one for me.to have. And if did, how could
they think could keep such things secret?"
wave of resentment swept swiftly over
her. Then shaft OF light shot across her
consciousness at the thought of the French
professor. She threw her head back and
laughed into Aunt Narcisse's face. why,
nanny, it's funny" she said, Its just too
funny for anything" And she patted the
black head and added reassuringiy, Don't
The next night Aunt Narcisse was intro
duced to the French professor. Upon
Amelie's invitation she came in after the
usual early bedtime hush had settled over
their neighborhood, and, with wondering,
half afraid eyes stood and contemplated the
mysterious box. Amefe explained the
photograph to her as best she could and
impressed her with the necessity for abso-
lutte secrecy.
When she had gone Amelie sat as in
dream for long time. Then she went to
the closet and scanned the numbers on the
records very closely as she held candle
above them.
"Record No. 49," she said Here's one
l have never tried. l wonder what the pro-
fessor has to say here!
The same little click of the lever, the
same little turn of the screw; the same pre-
hminary whrring, but-iisten! What was
this? Her heart thumped violently and
then stood still as she listened.
81 am very, very tired of talking to a
machine cold, heartless, unrespensive
machine day after day, and week after
week. The people here cold and unre-
sponsive like their machines. long for my
old home in Louisiana"
"Louisianav' whispered the astounded
listener.
II want to scent the magnolias and the
jessanine and the roses-to see the ghnt OF
the southern sun ON southern waters@oo
tangle my hands again in the long festoons
of gray moss hanging from the giant oaks.
/ know that somewhere in that dear south
land there is a sweet, gentle woman with
dream in her eyes and music In her voice
and goodness in her soul who could bring to
me the only happiness l crave-home and
love-
Amele Strengthened up and rubbed her
eyes. Surely she must have been dreaming
Those words, in that familiar voice, infinite
ly sweeter and softer and more beautiful
than it had ever been before-words that
were marvelousiy clear-where could they
come from except ont of her Imagination!
But what power had this little machine to
give her the real voice of her French pro-
fessor without the buzzing and the whirring
and whence came this strangely human
quality that now sounded in the words? If
she had heard Alright, surely the professor
must be in the room and not in the box.
Amelie got up and walked about the room
several times. What did this mean? Had
she been lingering too long over the voice
of the French professor, and had she grown
nervous and unstrung? Or had she really
heard those words? She scarcely knew
whether to start the machine and hear the
record again or whether to be satisfied with
the dream, for the memory of the words as
she had heard them she wished to keep with
her always. Yes, she would try it again,
and she pushed the point back at the begin
ming of the record and set the wheel re-
volving.
81 am very, very tired of talking to a ma
chine-a cold, heartless, unresopnsive ma
chime" Her heart was throbbing ex-
citedly. She had heard Alright; the voice,
the voice in it's natural beauty, without the
Earring buzz of the machine, was really
there somehow. She listened again to the
. end.
the magnolias and the-jessamne and