Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-04-27
CHAPTER Al

NMMLA
Elanda's voice was not suited 70
opera or TO the more difficult
things. II had a quality that made
it perfect for the more sentimental
ballads. Suwanee was a good judge
and he was sure of 1t.
He listened carefully while he had
accompanied her rehearsal and
sighed when he caught the plain
tive, human quality in 1t that would
have made her the greatest Groom
er of them all. Not the coarse. man
nish type Of crooner. But the soft,
sweet mezzo that played on the
human heart strings as no other
type Of singing will.
He was happy that Elanda was
being rescued from bitter failure,
despite her stubborness. She had
shown him quite ~forcefullv that she
| desired none Of his advice. He did
not. therefore, try to give 1t TO her.
He merely helped her learn her
three songs for the La Paloma pro-
gram the following highland was
eager to know how she would GO
over.
Thinking OF her stirred other
dreams. too. Dreams that had been
very near the two or three times
that she had been just a sweet
friendly little girl with him. The
first evening he had met her fol-
instance.
He was sitting in his apartment
in his dressing gown and slipper:
smoking his pipe and dreaming
That night when they had dinec
together and ridden down on thu
bus and he had met Dixie and Bani
and the baby for the first time. HI
had said to himself:
AT last I have found a rea
girl"
She had seemed so differen
from the grasping. calculating girl
he had found all around him. Shl
was from Home. That was why
That evening, when she had toll
him angrily that she was going y
use Greg Du Pont and his father
and any other men who could hell
her to get wherever she wanted =
get, he had been shocked. Then M
had not believed her.
That was the evening he haS
kissed her for the first time-anC
the last time. 1t was a kiss hat mac
left him shaken with her dearness
But she had scorned him and h
had promised her that IL neVel
would occur again.
IL wouldn't now. She was goint
10 marry the man she had said sh'
was going to make use Of. Why
was she marrying him? Had she
| fallen In love with him. after ALL
Suwanee did not believe she had
He turned bitter az the thought
that she was marrying him for his
money. He preferred 10 think she
was marrying him for revenge-anc
10 save her face SO that people
would not laugh at her over the
Lord Dusenberry affair.
For a day. that first day he met
| her. ne had dreamed lovely dreams
| of her. But II had been Just Tor a
day. She never had been the same
after that. Ambition and conceit
had spoiled it all. -
Suwanee Collier was lonely. He
| always had been a ladies' man. But
most of the pursuing had been or
| the part or the ladies. He admired
/ them. and had been involved IN
/ some pretty interesting affairs
Lately. however, he seemed TO SCI
the wrong side OF the fair sex. The
majority OF his evenings he came
home and read or played the piano
or his ukulele.
II always eased his loneliness <
| play. He was a born musician. i
/ took him out OF himself and m
lost himself in dreamy melodies.
He shook the tobacco from hi
pipe and went to the piano. For
moment he ran his hands over tn
KEYS laziIy. Then a melody came K
him. He struck a few chords and i
sounded so pleasing that he pickec
up a pencil and paper and wrote
them down.
1t was a plaintive melody. half
blues and half ballad. He did no
know ~. but he was writing the
very melodies that had pleased hin
In Elanda's voice. He was writing
for her.
He played and wrote along rapid
ly-and when he had finished h
played ii all over. II was beautiful
He knew 1t. He must do something
with It. There would have to b
words.
Thus IL was that Suwanee. at sis
o'clock In the morning, had finish
ed the song that was to put hin
In the front ranks Of the young