The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 17, 1899, Page 6

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THE SUNDAY CALL. they knew that red figure as it the da of unds were » rise agalr hurried and 0 ,’.’ arts than these Italia 1 into ot often e BY KQTH ’/J‘-C‘: RYN JanBOE- heard, only at Intervals of weeks or But on every Christmas eve the es of the old house rang with melody, sweet and bea For he people of narter a of n he house nen came a Chri: stormy. The ral and the wind tearing bran windows ar ing eucal i ple as eve, dark and red from the clouds ly up the street, m the trees, rattling anging doors. The sway- shivered and shook, -told tales. The peo- 1 before their fires, drew thelr loser together and sighed. No musie, no 1denly dowr cople rushed to the long wh = ghosts be- re w s the ghosts w e trag s s ghts In the year v » drown al sounds, nemory f t to-night the s bod of melody. nds had been more i fmpossible to mas‘cr, ned to The air of the old thrill with life, his nerves e sec were tir th a new sensation, as of some fel ire near at hand. And ye new 10w fmpossible it was, how those four grim walls d to his violin onc ad of the vibrant ton life, he -played s It was th wife had r child. From somewhere, from the no doubt, he heard tne old tune, P ——— . and softly, faintly, he followed it with his violln. Suddenly he flung the instru- ment from him. “God in heaven!” he cried, “I am going mad. How long must this last?” In the room below stood Edwin Belden's child, 2 woman of twenty years, with her own baby clasped in her arms. On that Christmas night, twenty years before, the that be a proof of my constancy to youn.” She rushed across the ocean to her girl- hood's home and lived but a few weeks. Her child was brought up by relatives. She married an American and, returning to the land of her birth, determined to seek her father. She knew nothing of him except that he was alive, that he lived still in the house where she had been born. OWED onTHE ouTSTRETCHEY young wife had fled from her husband's house a momentary burst of childish ¢ of the art which “Ir you g . In answer to her threat, I will walt for you here. I will speak no word to any human being until you return. Let She heard the gossin's tales, but they had no effect on her resolution; still, time her and time again her cc age falled and she k t deal. At last on Christ- mas eve, ng her baby with her, she went to the old house. Finding the door unfastened she went in. The damp, cold — Neo e AN 1N THE DOQR SoFTLY ANO SAW T;;m‘ atmosphers of the place chilled her and was cold with agony, realizing that th she turned Into the first room she saw to end must have come, that at last h galn a moment'’s time, to still her beating reason must have fled, she spoks ths or heart. Overhead she heard the notes of word that could have roused him. the violin, now soft and sweet, now 10ud * wpgiper she cried, “father. I bav and passionate, and & sou of ity for the . ;\, .« Then her volce broke, st wasted life broke from her lips. flung herself ‘at his feet and buri Then came the stlence and she r08e ONC® faco in her hands. He rested one ior more almost brave enough for the Ven- whits hand on her soft brown .air a Her child moved uneasily: it WAS gfter a long time sald softly: Softly and mechan!cally she oy cradle She ture. waking up. began to sing the little French song and soon the baby slept agaln 414 not notice that the violin had accc m panied her voice, but she heard it fall when Belden flung it from him. Instantly her courage returned and she hurried up the stairs. Bhe opened the door softly and saw the white head bowed on the outstretched arms. The draught caused by the opening door made the old man look up. A look of adoration flashed into his dark brown eyes, but it was followed Insta by one of abject terror. stand. An I un 4 at the end ral father. Then rested it In h Ma arms. e S SN NN Y i e NS ngers quivering with twenty nder year ess love. tmas bells were pealing ou from every church steeple in the grea city hbor clasped neighbor's han and in 15 squalid little district Christ desire that his s should leve on another seem en fulfilled nan volces int adeline, my MadeMae,” he grasped. then, over the merry multitude s, Madeline, your little Madeline,” a hush. Down from the ol she answered. Her volce was stifled, her e & Wb aived man h face was ivory white. The nervous ter- in his arms a tiny b & ror of the man before her commu ated Ing to his side was a young woman, the itself to her and although she did not un- link between the old man and derstand its cause, did not know that he a 1 he baoy between the old life and the new

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