’ I
The W'arwiek street flats were al-
ways dismal. On .11. bright day they
looked 111o1e gloomy and giimy than
evei; and when the sun beat down.
st1ong and yellow upon the dull red
bricks it seemed to be c1ushi11g out the
life anti stifling the b1eath of the hu-
man beings who fought and struggled
and laughed and wept inside.
In one of the flats a woman who
was little more than a gii'l wandered
listless-1y backward and forward, 01'
strummed with weary effort upon her
little piano. There was a gnaw- ,
ing fear in her thoughts—~51 jar-
ring anxiety that refused to 'be
stilled. She had seen Ralph,
her husband, growing paler and
thinner day after day; she had noticed
the weariness grow in his eyes, the
tired look that was fast becoming ha-
bitual to his face, and she was afraid.
“That of, she scarcely dared own even
to herself; but she knew that Ralph
was working too hard, and that the
summer heat was undermining his
strength.
She sat down presently to practice.
Somehow today her voice sounded
clearer and stronger than it had ever
done before. The keys seemed to fall
with scarcely an effort between her
fingers, and she found hers-elf singing
an old song.
Suddenly an idea occurred to her.
She sprang up, with a scarlet flush on
her cheeks, and with a sudden bright—
ening in her eyes.
’A few minutes later she was mak-
ing her way rapidly through the nar-
row, reeking street, and out into the
broader thoroughfare beyond.‘
She stopped before a house bearing
a brass plate, and then the flush in
her cheeks began to fade away. She
hesitated a moment before she rang
the bell, and then, in her nervousness,
gave such a peal that the Professor,
aluuibering peacefully inside, started
up in affright.
“Ach, Himmell” he remarked. “Vas
in it?"
The reply came in the form of a
neatly dressed servant, who an--
aounced that a young lady was wait-
ing to see him. and the Professor's cu-
riosity overcoming his usual dignity
of manner, he gave orders that‘the
young lady should be admitted.
Nellie came in nervously. She
glanced at the big, bearded man in
front of her, and wished she had not
been so hasty.
'When she spoke. all her nicely word-
ed sentences, all here carefully calcu-
lated eloquence vanished, and she
«mid only stammer helplessly:
“I—I wanted to ask you," she began,
“ts-test my voice.”
The Professor smiled—a grim, sig-
nificant smile—and she felt in very
t; nth that she was bearding a lion in
his den
“‘Well, well,” he said at last, not un-
kindly, "let us see. Let me hear you
sing.”
She sat down nervously to the piano.
The keys were indistinguishable be-
fore her eyes, and her fingers trem-
bled weakly. For a moment her voice
was beyond her control. She felt in-
mpable of steadying it, and she could
not remember a word to sing.
Then she suddenly caught sight of a
song called “Daddy” lying upon the
piano, and she took it up and began to
(day.
She sang through the first verse
with all the exquisite pathos of which
ker voice was capable. it rang out
loft and clear across the room, and
the Profesor almost fancied he
reamed.
lie woke with a start, to find that
s-‘ae had stopped and was putting back
the music.
“Again,” he said harshly.
again!”
She sang it through once more; and
when she looked around, the Profesor
was staring out of the window and
the sight of his back turned toward
her sent a chill td‘her heart.
“I was afraid I should be a failure,”
she said with a half sob, taking her
. gloves. “I am sorry—I—”
He turned around at the sound of
her voice. She did not know that his
eyes were full of tears, and that the
song had conjured up recollections of
of his dead wife. ‘
"Scales!” he, saiid abruptly. And
Nellie went back obediently to the
piano.
W hen she had finished, he came over
himself and put he1 thiough a num-
ber of exercises. He tested her voice
in every possible way. He took infi-
nite pains with her—such pains that
would have considerably astonished
some of his pupils if they could have
heard—and when she had finished, he
looked up interestedly into her face.
“Your voice has been well trained.”
\\ as all he remaiked.
'i had a good master, said \ellic.
with the chill giowing at her heart
“and I have always kept tip my pra:
tice. 1 have practised every day since
1 have been; married."
“Good, good!" said the Profesor sud-
denly. “Very good; and if something
should turn up, will you take it at
once?”
Nellie caught her breath with a gasp
ofastonishm'ent.
“Take it!” she cried. “Then—then,
you do think—you think I can earn
Some money?”
“I think,” said the Professor. forget-
ting his dignity and his English, wiil:
a sudden frantic gesture. “I think
“Sing it
H
you half a peautiful voice—a. very'
peautiful voice!”
That afternoon Nellie waited impa-
tiently for Ralph to come back from
rehearsal. She was burning to tell
him the news, and to get his permis-
sion to look out for an engagement.
~The Professor had spoken so favor-
ably of her voice—had given her s1
much encouragement—that she wen
filled with the wildest hopes.
She lay back luxuriously in her easy
chair and dreamed golden dreams.
And the summer afternoon waned
and passed, and. still Ralph did not
conic. She sat up listening ,for his
footsteps. Somebody was making
’such a noise on the stairs outside
that she could hear nothing. Men—
heavy-booted men—seemed to be
trainping up with some heavy burden.
Suddenly they stopped—stopped out-
side her door; and then there was an
ominous silence. The ,next moment
there came a knock, and a policeman
looked in.
Nellie started up with a cry.
The policeman came forward and
tried to keep her back. Some other
men followed him. There seemed to
be quite a lot of men crowding into
her little room, but she could see none
of them distinctly—only one form that
lay stretched unconscious on a shutter
and over that fo1m she bent, with a
te1ribly white face, and staied wildly
at the nariow st1ea1n of 1ed blood that
was oozing slowly from her husband’s
colorless lips.
There was no hope!
The doctor said so, but Nellie refused
to believe it; and she sat by the bed-
side, looking eagerly into her hus-
band‘s colorless face, and trying to
find some sign of hope—in vain. [This
very day he might die or live, and the
doctor had said that she must prepare
f01 the worse. It was impossible—she
could not, she would not, believe that
Ralph might die.
As she sat there the nurse entered
anti brought her a letter. Nellie looked
at it indifferently. What did letters
matter now? She took it in her tremb-
ling hands and tore it open wearily.
As she read a sudden red flush sprang
into her cheeks and a sharp light
flashed into her eyes. She read on
confusedly.
Mme. Lucille, the Professor wrote,
was unable to sing in the Albert Hall
that night, and she, Nellie Underwood,
was to take her place.
She looked at Ralph—ill, perhaps dy-
ing—on the bed, and then she turned ‘
back to the letter. Her chance had
come at last! The chance that she had
w aited f01 so eageily had come at last
like a wonderful miracle, or else like
a fiendish trick.
The manager regretted that Mme.
Lucille had been taken very ill. He
was extremely sorry, and he was an-
gry, too.- for Mme. Lucille’s name on
the bills had more than half filled the
house, and now her place was to be
taken by a little pale—faced girl, who
looked hopelessly plain and unattract-
we.
The accompanist sat down and rat-
tled off the opening bars of a famous
old song. It was the cry of a woman
for a. lover she would never see again,
and it was so old that people thought
it was worn out.
The accompanist played on; the
notes became slower, and finally
ceased, and then he waited.
Apparently Nellie had not heard.
The music had fallen from her hands.
and she was staring out with a. white,
set face at the crowded hall before
her.
“Stage fright, poor thing.” people
murmured.
Some of them stared at her coldly;
some of them put 11p their opera
glasses to look at her; but they could
not see what she saw—a man lying
tossing, perhaps dying. on a bed; they
could not feel what she felt, that ter— ~
rible aching at her heart and that
choking at her throat.
Suddenly the mist cleared from her
eyes, and she saw, with a start, the
waiting audience before her and the
glasses leveled to her face, and she
turned to the accompanist. He under-
stood her glance, and commenced
again.
Then she raised her eyes and stared”
straight toward the gallery. When she
opened her lips, her voice rang out
clear and full across the crowded hall.
It never faltered; the notes fell from
her lips liquid, wonderful, and the au-
dience suddenly became still. They
ceased to stare at her; opera glasses
fell—it was strange that they had be-
come dim—and in that great hall
there was scarcely a sound to be
heard.
The song went on. What was there
in that old-fashioned air to hold them
spellbound? A girl’s fresh voice call—
ing to her absent lover. They had
never heard it sung like that before.
The eyes of beautiful women be-
came moist; strong men leaned for-
ward to hide'their faces. They scarce-
ly realized it when the music stopped;
then they looked up to see her disap-
pearing from the stage, and for a
brief moment there was a dead si-
lence. '
Then the storm began. Artificial wo-
men forgot their artificiality; wearied
men woke to life againP-and shouted
wildly at the empty platform.
Nellie heard it faihtly at the back,
but her only thought was to get away
to Ralph. and while she was speeding
hoineward in a cab a man was making
profuse apologies to the audience. He
was sorry Mrs. Underwood could not
sing again that night. but he hoped
and believed they would hear her
again very soon.
When Nellie got home, the room
seemed to her very dark. She saw dis-
tinctly two figures which came toward
her as she entered, and then she heard
"a faint {voice—Ralph’s vmce—speaking
to her from the bed.
She heard neither the doctor's admo-
nitionsnor the nurse’s entreaties. She
knelt at her husband’s side and sobbed
her heart out on his pillow.
****-I****,***
It was a long time before Ralph
thoroughly recovered, but when he
did' there was no longer any fear of
starvation staring them in the face.
Nellie's voice had driven the wolf
from the doom—Answers.
33513:”. (\Jta 1‘
fiwiksmrfi .1 6, _1
IS OVER.
NUW is he' TIM
.1-
iii EAMPAIEN
To Subscribe §for the
ii
Both .Paoers Sent to one Address
for $|.OO a, Year
’ THE ' NEW. 11111501111011.— ‘
LOUIS’ v. BEL‘L’S WALL STREET
OPERATIONS CAUSE WONDER.
“The Man ii 11. Wonder,” Say the Oldest
Operators—He Gets on the Winning
Side of the Market on Both Ups and
Downs.
“This man is a wonder; he is With-
out doubt the boldest operator in the
business. and his profits of late have
been enormous; ‘
The above remark was made the
other day by a leading Wall Street
broker. He was referring to Louis V.
Bell. '
The cause was the announcement
that there had been another drop in
Manhattan. 'and all the Street knew
that Mr. Bell had been ‘,"plugging”
away at the stock since it had been
up in the 90’s or even above par.
Continuing his eulogy upon Mr. Bell,
the latter's admirer said:
“I don‘t know whether he works up
on inside information of whether he
just goes at it trusting to blind luck;
but of this I am certain—he has been
right three times within a few months,
when he was interested to the extent
of thousands upon - thousands: of
shares; and that ought to satisfy al-
most anyone who has. apparently. as
many years of life before him as has
Louis V. Bell.”
LOUIS v. BELL.
Many others in the street were will‘
ing to bear testimony to Mr. Bell's
fearlessness and to tell of the big oper-
ations in which he has been concerned.
In June and July, when this market
showed signs of weakness. Mr. Bell
attacked it tooth and nail, going short
1 on almost any kind of stock that might
' be manipulated easily.
He was enor-
mously successful. -
XVhen confident that the scare
among financial men was only going
to prove temporary. he bought heavily
and once more realized tremendously.
It was no pnusual thing for him to
carry 30,000 or 40.000 shares of stock.
and from everything which he touched
money came.
Two years ago, or thereabouts, when
- New England was in trouble and sell-
ing at 40, he went short for thousands
of shares and the stock went down:
just as. he wanted it to.
Suddenly he turned and began to
buy, [and almost in a day there was a
receivership for the road and a reor-
ganization of the company;' shares
went up, and Mr. Bell, the bull, then
' Was in’luck once more.
Not long ago he bought 50.000 of 60.-
000 shares of Reading, and the stock
went up an eighth almost. immediately.
His profits on that deal alone can be
easily figured out.
Mr. Bell is what they call a “member
of the lawyer set” in W'all Street. Not
very much over forty years of age, he
inherited a very modest fortune, and,
when his school and college days were
over, learned the banking business
with Brown Brothers & 00.
Then he started out for himself and
began to plunge at once. To—day lie is
several times a millionaire.
As long ago as 1888, Henry Clcws
wrote in his book, "Twenty Years in
Wall Street,” "Louis Bell, a daring
and successful operator," and that re-
putation has been maintained without
a break.
Mr. Bell comes of the famous Bell
family that has had an Isaac for one
of its members for generations. Louis
V. Bell’s father, grandfather and great-
grandfather were all Isaacs, and his
late brother was Isaac.
The family has contained diplomats,
merchants and traders on the seas, and
with every member brains have been
plenty.
The Auieer’s Cycle Carriage.
We do not usually look to Afghanis-
tan for fashions. but the “cycle car-
riage” ordered by the Ameer, who.
having been seized with the prevalent
taste,“ wants to indulge in it in the Ori-
ental, lazy style. may possibly set a
new fashion in biking. The machine
:onsists of a kind of.-.1niniature victoria,
with steering bar anti treadles; but
the occupant has only to 1011 at his case
with his feet on these latter, while the
work of pedalling is done by two rid-
ers who occupy the saddles at the rear
of the machine. This .extraordinary
vehicle is, '111 short, a kind of horseless
carriage~cumbike, just the kind of
thing in which a modern John Gilpin
might take his “loving spouse" and
family out for the day without fear
of blowing them up with petroleum.
Her French. .
“Let me see some of' your black kid
gloves,” said a lady to a clerk. “These
are not the latest style, are. they ?" she
asked, when the gloves wet' \ 1 reduced.
“Yes, madam,” 1eplied the 11::11; “we
have had them in stock only two
days.” “I didn’ t,_think they 'W'.Cl(’ be-
cause the fashion paper says black
kids have tan stitches, and vice versa.
I see the tan stitches, but not the vice
versa.” The clerk: explained that vice
versa was the French for seven but-
tons, so .she bought three“ pairs.—,
Household Words.
'-..
THOSE WHO» éELiEVE lN FATALITY;
Men‘Who Brave Danger and Demonstrate
Their Idea to the Letter.
Soldiers are often heard to say, “If
I’m going to be shot, I shall be shot."
Mr. R. G. W ibcrforce, who was an en-
sign of the 52nd during the Indian Mu-
tiny, says he never met but three men
who carried into practice the adage.
One of these men was a friend,_who,
on Wilberforce's arrival‘in front of ‘
Delhi, proposeda ride to show him the
pickets, assuring him that the journey
was safe. As they rode along, Wil<
berforce suddenly heard the ping of a
bullet, quickly followed by a second
and a thiid. “Hallo—what does this
mean?” he exclaimed. “Oh, it is only
the rifle-pits; we .are just on their
line of fire!” answered the friend. In-
stantly Wilberforce put spurs to his
steed and galloped into a safe place.
Turning round, Wilberforce sawthat
his friend had dismounted, and was
picking up the whip that he had
dropped. Having done that, he slowly
remounted and walked his horsa to
where Wilberforce was awaiting him,
On another occasion a live shell came
inside a siege battery, and began bury-
ing itself in the ground. Everybody
went dOwn except’this fatalist. “Lie
down, you fool!” they called out. Re-
moving his cigar from his~lips, he said,
“I am not going to put myself out for
——-" The sentence was interrupted .
by the explosion of a shell. A frag-
ment cut off a piece of the standing
man's trousers. He pointed to the
torn portion as an illustration of the
truth of the adage. The other man
who lived up to this fatalist doctrine
was seen by Wilberforce standing still'
to light a cigar in the middle of a street
down which a heavy fire was pouring.
Wilberforce, who was under shelter,
called to him to come under cover. He
looked up and said, “How often have I
told you that, if I am to be shot, I shall
be shot, whether I am where I
am or under cover? Then, taking
out another ‘ match, he finished
the lighting process which his friend
had interrupted. The third instance oc-
curred at the Delhi bank on the day
of the assault. Seated on the steps of
the bank between two men was W il-
berforce"s most intimate friend. The
houses opposite were thickly lined with
Sepoy rebels, who kept up a harassing
fire, to which the three men were di-
rectly exposed. Wilberforce called to
them to join him under the shelter of
a wall. The friend answered, “If I
am to be shot, I shall be, no matter
where I am.” Scarcely had he spoken
when his companions were killed. He
himself was not touched. though seven
bullets struck one companion and two
the other. He called attention to the
fact as a proof of .the truth of his
theory.
1.1 AND THE LOCOMOTIVE.
The “'in Diplomat Knew flow to Manage
the Man daring.
There is a story concerning the first
locomotive ever seen in China. Li
Hung Chang was given permission to
construct a railway from the sea to
his mines upon the condition " that
steam power should not be used, and
for several months*'~the cars were
hauled by mules. Then Mr. Kinder
and some of the foreign machinists se«
cretly constructed a locomotive out of '
such materials as they could find in
China.~ It was a rude afiair, and it
was never able to make more than five
01' six miles an hour, but it was a great
advantage“ over the mule teams, for
it could haul seven or eight cars of
coal at tliat.speed, where it took four
mules to haul one. But when the man
darins at Peking learned that foreign
devils were using a fire-eating monster
on the railway they immediately made
a tremendous fuss about it,tand called
Li Hung Chang to account for violat-
ing his concession. The old gentle-
man took it very ecolly, and pretended
not to know anything about it, but he
afterward restored himself in favor
by issuing an order rebuking Mr.
Kinder and his associates for their pre-
sumption and forbidding them to in-
troduce any more new-fangled foreign
notions into China. Shortly after he.
secretly patted them on the Back and
raised their pay. The (excitement
quieted down and was soon forgotten.
Then Mr. Kinder got up steam in his
clumsy old engine again, and was al-
lowed to run it without interference.
Later a couple of regularly made loco-
motives were imported from Enrope,
and have since been hauling coal trains
on that road—Chicago Record.
The Cat. “'ears Glasses.
Max, the handsome Maltese pet of
Miss Thompson, of San Francisco, is
perhaps the only eat on record that
wears spectacles.
Miss Thompson says she has owned
Max since her early youth, and has
found him a most invaluable posses-
sion besides being a loving little com-
panion in her loneliness. A few
months ago, much to her distress, Miss
Thompson discovered that Max was
losing his eyesight, so she carried him
to a' well known o'culist to be treated.
At first the man of science refused to
make the experiment, scarcely know-
ing how to'begin, but at Miss Thomp-
son’s suggestion, he secureda line and
the picture of a mouse, and by holding
these alternately and at varying dis-
tances before Max was finally en-
abled to test his eyes quite thoroughly.
After the necessary treatment, the doc
tor fitted Max with a pair of glasses,
the gold frames having to be made to
order, of course,'and ncw'the big cat
looks as wise as the proverbial owl
with his double eyes, and Miss Thomp-
son declaics it is as good as new again.
.~—Pliil:1(lelplii;1 Times.
“No. Willie dear,” said Willie’s ma-
ma—“no more cakes to-night. Don’t
you know you cannot sleep on a full
stomach?” 'I'Wcll,” replied Willie, “I
can “sleep on my tack.”-
Norwalk Chronicler