Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 December 1877 — HULDAH. [ARTICLE]

HULDAH.

Huldah lived in a box—so Hasel said —a funny brown box with a great cover, which could bo lifted-to let the sunshine through. By the box she meant the queer, four-cornered room away up in an old brown lodging-house —awayso4ar«tlmt.your.ieet wouECtffie? climbing to it over the rickety stairs; by the cover, she meant the oldest bit of sky-light, from over which the wooden shutters could be lifted by a curious arrangement, letting the sunshine through in golden showers. The room was Huldah’s by inheritance. Her mother she had never known, but her gray-haired old father, wlum 4w-died-but a year before, left her all his worldly possessions, consisting of the brown box and its contents. Hazel was hers by discovery only. Passing along the dingy street, one afternoon, at dusk, she met the child crying bitterly, her golden curls tangled about, her face, her hat lost, and herself the very picture of despair. Huldah’s heart was touched, and it was very loncly, too. What could she do but take the waif to her home until morning? She washed the tear-stained face and combed out the tangled curls, and then she brought from its cobwebbed corner an old guitar, and sung to her admiring listener the songs that were a part of her own being—for music was life to lonely Huldah. “ Where did you liywn such words?” questioned the ’eager child. “ Who made them up for you?” “I made them up myself,” Huldah answered, smiling because she was appreciated. “ 1 lie awake nights and say them over and over, and when 1 sleep 1 hear them sung to me, and catch the music and remember it, so that when morning comeszl can whisper both to my dear guitar, and it, in turn, whispers them back to me."' “The music, too; is that yours?” Hazel’s eyes were wide with wonder, “ Yes, they arc both mine; although I can sing much beside—songs that my father taught me since I was a little child. lam fifteen now.’’ she added, wit h maidenly dignity, "but one would not think me so old liecause 1 am so thin. That is because 1 have to go without my supper. sometimes, when madame has nothing for me to do.” Hazel Was touched by the simple pathos of fjie story so frankly told. “If you will take me home to-morrow t<> my own, own home, I will give you all my savings bank,” she said, with honest tears in her eyes, as she thought of the many little “ play suppers” she had so often set, while poor Huldah went Huldah carried Hazel home, and re-stored-her to-her-rdghtful owners. She even cried at parting with her, and attempted to remonstrate when Hazel’s Eput a crisp bill into her thin hand. lie pleading voice at her side whispered, “Take it. do! it’s instead of my savings bank,” and HuJjtah could not refuse. ........ Such talent as Huldah’s could not remain forever hidden in the brown box when there was a friend like Hazel to plead her cause, and so it was not strange that one day a scented note was brought to the garret-home, requesting Huldah’s presence and songs at a coming party to be given in honor of her favored little Hazel, at the Nordhoff Mansion. From a tinfe-worn chest Under the eaves Htfldah drew forth a dress—it had been her mother’s—and arraying herself in its scanty folds, she stood on tiptoe before the cracked mirror. Then she screwed tier brown hair on the top

of her head, after-the style of the picture adorning the great clock, tied the heavy antique necklace in place, and put her feet into a quaint old pair' of pointed slippers. Would she really be presentable? How her heart fluttered with glad expectancy, so natural to any maiden of fifteen. She courtesied to the odd-Jooking figure .in the glass, she smiled and brought dimples to her cheeks in the sweet surprise of seeing face and form under a different guise from any heretobefore known. The door opened and Hazel bounded into the room, but she stopped abruptly, clasping her hands with an expression of delight: “O, Huldah! how funny you look! Are you going to a masquerade?” Suddenly the light faded out of Huldah’s eyes, and, covering her face with her hands, she burst into tears. “Why. Huldah! what is the matter? Didn’t you want me to come?” and the pretty lips quivered. “ifes, yes, little Hazel, I wanted you to come, and I am not going to a masquerade," and she reached out her arm to draw Hazel’s curly head down to her own. Then she folded the satinsprigged dress of by-gone days, and laid it carefully away, put the necklace and quaint-pointed shoes back in the chest, and sat down by Hazel’s side. “Sing to me now,” said the child, with a pretty, willful toss of her head, and a movement toward the guitar. “Not to-night, little one. The music isn’t in my heart to-night.” “ But you arc going to sing for papa and miinimk, and all of us, soon. They are so glad they can hear you, and you must sing something pretty. What will it be, Huldah?” “ You must come here if you would hear me, Hazel. That is tlie masquerade, and I am not going, you know. “Masquerade! WhyHuldah” - “Hush! it would be a masquerade for me. I should not be myself in that satin dress, and you would hardly care to hear me sing in this rusty, brown one. 1 have no other; so. Hazel, you must be content to call this a grand parlor, and come here to listen to my songs.” Hazel understood now; but she had set her heart on hearing Huldah sing at her own home, and she was not disappointed. Some good fairy sent a wonderful package to the young musician, and in the package was folded a pretty dress of shining grey, with cherry ribbons. dainty enough for any fifteen-year-old girl. But Mr. Nordhoff footed the good fairy’s bill. Huldah did not disappoint her little friend’s expectations, but sang sweetly enough to have charmed any audience. Her old father had made music a lifelong study, and all the years pf her young life had been passed- under his instruction. Heart and voice werefuH of music, and it was no wonder that Mrs. Nordhoff’s enthusiasm fully equaled Hazel’s, or that many a tifne_ afterward Huldah sang to enraptured listeners, amid the warmth and light and beauty her artistic sense knew so well how to appreciate. ♦ But suddenly a sorrow came. She and Hazel must part, for the Nordhoft’s were going abroad. Hazel would see the eharining places -and beautiful people, while poor -Huldah sang her songs to herself, ia-hog- -lonely garTeETor obeyed the capricious whims of madanic, in whose shop jshe sometimes served. “ Don’t, forget me, little one,” she pleaded, with tearful eyes; and Hazel, clinging to her neck, promised: “I never will forget you, Hiildali; and I will truly come back to you, very, very soon.” How soon neither Huldah nor Hazel dreamed, as they looked out into the future; but one sad day there was a terrible railroad disaster, that chilled the henrts of those used to valamity, and among the long list of killed and” missing were the names’ of Mr. and Mrs. Nordhoff. Poor little Hazel! when they asked her who were her friends and where she would go, the bewildered child could only think of Huldah. To her her sorrowing heart turned in her distress, and she cried, piteously, “Send me back to Huldah. She will love me and take care of me!” And to Huldah she eaine. It would be a long, tiresome story were I to tell you of all the trouble that loliowed How nnf of all that great property which had long been held under the Nordhoff name, hardly a pittance was Mt to the little orphan. The vast estate was heavily involved, and when Huldah took Hazel again into her heart and home, it was as a dependent upon her bounty; but she took her cheerfully, even thankfully. “ Nothing can ever part us now, can it, Huldah?” Hazel iteked, in her sweet, beseeching way. “ I can help you A weep and dust,' and keep the brownbox tidy, and you will have all the more time to sing and play.” j» hanl task, thnmrb. for Huldah to fill two hungry mouths. Madame had so little for her to do, and nothing else seemed to offer. “ Let me tend in Madame’s shop,” pleaded Hazel, “and you can find something better to be doing.” But after one attempt she gave up that plan in despair. She could run with willing feet to wait on customers, and her nimble fingers made swift work in doing up purchases, but remember figures she could not, and her puzzled heau never could account for the intricacies of the dime-and-dollar part of the transaction. Neither was the “ something better to be doing” easy to find in such a great city, and consequently thev both often went hungry to bed, but kept up brave, hearts through it all. “ Something will surely’ turn up when we’re not looking for it, I’m sure,” Hazel persisted stoutly r and her great faith kept Huldah from losing heart. „ , One bright, afternoon, Hazel strayed ’ far away from the dingy little shopamT tenement houses. She was thinking, in her childish way, of Huldah, and wishing she might find a purse of gold lying m the street, to cany home and tell her she need not go hungry jiny more. She heard strains of music stealing, soft lyont upon the air, and stopped short, in her planning, to listen. Before her towerea a great ivy-grown church, with the sunshine lighting up its stained windows till they glowed like tire. The door was ajar and she listened awhile, then stole softly in. She followed the music, up the long, carpeted aisles, under the dim halflight that pervaded the place, up the long, winding stairway, on, on, on, until she paused, at last, beside the whitehaired old organist who was waking the sweet melody which hired her thither. She came so gently that he did not notice his listener at first. Suddenly his eyes tell on the child standing bv his side in half-breathless nWe. Thejight, streaming faintly down {pom the high window, jnst touched the face with a sweeter beauty and lighted up the curls till they gleamed like gold. Something in the sweet. sad faee, in the wistful eyes and tirot expression, -touched his heart, and ne reached out his hand;

“ Did my mtislc draw you in here, little one?” “Oh, it was beautiful!” Hazel spoke rapturously and with a little ecstatic gasp, as she drew nearer to him. “ I wisn Huldah could only have heard it. It woifltl have made her cry, I know; music always docs.” “Ah! Huldah is your sister, it may be?” “Oh, no, no! She is not my sister. Huldah is myr-my-—why, I belong to Huldah. She does everything for me, you know, and I never can help her at all. lam too small, you see.” “Indeed?” and the kind face relaxed into a smile. “But you will grow up sometime, then you can work for Huldah as she is working for you.” “But it’s now that I want to help her— now. I don’t want Huldah to go hungry. I want to do something my own self to help her, so she can get more time to play and sing and make up sweet music for her dear guitar.” “A musician! .Huldah is a musician, I see. And she makes up music, docs she? Well, well! you must tell me more—tell me all, and maybe I can help you both.” So Hazel told all the pitiful story of her life anil of Huldah’s self-sacrifice-told it in her own simple, child-like way, but it touched the heart of the kind old organist. And after he had heard all, he and Hazel laid, a plan —a wonderful plan, that, sent the child home with shining eyes and light footsteps. When the next evening camo Hazel begged her dear Huldah to sing something for her, some of the gay carols she used to sing when she wore her pretty dress ana was so light-hearted. “Do let’s play we are giving a party ourselves,” pleaded the little one, and Huldah reluctantly consented to The childish whim for once. She donned the pretty gray dress and Coiled her hair up as Hazel loved to sec it and they lighted the quaint room as best tliey eeukl.-and set chairs for imaginary 'ladies and gentlemen, and courtesied, and acted for all the world? like very lady-like Hostesses. “Now I will introduce you,” Hazel said, clipping her hands and laughing in great glee. She made a funny little speech to her imaginary friends, while Huldah bowed low to empty chairs, seated herself at her guitar and sang the songs as Hazel called for them—sang them, too, in her very best style, for the little play seemed for the time almost as real to her as to Hazel. She had just finished Hazel’s favorite, after many pretty compliments from her enraptured listener,- when the door, which had been left ajar, swung slowly open, and syeh a burst of applause came from the darkdiall-way as caused Huldah to drop her guitar in alarm, and sent Hazel dancing across the room, where she bounded directly into the arms of the white-haired old organist. ——7“O, wasn’t if beautiful, beautiful!” she questioned, eagerly. “It was heaMZtjwt, little Hazel. You did not praise your friend any too highly-” And then Hazel drew him into the room, and told Huldah all her pretty story, how she had interested_the or-? .ganist in herYavor, and planned their ”*^y^irty a mights hear her voice to the best advantage. It all ended like a fairy story. The old organist would not hear a word to Huldah’s being shut up in the brown box all her days. He sent her away to study with the very best masters, and look -Hazel into his own home “in trust” for Huldah, when she was ready to claim her again. . And whatever success Huldah may have in the musical world, she always says she shall give the entire credit to little Hazel, to whose help she owes it ~alb—fc’sfcZZc Tlwmson, in Our Home ' Monthly.