Citation
The Musical journey of Dorothy and Delia

Material Information

Title:
The Musical journey of Dorothy and Delia
Creator:
Gilman, Bradley, 1857-1932 ( Author, Primary )
Attwood, Francis Gilbert, 1856-1900
Thomas Y. Crowell & Co ( Publisher )
Norwood Press
J.S. Cushing & Co
Berwick & Smith
Place of Publication:
New York
Boston
Publisher:
Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
Manufacturer:
Norwood Press
Berwick & Smith
J.S. Cushing & Co.
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
iii, 79 p. : ill. ; 18 x 24 cm.

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Music -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Piano -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Mothers and daughters -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Adventure and adventurers -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Birds -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Fantasy literature -- 1893 ( rbgenr )
Bldn -- 1893
Genre:
Fantasy literature ( rbgenr )
novel ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
United States -- New York -- New York
United States -- Massachusetts -- Boston
Target Audience:
juvenile ( marctarget )

Notes

Statement of Responsibility:
by Bradley Gilman ; illustrated by F. G. Attwood.

Record Information

Source Institution:
University of Florida
Holding Location:
University of Florida
Rights Management:
This item is presumed to be in the public domain. The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not claim any copyright interest in this item. Users of this work have responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions may require permission of the copyright holder. The Smathers Libraries would like to learn more about this item and invite individuals or organizations to contact The Department of Special and Area Studies Collections (special@uflib.ufl.edu) with any additional information they can provide.
Resource Identifier:
026783200 ( ALEPH )
ALH0663 ( NOTIS )
37921252 ( OCLC )
35021433 ( LCCN )

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BRIDGE
MEMORIAL LIBRARY BUILDING.

«| WALPOLE, N, H. De

WALPOLE TOWN LIBRARY.

RESUE Arora

Anricue 1. Bookstwilf be delivered to the inhabitants of
the town, and the Ifead of cach family shall be respon-
sible for their saf si ecping wand return.

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by each memb fithe family at a time.

ArtircLe 3. Booksjshall not be kept out more then two
weeks, under # fine) of six cents a volume for eaeh
week of longerjdetention.

Articie 4. If eh book ‘be kept out more then three
months beyongl the allowed time, it is at the option of
the town to rdquire its value to be paid.

ARTICLE 5. No} book shall be given out to any family
while any fine incurred in that family is in arrear.
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the appraisal of the Librarian as also the: value of any
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they are nok taken care of in a neat and cleanly manner.

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vook from|the Library. by paying ten cents a week
for each ydlume.

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‘ pee r ie ies (See page 69.)
The Chromatic Council in Session.— Frontispiece.



A

THE

MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY
AND DELIA q286

BY

BRADLEY GILMAN
Llustrateds by F. G. Atityooy

NEW YORK: 46 East 14TH STREET
THOMAS Y. CROWELL & COMPANY
BOSTON : 100 PuRCHASE STREET



CoPpyYRIGHT, 1893,

By T. Y. CROWELL & CO.

Norwood Press:

j. S. Cushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith.
Boston, Mass., U.S.A.



INTRODUCTION.

—05640-0——__

HE purpose of this little book is twofold. It aims, first, at telling a fanciful, interesting
story; and; second, at illustrating and “lighting up” the rudiments of music. It will,
therefore, be not only entertaining, but valuable, reading for children, especially if they are
studying music. If it shall serve, in any degree, to smooth, for young feet, the rough,
difficult path that leads into the beautiful “Music Land,” then will be accomplished the
earnest wish of one who holds music to be among God’s richest gifts to man.
THE AUTHOR.

(iii)



THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

+i




cheeks and blue eyes. Her feet rested on a round hassock,.and were not able to
reach the pedals; but they kept time constantly with the music.

Dorothy was practising her lesson, and her teacher was coming the very next day. It
was the same lesson that her dear friend Delia had been given, both girls having the same
teacher and being equally advanced.
and was in that dreadful key of “B,” with its five sharps,

”

The piece was a “study,
which Dorothy always found extremely perplexing. ‘‘Oh dear,” exclaimed the restless little
girl, “I don’t believe I ever can learn that run, with that awful chord at the end!” And her
hands dropped despairingly into her lap. Then she remembered that Delia was probably
practising, the same hard place, and she remembered, with a sigh, also, that her dear friend
nearly always had a good lesson. So she tossed her head sharply back, to throw her golden
hair away from her eyes, and set herself again resolutely at her: task.

-While the, eager, restless little girl is working hard at her difficult passage, I will tell
you, my dear young reader,—as Dorothy’s mother often told her,—that she is very quick to

learn any new thing, in music, or in her other studies, but that she is too often impatient,
4 ;

Kâ„¢OROTHY sat-at the piano. She was a golden-haired little girl of ten, with red.-

@



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.



“Dorothy sat at the piano.”

and is apt to think she has learned a
lesson before she really has done so. So
you will not be surprised when I tell
you that Dorothy played the run and
the chord over only three times, and
then stopped again. This time her eyes
wandered toward the window, and her

ears caught the sound of a great blue-.

bottle fly, who was careering wildly. over
the panes of glass, bumping his nose on
the upper sash and then falling in a
heap to the lower one, but always rising,
after a brief pause, to career again as
wildly as ever. 4

Dorothy might have learned a lesson
of perseverance from the little winged
teacher;. but the room was warm and still,
and the droning of the fly’s wings, as she
listened, seemed to make her sleepy; so
she again returned to the keyboard and

’

started the “study” at the beginning.

Her glance rested for a moment on



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. B

‘the hour-glass which was in front, on the top of the piano; and the red sand in the upper
bulb seemed almost as great in quantity as when she began. “One, two, three; one, two,
three,” said Dorothy, now striking the opening notes and counting steadily as her teacher
had directed.

She also tried to hold her hands in exactly the proper position, and for a page or two
she went on very well; but the béok was large, and the pages seemed very, very long. “Oh,
how much they do put on a page!” sighed she. “If ever I write a music-book, I will put
only two staves on it, and. that’will make it easier for little girls to play.” And she tossed
her head with determination.

“One! two! three! one—two—three!” She began to become entangled in the oe
notes of the hard run again, and presently she stopped entirely.

The buzzing of the jolly blue-bottle fly in the window sounded louder than ever, and
Dorothy was really very weary, because of the long game of hide-and-seek in the morning;
and—and again she felt a little, just a “¢#/e, sleepy.

“T'll wait only a minute,” she said to herself; “and -perhaps if I lean my head on the
book a little and—and think, I shall feel better.” Then she remembered that hour-glass,
sending down its tiny little fiery stream of red sand, and she reached over and laid it on its
side, to stop the stream while she waited; for she said, “I might wait longer than I intend
to, and I must n’t count that time in.”

The tired head léaned forward against the great book, the blue-bottle fly droned away
with a lulling tone, and Dorothy thought and thought... and ... . thought.

Just what she thought I am not able to say, and she herself was not able afterward to



4 THE MUSICAL $OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

remember; but presently she became aware that there was some sort of movement going on
upon the pages of the great open music-book.

If you or I had been down close beside her, we should have seen that her eyes were
tightly closed against her pink fingers; so that I cannot say how she knew about the move-
ments on the pages of the book: but in some way it presently seemed to her that — that —
could it possibly be? Why, the notes on the staves were shifting restlessly about in their
places. :

Now she had often fancied that the clefs and the notes might do something like this;
indeed, she had often fancied many queer things, as she had stared hard at the music, hour
after hour, and day after day. There, for instance, ‘was the twining G clef, and there was
the curved F clef, in the bass. That F clef had often looked to her like a new moon, a trifle
bent and strained in the making. There were the long lines and spaces of the staves. O
how long they had sometimes seemed to the young pianist! They had seemed almost like
long straight roads, under a blazing sun, and her tired feet very slow to pass along them.
There, too, were the notes and rests. They had often appeared to her to be scattered over
the pages‘like boys and girls scattered over a playground. Perhaps they— But what
was that?

Dorothy looked again at that eighth- anote in the upper staff, the last measure but one,
and — and —yes, the roguish little creature was winking at her.

Before Dorothy could recover from her surprise, another eighth-note did the same: and
the two gay young musical creatures then looked straight at each other and burst into
laughter; and such a bright tinkling laugh it was, too.



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 5

The little girl was in a state of perplexity and delight. She was of course greatly
amazed at seeing the notes alive and active, and she was glad, also, to find them in such a

happy state of mind. “Oh, I wish that Delia were here!”
she murmured softly to herself, not once taking her eyes
off the strange little creatures before her. ‘I wonder what
she would say.”

Then she felt a hand slipping gently into her own,
and Delia’s own voice said: “Why, Dorrie, is that you om
Then the two friends put their arms lovingly about each
other’s waists, and stood in silent wonder.

Delia did not seem very much surprised that Dorothy.

should be there, and Dorothy, for her part, never felt quite
herself without her dear friend. So they walked along a
little nearer to the frolicsome notes; and Dorothy, who was
very quick to notice everything, now discovered what she
never, in all her study of music before observed, that the
marks on the stems of the smaller notes were really little
pennants, or flags, which they carried over their shoulders.
For example, the eighth-notes, who had first drawn her

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Dorothy and Delia.

attention, had each a little rod over his shoulder, with one streamer floating from it; while

the sixteenth-notes had rods with two pennants attached. What fun they did appear to have

with them! They waved them gracefully at each other, in the gayest manner, and sometimes

* lige

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6 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA.

they turned towards the little girls and waved them, bowing low as they did so. “ How
fortunate it is, Delia,” suggested Dorothy, “that they don’t act like that when we are trying
to play them!”

“That is so,” Delia agreed, in her quiet, meditative way. “They are hard enough to
strike when they stay quite still; and I do n't know what I ’d do if they were as lively
as that.”

Delia was a year older than Dorothy, and had jet black hair and large black eyes; but.
large as her eyes were, I doubt if they saw more than did Dorothy’s active little blue eyes.

At this point, while the two were standing in silent wonder, waiting to see what next
would appear, the frolicsome eighth-note who had first winked at Dorothy, gave up all

attempts at restraining himself, and, with a musical laugh, turned a complete
somersault, as well as it could have been done by the funny spangled clown in
the circus, — and that, too, without loosing hold of his flag with its streaming
i pennant. This seemed to act like a signal to the other notes; for, as if with one

The frolicsome -UNpulse, they sprang up and leaped and danced like children just out of school.

eighth-note. As Dorothy gazed in wonder at their strange antics, she happened to look
more carefully at the staves; and she saw that they were really paths, or roads, just as she
often had fancied them; and the frolicsome notes were now playing and running races upon
them, precisely as children do in the streets. Now they began. to scamper towards the
clefs; and what was Dorothy’s surprise to discover that these also were quite as much alive
as were the notes. Fe

The little girl rubbed her eyes and looked again to make sure that she had really seen





‘‘ Along they came, in the merriest manner possible, and whenever they reached a bar they leaped over it.”







THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 9

aright. Yes, the treble clef was really a tall, thin old woman of severe countenance, closely
wrapped in long flowing garments; while the bass clef was a poorly clad old man whose
wrinkled face seemed kind, and yet stern, in its expression.

Still, as Delia said with some pity, they both looked as if they were burdened with cares;
and little wonder, with such large and irrepressible families to look after. Delia seemed to
feel more sympathy with these people than did Dorothy, and that was probably because she
had a younger brother, and she knew how much care such little people need.

The two now moved towards the place where the solemn-looking personages were
standing; Dorothy wished to go up very near them, to see exactly what they were like;
_ she hardly knew what fear was; indeed, her mamma had often told her that her venturesome
spirit did not come from courage, but from ignorance: however, Delia held back a little, so,
they advanced about half-way and had a good look at the strange old people. Of course
they did not stare, for that would have been rude; but they saw clearly the lines of care in
both the old faces, and that the bass clef leaned on a cane, while the treble, or G clef,
supported herself by a long pole like a shepherd’s crook.

Now a greater commotion than ever arose from the noisy notes out on the staves; and
the girls saw that they were coming towards the clefs. Along they came, in the merriest
manner possible, and whenever they reached a bar they leaped over it as if it were a hurdle
and they were steeple-chasers: the best leapers were the eighth and the sixteenth-notes:
these agile fellows sprang over the bars like deer; although the double bars sometimes made
them hesitate for a moment. The quarter-notes were a little more serious in their manner,
and did not leap so wildly: most of them put one hand on the top of the bars and vaulted



10 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

gracefully over. The half-notes and the whole-notes were entirely too dignified for any such

sport, and therefore walked, in a stately way, around the outside of the bars, leading the tiny

little thirty-second notes, who were too young and inexperienced to go about much alone.

There was a perceptible quieting down of the gay company when they came near the

clefs. These elderly people stepped aside to let the notes pass, and
frowned upon them with considerable severity; but Dorothy was watch-
ing the severe old bass clef closely, and she several times detected a
smile creeping over his face; so she felt sure that he really was not
SO hagsh as he tried to appear.

Perhaps the stern-looking treble clef read the child’s thoughts;
for she said to her, in a stern voice, —still keeping her sharp eyes on
the gay young notes who were trooping past her,—‘“He is too easy
with his notes, that bass clef is, altogether too easy; he doesn’t keep
them in their places: they stray all over their staff, and beyond it,
above and below: you never know where to find them; they even come
up almost to my staff, at times; but I keep my eye on them, and when
they see me looking at them, they venture no further.”

Dorothy did not at first understand what the stern old dame meant.
Evidently the notes were guilty of some grave misdemeanor; but she



The Bass Clef.

could not, for a moment or two, see what it, was. Then her eyes sparkled, as they always

did when a new idea came to her, and her cheeks lighted up. “I see what she means,

Delia,” she whispered; “do n’t you? You know we often have notes to play in our



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. II

practising, that are written upon ‘added’ or ‘ledger’ lines, above the regular five lines of
the staff.”

Of course Delia understood at once; and she nodded, with a quiet smile; so there was
need of no further explanation.

Just at this moment Dorothy caught sight of a familiar face amid the throng of notes

who were hurrying past. It was the face of the eighth-note who had first attracted her

attention. The other notes merely gazed at the children with some curiosity, as they passed

| along; but the eighth-note came up near to them and spoke in a low, care-

fully guarded voice, glancing constantly over his shoulder at the stern old

woman: “I would n't say much to her. She ’s awful. She ’s just awful.

— She ’s much’ stricter with us on her staff than the bass clef is with his

notes; of course you know, do n't you—”
y Here the G clef looked over toward him, frowning, and he broke off
“Ledger” Lines. | What he was saying, and exclaimed hurriedly, “Why do n’t you come along
with us? We are off duty now, and are free to run about as we choose for several hours.
~ Come with us and see the Music Land where we live.”

The idea was seized with delight by impulsive little Dorothy. She fairly leaped with
joy, and was about to clap her hands, when she recollected the stern G clef, who was looking
irnpatiently on, and subsided into quiet. Turning to Delia, she whispered excitedly, “ Take
my hand quickly and let us hurry by that cross old woman! What fun it will be to see
all the sights in the land where these queer little people live!”

That was the child’s impulsive way; but her friend’s way was different. Delia drew her

back, saying, ‘‘ Wait a moment, dear Dorrie; let ’s think about it!”



12 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

That was usually what wise little Delia did. She nearly always thought before she
entered on any course of action; and thus she was a capital friend for hasty Dorothy to
have.

Dorothy was wild to go, and the tears started into her eyes, she was so anxious lest by
delay they should be prevented from seeing the wonderful new things. She struggled and
tugged at Delia’s hand, and the eighth-note looked impatient too; but Delia would not rush
into the new project rashly, and looked quite serious. Presently she said, “I really think
we might go, Dorrie: these notes are not wholly strangers to us, are they?”’~”

“No, indeed!” exclaimed Dorothy, pulling her along. “We have known them a long,
long time. Our music-teacher introduced them to us, and I’m sure she would not have done, .
that unless they were proper playmates for us.”

So the three, taking one another’s hands, passed swiftly along the staff,— which was
really a road,— holding their breath until they were fairly beyond the severe G clef.

When they had once passed her, they breathed more easily; and Delia spoke to their
gay young companion, whose spirits had now fully returned., “ You were about to tell us
something, were you not,” she asked, “just when the G clef stopped you?”

“Oh yes! Oh yes!” replied the young creature, turning a somersault as he spoke; “I
was just explaining about those two clefs.” Then he began more seriously, “ Of course you
know, do n't you?”— He was looking inquiringly at Dorothy as he spoke, and Dorothy
shook her head even before he had finished the sentence. She felt very sure that she

knew nothing

g, absolutely nothing, of the queer ideas and ways of these strange little people.

“Of course you know, do n’t you,” said the eighth-note, quite demurely, changing his
&



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 13

pennant to the other shoulder, “that the clefs are our guardians and teachers? They are

very old, and they are very strict.”

Delia looked at the gay young note as if she felt that he needed to have some one strict
with him. And just at that moment Dorothy remembered they had not yet heard their
companion’s name. So she said, with a toss of her head, as if she were displeased, —
although she was not, quite the contrary,—‘“I think we should like to know your name, sir,
before we walk any farther with you.” Then she looked straight at Delia, and they both

laughed softly, though neither could have told why.

The eighth-note was entirely courteous, and with a graceful bow he said,
‘““My name is La.” Then all three of them laughed aloud, and were better
friends than ever..

La was very talkative, and ran on in a merry chatter. “My name is La,

“ but I don’t believe you would ever have known it unless you had seen me on
“Myname isla.” the staff. It’s very hard to recognize us notes unless you see us in our

places. We all look so much alike. We dress alike, you see. Now I know you very well,

and your friend Delia. I ’ve often heard your mamma and your friend the music-teacher
speak of you, and to you. Oh, how often I ve wished I might speak to you, and ask you to
come and visit our beautiful music country; but I never dared stir, even, until to-day. We
notes see a good deal that goes on, though we are not allowed to speak about it. We are



often sorry when you are obliged to practise so long. You do n't like it, do you?”
“T hate it!” exclaimed Dorothy, fiercely stamping her foot, with its red-leather shoe.
“Yes, I know you do,” responded La. .“ Does Delia like it?”



14 ' THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

Delia did not reply as hastily as Dorothy had done, but even she admitted that she
grew weary of it, and that an hour and a half seemed very tedious.

“That ’s the way with all of us, I suppose,” said La, putting on a very mature judicial air
as he spoke. “We all have hard things to do. We notes, now, become very tired indeed,
standing up on the staves there, so still; and we are glad enough, you may be sure, when the
practising is over, and the music-book closed; because then we are free to run away and play.”

Both the children looked puzzled at this; and Dela presently asked, “What do you
mean? Don’t the notes stay up on the staves all the time?”

“Oh no, no!” answered the talkative eighth-note, with a mystifying smile. “It is some-
thing of a secret, but I will whisper it to you.” And he curved his hand about his lips, as
if to conceal his words. “We only stay there while the music is open; when it is closed
we run away as fast as we can. And I'll tell you how you can find that out for yourselves.”
‘Here he grew very confidential. “If you ever look into a music-book when it is n’t open,
you will find the lines and spaces all empty, and all the notes gone.”

Then La drew back, and covered his face with his hands in such a way that the little
girls could not see whether he was laughing at them or not. In a moment he continued,
“We have to be very quick, though, in coming back to our places, when the cleffs send
for us. There ’s a lively scrambling, sometimes, but we nearly always do it; that is, we
nearly always reach the staff; but once in awhile some careless note takes the wrong
place, and the people say ‘Why, that ’s a misprint.” And they stick pins and ink-erasers
into him and change him to his right position.” :

All this time the three had been leisurely walking along the road; and the stern-faced



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY. OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 15

clefs were now left far behind. You may be sure that Dorothy’s sharp eyes were intently
watching everything; and Delia, too, was observant, in her own quiet way. Both of them
were filled with delight at the beautiful country in which they found themselves. They had
never seen anything so perfect before. There was a perfection about even the roads; all
the troublesome little stones were removed. The trees, too, were planted at regular distances
from each other, and were of many colors, but all harmoniously blended. The flowers, also,
were wonderful in their harmony of color, and they sprang up in the greatest profusion on
every side. Even the clouds over their heads were colored with beautiful tints, and blended
softly with one another.

Dorothy emitted from her little red lips a constant succession of ‘Ohs,” while quiet
Delia expressed her admiration in mild murmurs which were no less positive and clear.

Of course their wonder was noticed by La, and he was greatly pleased. “You must
understand,” he said by way of explanation, “that in our beautiful land harmony is the chief
aim. We are taught, while young, that our single lives are like melodies or songs; and that
if they are properly directed they make harmony with other lives that we touch. Of course
you know about melody and harmony in music; but we are taught to carry it into our
family and society life.” :

‘“T think we ought to do it Zoo,” ventured Delia, gently.

La did not notice the remark, and went on: “Even the flowers in this land, and the
trees, grow not only to be beautiful themselves, but to be beautifully related to other trees
and flowers. The reason —”

Just at this point he was interrupted by an exclamation of surprise from Dorothy, who



16 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY. OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

was pointing eagerly toward the side of the road. “Oh, see those, Delia! See those queer
creatures !”

Delia was obliged to look closely for several moments before she made out what
Dorothy was pointing at. And La, who quickly saw the objects, said with a laugh, “ Delia
must look very carefully, for those are rests over there by the fence; and every young pianist
knows that rests are very easily overlooked.”

Then as Delia’s face lighted up, both at his fun and with surprise at discovering the
odd creatures, the active La sprang away toward the roadside, saying, ‘‘I ‘ll stir them up;
they are the laziest things in the world.”

They certainly did seem indolent; they looked like imperfect notes; and some dozed
sleepily in the fence corners, while others lay stretched along the rails of the fences, and
some hung, as sloths do in the tropics, by their arms and legs.

How grotesque they did look! And now La was among them, striking them with his
rod, and sending them with cries stumbling and hobbling away as fast as they could go.

Dorothy and Delia were both very indignant. Dorothy could not restrain her reproaches. ©
“You naughty, cruel La!” she cried, while the tears came into her pretty eyes. “You ’re as
cruel as you can be, to strike those poor creatures. My teacher has often told me never to
strike a rest.”

Delia also was angry, and added her reproaches to Dorothy’s: so that between them
La, who was not so cruel as he was unthinking, was quite silenced and punished. He
tried to offer some excuse; but Dorothy would not forgive him. Her eyes flashed like
blue lights, and she would not look at him for several minutes.



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 17

Delia spoke very plainly to him, and said, “After all your talk about harmony, I think
i you should be ashamed of yourself.”
aS It was easy to see that although Delia was slow to speak or act, yet when
‘ she was really aroused she had plenty of feeling; and poor La shrank
from her quite as much as he did from quick, fiery little Dorothy.
La looked conscience-stricken. He had been partly led to act thus









from his desire to amuse and interest his new friends. In fact,
he had tried to “show off,” as children often do before strangers.
And now that he stopped to think of his conduct, he
offered a kind of half-apology by saying that the rests
were a terribly lazy folk. “They are unthrifty
and stupid,” he explained. “All the notes de-
spise them. They were once expected to make
some noise in the world, but they never did;
and now they live in the corners of other peo-
ple’s houses, whenever there is a place that
nobody wishes.”

Although La’s explanation was very inter-
esting, it was clearly made in part to cover up
his own shame at his hasty, harsh conduct.
ee) He was plainly ill at ease, because of Delia’s
reproof, especially as he knew perfectly well

“You ’re as cruel as you can be.”



18 THE MUSICAL YOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

that he was in the wrong. For a few moments a silence fell upon the three friends, and then
La, who was casting about in his mind for something that would serve to interest and
entertain his visitors, suddenly asked: “Oh, I wonder that I did not think of that before!
Would n't you like to visit the schools?” ;

“No, I would n't!” exclaimed Dorothy promptly and definitely. “I hate to go to school.”
Then the impulsive little girl drew back, murmuring: “Oh, I didn’t mean to be so rude! I
only meant to say that — that —” .

“Yes, I understand,” said La, shaking his head wisely, “I understand. Girls do n’t like
very much to go to school. But this is n't a real school, — that is, it is n’t like your school.”

“Won't we have to recite anything?” inquired Delia, cautiously.

“ Not a thing,” said La.

“ And can we come out whenever we wish to?” continued Delia.

“ Certainly,” said La, with one of his queer little rippling laughs.

Then Dorothy laughed too, and, turning to the eighth-note, she said, mischievously :
“ Now, that ’s the difference between Delia and me. Delia would like to go to it if she has n’t
to recite anything. She would die, I do believe, if she failed in a recitation. But I don't
much care if I do fail.”

Here Dorothy spoke quite recklessly: “What I don’t like about going to this school is,
that I don’t like to go in out of the bright sunshine and the beautiful world. Still, if you
say that we can come out as soon as we wish to, I will go.”

“You have n’t any idea of what we call a school in this land,” said La. “It isn’t in a
schoolroom, it’s out of doors. But come, and you shall see what it’s like.”





“ A company of gaily dressed creatures.”

(19)







THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. ; 21

So they turned aside from the road, and took a path which led across the fields. “ You

’

must remember,” continued Delia, “that we do n’t know anybody, and we shall not like to be
left alone.”

“Never fear! never fear!” carolled the gay young note, seizing Delia’s hand, and leading
the way toward a grove of trees in the distance.

The little girls were by no means anxious to hurry. There were so many strange things
and beautiful sights all about them. At this very moment Dorothy caught sight of a company
of gaily dressed creatures, who were skipping swiftly along over the field as if they were a
flock of birds in full flight. Indeed, the fantastic creatures skipped hither and thither so
rapidly that they seemed like a flock of sparrows, such as the children had often seen darting
in zig-zag flight across the garden. Their garments, however, were very gay and even gaudy,
far beyond the gray and brown coats of the sparrows.

The flight of the graceful: beings was the very poetry of motion. They wheeled hither
and thither swiftly, and in charming curves. Dorothy was so speechless with surprise and
delight that she had not spoken a word, but only pulled Defia’s arm gently and pointed. For
a moment or two both stood gazing silently at the dazzling group of fairy-like creatures ;
then, before they realized it, these were gone. The group passed over a low hill, and, vanishing
like a sunbeam, disappeared from view.

Dorothy drew a long breath, and followed this with a meen sigh; that was an unconscious
way which the little excitable girl had of relieving her pent-up feelings. Then she and Delia
looked at each other, and Delia said: “How beautiful! Please tell us, La, what they were.”

La replied readily that they were called “ grace-notes”; and he added that he himself,



22 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

often as he saw them, was never tired of the beautiful sight: “ They are so fleet and agile.
They flit about over hill and dale, day after day. They keep very much by themselves,
and are not related closely to anybody. Everybody admires them, and they are much
petted.”

Because of the interest aroused in the grace-notes, the three had stopped their rapid
pace: now they walked along more lejsurely; and Delia seemed pondering some matter.
Presently she spoke, and said: “I have it now. Why, don’t you recollect that we had some
grace-notes to play in that ‘Reverie’ last week? Do n’t you remember those little extra
notes that came in on that second page, Dorothy? They were just tossed in for ornaments,
our teacher said, and we need n’t piay them if they were too hard to reach.”

Dorothy tried to recall them, but there were so many things to see all about her that
her mind was all in her eyes, and she could scarcely do aught else but look and look. She
did, however, remember something; but these grace-notes seemed very different from those in
the music lesson; and La explained that they were really the same notes, only now they were
in their gay holiday costume, but when they were on duty upon the staff they wore only
the simplest and plainest working-clothes.

Dorothy’s eyes were gazing eagerly about, while the note was talking; which was hardly
polite, though perhaps pardonable with so many wonderful objects in view. La followed her
gaze, and dropped a word or two of explanation as they went along. “Do you see that large,
_ sturdy-looking note over there?” he inquired —“that one in plain brown garments, who is

followed closely by those other smaller notes? He is a queer fellow. His name is Obbligato,

and he is a kind of messenger for the Chromatic Council. He is very fond of society: when



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 23

he is accompanied by other notes he is a very reliable and valuable person, but when left
alone he will not work at all.”

“And what, pray, is the Chromatic Council ?”

“Oh! have n’t I explained that to you? Why, that is the council that governs this entire
country. I think we may meet some of them. If we do, you will know them by their long
robes. There are thirteen of them in all: five wear black robes, and -
the other eight wear white ones. You ought to see them when in
full session: they are a splendid assemblage. The white robes are
white as —as ivory, and the black robes are as black as—as ebony.”

He was about to say more on this interesting subject (evidently
he felt great awe of the grand council), but at this moment they
encountered a gaily dressed, slender young figure, sauntering along
as if he had no cares or occupation whatever.

“That is a good-for-nothing fellow whom we call Ad Libitum,”
said La. “He has very little to do, and he never does it twice
alike. But let us hasten, for there is much to see.’ And he drew
his companions along more rapidly toward the grove which they were
approaching.



Delia tried hard to see the meaning that was concealed beneath the “4 ev sees ions young
words Obbligato and Ad Libitum, but she could not. When she tried
to interest her light-hearted friend Dorothy in studying them out, Dorothy refused to trouble
herself with them in the least. “I don’t care what they mean,” she exclaimed impatiently.



24 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

“I do n’t think we have come to them in our lessons yet.” And Delia herself was obliged,
against her will,—for she was very persevering, — to give up the inquiry.

They were now approaching the grove toward which they had started, but they paused
as they came to a certain part of the field, and La, instead of going directly across, made a
circuit and walked around it.

The children wondered at this, and Dorothy, in her usual impulsive way, asked La why
he did so. But La did not happen to hear, for he was looking earnestly out over the field;
but Delia said in a low voice: ‘‘Why do you ask so many questions, my dear?” (at the
same time assuming a very “grown-up” air). “Now, I would like to know as much as you
would, but I like to think it out for myself.”

“Perhaps that is a better way,” assented the active little girl, tossing her stray golden
hair back from her forehead, “perhaps you are right; only it takes longer to find out things.”
And then, after a moment, she added: “If I don’t find out what I wish to know in a minute,
why, afterward I don’t care about knowing it at all.” g

Dorothy was quite right in her study of her own character. She wanted things violently
for a short time, and then if they did not come to her, she lost all interest in them.

At this point her eager, searching gaze fastened upon a new object, and she burst out
again: “Oh, La! what is that note doing there in the middle of the field? See, he is sitting
on that mound of earth.”

They slackened their pace, and La explained: “ That poor note is lame, and has lost an
arm, and as you see now is injured in other ways.” Here he turned directly toward the little
girls, and said, more seriously: “ Now, who do you suppose did him all that injury?”



THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 25

“The poor, poor fellow!” exclaimed Dorothy; and Delia, answering La’s inquiry, said
that she had not the slightest idea who could have been so cruel.

“Ah! but I am not so sure that you do n't know,” said La, with an expression of even
greater seriousness. “Yes, and I’m not sure that you two didn’t do him the injury yourselves.”

Here the eighth-note drew himself up and folded his-arms, like a wee little dignified
judge without any bench to sit upon.

“Oh, that is too much!” -cried Dorothy, with a laugh. “Why, we would n’t do such a
thing for the world! ‘And if you dare to say such an unkind thing as that, La—” Here
her smiles began to turn into frowns, and she was fast becoming angry. But La motioned
for her to wait a moment, and then he began to explain.

“Yes, my dear friends, I’m not sure but you did this cruel harm yourselves. Probably,
however, it was more carelessness than cruelty on your part. You must know that this poor
note (and we have others like him) has been clipped and cut short by careless players — that
is what has caused his deplorable condition.”

Here Dorothy was about to speak; but he waved his hand, and continued: “I do n’t say
that you two did this particular note harm; but have n’t you often clipped notes of some
kind? And how do you know but this may have been one of them?”

This was convincing proof; and neither child attempted to excuse herself. Dorothy
said: “Why, you poor, poor note, I’m sorry if I ever clipped you. My teacher says I’m
very careless about that, though, and I’m afraid I may have done it.”

There was a tear in each of Dorothy’s blue eyes. Her tender feelings were quickly
aroused; and La, in order to console her, said: “ You must not feel so badly. It really



26 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

does n’t hurt so very much to be clipped. I’ve been clipped a little, just a little, myself.”
Here he held out his left hand, and the little girls saw that one of his fingers was missing.
But before they had time to express the sympathy which they felt, the light-hearted fellow
laughed gayly, waved his little flag vigorously, and then said more quietly: “We have
stationed this note here, where he does very useful work for us. He has charge of the
cricket chorus.”

“ The cricket chorus?” interrupted Dorothy, who was not sure that she had heard aright.
“What do you mean by that?”

A slight expression of amusement overspread La’s face at this. He seemed to be amused
at the ignorance of his young visitors. Delia saw this expression on his face, and said very
firmly: “If you please, Mr. Eighth-Note, we were never taught anything about cricket
choruses, and we have taken two quarters of music lessons.”

“ There, now!” added little Dorothy, as if her dear friend had silenced La.

But La was not silenced. On the contrary, he said with scorn: “ Pooh! don’t you ever
learn things yourselves without being taught them by somebody? All that one needs to
learn is to keep his eyes and ears-open. He does n’t need any teacher to help him do that,
I’m sure.” | ;

Then, fearing lest he was becoming rude and violent in his manner, he added in a more
considerate tone: “I’m very sorry that you have n’t heard about this. Let me tell you.”
And he grew very cautious as he spoke.

“We are now at the beginning of our school. This is really the edge of it, this cricket
chorus. Now, this injured note teaches the young crickets to chirp together. Surely you



.

THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 27

have noticed the crickets in the evenings of summer and autumn, and perhaps you have
noticed that they do not all chirp together... They —”

“Yes! yes!” exclaimed Dorothy. “Oh, I’ve noticed that often! And sometimes they
do go along all together for several moments; then some get in between, and that mixes the
others up and spoils it all.” .

“Precisely!” assented La. “And those who break in and spoil the unison of the
chorus are usually the younger crickets. You can always tell a well-trained chorus when
you hear it by the way they keep together. Oh, such delightful. cricket choruses as I

have heard!” And the eighth-note rolled his eyes up in an ecstatic manner as he recalled
the past.
Then he recovered himself and added: “Some of the older crickets become careless at

times, and are sent back here to practise again. It is very funny about those older crickets
who are sent back. They are very hard indeed to teach over again, and they nearly always
declare that they do not get out of time. You see, that is the way with all of us, I ‘suppose.
When we have done wrong a good many times, we come to think it is right.”

All this time the three were making the circuit of the field; and the children could
hear the crickets as they practised under the leadership of the clipped note. Dorothy was
greatly troubled as she gazed at the poor note on the hillock. He was certainly much dis-
figured; and she resolved that she would henceforth be doubly careful never to clip any
notes as she practised her lessons, for fear lest she might cause any injury to one of these
strange creatures.

They had now approached so near to the grove of trees that they could hear a great



28 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

and confusing din of sounds coming from it. They drew nearer and nearer, and now the
children were sure that they could distinguish the songs of birds.

Yes, they were indeed! They could now hear and see more clearly. The branchés of
the trees seemed to be full of all kinds of birds: there were large birds and small birds,
some with brilliant colors, and some with dull gray colors. And they seemed to be gathered
in little groups, each group being in charge of a note.

As Dorothy and Delia stood lost in wonder and curiosity, La, who was always very kind
about everything, pointed out and explained ‘the various sights. ‘“ You see those notes, do
you? Very good; they are the teachers here. They have all been clipped or injured in
some way, just as was that note back there in the field. They are fully capable of doing
this kind of work, however. They are engaged in teaching the birds their songs. Notice,
now, the different varieties of birds!”

Delia counted more than ten kinds that she could name as they paused a moment. There
were robins, wrens, linnets, canaries, nightingales, larks, starlings, and many others. It seemed
very strange to Delia to think of these birds as obliged to learn their notes and calls, and she
said so to La.

“JT suppose it does seem strange to you,” said La; “I should think it would. Most
people never would be able to guess such a thing. They think of a swallow or a blue-
bird as if he could not help making the right sounds; but I assure you it all comes from
instruction.”

“Oh, Delia! just think of it!” whispered Dorothy, her eyes twinkling as she spoke;
“just think of the birds taking music lessons! I wonder how much it costs a quarter.”





The Birds’ Music Lesson.

(29)







THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 31

Then she remembered that it was n’t polite to whisper to one person when another was near,
and she stopped and asked La some question.

This inquiry La answered promptly, and then pointed across a little open space of
ground under the trees. ‘See that note over there,” said he, “trying to teach that raven!
See how patient he is! Ravens, you must know, are very hard to teach: not because they
can ’t learn,—for they are far from being stupid, —but they
generally try to learn too many things, and the result is that °
they mix up their calls and songs into a great jumble.”

Dorothy had heard hardly any of this explanation. She
had been so occupied in watching a long-legged heron, who
was very funny, that she caught the sound of only the last
word, “jumble”; and she interrupted La, in a confused way,



saying: “Oh, yes! jumble! Yes, I have eaten a great many
jumbles, and I like —”
Here La burst into such a noisy laugh that the birds

“See how patient he is.”

who were close by became uneasy, and began to flutter restlessly about. Delia laughed, too;
and Dorothy, who found that she had made herself ridiculous by her usual hasty conduct,
began to grow red in the face and to look offended. In another moment the passionate little
girl would have broken out into tears; but Delia threw her arms about her and kissed her,
saying: “You dear, funny thing! La did n’t mean cookies at all. He said that the ravens
made a jumble of the mixed-up songs and calls.”

Dorothy bit her lip, but was ashamed to show her foolish feelings. She was glad to



32 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

have La go on talking about something; which he quickly did, for La had great tact and
kindness. “If you ever hear a raven sing a really musical strain,” said he, “you may be
sure that he is one raven among a thousand, and that he has been unusually faithful and
industrious, and has concentrated his efforts.”

Presently La drew them slowly away among the beautiful trees. The “noise was really
oppressive ; but La reminded them that this was the school, and that really hard work was
going on. Delia said that it reminded her of the Hebrew schools which her Sunday-school
teacher had told her about, where the boys and girls all studied aloud.

The attentive eighth-note listened to Delia as she spoke; and presently, when she had
finished, he pointed to some swans who were standing in a brook, and were learning from a
quarter-note who sat upon a flat stone on the bank. “Do you see those swans over there?”
he inquired. “They have a most beautiful song. Perhaps you have heard it said that swans
never sing until they are-about to die?”

Dorothy shook her head doubtfully ; but Delia thought she had heard it.

“That is what people commonly say, and they are partially correct. The truth is that
the swans are all very sensitive and shy; and, although they all know how to sing, they
never can be induced to do so before people.”

“T’m sure I don’t blame them,” interrupted Dorothy with feeling.

La smiledeand went on: “Sometimes, however, after they have been wounded by cruel
hunters and are at. the point of death their shyness is overcome by the pain, and they burst

out into their beautiful strains. But, you see, they could sing them at any time; and they
do sing a great deal when they are alone.”



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 33

Dorothy, who had never heard of the popular tradition about the song of the dying
swan, lost her interest in La’s narrative before it was finished, and had her attention called
to a gayly-colored parrot, who was plainly rebellious and would not learn the sounds
which his teacher was urging upon him. “Those parrots are very unruly birds,” remarked
La, as he followed Dorothy’s gaze. “They will not do as they are bidden, and learn
their calls.” ;

“T'do n't know that I blame them much,” said Dorothy; “they have such horrid voices
and calls. .My uncle brought a parrot home once to my aunt, and, until they taught him
some real words, he just sat up on that perch of his and squawked and squawked.” The
little girl looked rather sympathetically toward the rebellious parrot; and she was so much
in earnest as she spoke, and made up such a face as she said the “squawk, squawk,” that
La laughed heartily.

“ Perhaps you are right,” he admitted when he had calmed down a little ; “their sounds
are not very agreeable; but they must take the call that is assigned them by the Council.
That ’s what all the birds have to do. And if you will notice the different kinds of birds
you will find that most birds who have very gay plumage don’t have the prettiest calls. I
suppose that the Council had n’t enough calls to give all, and they gave the best ones to
those who had the dullest plumage: so that I think those parrots ought to be content with
their beautiful feathers, and take the calls given them, without continually trying to imitate
all the sounds made by men and animals and other birds.” : ,

Dorothy was beginning to be impatient, and pulled hard at Delia’s hand to draw her
along, that they might see new sights. That was Dorothy’s way. She was intensely



34 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

interested in things for a short time, and then she longed for something new. She was apt
to think that the toys and playthings which other-girls had were better than her own, and
she always wished most for the thing that was just about to happen.

So she was constantly alert, and saw almost as many things as she could have seen if
she had possessed as many eyes as a fly,—which is certainly saying a good deal. One sight
which now drew her attention was a note seated in a cool grotto, surrounded by brilliantly-
colored shells of many kinds. He was doing something in turn to these shells, though the
children could not at first'see what it was. They could see, however, that other notes were
bringing him, from time to time, new shells in little baskets of sea-weed; and La said that _
they brought these from the ocean, which was not far away. La further told them that
this delicate, refined looking note in the grotto was the possessor of the finest and most
melodious voice in all the music country, and he was therefore given the task’ of breathing
into the sea-shells those soft, sweet, murmuring sounds which any one can hear when they are
held up to the ear.

Dorothy was very curious, and wished to go up close to the charming note to talk with
him, but La held her back. “I would n’t go,” said he; “you will disturb him. And besides,
you might take cold. That grotto is rather damp. He is used to it and does n’t mind it
much, though I do think it must be rather trying. It is n't 50 bad, however, as it was on
the open sea-shore. You notice that the shells are brought to him here. Well, formerly he
went about his work on the open sea-shore over beyond the hill, but the salt air affected his
voice and it became husky, so that he could n’t make the murmur stay firmly fixed in the
shell. If ever you find a shell, Dorothy,” said he, with a very little twinkle in his eye, “ which



P ZZ Zo
VZ2L255
SLL LL aoe
LIEB ogee
GMLELLEEEZ
Zs LLL Dig get
GS a one
7 LLL LLL
LEI ZEEE
LIA 4 7

Ze tj
as
Gi"

Uti
PI Ny
wr Cl(r YESS
oth



g
He was doin something in turn to these shells, though the children could not at first see what it wa
Ss.

(35)







THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. : 37

has no murmur in it, you may be sure that it is one of those that he sent out while his voice
was weakened by the harsh salt air.”

Dorothy’s eyes were so busy elsewhere that she did not notice the twinkle in La’s eye;
and the three moved slowly along, waving a friendly “good-by” to the note in the grotto as
they did so.

In a few moments they were aroused by the sweetest and most bewitching music that
they had ever heard. They were about to exclaim aloud in their surprise, but they feared
lest they might cause it to stop. It was very faint and delicate at first, but grew louder
and more distinct as they walked softly along. It was most charming, and seemed to
penetrate through the ears into the soul, and send thrills over one, like the little waves
rippling over the beach.

It would be difficult to say in words just what it was like. Perhaps you might have
some idea of it if you were to fancy a great number of delicate vessels struck gently and
tunefully by silver rods. Or, if you ever heard a music-box made wholly of silver, perhaps
that would be like it. Dorothy had stepped a few paces in advance, so eager was she. to
reach the beautiful music; and her eyes for once were not alert, so intent was she upon
listening.

‘“Come quickly!” she exclaimed in a loud whisper, turning her head and beckoning to
Delia and La. “Come quickly, for they may stop!”

La tried to restrain her, but before he could reach her she suddenly stopped, her red
cheeks grew very pale, and a stifled scream burst from her lips.

She sprang back as she screamed; and Delia saw, close beside her little playmate, the



38 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

most hideous, savage-looking monster that she’ had ever beheld. He was bound fast to a
tree; and the children — now that Dorothy had recovered a little from her alarm — were
able to observe him in safety. The huge creature was so misshapen and hideous that one
could hardly tell whether he was a human being or not. He had evidently been startled
and made restless by Dorothy’s screams, and now tugged fiercely, but ineffectually, at his
chains.

“Come back a little way,” said La in a low tone, “and you will witness something
interesting.”

So the three withdrew a few paces and paused in silence, and at once the wonderful
music, which had ceased for a moment or two, began again. Instantly the savage monster at
the tree began to grow quiet; and even restless Dorothy could feel the soothing throbs and
thrills calming her and allaying her fright.

Looking toward the right and following La as he pointed his staff, they saw the tiniest,
daintiest chorus of creatures that human eyes ever beheld or human ears ever listened to.
There was a very large number of them, and they’were dressed all in white, — yet it was
hardly white, for the garments, and even the tiny creatures themselves, seemed to be trans-
parent. The children could see the light shining through them as if they were made of pure
white vapor.

The delicate music continued, and calmed even Dorothy’s excited nerves. La waited a
moment or two, and then explained, in a subdued voice, that the music they were now listen-
ing to was the finest and most perfect music in the whole world. “You see that savage
creature over there,” said he, “and you notice how quiet he is becoming. Perhaps you have



SS

wy
,
.

POY
Y

sASXS

w

iy

y
sy
.



Soe

oR)

“« Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.

(39)







THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 41

heard among human kind that ‘Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast’? That is
certainly true, as you see here.”

“But who, or what, are those dear little notes that do -this singing?” asked Dorothy.
“Are they really notes? They seem to be, and yet they are so dim and misty.”

“T will tell you,” said he, and»a quiet, sweet smile came over his face, such as the little
girls had not observed there before. “Those are the angels of notes that have passed from
our bodily life. They come back to us and bring this perfect music to us, that we may have
a standard, an ideal, for our efforts. If it were not for them we might fall into errors, and
come to think that poor music was good music. So we keep up a high quality by measuring
ourselves with them.” :

“ That ’s the way it is with us,” thought Delia, though she did not speak aloud. ‘ Music
teachers keep us from thinking that we play our pieces perfectly. We play them over, and
our mothers praise us, and we think that our playing is perfect; but when our teacher comes
and plays them, we see at once that our playing was not half so good as we supposed.”
Thus thought earnest, conscientious Delia as the three moved softly away.

* “We would remain longer,” said La, “but there are many other sights that I wish to
show you, and we have n’t time unless we go on.” So they crept away as softly as possible,
and Dorothy for the first time felt really reluctant at resuming her journey.

Soon the music faded in the distance behind them, and they directed their steps toward
another grove of tall, graceful trees beyond the first one. As they approached, a loud
volume of sound came to their ears. It was not as refined and delicate as that which they
had just left, nor was it as confusing and violent as that which they heard from the birds’



42 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

school. It was a steady volume of sound, such as would be given out by a strong chorus.
At intervals the music stopped and then began again, as if the chorus were rehearsing.

This proved to be the case. Dorothy was soon able to distinguish, through the dense
foliage of the trees, a vast assemblage of people standing in a secluded glade, all facing
toward a great rock, upon which one was standing, as if he were their leader.

La did not explain anything until they had come near enough to hear the whole full
volume of sweet sound, and had stood a few moments in. silence to enjoy it. Then he told
his young visitors, in subdued tones, that this was a chorus rehearsing music to be sung at
the approaching wedding of Apollo and Cecilia.

“Who is Cecilia?” inquired Delia. “I know who Apollo is: he is the Greek god that
presides over music.”

“Cecilia is the presiding saint in Christian music, as Apollo is in pagan music,”
explained La, And then he went on to say that once they were not on speaking terms,
but in modern times they had become more and more friendly, and indeed were looked upon
now by critical students as descended from the same remote ancestry.

After a short pause La said, proudly, pointing toward the leader who stood upon the
rock in plain sight: “ That is Tempo, our great leader. He is so skilful that he is able to
inspire the singers, not only with his feelings, but with his ideas; so that, as you see, they
use no music-books—they need none. They are the music themselves when the great
Tempo (his full name is Tempo Primo) leads them. He wills them to sing, and they do it;

only, as you also notice, they keep their eyes fastened intently upon him. All good choruses
do that with their leaders, though none as closely as this one.”



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 43

The children stood looking and listening for a long time without speaking. , There was
quite as much to see as to hear; and Dorothy expressed what was in both Delia’s mind and
her own when she uttered one of her great sighs and said, under her breath: “Oh, my !
what a queer lot of things they are!”

Delia had almost the same feeling, but she expressed it differently: ‘‘ Won't you tell us,
La, please, some of the names of those people?” :

That was certainly more polite; but La had not taken offence at Dorothy's short remark,
as Delia had feared he might, and he proceeded to point out various interesting persons in
the great company. Looking about, he pointed toward a small group of singers gathered
closely together near the great rock, saying: “ Those are some of our soloists. They are
chiefly Italians, as you will see by their names. That tall, graceful young man is our cele-
brated tenor singer, Andante; and a very smooth, reliable voice he has, too, though a little
expressionless. The person next him is Adagio, a grand, rich contralto voice. Cantabile is
the soprano just beyond, and a more flexible, bird-like voice you never heard. The solemn-
looking man at the right is much better than his face indicates. He is our basso. His
name is Signor Da Capo. He is very learned, and always quotes the early composers in
his conversation. He has a confirmed habit of saying bitter things about all modern com-
posers, and even declares that we would do well to burn all their works, and devote ourselves
to the exclusive study of the Old Masters. Whether he likes his early composers because
of his name, or he is given his name because he so often refers to the early composers, I do
not know.”

Moving slowly and carefully about, so as not to disturb any one, they came near a



44

THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF



Crescendo and Diminuendo.

DOROTHY AND DELIA.

ridiculous -looking creature, whose ways
amused the children greatly. He puffed
out his fat, red cheeks when he sang, and,
what was more remarkable than that, he
himself! seemed to swell gradually out to
three times his natural size, and then sud-
denly to collapse, and presently to begin
over again.

He had a very important manner, as
if the responsibility of the entire chorus
rested upon him. La said: “ He is quite
as vain as he looks. He makes a great
deal out of whatever he has to do. His
name is Crescendo, and if you look just
behind him you will see his twin brother,
who is called Diminuendo.”

They could hardly see the timid,
shrinking person so named, for he kept
half concealed behind his large, self-
important — brother. He was a thin,
frightened-looking fellow, and he hardly
opened his mouth at all. You would



THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 45

never have suspected, if you had seen him, that he could be a brother of Crescendo’s, and a
twin brother at that.

“ They are brothers,” remarked La, guessing the children’s thought, “though they are so
different, — exactly opposite, in fact. They are, however, very much attached to each other,
and wherever you see one you are likely to see the other soon after.”

Delia perceived the meaning hidden under this remark, but I fear that Dorothy did not.
Do you?

“Come,” said La, “and I will show you the queerest group of all.” And he led the
way to one side of the vast assemblage, where a number of people were gathered about a
grand old oak tree which towered: hundreds of feet in the air.

The people were dressed in the most fantastic garb you can fancy. Their clothes seemed
all to have come out of the ark. Never had the children seen such queer high hats and high
ruffles and high puffs on the sleeves. Their faces were wrinkled and brown, as if worn by
hundreds of summers and winters. Even the younger people of the group had the wrinkled
faces and bent-up bodies of old people.

When Dorothy looked at La for an explanation, which she very soon did, La turned
about the other way, and said: “I must be careful, and not let them see me talking about
them. They are very proud and sensitive. They are our oldest family —the family of
‘The Crotchets, though some call them ‘The Quavers.’ They are a very ancient race. In
fact, they are so old, and have kept so much by themselves, that they have lost their voices.
They are very fond of music and have good musical taste, but their voices are just nothing.
Even their children, the semi-quavers, have cracked, squeaking voices ; and the infants, the

Aes : , : ae <
little demi-semi-quavers, never cry aloud even in their cradles.



46 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

After a moment’s silence, Delia said: “What a comfort that must be.’ And Dorothy
did not understand what she meant by that; but then, Dorothy had no little baby brother.

Dorothy was, as we have seen, very impulsive and hasty. This quality of hers now
nearly led her into trouble; for she moved about this way and that to get better views
of the various people, and she once moved farther away than she expected, so that when
she turned to regain her place, La and Delia were nowhere to be seen.

Of course, Dorothy was greatly frightened. That was natural. With so many people
about her whom she did not know,—and such queer people, too,— it was no wonder that
the little girl felt timid. But she said to herself, as bravely as she could: “I must n’t) cry
and make a fuss, and then the people won’t know that I am lost. They will think I am
just walking about.”

You see, she had a feeling that they might treat her unkindly if they knew she was
away from La, to whom she had come to look for protection. “TI will just walk a few steps
in that direction,” she said, pointing her finger as she spoke, “and I think I will find them
in a moment.”

But she did n’t. She walked along, her heart beating anxiously all the time, yet keeping
as calm as she could; though a little tear, just a little one, slipped out from under her left
eyelid. The minutes went by, and she passed along ‘by all kinds of odd-looking people, some
of whom did not look at her at all, while others stared as if they had never seen a little girl
before. For a while she was very hopeful of finding Delia and La. That was another of
Dorothy’s ways. She was very hopeful when she .was hopeful, and when she lost hope she
fell at once into the deepest despair. ee:







*%

to vee



YUL Pr

‘K

Bo bn,



”

The Crotchets.

“The family of ‘



(47)







THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

So that now, as she went on and on
without finding her friends, she felt very
confident for a few minutes; and _ then,
suddenly sinking down on the grass, she
buried her face in her hands,.and sobbed
violently, and the great tears trickled out
between her pink fingers. “Oh, dear! oh,
dear! what shall I do?” she murmured. “1
shall never find them! I shall never see
them again!” Then she thought of her
dear mamma, and at that her sobs grew
more and more violent. She tried hard
- to keep them down, but they made them-
selves heard among a group of singers near
her, and they came toward her. But as
soon as she saw them coming Dorothy
was filled with terror anew, and fled from
the place as fast as she could run.

By keeping a straight line, Dorothy
soon came.to the outer edge of the grove,
and the singers were all left behind. She
did not stop, in her fright, until she had



Cae:

oy

“Oh, dear! oh, dear! what shall I do?’”

49



50 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF.DOROTHY AND DELIA.

gone far enough away so that she could barely hear them singing. Then she went slower
and slower, and her fears calmed more and more, until she was quite herself again. Still
she saw nothing of La and Delia, and that was a cause of great anxiety.

She was looking about her, to decide what she would do next, when her quick eye
caught sight of some beautiful flowers; and, in her usual impulsive way, she ran at once
toward them. ‘What beauties!” she exclaimed, as she drew near: for there were great
queenly roses, and regal peonies, and proud tulips, and haughty dahlias, all nodding their
heads gently, as if alive. And the ground was strewn with pansies and violets.

For nearly a quarter of an hour (if hours measure time in the music country) Dorothy
forgot all else except the beautiful flowers. And she went from one to another, chatter-
ing to herself and to them, and putting her little snub nose down to smell their delicious
odors.

She was so busy using her eyes and her nose, that she did not let her ears tell her
what they were trying to tell; but presently, with one of those deep sighs which usually
closed any great effort with her, she stopped short in her. course and began to listen, for she
became conscious that there was delightful music all about her. It at first seemed to her to
come up out of the ground, but in a moment more she discovered that it came from the
beautiful flowers. It was not exactly music, as Dorothy usually heard it, with regular intervals
and regular time, but it reminded the little girl of something—she could not tell exactly
what —as she listened. Oh, yes! it was that harp, that A®olian harp, which she. remembered,
listening to once at her uncle's. That was what it was like, only more delicate even than
that. The music seemed to breathe out by itself from the flowers, and came floating up to





** Close behind Delia was La, frisking and waving his pennant,”

(51)







THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. Ba

the sensitive little girl so mysteriously that she would have been puzzled to say whether she
heard the music,— really heard it with her ears,— or smelt it, or tasted it.

She quite forgot all her anxiety about being lost, and relapsed into a dreamy kind of
mood, from which she was aroused by the sound of her name called in La’s cheery voice,
followed quickly by Delia’s gentler tones.

Looking up, she saw her dear friend Delia coming toward her; and close behind Delia
was La, frisking and waving his pennant quite as he was wont to do.

For a moment Dorothy stood still with delight, then she leaped forward and threw her-
self into Delia’s arms. “You dear, dear old thing!” she exclaimed again and again for joy.

The joy was mutual; for Delia was a true friend,-and“loved Dorothy deeply. Even La
was touched, and his voice cracked twice as he tried to sing; so he ceased his song, and
with great tact tried to divert Dorothy and Delia by explaining about the musical flowers.

“You must come and hear and see them, Delia,” interrupted Dorothy; “and then La
will explain about them to us.” So the three went back to the place where she had been
standing, and there stood several minutes listening, with the greatest delight, to the soft,
lulling, murmuring music.

Then La began, ina soft, gentle voice, to tell them about the flowers. “They are not
flowers,” said he, “exactly; that is, each flower is really the soul or spirit of a musical instru-
ment. For instance, those roses are the souls of violins which once were played by great
masters of music. You see, a violin becomes as great as its player. If he is deep and rich
in his nature, and grows deeper and richer as he advances in his art, then the violin grows
too. It has a soul come into it; and when the violin wears out, then the violin’s soul, or



54 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

spirit, comes here to be a flower, —a rose,—and to blossom forever, and dream over its
beautiful past life. That is why this kind of music is so dreamy and soft.”

Dorothy looked at Delia in silence, just giving her a look which said: “ How beautiful!”
And Delia understood perfectly.

La continued: “If you will walk along with me now, I can tell you as we go, and thus
save time; for we have much to see.” So they left the place and followed La, who explained
about all the kinds of flowers, who the various flowers were,—some of them the souls of
harps, and some lutes, and so on. All these had once lived in the world; -but now that
their material bodies had gone, ney themselves were transferred to this place, and bloomed
forth as flowers.

La also explained that sometimes people who had not much musical taste or skill con-
tinued to play on violins and other instruments, after the life and soul of:the instruments had
departed. “And you may be sure,” said he with great emphasis, “that they make dreadful
work of it.”

The three friends now left the field, and came into a well-trodden path. Following this,
with La in advance, Dorothy tried to explain to Delia how she became lost; but there really
was not much to explain, and both were glad enough that no harm had come of it.

Presently Dorothy spied a small group of houses, charmingly painted, with very fantastic
shapes, all clustered together not far away. As La was leading them directly toward the ©
houses, the children said nothing, but looked forward, feeling that they would doubtless see
new wonders.

They were certainly not disappointed, for the houses were the most remarkable ever seen



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 55

by mortal eye. When the- little girls had come nearer, Delia said: “I really can’t under-
stand why these houses look so queerly. They are very different from any I ever saw, yet
I can’t tell exactly what the difference is.”

La was smiling, in an amused sort of way, but as yet had given no explanation; and
Dorothy, who happened to glance at him, burst out, half in fun and half in anger: “Oh, you
need n’t put on such a superior air, Mr. La, as if you knew everything, though you did n’t
choose to tell. Now, if you were in our country we could surprise you in a good many
ways, could n’t we, Delia?” And Dorothy tossed her head in make-believe scorn.

La bowed nearly to the ground, and laughed in his musical way. Then he began to tell
them about the wonderful houses. “They are not built part by part, as are the houses which
you have seen,” said he; “but they grow. They grow just as the plants and flowers grow.
And it is the strangest thing to see Amphion, when he— But you don't know about him,
do you? Well, I will tell you; though I must be quick about it, for we are nearly at the
houses. You see, Amphion is a very-old, old man. He was once a king: he was the king
of the Greek city of Thebes; and he was so very musical, and played so skilfully on the
harp, that he made a wall grow up out of the ground around his city to protect it.”

Dorothy was quite distracted by wishing to hear all that La said, and to see all that was
now appearing before her eyes; and she exclaimed, impatiently: “ Now, do hurry, La, and tell
it quickly!”

But La only laughed at this rather rude speech, and pointed before them, saying: “Oh,
there ’s Amphion now, building a house. Let’s go at once and see him; that will explain
it all.”



56 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

So they hurried along the road, and came to a place where was seated a very aged man,
whose hair was as white as snow, and whose long white beard swept the ground. He was
sitting upon a flat stone, and was playing upon what looked like a harp; but La explained
that it was one kind of harp called a lyre: and was the very one given to Amphion by the
god Mercury centuries ago. “ You can read all about it,” said La, “in some book on Greek
mythology.”

Then he stopped, and the three stood in silence listening and looking. The music which
the aged Amphion drew from his lyre was not as sweet as some kinds which the children
had heard, but it had a subtle, penetrating, powerful quality in it. It fastened the attention,
and yet it aroused one quite as much as it gave pleasure.

The first thing to appear was the chimney, and it pushed slowly and steadily up, the
clods of disturbed earth falling on one side and the other. Then came the topmost parts of
the roof, pushing up through the ground in the same way. It did not rise rapidly, you could
not quite see it rise; but it moved, as the minute-hand of a clock does, just so that you can
tell every few moments that it has been moving.

After the first few minutes of astonishment, Dorothy whispered to Delia that it came
up out of the. earth just like the pretty soap-bubbles out of her clay pipe.

La whispered a word of explanation at this point. “You will notice,” said he, “that the
houses around us vary in style: and that is because Amphion varies his music. Different
kinds of music produce different kinds of houses.”

Now the garret windows had come up into view, and the girls stood perfectly still as the
red row of windows appeared. The majestic old man played in an absorbed way that was











ta —— C =
ee SY
= SS WAZ

VAM
Wal

NZ

Wy
Fo

eo
Lhe
Ceres i

ASSN
se
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bf



House-building in Music Land.
(57)







THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 59

very different from Dorothy’s practising. “He does n’t change his seat and look out of the
window as much as I do,” whispered she, with a little laugh.

When at last the beautiful house was complete, Amphion gave his harp two or three
powerful blows, which sent out great chords of penetrating sounds. “He’s putting in the
foundations now,” said La, softiy, to his companions.

La did not address the venerable musician directly, — although Amphion, as he finished,
bowed gravely to the little group,— but began telling them more about him. ‘“ The Chro-
matic Council have engaged him to build these houses, as you see,” said he; “but he does
not give all his time to this work, because he has charge of the spheres. Of course you
know they are the planets and the stars, which the ancients believed to revolve about the
sun and to make music as they went. They need, however, to be kept in tune. When they
are out of tune they make great discord: and then Amphion goes to them, in some mysteri-
ous way, and sets them right. Oh, he’s a wonderful musician! Even the Council stands in
awe of him, and he is treated with the profoundest respect. Indeed, they are obliged to
treat him well, or he would n’t work for them at all. I’ve heard it said that he is somewhat
reduced in fortune, or he would n’t stay with us.”

“Whatever you have ‘heard said,” broke in Dorothy, emphatically, “isn’t so. My
mamma told me that.”

La smiled, and agreed that Dorothy was about right. Then he went on to tell them
about the houses. “There is one trouble with them,” said he, thoughtfully, “which the
Council have tried to remedy, but Amphion is persistent in refusing. The point is just this:
the houses are built by the music which Amphion draws from his wonderful lyre. Being



60 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

thus built on music, any discord tends to injure and shrink them. The people who live in
them are, therefore, obliged to avoid all disputes and quarrels; otherwise, their jarring words
and feelings will reduce these beautiful buildings to the ground.”

La spoke quite seriously, and he evidently considered it an important matter. Dorothy,
for her part, was thoughtful and silent, for she was recalling her own struggles with her hasty
nature: how often she had muttered angry words, as she dragged herself to the piano, when
she much preferred going out to play! How fortunate, she reflected, how fortunate that her
house and home had not been subjected to this law, else it would have disappeared many
times over!

“T remember one family,” continued La,— “though it happened a long time ago,— that
met with a sad fate, and all because of this rule which Amphion will not change. This
family lived here in our midst, and they did not control their ill temper, however cautioned.
Well, one day they became engaged in a quarrel of unusual violence. They had often quar-
relled before, but never as violently as at this time. Often they had made their house shrink
a little; but they had coaxed Amphion to play a little in front of the doors, and built them
up again. But this time they quarrelled very violently. Why, the neighbors could hear
every word they said; and, in their rage, they quite forgot about their house; and it began
to grow smaller and smaller, and smaller — and smal — ler —”

“Oh, dear! what a dreadful thing!” exclaimed Dorothy, who was filled up almost to
bursting with sympathy, as La told the story; for he told it so vividly that she could see
it distinctly in her fancy.

“Yes, it was indeed dreadful,” repeated the eighth-note; “for the house became smaller



THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA. 6I

and smaller and smal — ler, — until — until it just went out of sight in the ground, and
nobody ever saw the cross family again.”

This was a very gruesome tale; and Dorothy shrugged her shoulders again and again
as she thought of it.

Amphion had gone a few rods away, and was evidently about beginning to build up
another house. The little girls regarded him with considerable curiosity. “Which would
you prefer to do,” asked La kindly, “to go and see him build that house, or to go inside of
this one for a few moments?”

Delia and Dorothy at once agreed that they would like to enter the house, and La led
the way up to the door; then, excusing himself, he said: “You may go in and look about
all you like. I must go and speak to my friend Sol, who is talking with Amphion; but I
will return in a short time.”

So Delia and Dorothy entered the beautiful house, and were soon lost in contemplation
of the charming rooms. The house was already fitted up for its occupants. That was the
remarkable thing about Amphion’s houses: he built them with chairs and carpets and tables
and chandeliers, and everything completed. .

The minutes passed, and our two young friends wandered about upstairs and downstairs,
everywhere delighted with what they saw. Delia had grown weary with so much | Walking,
and said to Dorothy: “I am a little tired, dear, and I will sit here and rest a moment.”

No sooner had she said this than a great comfortable arm-chair came rolling out from a
corner, quite by itself, and stopped invitingly before her. “Oh, my! oh, my!” Dorothy fairly
screamed; “how very delightful!” Then she tried the same thing herself. “I think I will



62 ; THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA.

also sit down,” she said, in a quiet tone; and at once another great chair came gliding out
and stopped before her. Both the girls were surprised and charmed with this; but they had
seen so many marvels that they did not wonder long over it.

Dorothy, active, restless little girl as she was, really felt as fatigued as did Delia; but,
like other excitable children, she did not know it, and her weariness began to show itself in
her words and manner. Sitting only a few moments, she sprang up and exclaimed: “ Let ’s
go upstairs again, and look out from that north window, Delia. We didn’t go into that
north room at all, and I’m sure there must be a charming view from that side.”

But Delia was too weary; and, although she usually yielded to her restless little friend,
at times she was firm in refusing. ‘‘ No, Dorrie; I am so tired. You go up and look, and
I will wait here.”

Dorothy, however, would do nothing of the sort, and said a great many sharp and
unpleasant. words, which need not be repeated here, meanwhile tugging at Delia’s arm to
draw. her along.

Exactly how long this. lasted, I cannot say. Dorothy was fretful and cross, and Delia
simply persisted in staying where she was; when suddenly, without any warning, the room grew
rapidly dark. Something seemed to be rising up outside the windows, and covering them up.

Instantly Dorothy’s complaining words ceased, and she stood still in alarm. Delia sprang
up, and drew her companion to the door; but when they came out into the hall, the door was
closed, and all was dark outside of it. “ What shall we do! what shall we do!” cried Dor-
othy; and even calm Delia felt greatly afraid. The rooms were so dark that they could see
nothing; and they held each other tightly by the hand.



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 63

There certainly would have been a copi-
ous shedding of tears very soon had not the
frightened children at that moment heard the
familiar tones of La’s voice, seeming to come
down the staircase, from the upper rooms of
the house.

“ Delia! Dorothy !” he called quickly,
“stop quarrelling! stop being cross at once!
You will be buried up in the house, if you
don’t! It has sunk nearly down out of
sight. Come up here directly!”

And at once the two children groped
their way to the staircase, and from there,
by the light which came down, they easily
ran up to the upper floor. “ Here! here!”
called La; and they quickly sped into the
room whence the sound came, and there was
La looking in at one of the windows.

Running toward him, they climbed up
on the window-sill; and what was their sur-
prise to see the surface of the ground only
a few. feet below the edge of the upper

window.

KLEE f,

St













LE

“The two children groped their way to the staircase.”



64 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

Then they understood it all; and as soon as they leaped out, poor little Dorothy covered
her face with her hands and sobbed aloud: “Oh, why did I say those cross words ? Why
did 1? I nearly killed you, Delia: I nearly had you buried alive!”

It was perfectly clear now what the trouble had been. They saw that the house, which
“was built on harmony and concord, had sunk back into the ground because of Dorothy’s
irritation, which was discord.

“ Never mind,” said La, who was always inclined to put a cheerful face on a bad matter,
“never mind; I will ask Amphion to come and build it up again. You go on ahead slowly
in that direction, and I will soon overtake you.”

So the two girls did as he said; and presently, looking back, they saw Amphion seated,”
. with his harp, before the half-buried house, raising it again to its full height. This relieved
Dorothy’s remorseful feelings a little, and she soon gave attention to a number of small notes,
chiefly sixteenths and thirty-seconds, who were. playing at the side of the road. At length
the children paused to look at them, for they were most amusing in their antics.

A few of the older notes, the halves and the quarters, were joining, in a dignified way,
in their games. Delia was especially interested in several of the notes who had placed a
board on one of the rails of a fence, and were “ tetering.” She called Dorothy’s attention to
the fact that all the fences they had seen were like this one, having five rails and four spaces.
‘“So you see,” said she, “they are like the staves in our music-books.”

Then, after a moment’s pause, she continued: “ And just look, Dorrie! See those notes
who are ‘tetering’! If I am not mistaken, they are doing in their way what we do in our
way when we practise our piano-lessons.”



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND

When Dorothy looked she
-saw that one quarter-note ex-
actly balanced two eighth-notes,
and that when a quarter-note
and an eighth-note sat on one
side of the board three eighth-
notes climbed up to the other end. Thus,

in all their “tetering,” they followed the

law of equals. It was funny, ~indeed, to
‘see a serious-looking half-note sitting on
one end and eight sixteenth-notes holding
on like a swarm of bees at the other end.

At this moment somebody ran violently
against Dorothy, almost throwing her down.
It was an eighth-note; and La, who at that
moment came up, apologized for the care-

DELIA. 65




“Tetering.””
lessness of the note, by explaining that he
was one of several notes who were playing a very exciting game. “It is called the game of
Fugue,” said he. ‘Very likely you don’t see the meaning of it now, but you will some

time, I think.”

As the children studied the game, they saw that it was played in this way: One note

started along the road, running as fast as he could. As soon as he had run a short distance,



66 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.



















Playing ‘‘ Fugue.”

another note started after him, and soon another, and yet another followed. They ran and
doubled about, making ‘Sraceful curves, until finally the notes who started last, and were
fleetest, had overtaken the first note, when they all came racing back to the point from which
they started; where a note, called the key-note, stood keeping goal. Through it all they
laughed in their wonderful musical way, never appearing to lose their breath in the least,
but appearing quite as fresh at the close of the race as at the beginning.

Dorothy was quite fully occupied in watching the game; but Delia was busy trying to
see what it meant. For several minutes she could not get any clew to it, but suddenly she
remembered that she had seen. the word “ Fugue” in a book which her teacher had; and
when she asked La about it, he at once explained that a fugue was a kind of musical piece
which is played on an organ. “You have n’t played any of those pieces,” he said; “but
probably your teacher has.”

La seemed quite excited by the brisk game, and Dorothy also; but there was not enough
time, otherwise La would certainly have done something about it.



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 67

Turning away rather reluctantly, our young friends followed their guide along the road,
and presently they caught sight of a large building, which rose high above the roofs of the
houses, at the other end of the village.. La at once called their attention to it, and announced
that it was the hall of the Chromatic Council. “And I think,” continued he, looking care-
fully up the road, “by the number of people that I can see moving in that direction, that
the Council is in session. If it is, that will give you a view of our rulers.” So the three
hurried along, and La told his young friends a number of things about the musical country
and its inhabitants, which he thought would help them to understand the sights to which
they were now coming.

“You must know,” said he, “that there are two great familiessof notes—the Major and
the Minor. They look very much alike; but the Minor family lives over on the other side
of the hill. It’s a dreary kind of country, though; they have
a great deal of cloudy, misty weather, and the members of
that family are much sadder than are our people in the Major
family. I’m glad enough that I was born in this family.”

La paused for a moment to point out the way to a little
stray thirty-second-note, who was lost and was crying bitterly. > nn
When this little kindness was done, he continued: “ These ta points out the way to a little thirty-second-
two chief families are descended from two ancestors, who lived ees
a long, long time ago, called Father Long-Sound and Mother High-Sound. These two ancestors
were descended from an extremely ancient personage, much older than even Amphion; and



his name was — was — well, I can’t quite pronounce it, for it was a foreign-sounding name;



68 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

but it means just Sound. I have never heard anything about this ancient personage, except
that he had a rough, boisterous son called Noise, who was so unpleasant to everybody that
he was banished from the country at a very early age. But, there! how I have talked! and
here we are now near the great hall of the Council.” |

As La and the children drew near the great hall nobody seemed to feel great surprise
at seeing the little girls, and they mingled with the crowd fearlessly; although Dorothy kept
a tight hold of Delia’s hand, and Delia held fast to La’s hand, so that nobody should be lost
again, as Dorothy had been lost among the chorus singers.

The impulsive child soon became absorbed in watching the great company of notes,—
wholes, halves, quarters, and others, — so that she almost felt as if she, too, were a note in this
strange musical country.

It certainly showed good training, on the part of the notes, that they did not stare at
their visitors; but even if they had the children would soon have been unaware of it, for
their gaze was drawn at once to the great hall, of which they had heard so much.

Delia whispered to La that old Amphion might very justly be proud of this his master-
piece of building. It was all of white marble, with finishing lines of black marble; and there
were many beautiful statues placed in niches here and there on the front.

Over the grand entrance were the statues of the nine Muses. La explained to Delia that
the word “music” was derived from the names of these Greek goddesses. “ The Council never
cared very much about having their statues up there,” said he; “because, as you know, these
mythical people presided over many arts besides music, as we understand it. But Amphion was
determined to have them; he said they reminded him of old times, and the Council yielded to him.”



q

THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 69

Dorothy had heard La speak so often and so respectfully and seriously about the members
of the great Chromatic Council that she was very impatient to see them. “Oh, dear! I wish
they would come out!” she exclaimed again and again. “Can't you hurry them up, La?”

eval hurry up the Chromatic Council!” responded La, with a comical look of helplessness.
“Can't I hurry up the sun and the moon and the stars, you might as well say!”

Restless Dorothy now caught sight of the chairs—they might better be called thrones —
on which she judged that the Council would sit. They were massive and beautiful, and they
were placed side by side on the great broad platform which extended in front of the hall.
There were thirteen of them in all; and Delia whispered to Dorothy to notice that they just
equalled in number the notes of the chromatic scale.

As they looked and wondered, the lofty door opened, and the members of the Council
came slowly and solemnly out, moved to their thrones, and sat down with dignity. Dorothy
saw now that the thrones, or chairs, were not side by side: for eight of the councillors, who
wore white robes, sat in a line; but the other five, who wore black robes, sat a little back
from this, but in line with each other.

Of course, as Delia was: older than Dorothy, she understood better the hidden meaning of
these things. She therefore whispered hastily: “Just keep in mind, Dorrie, the chromatic scale
of C, as we had it in the lesson before the last, and you will understand these strange matters.”

Dorothy nodded, and now noticed that each of the councillors in the white robes had a
beautiful ornamental letter embroidered upon his breast. The first one at the left had the
letter C, the next had the letter D, the next E, then F, and G, and A, B, and C.

The black-robed councillors had no letters on their robes. La said that this was for



70 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

various reasons; one was, that they were dependent in their natures, and were very variable
in their moods: sometimes joining themselves to the white-robed councillor above them and
assuming his name for a time, and sometimes to the one below them.*

The subject of the meeting was a serious and even sad one. It was the trial of the Sirens.
Now, everybody knows that the Sirens were beautiful women, with charming voices, who lived
in Sicily; and have been accused of singing such bewitching songs, from the cliffs and rocks,
as to lure mariners to destruction. They have a younger relation, called “the Lorelei,” who
is said to dwell upon the Rhine, in Germany, and to make the same cruel use of her voice.

La explained that the Council had planned to have her also at this trial; but she had
hidden herself and could not be found. “She is not so beautiful as these three Sirens,”
said La, “although she is much younger. The truth is about these ancient races, that the
older they are the more beautiful people think them to be.”

It was a very serious charge, this against the Sirens, and both Delia and Dorothy . were
eager to see them; but they caught only a passing glimpse of them through a window of the -
hall. Moreover, the children stood so far back in the crowd that they could not hear as
distinctly as they wished; but they caught enough of the speech made by C, on the left of the
line, to learn that he was urging some severe punishment on these cruel, wicked women.

Dorothy heard him say that “such a base use of musical power as these people had
shown ranked them at the very bottom of the musical scale.”

* Strictly speaking, the black notes have not the fixed character of the white ones: that is, C# is not the same as Db; but on such
keyed instruments as the pianoforte and organ the distinction cannot be maintained. Moreover, this is a more intricate phase of the subject
than this little book can profitably consider.



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 71

After this speech was ended, there was a moment’s pause; and then, turning toward the
others, A waved his hand gracefully and with dignity, saying in his deep tones: “Let others
speak, as the laws of our land direct.”

La found time to whisper just a word to the children. “ Watch closely,” said he, “and
you will see that the various councillors will speak in such a way that you will be reminded
of the letters of the scale of C on your piano.”

Delia understood this hint better than Dorothy did; but they both listened closely.

Presently E arose and gave his assent to what had been said by C. He had no
sooner sat down than G arose, and said much the same thing, though in slightly different
words.

“Oh, I see how it is!” exclaimed Dorothy. “That is like the chord of C,—‘the triad,’
our teacher calls it,—.C, E, and G are in harmony with each other.”

Delia only nodded, putting her finger to her lips to signify silence.

Then one of the black-robed councillors arose. It was the one who sat between A and
B. He arose, and shook his head, saying something in so faint a voice that ‘neither Delia nor
Dorothy could catch the words.. But, whatever it was, it seemed to create quite a stir; for
there was a general rustiing and moving among the councillors, and C— the one at the left,
who had spoken — frowned severely.

'La’s hearing was very acute indeed; and he explained to his young friends that this
black-robed councillor was urging the selection of F as a new master of the Council in
place of C, who now held that position. “They are very hard to manage, those black ones,”
whispered he. They are always trying to introduce changes of some sort.”





72 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA.

Delia was able to whisper one word of interpretation to Dorothy. ‘“ That means,” said
she, “that when you have the chord of C on the piano, and you play B), it changes you into
the key of F.”

This movement among the councillors was not carried out; and somebody called on B

-for his opinion, but B only shook his head, and referred to the C who sat next above him,

as if he would agree with his opinion.
“That ’s always the way he does!” exclaimed La with vexation. “I’ve attended a great

-many meetings of the Council; and that B never seems to have any mind of his own. He

always refers to C.”
“That is because B is the leading tone,” whispered Delia hurriedly to Dorothy. “He

leads: up to C on the piano.”

In the present case C himself would say but little. He merely repeated what his brother,
the G at the lower end of the row, had said; and, what was rather remarkable, he repeated
exagily the same words, only in a higher tone of voice.

The debate went on for some time, much feeling being shown both for the Sirens and
against them. Some of the councillors grew very excited indeed; but this was no more than
one would expect, since music deals so much with the feelings.

The two C’s seemed to agree in their opinion, and with them E and G were in harmony.
G seemed very variable in his mind, for he appeared at first to agree with C and E, but once,
after D and B had spoken, he turned straight about and agreed with them.

“ That means,” said Delia, “that G is in the chord of C, and also in the chord of G.”

Dorothy was now becoming a little weary of the debate, and her eyes wandered about



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA. 73

somewhat restlessly. Soon La noticed the mood of his little guest,—for he was a very
attentive host,— and he suggested that they should withdraw to one side, where they might
sit down and talk more freely.

This they did; and Dorothy, tired as she. was, found her tongue as nimble as ever, and
she plied La with questions. “What are those old harps for?” she inquired, as she pointed
toward the Council Hall.

At one side of the doorway some very ancient-looking harps were hanging upon hooks;
and La nodded and said, speaking almost reverently: “Those old harps are very worn and
old, but they are held in high veneration among us: for they are the Hebrews’ harps that
were hung upon the willows at Babylon by the Israelites in exile. They are unstrung, and
have remained so ever since the weeping exiles ceased from their glad songs of Zion.”

Dorothy was very glad to see them. “I remember about them,” she said. “ My mamma
read out of the Psalms last Sunday, and it told about them.”

‘Just behind them,” continued La, “ you see another sacred relic. That horn is one of
those which were said to have overthrown the walls of Jericho, when blown upon by the
priests of Israel. It is a very great curiosity, and it is also dangerous to its possessors. It
is hung out only on great days when the Council is in session. At other times it is kept
carefully guarded inside the hall. For if anybody were to blow upon it now, what do you
suppose would happen?”

La looked very serious and frowned terribly as he asked the question.

‘““Oh, dear!” exclaimed Dorothy, “I don’t know, I’m sure. Something dreadful, I
suppose.”



74 THE MUSICAL FJOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

‘Indeed there would!” La went on. ‘“ Why, if anybody blew that powerful horn the
houses and the hall itself would all be toppled over.”

This was startling news for both the children, who looked with awe at the powerful horn.
Then Dorothy remembered reading, in a story about giants, an account of a horn which the
hero had, which, when blown upon, brought the giant’s castle tumbling about his ears. She
asked La, timidly, if he thought this could be the same horn; and he answered that it was
not, but was very much like it.

Presently La drew his friends gently out beyond the assemblage of notes, who were still
listening attentively to the debate by the councillors. He said that they could stroll about
for a time, until the session of the Council was ended, and could then return and enter the
hall, to see the many remarkable objects there.

Dorothy was enchanted with the sights and sounds about her. After a few minutes of
silence, during which she had evidently been revolving some mighty problem in her mind,
she turned to Delia dnd asked: “ Why is it, Delia, that a little girl’s arms and legs get tired
before her thinking does?” ; 3

The poor child’s eyes and ears and her mind behind them were all alert; but she could
hardly drag her weary body along, even with La’s help and Delia’s. She felt as if she could
never be tired of looking. So much came to her, too, through her sense of hearing. It
seemed, also, as if the longer she stayed in this wonderful land, the keener her ears became;
so that now she could distinguish sounds which at first were beyond her power. The very
grass of the fields, .as.it grew, sent up ‘a soft, harmonizing sound that was very agreeable; and
the buds and blossoms, nodding in the breezes, tinkled like tiny bells; while the branches of -



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 75

the trees, as they swung in the air, murmured gently to each other; and even the air itself
repeated and multiplied the sweet sounds as if it were alive.

“ Everything is so beautiful in this country,” sighed Dorothy softly ; “I wish I could live
here always.” But as she spoke she remembered her dear papa and mamma, and was about
to ask if they could come too, when La said: “We are very happy in this country, you may
be sure; and it is because we have so little discord. We live under the rule of harmony
here. Harmony is happiness with us. If anybody continues long in wrong-doing, his life
becomes discordant, and we. hasten to banish him from our land.”

“Where do the people go when you banish them?” inquired Delia with some interest.

“T don’t really know; but I’ve heard that they go to the kingdom of that banished
“ancestor of ours whom I told you about. His name is Noise, you remember.”

Dorothy had something in her busy mind, which she was about to utter, when she noticed
that the trees and flowers and grasses seemed to be increasing the volume of their sounds;
and La burst out: “Oh, I am delighted! The symphony is about to begin. I am glad that
you will hear it.”

Then he explained, more calmly, that the close of each session of the Chromatic Council
was celebrated by a symphony, in which all created things took part. “Tt is directly descended,
this custom is,” said La, “from that first great symphony, when ‘the morning stars sang to-
gether’; and we cherish all such beautiful old customs.”

“Let ’s climb up to the top of that mound,” he continued, pointing to a slight eminence
in front of them, “and from there we can hear everything capitally.”. So away they ran, the
three, as fast as they could, and scrambled up the mound. ‘I ought to have remembered at



76 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

once about the symphony,” said La, who was in great good spirits. “I wonder how I was so
stupid! The grass sings in that way only when it is making ready for that great event.”



“There, the symphony is beginning!’’”’

The three friends had hardly time to seat themselves, when a low, rumbling Sound was
heard; and La exclaimed: “ There, the symphony is beginning! That: is. the ocean, over
beyond the mountain, just getting into tune... The ocean has the bass part.”

The rumbling now grew steadier and more musical, and became a great, deep tone, like
the low pedal-tone of an organ, only grander. « Soon the earth. beneath them caught the key, -

.



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. : 77

and sent up a rich.response of sound, which was echoed by the mountain, and was multiplied
into a thousand rich tones, all blending in harmony. Dorothy sat like a statue, as the ground
music grew and gathered strength.

Next the forests caught the key, and joined in the harmony as if each tree were an organ-
pipe, and every leaf were a vibrating reed. Dorothy was afraid lest the sound should become
too great to be borne; but, mighty as the symphony became, it was never harsh nor
oppressive.

Now the birds in the trees and in the air added their trills and warblings: and these
brilliant notes flashed up and down the steady sustained chords of the sea and earth and
trees, like arpeggios on a mighty harp.

Never had mortal ear been permitted to listen to such harmonies before. It seemed as
_if God’s whole beautiful world were alive, and as if its breath were music. -The child’s heart
seemed almost to melt within her, so surpassingly sweet was-the symphony; and, one after
another, tears of joy glided from beneath her closed eyelids.

The symphony had begun very gradually; but now, as it ended, it ended in a very

_ different way. After it had sped gleefully on through rapid measures, and moved with
majesty’ through slow and stately measures, one following the other in harmonious succession,
then suddenly, ‘with hardly a note of warning, it ended, — before the children realized it, the
sound ceased.

They were too much impressed by it to speak, and in a moment they were glad that
they ‘had not; for there came the sound of music from the blue sky over their heads. It

.. » took up the strains > just given by. the Symphony, and repeated them: only the music seemed





78 : THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

to come from a great, great distance, even from beyond the soft, white clouds floating peace-
fully in the bright sunlight.

When at last these ravishing strains from the sky had died away, the three friends sat
in silence for a long time. Then La said softly, as if to speak aloud were a sacrilege: “ That
is said by some to be an echo sent back to us from the spheres, but others call it ‘The |

.)

Answer of the Angels.

During all this time that the symphony had lasted, Dorothy’s eyes had been closed: how
long it had been she could not tell; but now, as she tried to open her eyes, she found great
gle and much rubbing, she did succeed
in lifting the heavy lids, what do you think she saw? I am sure you could never guess.

difficulty in doing so. And when at last, after a strug

She saw, — well, she did n’t see either La or her dear friend Delia,— but she saw her
music-book in front of her; and then, as she moved her feet about a little, she struck against
the legs of the piano-stool upon which she was sitting; and, — well— well, there she was,
sitting at the piano, with her curly golden head resting upon her music-book; and, as she
looked about the room, there was the half-hour glass lying upon its side, precisely as she
had left it.

Dorothy looked at the music-book, you may be sure, with the greatest curiosity. She ran
her eyes over the upper staff in search of La and the other frolicsome notes; but not one of
them could she find. Not one eighth-note moved or winked; and she felt sure that if any of her
strange music-friends had been there he would have made his presence known in some way.

f °

t



THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 79

There were the clefs, keeping guard at the entrance of the staves, as vigilantly as ever.

Then the puzzled child fell to wondering if all the notes had scrambled back into their places¢

Finally, Dorothy rubbed her eyes once more, set the half-hour glass in its place, so that
the red sand could run as fast as it liked, placed her hands over the keys, and began counting
as if she had’ -not been away more than a minute: “One, two, three! one, two, three!” and
the notes seemed to have a friendly feeling for her now, and to come under her fingers more
quickly and more correctly than ever before.

When at last the practising was over for the day, Dorothy ran to tell her mamma all
the things she had seen during the wonderful journey. But she could not remember all of
them; and she said: “I do.n’t ‘understand it in the least; but I shall try to practise and
study, so that if ever I go again, I shall know all about everything that I see.”

THE END.

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BRIDGE
MEMORIAL LIBRARY BUILDING.

«| WALPOLE, N, H. De

WALPOLE TOWN LIBRARY.

RESUE Arora

Anricue 1. Bookstwilf be delivered to the inhabitants of
the town, and the Ifead of cach family shall be respon-
sible for their saf si ecping wand return.

ARTICLE 2. Not moye than two books shall be taken out
by each memb fithe family at a time.

ArtircLe 3. Booksjshall not be kept out more then two
weeks, under # fine) of six cents a volume for eaeh
week of longerjdetention.

Articie 4. If eh book ‘be kept out more then three
months beyongl the allowed time, it is at the option of
the town to rdquire its value to be paid.

ARTICLE 5. No} book shall be given out to any family
while any fine incurred in that family is in arrear.
ARTICLE 6. Damage done to any book shall be paid at
the appraisal of the Librarian as also the: value of any
book not r¢turned within three months after the time

for which if was taken shall have expired,

ARTICLE 7, Books will be refused to all families where
they are nok taken care of in a neat and cleanly manner.

ARTICLE 8. Persons temporarily residing in town can take
vook from|the Library. by paying ten cents a week
for each ydlume.

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‘ pee r ie ies (See page 69.)
The Chromatic Council in Session.— Frontispiece.
A

THE

MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY
AND DELIA q286

BY

BRADLEY GILMAN
Llustrateds by F. G. Atityooy

NEW YORK: 46 East 14TH STREET
THOMAS Y. CROWELL & COMPANY
BOSTON : 100 PuRCHASE STREET
CoPpyYRIGHT, 1893,

By T. Y. CROWELL & CO.

Norwood Press:

j. S. Cushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith.
Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION.

—05640-0——__

HE purpose of this little book is twofold. It aims, first, at telling a fanciful, interesting
story; and; second, at illustrating and “lighting up” the rudiments of music. It will,
therefore, be not only entertaining, but valuable, reading for children, especially if they are
studying music. If it shall serve, in any degree, to smooth, for young feet, the rough,
difficult path that leads into the beautiful “Music Land,” then will be accomplished the
earnest wish of one who holds music to be among God’s richest gifts to man.
THE AUTHOR.

(iii)
THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

+i




cheeks and blue eyes. Her feet rested on a round hassock,.and were not able to
reach the pedals; but they kept time constantly with the music.

Dorothy was practising her lesson, and her teacher was coming the very next day. It
was the same lesson that her dear friend Delia had been given, both girls having the same
teacher and being equally advanced.
and was in that dreadful key of “B,” with its five sharps,

”

The piece was a “study,
which Dorothy always found extremely perplexing. ‘‘Oh dear,” exclaimed the restless little
girl, “I don’t believe I ever can learn that run, with that awful chord at the end!” And her
hands dropped despairingly into her lap. Then she remembered that Delia was probably
practising, the same hard place, and she remembered, with a sigh, also, that her dear friend
nearly always had a good lesson. So she tossed her head sharply back, to throw her golden
hair away from her eyes, and set herself again resolutely at her: task.

-While the, eager, restless little girl is working hard at her difficult passage, I will tell
you, my dear young reader,—as Dorothy’s mother often told her,—that she is very quick to

learn any new thing, in music, or in her other studies, but that she is too often impatient,
4 ;

Kâ„¢OROTHY sat-at the piano. She was a golden-haired little girl of ten, with red.-

@
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.



“Dorothy sat at the piano.”

and is apt to think she has learned a
lesson before she really has done so. So
you will not be surprised when I tell
you that Dorothy played the run and
the chord over only three times, and
then stopped again. This time her eyes
wandered toward the window, and her

ears caught the sound of a great blue-.

bottle fly, who was careering wildly. over
the panes of glass, bumping his nose on
the upper sash and then falling in a
heap to the lower one, but always rising,
after a brief pause, to career again as
wildly as ever. 4

Dorothy might have learned a lesson
of perseverance from the little winged
teacher;. but the room was warm and still,
and the droning of the fly’s wings, as she
listened, seemed to make her sleepy; so
she again returned to the keyboard and

’

started the “study” at the beginning.

Her glance rested for a moment on
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. B

‘the hour-glass which was in front, on the top of the piano; and the red sand in the upper
bulb seemed almost as great in quantity as when she began. “One, two, three; one, two,
three,” said Dorothy, now striking the opening notes and counting steadily as her teacher
had directed.

She also tried to hold her hands in exactly the proper position, and for a page or two
she went on very well; but the béok was large, and the pages seemed very, very long. “Oh,
how much they do put on a page!” sighed she. “If ever I write a music-book, I will put
only two staves on it, and. that’will make it easier for little girls to play.” And she tossed
her head with determination.

“One! two! three! one—two—three!” She began to become entangled in the oe
notes of the hard run again, and presently she stopped entirely.

The buzzing of the jolly blue-bottle fly in the window sounded louder than ever, and
Dorothy was really very weary, because of the long game of hide-and-seek in the morning;
and—and again she felt a little, just a “¢#/e, sleepy.

“T'll wait only a minute,” she said to herself; “and -perhaps if I lean my head on the
book a little and—and think, I shall feel better.” Then she remembered that hour-glass,
sending down its tiny little fiery stream of red sand, and she reached over and laid it on its
side, to stop the stream while she waited; for she said, “I might wait longer than I intend
to, and I must n’t count that time in.”

The tired head léaned forward against the great book, the blue-bottle fly droned away
with a lulling tone, and Dorothy thought and thought... and ... . thought.

Just what she thought I am not able to say, and she herself was not able afterward to
4 THE MUSICAL $OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

remember; but presently she became aware that there was some sort of movement going on
upon the pages of the great open music-book.

If you or I had been down close beside her, we should have seen that her eyes were
tightly closed against her pink fingers; so that I cannot say how she knew about the move-
ments on the pages of the book: but in some way it presently seemed to her that — that —
could it possibly be? Why, the notes on the staves were shifting restlessly about in their
places. :

Now she had often fancied that the clefs and the notes might do something like this;
indeed, she had often fancied many queer things, as she had stared hard at the music, hour
after hour, and day after day. There, for instance, ‘was the twining G clef, and there was
the curved F clef, in the bass. That F clef had often looked to her like a new moon, a trifle
bent and strained in the making. There were the long lines and spaces of the staves. O
how long they had sometimes seemed to the young pianist! They had seemed almost like
long straight roads, under a blazing sun, and her tired feet very slow to pass along them.
There, too, were the notes and rests. They had often appeared to her to be scattered over
the pages‘like boys and girls scattered over a playground. Perhaps they— But what
was that?

Dorothy looked again at that eighth- anote in the upper staff, the last measure but one,
and — and —yes, the roguish little creature was winking at her.

Before Dorothy could recover from her surprise, another eighth-note did the same: and
the two gay young musical creatures then looked straight at each other and burst into
laughter; and such a bright tinkling laugh it was, too.
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 5

The little girl was in a state of perplexity and delight. She was of course greatly
amazed at seeing the notes alive and active, and she was glad, also, to find them in such a

happy state of mind. “Oh, I wish that Delia were here!”
she murmured softly to herself, not once taking her eyes
off the strange little creatures before her. ‘I wonder what
she would say.”

Then she felt a hand slipping gently into her own,
and Delia’s own voice said: “Why, Dorrie, is that you om
Then the two friends put their arms lovingly about each
other’s waists, and stood in silent wonder.

Delia did not seem very much surprised that Dorothy.

should be there, and Dorothy, for her part, never felt quite
herself without her dear friend. So they walked along a
little nearer to the frolicsome notes; and Dorothy, who was
very quick to notice everything, now discovered what she
never, in all her study of music before observed, that the
marks on the stems of the smaller notes were really little
pennants, or flags, which they carried over their shoulders.
For example, the eighth-notes, who had first drawn her

fee
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Dorothy and Delia.

attention, had each a little rod over his shoulder, with one streamer floating from it; while

the sixteenth-notes had rods with two pennants attached. What fun they did appear to have

with them! They waved them gracefully at each other, in the gayest manner, and sometimes

* lige

&
6 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA.

they turned towards the little girls and waved them, bowing low as they did so. “ How
fortunate it is, Delia,” suggested Dorothy, “that they don’t act like that when we are trying
to play them!”

“That is so,” Delia agreed, in her quiet, meditative way. “They are hard enough to
strike when they stay quite still; and I do n't know what I ’d do if they were as lively
as that.”

Delia was a year older than Dorothy, and had jet black hair and large black eyes; but.
large as her eyes were, I doubt if they saw more than did Dorothy’s active little blue eyes.

At this point, while the two were standing in silent wonder, waiting to see what next
would appear, the frolicsome eighth-note who had first winked at Dorothy, gave up all

attempts at restraining himself, and, with a musical laugh, turned a complete
somersault, as well as it could have been done by the funny spangled clown in
the circus, — and that, too, without loosing hold of his flag with its streaming
i pennant. This seemed to act like a signal to the other notes; for, as if with one

The frolicsome -UNpulse, they sprang up and leaped and danced like children just out of school.

eighth-note. As Dorothy gazed in wonder at their strange antics, she happened to look
more carefully at the staves; and she saw that they were really paths, or roads, just as she
often had fancied them; and the frolicsome notes were now playing and running races upon
them, precisely as children do in the streets. Now they began. to scamper towards the
clefs; and what was Dorothy’s surprise to discover that these also were quite as much alive
as were the notes. Fe

The little girl rubbed her eyes and looked again to make sure that she had really seen


‘‘ Along they came, in the merriest manner possible, and whenever they reached a bar they leaped over it.”

THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 9

aright. Yes, the treble clef was really a tall, thin old woman of severe countenance, closely
wrapped in long flowing garments; while the bass clef was a poorly clad old man whose
wrinkled face seemed kind, and yet stern, in its expression.

Still, as Delia said with some pity, they both looked as if they were burdened with cares;
and little wonder, with such large and irrepressible families to look after. Delia seemed to
feel more sympathy with these people than did Dorothy, and that was probably because she
had a younger brother, and she knew how much care such little people need.

The two now moved towards the place where the solemn-looking personages were
standing; Dorothy wished to go up very near them, to see exactly what they were like;
_ she hardly knew what fear was; indeed, her mamma had often told her that her venturesome
spirit did not come from courage, but from ignorance: however, Delia held back a little, so,
they advanced about half-way and had a good look at the strange old people. Of course
they did not stare, for that would have been rude; but they saw clearly the lines of care in
both the old faces, and that the bass clef leaned on a cane, while the treble, or G clef,
supported herself by a long pole like a shepherd’s crook.

Now a greater commotion than ever arose from the noisy notes out on the staves; and
the girls saw that they were coming towards the clefs. Along they came, in the merriest
manner possible, and whenever they reached a bar they leaped over it as if it were a hurdle
and they were steeple-chasers: the best leapers were the eighth and the sixteenth-notes:
these agile fellows sprang over the bars like deer; although the double bars sometimes made
them hesitate for a moment. The quarter-notes were a little more serious in their manner,
and did not leap so wildly: most of them put one hand on the top of the bars and vaulted
10 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

gracefully over. The half-notes and the whole-notes were entirely too dignified for any such

sport, and therefore walked, in a stately way, around the outside of the bars, leading the tiny

little thirty-second notes, who were too young and inexperienced to go about much alone.

There was a perceptible quieting down of the gay company when they came near the

clefs. These elderly people stepped aside to let the notes pass, and
frowned upon them with considerable severity; but Dorothy was watch-
ing the severe old bass clef closely, and she several times detected a
smile creeping over his face; so she felt sure that he really was not
SO hagsh as he tried to appear.

Perhaps the stern-looking treble clef read the child’s thoughts;
for she said to her, in a stern voice, —still keeping her sharp eyes on
the gay young notes who were trooping past her,—‘“He is too easy
with his notes, that bass clef is, altogether too easy; he doesn’t keep
them in their places: they stray all over their staff, and beyond it,
above and below: you never know where to find them; they even come
up almost to my staff, at times; but I keep my eye on them, and when
they see me looking at them, they venture no further.”

Dorothy did not at first understand what the stern old dame meant.
Evidently the notes were guilty of some grave misdemeanor; but she



The Bass Clef.

could not, for a moment or two, see what it, was. Then her eyes sparkled, as they always

did when a new idea came to her, and her cheeks lighted up. “I see what she means,

Delia,” she whispered; “do n’t you? You know we often have notes to play in our
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. II

practising, that are written upon ‘added’ or ‘ledger’ lines, above the regular five lines of
the staff.”

Of course Delia understood at once; and she nodded, with a quiet smile; so there was
need of no further explanation.

Just at this moment Dorothy caught sight of a familiar face amid the throng of notes

who were hurrying past. It was the face of the eighth-note who had first attracted her

attention. The other notes merely gazed at the children with some curiosity, as they passed

| along; but the eighth-note came up near to them and spoke in a low, care-

fully guarded voice, glancing constantly over his shoulder at the stern old

woman: “I would n't say much to her. She ’s awful. She ’s just awful.

— She ’s much’ stricter with us on her staff than the bass clef is with his

notes; of course you know, do n't you—”
y Here the G clef looked over toward him, frowning, and he broke off
“Ledger” Lines. | What he was saying, and exclaimed hurriedly, “Why do n’t you come along
with us? We are off duty now, and are free to run about as we choose for several hours.
~ Come with us and see the Music Land where we live.”

The idea was seized with delight by impulsive little Dorothy. She fairly leaped with
joy, and was about to clap her hands, when she recollected the stern G clef, who was looking
irnpatiently on, and subsided into quiet. Turning to Delia, she whispered excitedly, “ Take
my hand quickly and let us hurry by that cross old woman! What fun it will be to see
all the sights in the land where these queer little people live!”

That was the child’s impulsive way; but her friend’s way was different. Delia drew her

back, saying, ‘‘ Wait a moment, dear Dorrie; let ’s think about it!”
12 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

That was usually what wise little Delia did. She nearly always thought before she
entered on any course of action; and thus she was a capital friend for hasty Dorothy to
have.

Dorothy was wild to go, and the tears started into her eyes, she was so anxious lest by
delay they should be prevented from seeing the wonderful new things. She struggled and
tugged at Delia’s hand, and the eighth-note looked impatient too; but Delia would not rush
into the new project rashly, and looked quite serious. Presently she said, “I really think
we might go, Dorrie: these notes are not wholly strangers to us, are they?”’~”

“No, indeed!” exclaimed Dorothy, pulling her along. “We have known them a long,
long time. Our music-teacher introduced them to us, and I’m sure she would not have done, .
that unless they were proper playmates for us.”

So the three, taking one another’s hands, passed swiftly along the staff,— which was
really a road,— holding their breath until they were fairly beyond the severe G clef.

When they had once passed her, they breathed more easily; and Delia spoke to their
gay young companion, whose spirits had now fully returned., “ You were about to tell us
something, were you not,” she asked, “just when the G clef stopped you?”

“Oh yes! Oh yes!” replied the young creature, turning a somersault as he spoke; “I
was just explaining about those two clefs.” Then he began more seriously, “ Of course you
know, do n't you?”— He was looking inquiringly at Dorothy as he spoke, and Dorothy
shook her head even before he had finished the sentence. She felt very sure that she

knew nothing

g, absolutely nothing, of the queer ideas and ways of these strange little people.

“Of course you know, do n’t you,” said the eighth-note, quite demurely, changing his
&
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 13

pennant to the other shoulder, “that the clefs are our guardians and teachers? They are

very old, and they are very strict.”

Delia looked at the gay young note as if she felt that he needed to have some one strict
with him. And just at that moment Dorothy remembered they had not yet heard their
companion’s name. So she said, with a toss of her head, as if she were displeased, —
although she was not, quite the contrary,—‘“I think we should like to know your name, sir,
before we walk any farther with you.” Then she looked straight at Delia, and they both

laughed softly, though neither could have told why.

The eighth-note was entirely courteous, and with a graceful bow he said,
‘““My name is La.” Then all three of them laughed aloud, and were better
friends than ever..

La was very talkative, and ran on in a merry chatter. “My name is La,

“ but I don’t believe you would ever have known it unless you had seen me on
“Myname isla.” the staff. It’s very hard to recognize us notes unless you see us in our

places. We all look so much alike. We dress alike, you see. Now I know you very well,

and your friend Delia. I ’ve often heard your mamma and your friend the music-teacher
speak of you, and to you. Oh, how often I ve wished I might speak to you, and ask you to
come and visit our beautiful music country; but I never dared stir, even, until to-day. We
notes see a good deal that goes on, though we are not allowed to speak about it. We are



often sorry when you are obliged to practise so long. You do n't like it, do you?”
“T hate it!” exclaimed Dorothy, fiercely stamping her foot, with its red-leather shoe.
“Yes, I know you do,” responded La. .“ Does Delia like it?”
14 ' THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

Delia did not reply as hastily as Dorothy had done, but even she admitted that she
grew weary of it, and that an hour and a half seemed very tedious.

“That ’s the way with all of us, I suppose,” said La, putting on a very mature judicial air
as he spoke. “We all have hard things to do. We notes, now, become very tired indeed,
standing up on the staves there, so still; and we are glad enough, you may be sure, when the
practising is over, and the music-book closed; because then we are free to run away and play.”

Both the children looked puzzled at this; and Dela presently asked, “What do you
mean? Don’t the notes stay up on the staves all the time?”

“Oh no, no!” answered the talkative eighth-note, with a mystifying smile. “It is some-
thing of a secret, but I will whisper it to you.” And he curved his hand about his lips, as
if to conceal his words. “We only stay there while the music is open; when it is closed
we run away as fast as we can. And I'll tell you how you can find that out for yourselves.”
‘Here he grew very confidential. “If you ever look into a music-book when it is n’t open,
you will find the lines and spaces all empty, and all the notes gone.”

Then La drew back, and covered his face with his hands in such a way that the little
girls could not see whether he was laughing at them or not. In a moment he continued,
“We have to be very quick, though, in coming back to our places, when the cleffs send
for us. There ’s a lively scrambling, sometimes, but we nearly always do it; that is, we
nearly always reach the staff; but once in awhile some careless note takes the wrong
place, and the people say ‘Why, that ’s a misprint.” And they stick pins and ink-erasers
into him and change him to his right position.” :

All this time the three had been leisurely walking along the road; and the stern-faced
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY. OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 15

clefs were now left far behind. You may be sure that Dorothy’s sharp eyes were intently
watching everything; and Delia, too, was observant, in her own quiet way. Both of them
were filled with delight at the beautiful country in which they found themselves. They had
never seen anything so perfect before. There was a perfection about even the roads; all
the troublesome little stones were removed. The trees, too, were planted at regular distances
from each other, and were of many colors, but all harmoniously blended. The flowers, also,
were wonderful in their harmony of color, and they sprang up in the greatest profusion on
every side. Even the clouds over their heads were colored with beautiful tints, and blended
softly with one another.

Dorothy emitted from her little red lips a constant succession of ‘Ohs,” while quiet
Delia expressed her admiration in mild murmurs which were no less positive and clear.

Of course their wonder was noticed by La, and he was greatly pleased. “You must
understand,” he said by way of explanation, “that in our beautiful land harmony is the chief
aim. We are taught, while young, that our single lives are like melodies or songs; and that
if they are properly directed they make harmony with other lives that we touch. Of course
you know about melody and harmony in music; but we are taught to carry it into our
family and society life.” :

‘“T think we ought to do it Zoo,” ventured Delia, gently.

La did not notice the remark, and went on: “Even the flowers in this land, and the
trees, grow not only to be beautiful themselves, but to be beautifully related to other trees
and flowers. The reason —”

Just at this point he was interrupted by an exclamation of surprise from Dorothy, who
16 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY. OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

was pointing eagerly toward the side of the road. “Oh, see those, Delia! See those queer
creatures !”

Delia was obliged to look closely for several moments before she made out what
Dorothy was pointing at. And La, who quickly saw the objects, said with a laugh, “ Delia
must look very carefully, for those are rests over there by the fence; and every young pianist
knows that rests are very easily overlooked.”

Then as Delia’s face lighted up, both at his fun and with surprise at discovering the
odd creatures, the active La sprang away toward the roadside, saying, ‘‘I ‘ll stir them up;
they are the laziest things in the world.”

They certainly did seem indolent; they looked like imperfect notes; and some dozed
sleepily in the fence corners, while others lay stretched along the rails of the fences, and
some hung, as sloths do in the tropics, by their arms and legs.

How grotesque they did look! And now La was among them, striking them with his
rod, and sending them with cries stumbling and hobbling away as fast as they could go.

Dorothy and Delia were both very indignant. Dorothy could not restrain her reproaches. ©
“You naughty, cruel La!” she cried, while the tears came into her pretty eyes. “You ’re as
cruel as you can be, to strike those poor creatures. My teacher has often told me never to
strike a rest.”

Delia also was angry, and added her reproaches to Dorothy’s: so that between them
La, who was not so cruel as he was unthinking, was quite silenced and punished. He
tried to offer some excuse; but Dorothy would not forgive him. Her eyes flashed like
blue lights, and she would not look at him for several minutes.
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 17

Delia spoke very plainly to him, and said, “After all your talk about harmony, I think
i you should be ashamed of yourself.”
aS It was easy to see that although Delia was slow to speak or act, yet when
‘ she was really aroused she had plenty of feeling; and poor La shrank
from her quite as much as he did from quick, fiery little Dorothy.
La looked conscience-stricken. He had been partly led to act thus









from his desire to amuse and interest his new friends. In fact,
he had tried to “show off,” as children often do before strangers.
And now that he stopped to think of his conduct, he
offered a kind of half-apology by saying that the rests
were a terribly lazy folk. “They are unthrifty
and stupid,” he explained. “All the notes de-
spise them. They were once expected to make
some noise in the world, but they never did;
and now they live in the corners of other peo-
ple’s houses, whenever there is a place that
nobody wishes.”

Although La’s explanation was very inter-
esting, it was clearly made in part to cover up
his own shame at his hasty, harsh conduct.
ee) He was plainly ill at ease, because of Delia’s
reproof, especially as he knew perfectly well

“You ’re as cruel as you can be.”
18 THE MUSICAL YOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

that he was in the wrong. For a few moments a silence fell upon the three friends, and then
La, who was casting about in his mind for something that would serve to interest and
entertain his visitors, suddenly asked: “Oh, I wonder that I did not think of that before!
Would n't you like to visit the schools?” ;

“No, I would n't!” exclaimed Dorothy promptly and definitely. “I hate to go to school.”
Then the impulsive little girl drew back, murmuring: “Oh, I didn’t mean to be so rude! I
only meant to say that — that —” .

“Yes, I understand,” said La, shaking his head wisely, “I understand. Girls do n’t like
very much to go to school. But this is n't a real school, — that is, it is n’t like your school.”

“Won't we have to recite anything?” inquired Delia, cautiously.

“ Not a thing,” said La.

“ And can we come out whenever we wish to?” continued Delia.

“ Certainly,” said La, with one of his queer little rippling laughs.

Then Dorothy laughed too, and, turning to the eighth-note, she said, mischievously :
“ Now, that ’s the difference between Delia and me. Delia would like to go to it if she has n’t
to recite anything. She would die, I do believe, if she failed in a recitation. But I don't
much care if I do fail.”

Here Dorothy spoke quite recklessly: “What I don’t like about going to this school is,
that I don’t like to go in out of the bright sunshine and the beautiful world. Still, if you
say that we can come out as soon as we wish to, I will go.”

“You have n’t any idea of what we call a school in this land,” said La. “It isn’t in a
schoolroom, it’s out of doors. But come, and you shall see what it’s like.”


“ A company of gaily dressed creatures.”

(19)

THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. ; 21

So they turned aside from the road, and took a path which led across the fields. “ You

’

must remember,” continued Delia, “that we do n’t know anybody, and we shall not like to be
left alone.”

“Never fear! never fear!” carolled the gay young note, seizing Delia’s hand, and leading
the way toward a grove of trees in the distance.

The little girls were by no means anxious to hurry. There were so many strange things
and beautiful sights all about them. At this very moment Dorothy caught sight of a company
of gaily dressed creatures, who were skipping swiftly along over the field as if they were a
flock of birds in full flight. Indeed, the fantastic creatures skipped hither and thither so
rapidly that they seemed like a flock of sparrows, such as the children had often seen darting
in zig-zag flight across the garden. Their garments, however, were very gay and even gaudy,
far beyond the gray and brown coats of the sparrows.

The flight of the graceful: beings was the very poetry of motion. They wheeled hither
and thither swiftly, and in charming curves. Dorothy was so speechless with surprise and
delight that she had not spoken a word, but only pulled Defia’s arm gently and pointed. For
a moment or two both stood gazing silently at the dazzling group of fairy-like creatures ;
then, before they realized it, these were gone. The group passed over a low hill, and, vanishing
like a sunbeam, disappeared from view.

Dorothy drew a long breath, and followed this with a meen sigh; that was an unconscious
way which the little excitable girl had of relieving her pent-up feelings. Then she and Delia
looked at each other, and Delia said: “How beautiful! Please tell us, La, what they were.”

La replied readily that they were called “ grace-notes”; and he added that he himself,
22 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

often as he saw them, was never tired of the beautiful sight: “ They are so fleet and agile.
They flit about over hill and dale, day after day. They keep very much by themselves,
and are not related closely to anybody. Everybody admires them, and they are much
petted.”

Because of the interest aroused in the grace-notes, the three had stopped their rapid
pace: now they walked along more lejsurely; and Delia seemed pondering some matter.
Presently she spoke, and said: “I have it now. Why, don’t you recollect that we had some
grace-notes to play in that ‘Reverie’ last week? Do n’t you remember those little extra
notes that came in on that second page, Dorothy? They were just tossed in for ornaments,
our teacher said, and we need n’t piay them if they were too hard to reach.”

Dorothy tried to recall them, but there were so many things to see all about her that
her mind was all in her eyes, and she could scarcely do aught else but look and look. She
did, however, remember something; but these grace-notes seemed very different from those in
the music lesson; and La explained that they were really the same notes, only now they were
in their gay holiday costume, but when they were on duty upon the staff they wore only
the simplest and plainest working-clothes.

Dorothy’s eyes were gazing eagerly about, while the note was talking; which was hardly
polite, though perhaps pardonable with so many wonderful objects in view. La followed her
gaze, and dropped a word or two of explanation as they went along. “Do you see that large,
_ sturdy-looking note over there?” he inquired —“that one in plain brown garments, who is

followed closely by those other smaller notes? He is a queer fellow. His name is Obbligato,

and he is a kind of messenger for the Chromatic Council. He is very fond of society: when
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 23

he is accompanied by other notes he is a very reliable and valuable person, but when left
alone he will not work at all.”

“And what, pray, is the Chromatic Council ?”

“Oh! have n’t I explained that to you? Why, that is the council that governs this entire
country. I think we may meet some of them. If we do, you will know them by their long
robes. There are thirteen of them in all: five wear black robes, and -
the other eight wear white ones. You ought to see them when in
full session: they are a splendid assemblage. The white robes are
white as —as ivory, and the black robes are as black as—as ebony.”

He was about to say more on this interesting subject (evidently
he felt great awe of the grand council), but at this moment they
encountered a gaily dressed, slender young figure, sauntering along
as if he had no cares or occupation whatever.

“That is a good-for-nothing fellow whom we call Ad Libitum,”
said La. “He has very little to do, and he never does it twice
alike. But let us hasten, for there is much to see.’ And he drew
his companions along more rapidly toward the grove which they were
approaching.



Delia tried hard to see the meaning that was concealed beneath the “4 ev sees ions young
words Obbligato and Ad Libitum, but she could not. When she tried
to interest her light-hearted friend Dorothy in studying them out, Dorothy refused to trouble
herself with them in the least. “I don’t care what they mean,” she exclaimed impatiently.
24 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

“I do n’t think we have come to them in our lessons yet.” And Delia herself was obliged,
against her will,—for she was very persevering, — to give up the inquiry.

They were now approaching the grove toward which they had started, but they paused
as they came to a certain part of the field, and La, instead of going directly across, made a
circuit and walked around it.

The children wondered at this, and Dorothy, in her usual impulsive way, asked La why
he did so. But La did not happen to hear, for he was looking earnestly out over the field;
but Delia said in a low voice: ‘‘Why do you ask so many questions, my dear?” (at the
same time assuming a very “grown-up” air). “Now, I would like to know as much as you
would, but I like to think it out for myself.”

“Perhaps that is a better way,” assented the active little girl, tossing her stray golden
hair back from her forehead, “perhaps you are right; only it takes longer to find out things.”
And then, after a moment, she added: “If I don’t find out what I wish to know in a minute,
why, afterward I don’t care about knowing it at all.” g

Dorothy was quite right in her study of her own character. She wanted things violently
for a short time, and then if they did not come to her, she lost all interest in them.

At this point her eager, searching gaze fastened upon a new object, and she burst out
again: “Oh, La! what is that note doing there in the middle of the field? See, he is sitting
on that mound of earth.”

They slackened their pace, and La explained: “ That poor note is lame, and has lost an
arm, and as you see now is injured in other ways.” Here he turned directly toward the little
girls, and said, more seriously: “ Now, who do you suppose did him all that injury?”
THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 25

“The poor, poor fellow!” exclaimed Dorothy; and Delia, answering La’s inquiry, said
that she had not the slightest idea who could have been so cruel.

“Ah! but I am not so sure that you do n't know,” said La, with an expression of even
greater seriousness. “Yes, and I’m not sure that you two didn’t do him the injury yourselves.”

Here the eighth-note drew himself up and folded his-arms, like a wee little dignified
judge without any bench to sit upon.

“Oh, that is too much!” -cried Dorothy, with a laugh. “Why, we would n’t do such a
thing for the world! ‘And if you dare to say such an unkind thing as that, La—” Here
her smiles began to turn into frowns, and she was fast becoming angry. But La motioned
for her to wait a moment, and then he began to explain.

“Yes, my dear friends, I’m not sure but you did this cruel harm yourselves. Probably,
however, it was more carelessness than cruelty on your part. You must know that this poor
note (and we have others like him) has been clipped and cut short by careless players — that
is what has caused his deplorable condition.”

Here Dorothy was about to speak; but he waved his hand, and continued: “I do n’t say
that you two did this particular note harm; but have n’t you often clipped notes of some
kind? And how do you know but this may have been one of them?”

This was convincing proof; and neither child attempted to excuse herself. Dorothy
said: “Why, you poor, poor note, I’m sorry if I ever clipped you. My teacher says I’m
very careless about that, though, and I’m afraid I may have done it.”

There was a tear in each of Dorothy’s blue eyes. Her tender feelings were quickly
aroused; and La, in order to console her, said: “ You must not feel so badly. It really
26 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

does n’t hurt so very much to be clipped. I’ve been clipped a little, just a little, myself.”
Here he held out his left hand, and the little girls saw that one of his fingers was missing.
But before they had time to express the sympathy which they felt, the light-hearted fellow
laughed gayly, waved his little flag vigorously, and then said more quietly: “We have
stationed this note here, where he does very useful work for us. He has charge of the
cricket chorus.”

“ The cricket chorus?” interrupted Dorothy, who was not sure that she had heard aright.
“What do you mean by that?”

A slight expression of amusement overspread La’s face at this. He seemed to be amused
at the ignorance of his young visitors. Delia saw this expression on his face, and said very
firmly: “If you please, Mr. Eighth-Note, we were never taught anything about cricket
choruses, and we have taken two quarters of music lessons.”

“ There, now!” added little Dorothy, as if her dear friend had silenced La.

But La was not silenced. On the contrary, he said with scorn: “ Pooh! don’t you ever
learn things yourselves without being taught them by somebody? All that one needs to
learn is to keep his eyes and ears-open. He does n’t need any teacher to help him do that,
I’m sure.” | ;

Then, fearing lest he was becoming rude and violent in his manner, he added in a more
considerate tone: “I’m very sorry that you have n’t heard about this. Let me tell you.”
And he grew very cautious as he spoke.

“We are now at the beginning of our school. This is really the edge of it, this cricket
chorus. Now, this injured note teaches the young crickets to chirp together. Surely you
.

THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 27

have noticed the crickets in the evenings of summer and autumn, and perhaps you have
noticed that they do not all chirp together... They —”

“Yes! yes!” exclaimed Dorothy. “Oh, I’ve noticed that often! And sometimes they
do go along all together for several moments; then some get in between, and that mixes the
others up and spoils it all.” .

“Precisely!” assented La. “And those who break in and spoil the unison of the
chorus are usually the younger crickets. You can always tell a well-trained chorus when
you hear it by the way they keep together. Oh, such delightful. cricket choruses as I

have heard!” And the eighth-note rolled his eyes up in an ecstatic manner as he recalled
the past.
Then he recovered himself and added: “Some of the older crickets become careless at

times, and are sent back here to practise again. It is very funny about those older crickets
who are sent back. They are very hard indeed to teach over again, and they nearly always
declare that they do not get out of time. You see, that is the way with all of us, I ‘suppose.
When we have done wrong a good many times, we come to think it is right.”

All this time the three were making the circuit of the field; and the children could
hear the crickets as they practised under the leadership of the clipped note. Dorothy was
greatly troubled as she gazed at the poor note on the hillock. He was certainly much dis-
figured; and she resolved that she would henceforth be doubly careful never to clip any
notes as she practised her lessons, for fear lest she might cause any injury to one of these
strange creatures.

They had now approached so near to the grove of trees that they could hear a great
28 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

and confusing din of sounds coming from it. They drew nearer and nearer, and now the
children were sure that they could distinguish the songs of birds.

Yes, they were indeed! They could now hear and see more clearly. The branchés of
the trees seemed to be full of all kinds of birds: there were large birds and small birds,
some with brilliant colors, and some with dull gray colors. And they seemed to be gathered
in little groups, each group being in charge of a note.

As Dorothy and Delia stood lost in wonder and curiosity, La, who was always very kind
about everything, pointed out and explained ‘the various sights. ‘“ You see those notes, do
you? Very good; they are the teachers here. They have all been clipped or injured in
some way, just as was that note back there in the field. They are fully capable of doing
this kind of work, however. They are engaged in teaching the birds their songs. Notice,
now, the different varieties of birds!”

Delia counted more than ten kinds that she could name as they paused a moment. There
were robins, wrens, linnets, canaries, nightingales, larks, starlings, and many others. It seemed
very strange to Delia to think of these birds as obliged to learn their notes and calls, and she
said so to La.

“JT suppose it does seem strange to you,” said La; “I should think it would. Most
people never would be able to guess such a thing. They think of a swallow or a blue-
bird as if he could not help making the right sounds; but I assure you it all comes from
instruction.”

“Oh, Delia! just think of it!” whispered Dorothy, her eyes twinkling as she spoke;
“just think of the birds taking music lessons! I wonder how much it costs a quarter.”


The Birds’ Music Lesson.

(29)

THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 31

Then she remembered that it was n’t polite to whisper to one person when another was near,
and she stopped and asked La some question.

This inquiry La answered promptly, and then pointed across a little open space of
ground under the trees. ‘See that note over there,” said he, “trying to teach that raven!
See how patient he is! Ravens, you must know, are very hard to teach: not because they
can ’t learn,—for they are far from being stupid, —but they
generally try to learn too many things, and the result is that °
they mix up their calls and songs into a great jumble.”

Dorothy had heard hardly any of this explanation. She
had been so occupied in watching a long-legged heron, who
was very funny, that she caught the sound of only the last
word, “jumble”; and she interrupted La, in a confused way,



saying: “Oh, yes! jumble! Yes, I have eaten a great many
jumbles, and I like —”
Here La burst into such a noisy laugh that the birds

“See how patient he is.”

who were close by became uneasy, and began to flutter restlessly about. Delia laughed, too;
and Dorothy, who found that she had made herself ridiculous by her usual hasty conduct,
began to grow red in the face and to look offended. In another moment the passionate little
girl would have broken out into tears; but Delia threw her arms about her and kissed her,
saying: “You dear, funny thing! La did n’t mean cookies at all. He said that the ravens
made a jumble of the mixed-up songs and calls.”

Dorothy bit her lip, but was ashamed to show her foolish feelings. She was glad to
32 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

have La go on talking about something; which he quickly did, for La had great tact and
kindness. “If you ever hear a raven sing a really musical strain,” said he, “you may be
sure that he is one raven among a thousand, and that he has been unusually faithful and
industrious, and has concentrated his efforts.”

Presently La drew them slowly away among the beautiful trees. The “noise was really
oppressive ; but La reminded them that this was the school, and that really hard work was
going on. Delia said that it reminded her of the Hebrew schools which her Sunday-school
teacher had told her about, where the boys and girls all studied aloud.

The attentive eighth-note listened to Delia as she spoke; and presently, when she had
finished, he pointed to some swans who were standing in a brook, and were learning from a
quarter-note who sat upon a flat stone on the bank. “Do you see those swans over there?”
he inquired. “They have a most beautiful song. Perhaps you have heard it said that swans
never sing until they are-about to die?”

Dorothy shook her head doubtfully ; but Delia thought she had heard it.

“That is what people commonly say, and they are partially correct. The truth is that
the swans are all very sensitive and shy; and, although they all know how to sing, they
never can be induced to do so before people.”

“T’m sure I don’t blame them,” interrupted Dorothy with feeling.

La smiledeand went on: “Sometimes, however, after they have been wounded by cruel
hunters and are at. the point of death their shyness is overcome by the pain, and they burst

out into their beautiful strains. But, you see, they could sing them at any time; and they
do sing a great deal when they are alone.”
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 33

Dorothy, who had never heard of the popular tradition about the song of the dying
swan, lost her interest in La’s narrative before it was finished, and had her attention called
to a gayly-colored parrot, who was plainly rebellious and would not learn the sounds
which his teacher was urging upon him. “Those parrots are very unruly birds,” remarked
La, as he followed Dorothy’s gaze. “They will not do as they are bidden, and learn
their calls.” ;

“T'do n't know that I blame them much,” said Dorothy; “they have such horrid voices
and calls. .My uncle brought a parrot home once to my aunt, and, until they taught him
some real words, he just sat up on that perch of his and squawked and squawked.” The
little girl looked rather sympathetically toward the rebellious parrot; and she was so much
in earnest as she spoke, and made up such a face as she said the “squawk, squawk,” that
La laughed heartily.

“ Perhaps you are right,” he admitted when he had calmed down a little ; “their sounds
are not very agreeable; but they must take the call that is assigned them by the Council.
That ’s what all the birds have to do. And if you will notice the different kinds of birds
you will find that most birds who have very gay plumage don’t have the prettiest calls. I
suppose that the Council had n’t enough calls to give all, and they gave the best ones to
those who had the dullest plumage: so that I think those parrots ought to be content with
their beautiful feathers, and take the calls given them, without continually trying to imitate
all the sounds made by men and animals and other birds.” : ,

Dorothy was beginning to be impatient, and pulled hard at Delia’s hand to draw her
along, that they might see new sights. That was Dorothy’s way. She was intensely
34 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

interested in things for a short time, and then she longed for something new. She was apt
to think that the toys and playthings which other-girls had were better than her own, and
she always wished most for the thing that was just about to happen.

So she was constantly alert, and saw almost as many things as she could have seen if
she had possessed as many eyes as a fly,—which is certainly saying a good deal. One sight
which now drew her attention was a note seated in a cool grotto, surrounded by brilliantly-
colored shells of many kinds. He was doing something in turn to these shells, though the
children could not at first'see what it was. They could see, however, that other notes were
bringing him, from time to time, new shells in little baskets of sea-weed; and La said that _
they brought these from the ocean, which was not far away. La further told them that
this delicate, refined looking note in the grotto was the possessor of the finest and most
melodious voice in all the music country, and he was therefore given the task’ of breathing
into the sea-shells those soft, sweet, murmuring sounds which any one can hear when they are
held up to the ear.

Dorothy was very curious, and wished to go up close to the charming note to talk with
him, but La held her back. “I would n’t go,” said he; “you will disturb him. And besides,
you might take cold. That grotto is rather damp. He is used to it and does n’t mind it
much, though I do think it must be rather trying. It is n't 50 bad, however, as it was on
the open sea-shore. You notice that the shells are brought to him here. Well, formerly he
went about his work on the open sea-shore over beyond the hill, but the salt air affected his
voice and it became husky, so that he could n’t make the murmur stay firmly fixed in the
shell. If ever you find a shell, Dorothy,” said he, with a very little twinkle in his eye, “ which
P ZZ Zo
VZ2L255
SLL LL aoe
LIEB ogee
GMLELLEEEZ
Zs LLL Dig get
GS a one
7 LLL LLL
LEI ZEEE
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Ze tj
as
Gi"

Uti
PI Ny
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oth



g
He was doin something in turn to these shells, though the children could not at first see what it wa
Ss.

(35)

THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. : 37

has no murmur in it, you may be sure that it is one of those that he sent out while his voice
was weakened by the harsh salt air.”

Dorothy’s eyes were so busy elsewhere that she did not notice the twinkle in La’s eye;
and the three moved slowly along, waving a friendly “good-by” to the note in the grotto as
they did so.

In a few moments they were aroused by the sweetest and most bewitching music that
they had ever heard. They were about to exclaim aloud in their surprise, but they feared
lest they might cause it to stop. It was very faint and delicate at first, but grew louder
and more distinct as they walked softly along. It was most charming, and seemed to
penetrate through the ears into the soul, and send thrills over one, like the little waves
rippling over the beach.

It would be difficult to say in words just what it was like. Perhaps you might have
some idea of it if you were to fancy a great number of delicate vessels struck gently and
tunefully by silver rods. Or, if you ever heard a music-box made wholly of silver, perhaps
that would be like it. Dorothy had stepped a few paces in advance, so eager was she. to
reach the beautiful music; and her eyes for once were not alert, so intent was she upon
listening.

‘“Come quickly!” she exclaimed in a loud whisper, turning her head and beckoning to
Delia and La. “Come quickly, for they may stop!”

La tried to restrain her, but before he could reach her she suddenly stopped, her red
cheeks grew very pale, and a stifled scream burst from her lips.

She sprang back as she screamed; and Delia saw, close beside her little playmate, the
38 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

most hideous, savage-looking monster that she’ had ever beheld. He was bound fast to a
tree; and the children — now that Dorothy had recovered a little from her alarm — were
able to observe him in safety. The huge creature was so misshapen and hideous that one
could hardly tell whether he was a human being or not. He had evidently been startled
and made restless by Dorothy’s screams, and now tugged fiercely, but ineffectually, at his
chains.

“Come back a little way,” said La in a low tone, “and you will witness something
interesting.”

So the three withdrew a few paces and paused in silence, and at once the wonderful
music, which had ceased for a moment or two, began again. Instantly the savage monster at
the tree began to grow quiet; and even restless Dorothy could feel the soothing throbs and
thrills calming her and allaying her fright.

Looking toward the right and following La as he pointed his staff, they saw the tiniest,
daintiest chorus of creatures that human eyes ever beheld or human ears ever listened to.
There was a very large number of them, and they’were dressed all in white, — yet it was
hardly white, for the garments, and even the tiny creatures themselves, seemed to be trans-
parent. The children could see the light shining through them as if they were made of pure
white vapor.

The delicate music continued, and calmed even Dorothy’s excited nerves. La waited a
moment or two, and then explained, in a subdued voice, that the music they were now listen-
ing to was the finest and most perfect music in the whole world. “You see that savage
creature over there,” said he, “and you notice how quiet he is becoming. Perhaps you have
SS

wy
,
.

POY
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sASXS

w

iy

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sy
.



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“« Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.

(39)

THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 41

heard among human kind that ‘Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast’? That is
certainly true, as you see here.”

“But who, or what, are those dear little notes that do -this singing?” asked Dorothy.
“Are they really notes? They seem to be, and yet they are so dim and misty.”

“T will tell you,” said he, and»a quiet, sweet smile came over his face, such as the little
girls had not observed there before. “Those are the angels of notes that have passed from
our bodily life. They come back to us and bring this perfect music to us, that we may have
a standard, an ideal, for our efforts. If it were not for them we might fall into errors, and
come to think that poor music was good music. So we keep up a high quality by measuring
ourselves with them.” :

“ That ’s the way it is with us,” thought Delia, though she did not speak aloud. ‘ Music
teachers keep us from thinking that we play our pieces perfectly. We play them over, and
our mothers praise us, and we think that our playing is perfect; but when our teacher comes
and plays them, we see at once that our playing was not half so good as we supposed.”
Thus thought earnest, conscientious Delia as the three moved softly away.

* “We would remain longer,” said La, “but there are many other sights that I wish to
show you, and we have n’t time unless we go on.” So they crept away as softly as possible,
and Dorothy for the first time felt really reluctant at resuming her journey.

Soon the music faded in the distance behind them, and they directed their steps toward
another grove of tall, graceful trees beyond the first one. As they approached, a loud
volume of sound came to their ears. It was not as refined and delicate as that which they
had just left, nor was it as confusing and violent as that which they heard from the birds’
42 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

school. It was a steady volume of sound, such as would be given out by a strong chorus.
At intervals the music stopped and then began again, as if the chorus were rehearsing.

This proved to be the case. Dorothy was soon able to distinguish, through the dense
foliage of the trees, a vast assemblage of people standing in a secluded glade, all facing
toward a great rock, upon which one was standing, as if he were their leader.

La did not explain anything until they had come near enough to hear the whole full
volume of sweet sound, and had stood a few moments in. silence to enjoy it. Then he told
his young visitors, in subdued tones, that this was a chorus rehearsing music to be sung at
the approaching wedding of Apollo and Cecilia.

“Who is Cecilia?” inquired Delia. “I know who Apollo is: he is the Greek god that
presides over music.”

“Cecilia is the presiding saint in Christian music, as Apollo is in pagan music,”
explained La, And then he went on to say that once they were not on speaking terms,
but in modern times they had become more and more friendly, and indeed were looked upon
now by critical students as descended from the same remote ancestry.

After a short pause La said, proudly, pointing toward the leader who stood upon the
rock in plain sight: “ That is Tempo, our great leader. He is so skilful that he is able to
inspire the singers, not only with his feelings, but with his ideas; so that, as you see, they
use no music-books—they need none. They are the music themselves when the great
Tempo (his full name is Tempo Primo) leads them. He wills them to sing, and they do it;

only, as you also notice, they keep their eyes fastened intently upon him. All good choruses
do that with their leaders, though none as closely as this one.”
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 43

The children stood looking and listening for a long time without speaking. , There was
quite as much to see as to hear; and Dorothy expressed what was in both Delia’s mind and
her own when she uttered one of her great sighs and said, under her breath: “Oh, my !
what a queer lot of things they are!”

Delia had almost the same feeling, but she expressed it differently: ‘‘ Won't you tell us,
La, please, some of the names of those people?” :

That was certainly more polite; but La had not taken offence at Dorothy's short remark,
as Delia had feared he might, and he proceeded to point out various interesting persons in
the great company. Looking about, he pointed toward a small group of singers gathered
closely together near the great rock, saying: “ Those are some of our soloists. They are
chiefly Italians, as you will see by their names. That tall, graceful young man is our cele-
brated tenor singer, Andante; and a very smooth, reliable voice he has, too, though a little
expressionless. The person next him is Adagio, a grand, rich contralto voice. Cantabile is
the soprano just beyond, and a more flexible, bird-like voice you never heard. The solemn-
looking man at the right is much better than his face indicates. He is our basso. His
name is Signor Da Capo. He is very learned, and always quotes the early composers in
his conversation. He has a confirmed habit of saying bitter things about all modern com-
posers, and even declares that we would do well to burn all their works, and devote ourselves
to the exclusive study of the Old Masters. Whether he likes his early composers because
of his name, or he is given his name because he so often refers to the early composers, I do
not know.”

Moving slowly and carefully about, so as not to disturb any one, they came near a
44

THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF



Crescendo and Diminuendo.

DOROTHY AND DELIA.

ridiculous -looking creature, whose ways
amused the children greatly. He puffed
out his fat, red cheeks when he sang, and,
what was more remarkable than that, he
himself! seemed to swell gradually out to
three times his natural size, and then sud-
denly to collapse, and presently to begin
over again.

He had a very important manner, as
if the responsibility of the entire chorus
rested upon him. La said: “ He is quite
as vain as he looks. He makes a great
deal out of whatever he has to do. His
name is Crescendo, and if you look just
behind him you will see his twin brother,
who is called Diminuendo.”

They could hardly see the timid,
shrinking person so named, for he kept
half concealed behind his large, self-
important — brother. He was a thin,
frightened-looking fellow, and he hardly
opened his mouth at all. You would
THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 45

never have suspected, if you had seen him, that he could be a brother of Crescendo’s, and a
twin brother at that.

“ They are brothers,” remarked La, guessing the children’s thought, “though they are so
different, — exactly opposite, in fact. They are, however, very much attached to each other,
and wherever you see one you are likely to see the other soon after.”

Delia perceived the meaning hidden under this remark, but I fear that Dorothy did not.
Do you?

“Come,” said La, “and I will show you the queerest group of all.” And he led the
way to one side of the vast assemblage, where a number of people were gathered about a
grand old oak tree which towered: hundreds of feet in the air.

The people were dressed in the most fantastic garb you can fancy. Their clothes seemed
all to have come out of the ark. Never had the children seen such queer high hats and high
ruffles and high puffs on the sleeves. Their faces were wrinkled and brown, as if worn by
hundreds of summers and winters. Even the younger people of the group had the wrinkled
faces and bent-up bodies of old people.

When Dorothy looked at La for an explanation, which she very soon did, La turned
about the other way, and said: “I must be careful, and not let them see me talking about
them. They are very proud and sensitive. They are our oldest family —the family of
‘The Crotchets, though some call them ‘The Quavers.’ They are a very ancient race. In
fact, they are so old, and have kept so much by themselves, that they have lost their voices.
They are very fond of music and have good musical taste, but their voices are just nothing.
Even their children, the semi-quavers, have cracked, squeaking voices ; and the infants, the

Aes : , : ae <
little demi-semi-quavers, never cry aloud even in their cradles.
46 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

After a moment’s silence, Delia said: “What a comfort that must be.’ And Dorothy
did not understand what she meant by that; but then, Dorothy had no little baby brother.

Dorothy was, as we have seen, very impulsive and hasty. This quality of hers now
nearly led her into trouble; for she moved about this way and that to get better views
of the various people, and she once moved farther away than she expected, so that when
she turned to regain her place, La and Delia were nowhere to be seen.

Of course, Dorothy was greatly frightened. That was natural. With so many people
about her whom she did not know,—and such queer people, too,— it was no wonder that
the little girl felt timid. But she said to herself, as bravely as she could: “I must n’t) cry
and make a fuss, and then the people won’t know that I am lost. They will think I am
just walking about.”

You see, she had a feeling that they might treat her unkindly if they knew she was
away from La, to whom she had come to look for protection. “TI will just walk a few steps
in that direction,” she said, pointing her finger as she spoke, “and I think I will find them
in a moment.”

But she did n’t. She walked along, her heart beating anxiously all the time, yet keeping
as calm as she could; though a little tear, just a little one, slipped out from under her left
eyelid. The minutes went by, and she passed along ‘by all kinds of odd-looking people, some
of whom did not look at her at all, while others stared as if they had never seen a little girl
before. For a while she was very hopeful of finding Delia and La. That was another of
Dorothy’s ways. She was very hopeful when she .was hopeful, and when she lost hope she
fell at once into the deepest despair. ee:




*%

to vee



YUL Pr

‘K

Bo bn,



”

The Crotchets.

“The family of ‘



(47)

THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

So that now, as she went on and on
without finding her friends, she felt very
confident for a few minutes; and _ then,
suddenly sinking down on the grass, she
buried her face in her hands,.and sobbed
violently, and the great tears trickled out
between her pink fingers. “Oh, dear! oh,
dear! what shall I do?” she murmured. “1
shall never find them! I shall never see
them again!” Then she thought of her
dear mamma, and at that her sobs grew
more and more violent. She tried hard
- to keep them down, but they made them-
selves heard among a group of singers near
her, and they came toward her. But as
soon as she saw them coming Dorothy
was filled with terror anew, and fled from
the place as fast as she could run.

By keeping a straight line, Dorothy
soon came.to the outer edge of the grove,
and the singers were all left behind. She
did not stop, in her fright, until she had



Cae:

oy

“Oh, dear! oh, dear! what shall I do?’”

49
50 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF.DOROTHY AND DELIA.

gone far enough away so that she could barely hear them singing. Then she went slower
and slower, and her fears calmed more and more, until she was quite herself again. Still
she saw nothing of La and Delia, and that was a cause of great anxiety.

She was looking about her, to decide what she would do next, when her quick eye
caught sight of some beautiful flowers; and, in her usual impulsive way, she ran at once
toward them. ‘What beauties!” she exclaimed, as she drew near: for there were great
queenly roses, and regal peonies, and proud tulips, and haughty dahlias, all nodding their
heads gently, as if alive. And the ground was strewn with pansies and violets.

For nearly a quarter of an hour (if hours measure time in the music country) Dorothy
forgot all else except the beautiful flowers. And she went from one to another, chatter-
ing to herself and to them, and putting her little snub nose down to smell their delicious
odors.

She was so busy using her eyes and her nose, that she did not let her ears tell her
what they were trying to tell; but presently, with one of those deep sighs which usually
closed any great effort with her, she stopped short in her. course and began to listen, for she
became conscious that there was delightful music all about her. It at first seemed to her to
come up out of the ground, but in a moment more she discovered that it came from the
beautiful flowers. It was not exactly music, as Dorothy usually heard it, with regular intervals
and regular time, but it reminded the little girl of something—she could not tell exactly
what —as she listened. Oh, yes! it was that harp, that A®olian harp, which she. remembered,
listening to once at her uncle's. That was what it was like, only more delicate even than
that. The music seemed to breathe out by itself from the flowers, and came floating up to


** Close behind Delia was La, frisking and waving his pennant,”

(51)

THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. Ba

the sensitive little girl so mysteriously that she would have been puzzled to say whether she
heard the music,— really heard it with her ears,— or smelt it, or tasted it.

She quite forgot all her anxiety about being lost, and relapsed into a dreamy kind of
mood, from which she was aroused by the sound of her name called in La’s cheery voice,
followed quickly by Delia’s gentler tones.

Looking up, she saw her dear friend Delia coming toward her; and close behind Delia
was La, frisking and waving his pennant quite as he was wont to do.

For a moment Dorothy stood still with delight, then she leaped forward and threw her-
self into Delia’s arms. “You dear, dear old thing!” she exclaimed again and again for joy.

The joy was mutual; for Delia was a true friend,-and“loved Dorothy deeply. Even La
was touched, and his voice cracked twice as he tried to sing; so he ceased his song, and
with great tact tried to divert Dorothy and Delia by explaining about the musical flowers.

“You must come and hear and see them, Delia,” interrupted Dorothy; “and then La
will explain about them to us.” So the three went back to the place where she had been
standing, and there stood several minutes listening, with the greatest delight, to the soft,
lulling, murmuring music.

Then La began, ina soft, gentle voice, to tell them about the flowers. “They are not
flowers,” said he, “exactly; that is, each flower is really the soul or spirit of a musical instru-
ment. For instance, those roses are the souls of violins which once were played by great
masters of music. You see, a violin becomes as great as its player. If he is deep and rich
in his nature, and grows deeper and richer as he advances in his art, then the violin grows
too. It has a soul come into it; and when the violin wears out, then the violin’s soul, or
54 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

spirit, comes here to be a flower, —a rose,—and to blossom forever, and dream over its
beautiful past life. That is why this kind of music is so dreamy and soft.”

Dorothy looked at Delia in silence, just giving her a look which said: “ How beautiful!”
And Delia understood perfectly.

La continued: “If you will walk along with me now, I can tell you as we go, and thus
save time; for we have much to see.” So they left the place and followed La, who explained
about all the kinds of flowers, who the various flowers were,—some of them the souls of
harps, and some lutes, and so on. All these had once lived in the world; -but now that
their material bodies had gone, ney themselves were transferred to this place, and bloomed
forth as flowers.

La also explained that sometimes people who had not much musical taste or skill con-
tinued to play on violins and other instruments, after the life and soul of:the instruments had
departed. “And you may be sure,” said he with great emphasis, “that they make dreadful
work of it.”

The three friends now left the field, and came into a well-trodden path. Following this,
with La in advance, Dorothy tried to explain to Delia how she became lost; but there really
was not much to explain, and both were glad enough that no harm had come of it.

Presently Dorothy spied a small group of houses, charmingly painted, with very fantastic
shapes, all clustered together not far away. As La was leading them directly toward the ©
houses, the children said nothing, but looked forward, feeling that they would doubtless see
new wonders.

They were certainly not disappointed, for the houses were the most remarkable ever seen
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 55

by mortal eye. When the- little girls had come nearer, Delia said: “I really can’t under-
stand why these houses look so queerly. They are very different from any I ever saw, yet
I can’t tell exactly what the difference is.”

La was smiling, in an amused sort of way, but as yet had given no explanation; and
Dorothy, who happened to glance at him, burst out, half in fun and half in anger: “Oh, you
need n’t put on such a superior air, Mr. La, as if you knew everything, though you did n’t
choose to tell. Now, if you were in our country we could surprise you in a good many
ways, could n’t we, Delia?” And Dorothy tossed her head in make-believe scorn.

La bowed nearly to the ground, and laughed in his musical way. Then he began to tell
them about the wonderful houses. “They are not built part by part, as are the houses which
you have seen,” said he; “but they grow. They grow just as the plants and flowers grow.
And it is the strangest thing to see Amphion, when he— But you don't know about him,
do you? Well, I will tell you; though I must be quick about it, for we are nearly at the
houses. You see, Amphion is a very-old, old man. He was once a king: he was the king
of the Greek city of Thebes; and he was so very musical, and played so skilfully on the
harp, that he made a wall grow up out of the ground around his city to protect it.”

Dorothy was quite distracted by wishing to hear all that La said, and to see all that was
now appearing before her eyes; and she exclaimed, impatiently: “ Now, do hurry, La, and tell
it quickly!”

But La only laughed at this rather rude speech, and pointed before them, saying: “Oh,
there ’s Amphion now, building a house. Let’s go at once and see him; that will explain
it all.”
56 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

So they hurried along the road, and came to a place where was seated a very aged man,
whose hair was as white as snow, and whose long white beard swept the ground. He was
sitting upon a flat stone, and was playing upon what looked like a harp; but La explained
that it was one kind of harp called a lyre: and was the very one given to Amphion by the
god Mercury centuries ago. “ You can read all about it,” said La, “in some book on Greek
mythology.”

Then he stopped, and the three stood in silence listening and looking. The music which
the aged Amphion drew from his lyre was not as sweet as some kinds which the children
had heard, but it had a subtle, penetrating, powerful quality in it. It fastened the attention,
and yet it aroused one quite as much as it gave pleasure.

The first thing to appear was the chimney, and it pushed slowly and steadily up, the
clods of disturbed earth falling on one side and the other. Then came the topmost parts of
the roof, pushing up through the ground in the same way. It did not rise rapidly, you could
not quite see it rise; but it moved, as the minute-hand of a clock does, just so that you can
tell every few moments that it has been moving.

After the first few minutes of astonishment, Dorothy whispered to Delia that it came
up out of the. earth just like the pretty soap-bubbles out of her clay pipe.

La whispered a word of explanation at this point. “You will notice,” said he, “that the
houses around us vary in style: and that is because Amphion varies his music. Different
kinds of music produce different kinds of houses.”

Now the garret windows had come up into view, and the girls stood perfectly still as the
red row of windows appeared. The majestic old man played in an absorbed way that was








ta —— C =
ee SY
= SS WAZ

VAM
Wal

NZ

Wy
Fo

eo
Lhe
Ceres i

ASSN
se
y
bf



House-building in Music Land.
(57)

THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 59

very different from Dorothy’s practising. “He does n’t change his seat and look out of the
window as much as I do,” whispered she, with a little laugh.

When at last the beautiful house was complete, Amphion gave his harp two or three
powerful blows, which sent out great chords of penetrating sounds. “He’s putting in the
foundations now,” said La, softiy, to his companions.

La did not address the venerable musician directly, — although Amphion, as he finished,
bowed gravely to the little group,— but began telling them more about him. ‘“ The Chro-
matic Council have engaged him to build these houses, as you see,” said he; “but he does
not give all his time to this work, because he has charge of the spheres. Of course you
know they are the planets and the stars, which the ancients believed to revolve about the
sun and to make music as they went. They need, however, to be kept in tune. When they
are out of tune they make great discord: and then Amphion goes to them, in some mysteri-
ous way, and sets them right. Oh, he’s a wonderful musician! Even the Council stands in
awe of him, and he is treated with the profoundest respect. Indeed, they are obliged to
treat him well, or he would n’t work for them at all. I’ve heard it said that he is somewhat
reduced in fortune, or he would n’t stay with us.”

“Whatever you have ‘heard said,” broke in Dorothy, emphatically, “isn’t so. My
mamma told me that.”

La smiled, and agreed that Dorothy was about right. Then he went on to tell them
about the houses. “There is one trouble with them,” said he, thoughtfully, “which the
Council have tried to remedy, but Amphion is persistent in refusing. The point is just this:
the houses are built by the music which Amphion draws from his wonderful lyre. Being
60 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

thus built on music, any discord tends to injure and shrink them. The people who live in
them are, therefore, obliged to avoid all disputes and quarrels; otherwise, their jarring words
and feelings will reduce these beautiful buildings to the ground.”

La spoke quite seriously, and he evidently considered it an important matter. Dorothy,
for her part, was thoughtful and silent, for she was recalling her own struggles with her hasty
nature: how often she had muttered angry words, as she dragged herself to the piano, when
she much preferred going out to play! How fortunate, she reflected, how fortunate that her
house and home had not been subjected to this law, else it would have disappeared many
times over!

“T remember one family,” continued La,— “though it happened a long time ago,— that
met with a sad fate, and all because of this rule which Amphion will not change. This
family lived here in our midst, and they did not control their ill temper, however cautioned.
Well, one day they became engaged in a quarrel of unusual violence. They had often quar-
relled before, but never as violently as at this time. Often they had made their house shrink
a little; but they had coaxed Amphion to play a little in front of the doors, and built them
up again. But this time they quarrelled very violently. Why, the neighbors could hear
every word they said; and, in their rage, they quite forgot about their house; and it began
to grow smaller and smaller, and smaller — and smal — ler —”

“Oh, dear! what a dreadful thing!” exclaimed Dorothy, who was filled up almost to
bursting with sympathy, as La told the story; for he told it so vividly that she could see
it distinctly in her fancy.

“Yes, it was indeed dreadful,” repeated the eighth-note; “for the house became smaller
THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA. 6I

and smaller and smal — ler, — until — until it just went out of sight in the ground, and
nobody ever saw the cross family again.”

This was a very gruesome tale; and Dorothy shrugged her shoulders again and again
as she thought of it.

Amphion had gone a few rods away, and was evidently about beginning to build up
another house. The little girls regarded him with considerable curiosity. “Which would
you prefer to do,” asked La kindly, “to go and see him build that house, or to go inside of
this one for a few moments?”

Delia and Dorothy at once agreed that they would like to enter the house, and La led
the way up to the door; then, excusing himself, he said: “You may go in and look about
all you like. I must go and speak to my friend Sol, who is talking with Amphion; but I
will return in a short time.”

So Delia and Dorothy entered the beautiful house, and were soon lost in contemplation
of the charming rooms. The house was already fitted up for its occupants. That was the
remarkable thing about Amphion’s houses: he built them with chairs and carpets and tables
and chandeliers, and everything completed. .

The minutes passed, and our two young friends wandered about upstairs and downstairs,
everywhere delighted with what they saw. Delia had grown weary with so much | Walking,
and said to Dorothy: “I am a little tired, dear, and I will sit here and rest a moment.”

No sooner had she said this than a great comfortable arm-chair came rolling out from a
corner, quite by itself, and stopped invitingly before her. “Oh, my! oh, my!” Dorothy fairly
screamed; “how very delightful!” Then she tried the same thing herself. “I think I will
62 ; THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA.

also sit down,” she said, in a quiet tone; and at once another great chair came gliding out
and stopped before her. Both the girls were surprised and charmed with this; but they had
seen so many marvels that they did not wonder long over it.

Dorothy, active, restless little girl as she was, really felt as fatigued as did Delia; but,
like other excitable children, she did not know it, and her weariness began to show itself in
her words and manner. Sitting only a few moments, she sprang up and exclaimed: “ Let ’s
go upstairs again, and look out from that north window, Delia. We didn’t go into that
north room at all, and I’m sure there must be a charming view from that side.”

But Delia was too weary; and, although she usually yielded to her restless little friend,
at times she was firm in refusing. ‘‘ No, Dorrie; I am so tired. You go up and look, and
I will wait here.”

Dorothy, however, would do nothing of the sort, and said a great many sharp and
unpleasant. words, which need not be repeated here, meanwhile tugging at Delia’s arm to
draw. her along.

Exactly how long this. lasted, I cannot say. Dorothy was fretful and cross, and Delia
simply persisted in staying where she was; when suddenly, without any warning, the room grew
rapidly dark. Something seemed to be rising up outside the windows, and covering them up.

Instantly Dorothy’s complaining words ceased, and she stood still in alarm. Delia sprang
up, and drew her companion to the door; but when they came out into the hall, the door was
closed, and all was dark outside of it. “ What shall we do! what shall we do!” cried Dor-
othy; and even calm Delia felt greatly afraid. The rooms were so dark that they could see
nothing; and they held each other tightly by the hand.
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 63

There certainly would have been a copi-
ous shedding of tears very soon had not the
frightened children at that moment heard the
familiar tones of La’s voice, seeming to come
down the staircase, from the upper rooms of
the house.

“ Delia! Dorothy !” he called quickly,
“stop quarrelling! stop being cross at once!
You will be buried up in the house, if you
don’t! It has sunk nearly down out of
sight. Come up here directly!”

And at once the two children groped
their way to the staircase, and from there,
by the light which came down, they easily
ran up to the upper floor. “ Here! here!”
called La; and they quickly sped into the
room whence the sound came, and there was
La looking in at one of the windows.

Running toward him, they climbed up
on the window-sill; and what was their sur-
prise to see the surface of the ground only
a few. feet below the edge of the upper

window.

KLEE f,

St













LE

“The two children groped their way to the staircase.”
64 THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

Then they understood it all; and as soon as they leaped out, poor little Dorothy covered
her face with her hands and sobbed aloud: “Oh, why did I say those cross words ? Why
did 1? I nearly killed you, Delia: I nearly had you buried alive!”

It was perfectly clear now what the trouble had been. They saw that the house, which
“was built on harmony and concord, had sunk back into the ground because of Dorothy’s
irritation, which was discord.

“ Never mind,” said La, who was always inclined to put a cheerful face on a bad matter,
“never mind; I will ask Amphion to come and build it up again. You go on ahead slowly
in that direction, and I will soon overtake you.”

So the two girls did as he said; and presently, looking back, they saw Amphion seated,”
. with his harp, before the half-buried house, raising it again to its full height. This relieved
Dorothy’s remorseful feelings a little, and she soon gave attention to a number of small notes,
chiefly sixteenths and thirty-seconds, who were. playing at the side of the road. At length
the children paused to look at them, for they were most amusing in their antics.

A few of the older notes, the halves and the quarters, were joining, in a dignified way,
in their games. Delia was especially interested in several of the notes who had placed a
board on one of the rails of a fence, and were “ tetering.” She called Dorothy’s attention to
the fact that all the fences they had seen were like this one, having five rails and four spaces.
‘“So you see,” said she, “they are like the staves in our music-books.”

Then, after a moment’s pause, she continued: “ And just look, Dorrie! See those notes
who are ‘tetering’! If I am not mistaken, they are doing in their way what we do in our
way when we practise our piano-lessons.”
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND

When Dorothy looked she
-saw that one quarter-note ex-
actly balanced two eighth-notes,
and that when a quarter-note
and an eighth-note sat on one
side of the board three eighth-
notes climbed up to the other end. Thus,

in all their “tetering,” they followed the

law of equals. It was funny, ~indeed, to
‘see a serious-looking half-note sitting on
one end and eight sixteenth-notes holding
on like a swarm of bees at the other end.

At this moment somebody ran violently
against Dorothy, almost throwing her down.
It was an eighth-note; and La, who at that
moment came up, apologized for the care-

DELIA. 65




“Tetering.””
lessness of the note, by explaining that he
was one of several notes who were playing a very exciting game. “It is called the game of
Fugue,” said he. ‘Very likely you don’t see the meaning of it now, but you will some

time, I think.”

As the children studied the game, they saw that it was played in this way: One note

started along the road, running as fast as he could. As soon as he had run a short distance,
66 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.



















Playing ‘‘ Fugue.”

another note started after him, and soon another, and yet another followed. They ran and
doubled about, making ‘Sraceful curves, until finally the notes who started last, and were
fleetest, had overtaken the first note, when they all came racing back to the point from which
they started; where a note, called the key-note, stood keeping goal. Through it all they
laughed in their wonderful musical way, never appearing to lose their breath in the least,
but appearing quite as fresh at the close of the race as at the beginning.

Dorothy was quite fully occupied in watching the game; but Delia was busy trying to
see what it meant. For several minutes she could not get any clew to it, but suddenly she
remembered that she had seen. the word “ Fugue” in a book which her teacher had; and
when she asked La about it, he at once explained that a fugue was a kind of musical piece
which is played on an organ. “You have n’t played any of those pieces,” he said; “but
probably your teacher has.”

La seemed quite excited by the brisk game, and Dorothy also; but there was not enough
time, otherwise La would certainly have done something about it.
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 67

Turning away rather reluctantly, our young friends followed their guide along the road,
and presently they caught sight of a large building, which rose high above the roofs of the
houses, at the other end of the village.. La at once called their attention to it, and announced
that it was the hall of the Chromatic Council. “And I think,” continued he, looking care-
fully up the road, “by the number of people that I can see moving in that direction, that
the Council is in session. If it is, that will give you a view of our rulers.” So the three
hurried along, and La told his young friends a number of things about the musical country
and its inhabitants, which he thought would help them to understand the sights to which
they were now coming.

“You must know,” said he, “that there are two great familiessof notes—the Major and
the Minor. They look very much alike; but the Minor family lives over on the other side
of the hill. It’s a dreary kind of country, though; they have
a great deal of cloudy, misty weather, and the members of
that family are much sadder than are our people in the Major
family. I’m glad enough that I was born in this family.”

La paused for a moment to point out the way to a little
stray thirty-second-note, who was lost and was crying bitterly. > nn
When this little kindness was done, he continued: “ These ta points out the way to a little thirty-second-
two chief families are descended from two ancestors, who lived ees
a long, long time ago, called Father Long-Sound and Mother High-Sound. These two ancestors
were descended from an extremely ancient personage, much older than even Amphion; and



his name was — was — well, I can’t quite pronounce it, for it was a foreign-sounding name;
68 THE MUSICAL ¥OURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

but it means just Sound. I have never heard anything about this ancient personage, except
that he had a rough, boisterous son called Noise, who was so unpleasant to everybody that
he was banished from the country at a very early age. But, there! how I have talked! and
here we are now near the great hall of the Council.” |

As La and the children drew near the great hall nobody seemed to feel great surprise
at seeing the little girls, and they mingled with the crowd fearlessly; although Dorothy kept
a tight hold of Delia’s hand, and Delia held fast to La’s hand, so that nobody should be lost
again, as Dorothy had been lost among the chorus singers.

The impulsive child soon became absorbed in watching the great company of notes,—
wholes, halves, quarters, and others, — so that she almost felt as if she, too, were a note in this
strange musical country.

It certainly showed good training, on the part of the notes, that they did not stare at
their visitors; but even if they had the children would soon have been unaware of it, for
their gaze was drawn at once to the great hall, of which they had heard so much.

Delia whispered to La that old Amphion might very justly be proud of this his master-
piece of building. It was all of white marble, with finishing lines of black marble; and there
were many beautiful statues placed in niches here and there on the front.

Over the grand entrance were the statues of the nine Muses. La explained to Delia that
the word “music” was derived from the names of these Greek goddesses. “ The Council never
cared very much about having their statues up there,” said he; “because, as you know, these
mythical people presided over many arts besides music, as we understand it. But Amphion was
determined to have them; he said they reminded him of old times, and the Council yielded to him.”
q

THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 69

Dorothy had heard La speak so often and so respectfully and seriously about the members
of the great Chromatic Council that she was very impatient to see them. “Oh, dear! I wish
they would come out!” she exclaimed again and again. “Can't you hurry them up, La?”

eval hurry up the Chromatic Council!” responded La, with a comical look of helplessness.
“Can't I hurry up the sun and the moon and the stars, you might as well say!”

Restless Dorothy now caught sight of the chairs—they might better be called thrones —
on which she judged that the Council would sit. They were massive and beautiful, and they
were placed side by side on the great broad platform which extended in front of the hall.
There were thirteen of them in all; and Delia whispered to Dorothy to notice that they just
equalled in number the notes of the chromatic scale.

As they looked and wondered, the lofty door opened, and the members of the Council
came slowly and solemnly out, moved to their thrones, and sat down with dignity. Dorothy
saw now that the thrones, or chairs, were not side by side: for eight of the councillors, who
wore white robes, sat in a line; but the other five, who wore black robes, sat a little back
from this, but in line with each other.

Of course, as Delia was: older than Dorothy, she understood better the hidden meaning of
these things. She therefore whispered hastily: “Just keep in mind, Dorrie, the chromatic scale
of C, as we had it in the lesson before the last, and you will understand these strange matters.”

Dorothy nodded, and now noticed that each of the councillors in the white robes had a
beautiful ornamental letter embroidered upon his breast. The first one at the left had the
letter C, the next had the letter D, the next E, then F, and G, and A, B, and C.

The black-robed councillors had no letters on their robes. La said that this was for
70 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

various reasons; one was, that they were dependent in their natures, and were very variable
in their moods: sometimes joining themselves to the white-robed councillor above them and
assuming his name for a time, and sometimes to the one below them.*

The subject of the meeting was a serious and even sad one. It was the trial of the Sirens.
Now, everybody knows that the Sirens were beautiful women, with charming voices, who lived
in Sicily; and have been accused of singing such bewitching songs, from the cliffs and rocks,
as to lure mariners to destruction. They have a younger relation, called “the Lorelei,” who
is said to dwell upon the Rhine, in Germany, and to make the same cruel use of her voice.

La explained that the Council had planned to have her also at this trial; but she had
hidden herself and could not be found. “She is not so beautiful as these three Sirens,”
said La, “although she is much younger. The truth is about these ancient races, that the
older they are the more beautiful people think them to be.”

It was a very serious charge, this against the Sirens, and both Delia and Dorothy . were
eager to see them; but they caught only a passing glimpse of them through a window of the -
hall. Moreover, the children stood so far back in the crowd that they could not hear as
distinctly as they wished; but they caught enough of the speech made by C, on the left of the
line, to learn that he was urging some severe punishment on these cruel, wicked women.

Dorothy heard him say that “such a base use of musical power as these people had
shown ranked them at the very bottom of the musical scale.”

* Strictly speaking, the black notes have not the fixed character of the white ones: that is, C# is not the same as Db; but on such
keyed instruments as the pianoforte and organ the distinction cannot be maintained. Moreover, this is a more intricate phase of the subject
than this little book can profitably consider.
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 71

After this speech was ended, there was a moment’s pause; and then, turning toward the
others, A waved his hand gracefully and with dignity, saying in his deep tones: “Let others
speak, as the laws of our land direct.”

La found time to whisper just a word to the children. “ Watch closely,” said he, “and
you will see that the various councillors will speak in such a way that you will be reminded
of the letters of the scale of C on your piano.”

Delia understood this hint better than Dorothy did; but they both listened closely.

Presently E arose and gave his assent to what had been said by C. He had no
sooner sat down than G arose, and said much the same thing, though in slightly different
words.

“Oh, I see how it is!” exclaimed Dorothy. “That is like the chord of C,—‘the triad,’
our teacher calls it,—.C, E, and G are in harmony with each other.”

Delia only nodded, putting her finger to her lips to signify silence.

Then one of the black-robed councillors arose. It was the one who sat between A and
B. He arose, and shook his head, saying something in so faint a voice that ‘neither Delia nor
Dorothy could catch the words.. But, whatever it was, it seemed to create quite a stir; for
there was a general rustiing and moving among the councillors, and C— the one at the left,
who had spoken — frowned severely.

'La’s hearing was very acute indeed; and he explained to his young friends that this
black-robed councillor was urging the selection of F as a new master of the Council in
place of C, who now held that position. “They are very hard to manage, those black ones,”
whispered he. They are always trying to introduce changes of some sort.”


72 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA.

Delia was able to whisper one word of interpretation to Dorothy. ‘“ That means,” said
she, “that when you have the chord of C on the piano, and you play B), it changes you into
the key of F.”

This movement among the councillors was not carried out; and somebody called on B

-for his opinion, but B only shook his head, and referred to the C who sat next above him,

as if he would agree with his opinion.
“That ’s always the way he does!” exclaimed La with vexation. “I’ve attended a great

-many meetings of the Council; and that B never seems to have any mind of his own. He

always refers to C.”
“That is because B is the leading tone,” whispered Delia hurriedly to Dorothy. “He

leads: up to C on the piano.”

In the present case C himself would say but little. He merely repeated what his brother,
the G at the lower end of the row, had said; and, what was rather remarkable, he repeated
exagily the same words, only in a higher tone of voice.

The debate went on for some time, much feeling being shown both for the Sirens and
against them. Some of the councillors grew very excited indeed; but this was no more than
one would expect, since music deals so much with the feelings.

The two C’s seemed to agree in their opinion, and with them E and G were in harmony.
G seemed very variable in his mind, for he appeared at first to agree with C and E, but once,
after D and B had spoken, he turned straight about and agreed with them.

“ That means,” said Delia, “that G is in the chord of C, and also in the chord of G.”

Dorothy was now becoming a little weary of the debate, and her eyes wandered about
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELTA. 73

somewhat restlessly. Soon La noticed the mood of his little guest,—for he was a very
attentive host,— and he suggested that they should withdraw to one side, where they might
sit down and talk more freely.

This they did; and Dorothy, tired as she. was, found her tongue as nimble as ever, and
she plied La with questions. “What are those old harps for?” she inquired, as she pointed
toward the Council Hall.

At one side of the doorway some very ancient-looking harps were hanging upon hooks;
and La nodded and said, speaking almost reverently: “Those old harps are very worn and
old, but they are held in high veneration among us: for they are the Hebrews’ harps that
were hung upon the willows at Babylon by the Israelites in exile. They are unstrung, and
have remained so ever since the weeping exiles ceased from their glad songs of Zion.”

Dorothy was very glad to see them. “I remember about them,” she said. “ My mamma
read out of the Psalms last Sunday, and it told about them.”

‘Just behind them,” continued La, “ you see another sacred relic. That horn is one of
those which were said to have overthrown the walls of Jericho, when blown upon by the
priests of Israel. It is a very great curiosity, and it is also dangerous to its possessors. It
is hung out only on great days when the Council is in session. At other times it is kept
carefully guarded inside the hall. For if anybody were to blow upon it now, what do you
suppose would happen?”

La looked very serious and frowned terribly as he asked the question.

‘““Oh, dear!” exclaimed Dorothy, “I don’t know, I’m sure. Something dreadful, I
suppose.”
74 THE MUSICAL FJOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

‘Indeed there would!” La went on. ‘“ Why, if anybody blew that powerful horn the
houses and the hall itself would all be toppled over.”

This was startling news for both the children, who looked with awe at the powerful horn.
Then Dorothy remembered reading, in a story about giants, an account of a horn which the
hero had, which, when blown upon, brought the giant’s castle tumbling about his ears. She
asked La, timidly, if he thought this could be the same horn; and he answered that it was
not, but was very much like it.

Presently La drew his friends gently out beyond the assemblage of notes, who were still
listening attentively to the debate by the councillors. He said that they could stroll about
for a time, until the session of the Council was ended, and could then return and enter the
hall, to see the many remarkable objects there.

Dorothy was enchanted with the sights and sounds about her. After a few minutes of
silence, during which she had evidently been revolving some mighty problem in her mind,
she turned to Delia dnd asked: “ Why is it, Delia, that a little girl’s arms and legs get tired
before her thinking does?” ; 3

The poor child’s eyes and ears and her mind behind them were all alert; but she could
hardly drag her weary body along, even with La’s help and Delia’s. She felt as if she could
never be tired of looking. So much came to her, too, through her sense of hearing. It
seemed, also, as if the longer she stayed in this wonderful land, the keener her ears became;
so that now she could distinguish sounds which at first were beyond her power. The very
grass of the fields, .as.it grew, sent up ‘a soft, harmonizing sound that was very agreeable; and
the buds and blossoms, nodding in the breezes, tinkled like tiny bells; while the branches of -
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 75

the trees, as they swung in the air, murmured gently to each other; and even the air itself
repeated and multiplied the sweet sounds as if it were alive.

“ Everything is so beautiful in this country,” sighed Dorothy softly ; “I wish I could live
here always.” But as she spoke she remembered her dear papa and mamma, and was about
to ask if they could come too, when La said: “We are very happy in this country, you may
be sure; and it is because we have so little discord. We live under the rule of harmony
here. Harmony is happiness with us. If anybody continues long in wrong-doing, his life
becomes discordant, and we. hasten to banish him from our land.”

“Where do the people go when you banish them?” inquired Delia with some interest.

“T don’t really know; but I’ve heard that they go to the kingdom of that banished
“ancestor of ours whom I told you about. His name is Noise, you remember.”

Dorothy had something in her busy mind, which she was about to utter, when she noticed
that the trees and flowers and grasses seemed to be increasing the volume of their sounds;
and La burst out: “Oh, I am delighted! The symphony is about to begin. I am glad that
you will hear it.”

Then he explained, more calmly, that the close of each session of the Chromatic Council
was celebrated by a symphony, in which all created things took part. “Tt is directly descended,
this custom is,” said La, “from that first great symphony, when ‘the morning stars sang to-
gether’; and we cherish all such beautiful old customs.”

“Let ’s climb up to the top of that mound,” he continued, pointing to a slight eminence
in front of them, “and from there we can hear everything capitally.”. So away they ran, the
three, as fast as they could, and scrambled up the mound. ‘I ought to have remembered at
76 THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

once about the symphony,” said La, who was in great good spirits. “I wonder how I was so
stupid! The grass sings in that way only when it is making ready for that great event.”



“There, the symphony is beginning!’’”’

The three friends had hardly time to seat themselves, when a low, rumbling Sound was
heard; and La exclaimed: “ There, the symphony is beginning! That: is. the ocean, over
beyond the mountain, just getting into tune... The ocean has the bass part.”

The rumbling now grew steadier and more musical, and became a great, deep tone, like
the low pedal-tone of an organ, only grander. « Soon the earth. beneath them caught the key, -

.
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. : 77

and sent up a rich.response of sound, which was echoed by the mountain, and was multiplied
into a thousand rich tones, all blending in harmony. Dorothy sat like a statue, as the ground
music grew and gathered strength.

Next the forests caught the key, and joined in the harmony as if each tree were an organ-
pipe, and every leaf were a vibrating reed. Dorothy was afraid lest the sound should become
too great to be borne; but, mighty as the symphony became, it was never harsh nor
oppressive.

Now the birds in the trees and in the air added their trills and warblings: and these
brilliant notes flashed up and down the steady sustained chords of the sea and earth and
trees, like arpeggios on a mighty harp.

Never had mortal ear been permitted to listen to such harmonies before. It seemed as
_if God’s whole beautiful world were alive, and as if its breath were music. -The child’s heart
seemed almost to melt within her, so surpassingly sweet was-the symphony; and, one after
another, tears of joy glided from beneath her closed eyelids.

The symphony had begun very gradually; but now, as it ended, it ended in a very

_ different way. After it had sped gleefully on through rapid measures, and moved with
majesty’ through slow and stately measures, one following the other in harmonious succession,
then suddenly, ‘with hardly a note of warning, it ended, — before the children realized it, the
sound ceased.

They were too much impressed by it to speak, and in a moment they were glad that
they ‘had not; for there came the sound of music from the blue sky over their heads. It

.. » took up the strains > just given by. the Symphony, and repeated them: only the music seemed


78 : THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA.

to come from a great, great distance, even from beyond the soft, white clouds floating peace-
fully in the bright sunlight.

When at last these ravishing strains from the sky had died away, the three friends sat
in silence for a long time. Then La said softly, as if to speak aloud were a sacrilege: “ That
is said by some to be an echo sent back to us from the spheres, but others call it ‘The |

.)

Answer of the Angels.

During all this time that the symphony had lasted, Dorothy’s eyes had been closed: how
long it had been she could not tell; but now, as she tried to open her eyes, she found great
gle and much rubbing, she did succeed
in lifting the heavy lids, what do you think she saw? I am sure you could never guess.

difficulty in doing so. And when at last, after a strug

She saw, — well, she did n’t see either La or her dear friend Delia,— but she saw her
music-book in front of her; and then, as she moved her feet about a little, she struck against
the legs of the piano-stool upon which she was sitting; and, — well— well, there she was,
sitting at the piano, with her curly golden head resting upon her music-book; and, as she
looked about the room, there was the half-hour glass lying upon its side, precisely as she
had left it.

Dorothy looked at the music-book, you may be sure, with the greatest curiosity. She ran
her eyes over the upper staff in search of La and the other frolicsome notes; but not one of
them could she find. Not one eighth-note moved or winked; and she felt sure that if any of her
strange music-friends had been there he would have made his presence known in some way.

f °

t
THE MUSICAL FOURNEY OF DOROTHY AND DELIA. 79

There were the clefs, keeping guard at the entrance of the staves, as vigilantly as ever.

Then the puzzled child fell to wondering if all the notes had scrambled back into their places¢

Finally, Dorothy rubbed her eyes once more, set the half-hour glass in its place, so that
the red sand could run as fast as it liked, placed her hands over the keys, and began counting
as if she had’ -not been away more than a minute: “One, two, three! one, two, three!” and
the notes seemed to have a friendly feeling for her now, and to come under her fingers more
quickly and more correctly than ever before.

When at last the practising was over for the day, Dorothy ran to tell her mamma all
the things she had seen during the wonderful journey. But she could not remember all of
them; and she said: “I do.n’t ‘understand it in the least; but I shall try to practise and
study, so that if ever I go again, I shall know all about everything that I see.”

THE END.

*


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