Stadium High School - Tahoma Yearbook (Tacoma, WA)

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THE TAHOMA I9 His Masterpiece Miriam Zeller, ' I 3 Carl Steam, the lover of music, sat slowly playing over his finished com- position. By it he was to become famous-yes, he was sure of that. So he sat hour after hour, musing, planning, and dreaming of the glory that was to be his. He could leave his small German quarters and mingle with the men of whom he read and of whose society he craved. He had always longed for it. Again he went slowly over the manuscript. Ach, how beautiful it was! Music with him was a passion. It was live and real. Father! Oh, father, where are you? came to him softly across the hall. Before he could answer, his daughter Hilda was beside him. Oh, father, I've had the best time! l've been down the court and saw the Kaiser's parade. Listen, Hilda, said the old German. I have my opera finished. l will be great and famous: and you, you shall be a great lady. You are al- most eighteen. It can hardly be. Giirl, l've done my best for You. You have had the best I had, but it has been very poor. How can I forget the first time, when you were so small, and you looked up in my face. Girl, it seemed ,to me that my heart would burst, for that day your mother had died. i The morrow came, and with it all of the fervor and expectation of the yesterday. At nine the old man was ready, and at nine-thirty trudged out of his home and on his way. He walked very erect with his head thrown back: his eyes were kindled with a fire that spoke of triumph. The precious man- uscript he held tucked tightly under his arm. He looked like a conqueror, and felt as one. At the door of the studio he stopped a moment, then went in. Y To the old man, this studio was a holy place, for von Glieb was the mas- ter of music, and music was Stearn's god, worshiped from earliest boyhood. Well, said von Glieb, you have brought the opera? Good! Let me see it. Steam handed the package to the Master as though it were a sacrifice. Von Glieb passed the pages over hurriedly, then commenced to play. To Steam it was wonderful music and he listened breathless. The master played it through a few pages, then looked sharply at the old German: at first hesi- tatingly, then his eyes lost their sharpness and became tender. My friend, he said, we all make mistakes. God so thinks best. l am sorry for you. but your opera is worthless. Better I should tell you the truth than a falsehood' Carl Steam said nothing, reeled, and fell to the floor. He had so stead- fastly believed in his opera that failure had not entered his mind. The com-

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I8 TI-IE. TAHOMA he let the match scorch his fingers before he thought to drop it. A Ye-es, his wife sobbed, seeking to hide her own misdeed by magnify- ing what she believed to be his. 'cNobocly but a sneak would spy. I ju-just wished I'd burnt down the cabin with you in it. At the utterance of this bloodthirsty wish Roger hastily lighted another match, and when its light again illuminated the scene, Gale ceased her sobbing to gaze in astonishment at two carefully arranged bundles of kindling, resting against the wall. Then the true state of affairs dawned upon her. Roger, she cried, but this time in triumph, Roger Morton, you were trying to burn down the cabin! And I suppose my wife was merely building smudges to keep away the mosquitoes. He stooped to examine the betraying shavings. But you would never have disturbed my slumber with this. How many times have I told you Ere won't burn downward ? You needn't be such a pie-face, Gale retorted angrily. I don't see why you wanted to burn the cabin, anyway. You dan't have to wash, and scrub, and bake, and cook, and,- Well, I have to eat what you cook, don't I? Roger spokeias if his actions needed no further explanations. Gale was at that moment especially well prepared to deliver an oration on the baseness of men in general, and her husband in particular, when an extra violent gust of wind took the opening words from her lips. Nearby in the forest they heard a tree rip from its moorings, rush through the air for a second, and then fall heavily against another tree. For a few moments the two giants swayed and groaned, like mythical monsters in mortal combat. Then came a sudden rush, a snapping and tearing of branches, and one mighty crash, as the enormous timbers struck the earth together. The local earthquake which followed almost shook the cabin from its foundation. :win n as - I guess wed better go to bed, Roger decided at last through chat- tering teeth. And be thankful that two fools still have a roof over their heads, Gale added, groping for her companion's hand. And spuds to eat, he commented with a chuckle, as his hand closed over hers.

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20 THE TAHOMA position into which the best of his life had gone had been his great hope. When he found his life-work all al mistake, and his great dream shattered, all was gone. Nothing mattered. , Having been brought home, the lover of music lay unconscious for hours. Finally, regaining consciousness for a few moments, he found Hilda bending cver him. Hilda, girl, it's alll over, the music was all a mistake. Oh, how I was going to do so much for you, and I-- but he was unconscious again. He lay for weeks very ill, but at last Hilda's love triumphed. He asked for the opera, but when Hilda brought it to him, he turned his face the other way and said, Take it away! I never want to see it againg I think that I hate it. So she took it away. Several years went by. Hilda and her father were living in a poor quarter. Carl Steam was a broken hearted old man. He was always unhappy. Sometimes he went into the room, where the piano was, locked the door, and would play softly. Finally he began again to write down the music. Sometimes when he was bitter and when his heart was nigh breaking. he played, and little by little wrote, and he wrote as he felt. The music was sad and at limes bitter. It was not intended to be great as was his first masterful dream. It was an outpouring of his soul. He knew that the end was near, and wor- ried for Hilda's sake, but welcomed it for himself. One day there came to the quarter a wealthy young American, Arthur Rex, whose love for adventure led him into places which his companions dis- dained. He was lost, and wandered aimlessly about. Being suddenly at- tracted by the sound of soft music, he stopped and listened. Not much, but more civilized music than one usually hears in these German quarters, he thought. Being curious, he knocked at the house from which the music came. There is someone knocking, daughter, Stearn said. Hilda quickly opened the door. When Arthur saw the beautiful young girl standing there, he somehow got confused and said something about having lost his way. Her father, on hearing a new voice, came to the door and invited the stranger in. After getting the necessary directions, he left the quarter with a confused mem- ory of brown eyes, great beauty, and what a fool he had been. The following week he came back with a pretense of hearing the music lover play. Many days he came here, always with the same excuse. At first the old man regarded him with displeasure, but he began to look forward to his com- ing. He began also to tell the boy his story, of his hopes and dreams. HI- I failed, boy, I failed, and I longed, and I longed, so very much to be great, to have my opera charm hundreds and hold them enthralled. My opera-you can't know just what these two words meant to me. I loved it, my poor at- tempt, and believed in it. I have been writing some sinceg it may become an