them with his violin, until at last the long form of the
second violinist also rises up. In the end all three of
them begin advancing, step by step, upon the banqueters,
Valentinavyczia, the 'cellist, bumping along with his in~
strument between notes. Finally all three are gathered at
the foot of the tables, and there Tamoszius mounts upon a
stool.

Now he is in his glory, dominating the scene. Some of
the people are eating, some are laughing and talking -- but
you will make a great mistake if you think there is one
of them who does not hear him. His notes are never
true, and his fiddle buzzes on the low ones and squeaks
and scratches on the high; but these things they heed no
more than they heed the dirt and noise and squalor about
them -- it is out of this material that they have to build
their lives, with it that they have to utter their souls.
And this is their utterance; merry and boisterous, or
mournful and wailing, or passionate and rebellious, this
music is their music, music of home. It stretches out
its arms to them, they have only to give themselves up.
Chicago and its saloons and its slums fade away -- there
are green meadows and sunlit rivers, mighty forests and
snow-clad hills. They behold home landscapes and child~
hood scenes returning; old loves and friendships begin to
waken, old joys and griefs to laugh and weep. Some fall
back and close their eyes, some beat upon the table. Now
and then one leaps up with a cry and calls for this song or
that; and then the fire leaps brighter in Tamoszius's eyes,
and he flings up his fiddle and shouts to his companions,
and away they go in mad career. The company takes up
the choruses, and men and women cry out like all pos~
sessed; some leap to their feet and stamp upon the floor,
lifting their glasses and pledging each other. Before
long it occurs to someone to demand an old wedding-
song, which celebrates the beauty of the bride and the
joys of love. In the excitement of this masterpiece
Tamoszius Kuszleika begins to edge in between the tables,
making his way toward the head, where sits the bride.
There is not a foot of space between the chairs of the

[[7]]

p006 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p007w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p008

v?