n there by the name of Penloe, who
certainly is the most gifted man I ever have met in all my travels.
There is a power in his personality that is irresistible; you cannot
help being drawn towards him. But his power is of that kind that is
uplifting and elevating, and there is something very sweet in his
nature. After supper I took a little walk with him about the grounds,
and his conversation was exceedingly interesting. I will never forget
the talk I had with him. He seemed to be able to bring out of me ideas
which I had never expressed before; in fact, making me talk, as it were,
above myself. In thinking it over, I must say my own conversation was a
surprise to me; and as for him, while he does not take you all of a
sudden into great depths of thought, or attach wings to you and have you
flying through the heavens, yet he has the genius of taking the most
commonplace subjects and causing you to see such an interest and beauty
in them as you never saw before. After we all assembled in the large
double parlors and had some games, there were several who favored the
company with instrumental and vocal music, when I thought it would be no
more than proper to ask Penloe to play. After he had been seated at the
piano a few minutes, I was a little in doubt whether I had not made a
mistake in asking him, for he commenced playing with one hand and only
touching one key at a time, more like a child playing. He still went on
playing with one hand, but touching two and three keys at a time. I
noticed some ladies and gentlemen began looking at each other and then
at Penloe, hardly knowing what to make of such playing. As he proceeded
further in his performance with one hand, though the playing was simple,
yet there was a peculiarity about it that can hardly be expressed as he
went along with his apparently amateur performance. Then he used his
other hand and fingered a few more keys occasionally, and I felt an
interest growing in me, and also those around me seemed to share the
same feeling. A little later and the fingers of both hands were going a
little more rapidly over the key-board, and the childish and amateur
performer had ceased and the playing began to impress me as being that
of a young professional. I began to feel myself more drawn into the
playing, and when the playing of a young professional had given place to
the experienced professional, I was all attention; but it was not long
before the professional had disappeare