The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-08-09
A CINCINNATI SKETCH.
ny WILLIAM $. srERRy.

ny WILLIAM $. srERny.
Some Of our readers may have seen, two
or three weeks ago, about the streets, a
poor, pale, STOPPING Italian, with con-
sumptive organ, on which he ground OH,
such melancholy tunes ~ "Ranz Des
Vachos," "Adesle Fidcles'' aud the "Co-
penhagen Waltz" Ito had with him
slim slip Of y woman, who wore wry lock
ing excuse Of dress, had a particular oh.
dear sort of countenance and held collect
ing tamburine with sort Of l'Il-be-sa
ed-with-any.hing mir, which was extremely
calculated tn make one feel in his pocket
for coppers, because he would not think Of
giving a half-dime. There was, besides
this Iazzaronish woman, q little pimpcred
ecrishlooking girl, about two aud half
hands high, who looked as it sho might he
sixty years old, for all any body knew to
he contrary. With her blue lips nd clear
skinny eyes, she looked as it she was trn.
dilion Of Some evil import, sort OF dolorous
prophecy, and kept saving away ON min
iaturc violin, which wheczed like an astl
mc,ic splinter on q picket fence. A DESC
late looking trio were they, tho man and
his organ, the sipsy woman and the omin-
GUS girl, who delighted in discord and
Adesic Fidclcs. We had melancholy
satisfaction in looking at them, for ,hoy had
harmonious development, like a man
with wry neck, bow legs and squint in
ono eve.
Well, yesterday we heard the old tune,
Wheeling away in The bright sunshine,
with al additional touch oi pulmonary con-
sumption, sort Of iaintncss as il its bowels
were giving way under some soitcning
emotion, like u cat.gu, under the operation
Of vinegar; an increment Of grief imposed
upon its oelancholy, like n tear on the
check Of Dante. We missed the violin aud
lis usual qneczy complaint, and looking
from the window we saw TINT the little girl
was not there. Tho violin lay sorrowiul-
" on the top Of the organ, and silently, rs
il j, would whisper lovingly TO il, aud say
''she il gone md there is mono to wake
me-" A little green ribbon hung 10 its
hnndle, and fu,,crcd in tho wind like n
sigh, and the old man looked from his dizzy
eyes as il it were living and would speak
TO him. There was world Of thongh, in
his eyes and he forge, to turn the organ.
Well a'day rho is dead then, and the eery
eyes arc nj rest, and the little skinny hand
will trcmble no more on the how.
The organ resumed its piping, and 10
dcsolato way, whimpcred n few bars Of the
Copenhagen waltz, but it could not keep
up. The slipsv woman was not there Ell
| Their. aud the old man Looked tlesols,e aud
iorlorn, and there was dreamy look ia his
eyes, rs il looking through the SUNSHINE Of
the present dav, he saw the fnr-awav.-
Wnndcrer to land that to the lima inn,on
of bis youth was all golden, tho desolate
realization OF 40 hope weighed on his low
forehead, aud drew down his swart brows.
Aud the organ mnancd and whcczcd, and
creakcd IL itself, MS ifa cholicy norih-winh
was chpnking IL lis bowels Of wood and
brass, and the old man seemed to care moth
ing TIM, no ono gavc. lie was playing
perhaps from habit, aud perhaps his organ
woocd him pleasantly, with sort of com
FUNCTIONS memory. Il rripcd ont the last
bars of the waltz with n spasmodic attempt
TO le merry, like an attempted gnllop IN n
wind-br"kc horse, which was truly touch
ing, md stopped quavcrinsly on the last
quaver.
The old man shivcrcd little, took up
his machine nngnishly, adjusted tho little
violin with half londiing motion, as il he
wns feeling for the thin hair u the cll-chld,
brought the green ribbon around 80 that il
Aut,cred against his lips, aud departed.
Poor old oreauisi! who knows how much OF
hope, mud joy. and Iovo there was IN that
child, elf.chld as she was, aud even more
for that; and how much there may be in
thnt ch"licy organ. which speaks TO thy
heart Of home in tho sunny Apprentices.