The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-03-12
Drafts at Sight, for General Circulation
BY CAPT. EZEKIEL DOWNING.

was-all about II. III was three years
ago, guess, and one day Isaiah Jeweit
popped his head into Joe's blacksmith
shop, where was, and as soon as he
clapped eyes on me, says he, "MisterP
and, says I, What ~ and then, says
he, rather slyly, I've got little some~
thing to say to you, so out | stepped.
Now YOU must know, had kind of a
knack at playing the flute-so. says he,
after we got away from the shop, "Don'l
you wan, to jine band Fright up in
tina, way, and you know il struck me all
up on eend at once, to think that could
play in a baud, and answered in a great
hurry, right oif-hand-"Yes, to be sure"
" Well" d" says he, "you must come up
to Deacon Pulsifer's, tonight, and meet
the rest, and we'll talk about it," So
off he went to stir up the rest, as he said
Well, when it come night, off | went,
flute in pocket, to the old Deacon's-
waddling through the snow two feet
deep. It's u smasher of a road in the
winter, | tell you-always eternally full
Of snow, and up to the Deacons was a
good mile. Bu, | go, there time enough.
tbough--and after we all got together
we commenced business. First, there
was Isaiah Jewett and Tom-ihey played
the clarionet. An Isaiah was the fel-
low for that-why, you could hear him,
of still night, two miles any time. II
he'd been minister he'd have banged
the contents out of the Bible to some
purpose. Toms noise wasn't half so
loud, bnt then what there was, was twice
as bad--so that just made up. Then
there was George Jones and Charles
George played everything, but tonight
he had yiolin-and Charles played the
clarionet. And then there was Harry
Insraham, he played bass-viol, and Tom
Gilbert played flute, and Bill johnson
played bassdrum; there's the whole
lot Of 'em.
Well after we go, there, we took a
stiff drink of something all round-they
were none Of your cold water chaps, !
tell you-and then Isaiah specchiied us.
| forget all about, or else | never re-
membered it-but he made a powerful
hourishing with his arms, and once he
hit Bill johnson such winder that il
almost knocked the poor fellow. brains
out-and so suppose he talked to the
purpose and so we voted to form
band. Then, as Isaiah had made speech
to US, and was chief mover, and had
called US Gentlemen" dozen times
or more, we chose him Presldent-and
then, faith, they chose me Secretary,
Now gentlemen, said Isaiah, "we'll
tune if you please" Then there was a
mortal time-everybody went to work.
the clarionetS squeaked and grunied like
so many dying pigs-the fiddle squealed
- and the bass-viol grumbled dreadful,
and every now and then you'd hear
thump on the bass-drum. Oh, there
was terrible work for about ten minutes,
and | tried to help 'em out on my flute
Il blowed with all my might, if didn't
there's none Of me, that's all-but faith,
| couldn't hear myself. Well, they got
tired Of putting and scraPing and thump-
then set EN- to tuning in
first of course-so l.
salah squawked out note, and then
Tom squawked another; Lord, the,
were a mile apart. Tom fixed his reed
and tried again-worse now-and then
Isaiah fixed his but wouldn't do. a
;aiah, where the deuce are you sound.
ng T. saws You see begun to get
lorrid mad. -" Sounding. why am
c." Well" says Tom, 81
I'm sounding A and says /, "sound
A both Of you" )" so tina, got 'em right
lirectly. Then Charles tried his hand
II the business-we soon got him rugged
md George go, up his fiddle. Then we
lad it hot and heavy-6rsl he tried A,
hen he tried d, and so on; aud jus, as
le got them all fixed and was scrdping
wo a. once to see if they were ffths,
lown comes the bridge with trenen-
lous smash SO he turns it up again, and
rot the L string about a mile too high,
md away she snapped lie began to
row ruclious, and on with another string
II a hurry. Aud then all at once there
vas another general laughter, the string
hat held the lail.board had gave way,
nd there was forlnights Job So we
en him fixing. and fell on the old bass
iol, tooth and nail. Lord, how the old
sllow grumbled-but we soon got him
q order, and then we fixed the flutes.
hat was soon settled and So was the
ass-drum, and then we had another SET
> at the violin. Well. we got her in
me at last, and then we set to work on
he March to Boston.
wish you could have seen Us. There
'as Isaiah Yelling away with all his