Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1852-10-01
How 70 PLAY the Piana.

The other evening we were al party Ofa
friend of ours, and among the lot was
gay Miss, who had just returned from
| boarding school, where, after many sollcita-
Mons and apologies she seated herself at
the piano, rocked to the right and then to
the left, leaning forward, then backward
and began. She placed her right hand
about midway the keys, then her left about
two octayes below them. She now puts
off the right TO brisk canter upon the tre-
/ BILE notes, and her left after it. The left
then led the way back, and the right pur-
sued in like manner. The right turned
and repeated It's movement. bat the left
oulran it This time. hopped over it and flung
1t entirely of the track. Il came in again.
however, behind the left, on lis return, and
passed il in the same style. They now
became highly incensed at each other. and
met lurious!y on the middle ground. Here
most awful conflict cnsued for 4 short
space, when the right whipped Off all Of a
sudden, as we thought fairly yanquished,
but we were in error in what Jack Ran
dolph cautions us-had only fallen back
TO stronger position 1t had mounted
upon two block keys, and commenced the
notes of ratlIesnake. This had won
derful effect upon the left, and proved the
doctrine of snake charming beyond dis
pute. The left rushed toward it repeated
ly, but seemed invariably panic-struck
when il came within six KEYS of il, aud as
invariably retired with a tremendous roar
down the bass keys continued It's assaults,
sometimes by zigZag movement, but all
IFS attempts to dislodge the right from lis
stronghold proved Intellectual il came close
up TO lis adversary and expired. Any one,
or rather no one, can imagine what kind of
noise the piano made during the conflict.
Certainly il is that no one can describe it,
and therefore we shall not attempt it.
The battle ended, Miss Jane moved as
though she would have risen, but this was
protested against by number Of voices at
once One song, my dear Jane said
Mrs. Small, you must sing that sweet lit
lie French air you used to sing, and which
Madame Piggisqueakii is SO fond Of. Miss
Jane looked pitilnlIy at her mamma and
her mamma looked i" sing at Miss Jane
accordingly she squared herself for song.
She brought her hands in to a caput this
time in ine style and they seemed TO be
perfectly reconciled TO each ; then COM
meuced kind of colloquy the right whis-
pering treble very softly, and left respond
ing bass very loudly.
The conference had been kept up until
we began to desire change upon the sub
iect, when our ears caught, indistincty,
some very curious sounds, which appear
to proceed from the lips Of Miss Jane; ;they
seem 10 be composed of dry coughs, grunt,
hiccough, it appeard to us, as interpreters
between the right and left-things had
progressed in this way for about fifteen
seconds, when we happened to direct our
attention to Mr.. Ross. His eyes were
closed, his head swung gracefully from
side TO side, beam of Heavenly eompla-
eency resting on his countenance, and his
whole man gave irresistible demonstrations
that Miss James music had made him feel
good all over. Mr.. Ross's transport led us to
see whether we could extract from the per-
formance anything ineligible, when Miss
Jane made fly catching grab at half
dozen keys in a row, and the same instant
she fetched long dunghill cock crow, at
the conclusion of which she grappled at as
many more with the left. This came over
Ross like warm bath, and over US like a
rack of bamboo briars. Our nerves had not
yet recovered until Miss Jane repeated the
movement, accompanying it with the squall