Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-09-22
9musing 9eaaing,
Prom the New Orleans Crescent
SOLEATHER CULTIVATES HIS
TASTE FOR MUSIC.
ST.. LOUIS, July, 1859.

TASTE FOR MUSIC.
ST. LOUIS, July, 1859.
Dear John: You are an unsophisticated
old fool, you know, John, and that is why l
like to write to you; but you are a good fel-
low, too, John, for another thing, and you
won't be saying, That Soleather is always
boring me with his Insignificant troubles,
as some other folks do.
That curious young woman over the way
there, next to the preachers isat it again.
mean, John, she is singing opera again. She
gets thatway, every evening about this time
and she slathers away just as long as she has
got strength to bang her piano. They do
say that she has been in that fix for a long
time. You ought to see that poor young
woman, John, when she's taken bad. She
spreads her hands to both ends ofthe piano,
and braces her feet against the paddles, and
throws herself back till her curls hang half
way tothe floor, and then head flies open, and
ont comes the last opera. And she 'trills'
and sWarbles' and shakes her curls, andsmiles
painful 'eolicky' smile, and bangs with
her hands and kicks with her feet, and yells,
and rips and tears around till she gets away
up to where it sounds like screeching nail
across window glass, and that note she
hangs on to nearly minute, and then down
she comes again to first principles When
she gets through she only just pufs her
breath out, tWhu n and wipes the sweat
Of, and goes in again. Now, she's a regu.
lar brick, John, is that old gal-but I wish
she would quit doing that way, or else 60
and board somewhere else-she makes me
nervous And mind what tell you, John ::
she'll sbusf some day, now-see if she don't.
But I like music, John-that is, if it's
the right sort, you know. Now, it is hardly
worth mentioning, may be, but I will say,
nevertheless, that I used to do a little in that
line myself. When Ole Bull was here, I
bought secondhand fiddle at auction, and
after had learned to play portions Of all the
one-string-kind of tunes, purchased three
more strings, and improved little on that
curious old animal for tell you, John, that
before many days I could play odd Lang
Syne'-barrin the blasted mistakes-beau-
tiful.' I was boarding at old Mrs. Pender-
grasses then, pin Locust street; and there
was fellow there, in the room under mine,
who was actually laid up with the nervous
headache sometimes he would get clear out
of his senses with it. I felt sorry for the
poor wretch, John, and used to try to
soothe him with my music. I would take
my fiddle down to hissdoor sixteen or seven
teen times day, and grind 'Old Lang
Syne,' through and through, and wrong end
foremost, and up the middle and down the
sides, and fore and aft, and so on, and peep
into, see the effect on the patient. Now, it
was astonishing how that man would roll
about, and squirp, and even groan with
pleasure. 1t did him more good-that mu-
sic did-than all his head ache medicine. I
had way of winding up that tune with a
peculiar kind of a tscraunch,' and it was
perfectly delightful to see the invalid imi-
tate it with his body. Maybe you wouldn't
believe it, John, but as sure as you are born,
I'sscraunched' that fellow clean out of bed
one day. Poor devil il!-sometimes when he
was out of his head he would get to dancing
tSaw-w-w, saw see saw-w-w saw trying to
minnie my fiddle. Well, was doing all I
could for the man, and I think I'd have in-
ished him in another week, if it had not
been for the meddlesome red-headed girl of
old Mrs. Pendergrasses. I never did know
her name, John, but know one thing about
her-she gets mad mighty easy-ona she's
no sardine when she's in her tantruns.-
She happened along one day when I was 6d-
ding before the sick mans door, (1 tell you,
: John I was just nsovin' him) and what do
you think she said? Why, she,said:
MERCY sakes, what stupid brute for
ever and everlasting mother says, poking
your nose around wherever there's chance
to do any mischief; and you don't seem to
knewany hetter-g'away from that door,
I pas astonished. I had never seen the
kangaroo but once before, John, and then ]
was not introduced to her. I felt hurt
mortified. Although was stranger to her,
John, honestly meant not the least offence
in the world by the reply I made. Resting
there on one foot, and holding the fiddle un,
der my chin with my left hand, while I
pointed the bow at her with my right, 1 bent
ygaze impressively upon the girl, and said
fLcok.a here, Sorrel-Top, I don't want nc
nonsense out Of you, now.
sSorrel-Topp said she, and her eyes spi
FIRE, sI'll teach you to call people names, you
-7you-you pup, you'-and she swelled W
and came at me.
You know that bel!-crowned hat I used tt
wear, John, tipped so daintily to one side o.
myshead-well, she snatched my fiddle and
smashed that beautiful hat clear down ovel
my shirt collar with it, and she never stop
ed till she wore the instrument out on me.
Maybe the name wasn't exactly the thing
you know, John, but surely didn't think
she would get mad at such thing as that
It is not worth while to tel! you any more
John, only that when I came out from under
the bed, and found the coast clear I packed
up my other shirt, and withdrew my patron
agefrom Mrs. Pendergrasses boarding house
(She busted the next week, John.)
I took lodgings as Mrs. Marmadale's
John, higher up in Locust street, towards
fbo h;r, obnroh II moon tho ona IN oonetrno