The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1869-05-01
The Story Of a Popular Song,


Having reached the hall, we paid
an admission fee of sixpence.-
There was a very neat stage, with
gaudy drop scene, side wings,
and a tolerable good orchestra. In
the stalls sat the chairman, to
keep order over as motley an au-
dience as ever was seen out of the
gallery of the Victoria Theatre
"Costers" seemed to predominant.
All appeared plentitully sup
pied with porter, and all were en-
joying their pipes to such an ex-
tent as to make the place almost
suffocating, for there must have
been an audience of nearly five
hundred. A nigge "walk around"
was just being finished, and the
shouts of 'sencore," whistling and
stamping Of feet made the hall
perfectly bewildering. A name
was announced from the chair
man, which we could not catch,
and amidst clapping of hands and
stamping Of feet there was a buzz
of E'This is the songm The wait
er called loudly, "Any. more or
ders| and these being taken and
duly executed, all seemed to set
tie down quietly to listen to the
song. There was the symphony,
and then another buzz of ''This is
it p and we began to feel anxious.
Presently a female came in front
of the curtain, amidst great ap-
plause, and commenced 'EFather,
dear father" &c. Every word
was distinct, and she sang the
ballad with great feeling. In or
der, however, to fully describe the
scene which followed each verse,
it is necessary to give "Little
Mary's" song: .Ia .H.5 3HH
"Father, dear father, come home with
me now,
The clock il the steeple strikes one ,.
(gong,l
come home, ... ..-.
As soon as your days work was done
Our fire has gone out--our house is all dark,
And mothers been watching since tea,
With poor little Benny so sick in her arms,
And no one TO help her but me.
Come home, come home, come home,
Please father, dear father, come home"
At the conclusion of the last
line the drop scene drew up, dis
CLOSING the father sitting at the
door of public house, III a drunk.
en- bemuddled state, with pipe
and pot before him. Little Mary
was trying to drag him from his
seat, at the same time pointing to
a curtain behind, as she took up
the refrain from the lady, and
touchingly sang, "Come home,"
&c. This other curtain was now
drawn aside, disclosing a wretch
ed room in which was the mother
with the poor, sickly looking boy
in her lap, and in the act of feed
ing him with a spoon. Simulta-
neously with drawing of the cur
tain, the lime light was brought
to bear upon the tableaux, giving
them a truly stating effect. After
moment or two the act drop
came down, and the lady pro
ceedcd:
Father, dear father, come home with me
now,
The clock in the steeple strikes two!
(gong, gong,) .
The night has grown colder, and Benny is
worse,
But he has been calling for you
Indeed he is worse, mother says he will die,
Perhaps before morning shall dawn,
And this was the message she sent me to
bring
Come quickly, or he will be gone.
Come home, come home, come home,
Please father, dear father, come home.'
The act drop rises again, and
now the child has hold of the pew
ter pot, trying to take it from the
drunken parent, and, as she con-
tinues the last two lines, 'Come
home," &C., the other curtain is
drawn aside, and we next see the
child stretched out on its mothers
lap, and as it just raises its little
head and falls back with a gasp,
with the lime light rejecting
strongly upon it, there was real
ity about the whole terrible view.
Sobs were heard coming from the
female portion of the audience,
! while tears trickled down many a
male cheek. We have seen '>u-
san Hopley," THE Stranger"
"Jane Shore" /" "East Lynne" and
other effective pieces played, but
never before did we witness such
a scene of crying. The principal
feature called to mind the picture
of the "Sister of Mercury" with
the dying child in her lap, and
the death was fearfully natural.
Even the lady who sang the song
was affected, and could scarcely