The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-11-23
- pe,.ows Boys-An oraapis''s
A"" Revenge.

aAont bellows NV .aG> y -
A, orsanist, writing to the ho'..o ."
,n,s;col World, thus treats OF eia'So'e'.
:s,,o class Of youths, known IN a'hios'
a,erv church in the country:
ever 80 had considerable to do with
-, hors in nv time, and Enow pretty
oen m.ho;r ;a;osvncraSies-the cher OIL wh!ch
wen ' ;nnonceiyable ingenuity OF inventor,
sn a,-ncnt;on OF mischievous pranks anu
anu That in due time hover INTO pos,airs
SiahoIism. OF course. tney u omtevs
Smart-lthe as cells, Fentur9,u ufss,t IF Seco.
uncons sS,;vious of rule, aspiring ana am
run, oo osfnr a sort-they are the iarye OF
piI,ous s INC tho embryo Of dare-deylls. Always
ScanPS ;har never reach adolescence IN
Doss, 49, bnt emerge, / suspect, iroH
thss lon chry sails into first-clasS aero
iheu % .,,nasts. and fiving-trapeZe men,
5 D9ts, & GREAT rraisemblance in the race !;
=. ns, ingram, and usually similar IN
..s ,. arnnn;nr. possibly q little more pro-
'o'onnee5 In Individuals. They all belong TO
me Flibbertigibbet family, the porIrait o.
.me of whose members SIT W alter Hcott lias
S So very well limned. Victor hugo mas nov
bannened to mention 1t, but II Is quite GER
tain Gavroche must at some time nave uone
duty in the crgan-lott oil Notre Oal.ie VI
The Made!eine. Asa class, they have strong
,,ictnrisl tendencies, and the white walls OF
Their ssnctum bear graphic witness 10 tnelt
skill in caricature and grotesque-mos'
nffen. ridiculous portraits Of minister, or
sanist, or members of the cholr. NOT uo
ihev disdaiu exploits in sculpture and en-
craving: and when so opulent as 10 pos.
casa iack-knife, they make their marx
nnon door-panels and window-sllis, aliu
especia!ly delight to adorn the smootn sur,
fsees of sub-bass pipes with relieves ana
intarlios. worth Cellini or FiaXman.
Music. too. after their Eina Is III .ntu,,
negro melody and every popular jingle that
ever was written, and add to them rlch VA
riations of their own. But in hig CHER realm,
too" thew are proficient. Their initiative
powers are often simply marvellous, put
Too often are they little indiscreet in the
,Iisnlsv: of their abilities. AN under-2radu-
ata IF mine had a sVox humana stop OF
his own that he pulled out at will WIN Tell
ING effect: but unfortunately he dld not ai-
wsys agree as to the appropriate passages
for his part of he performance, ana rs
had no register o. his larynS, the amateur
had it all his own way till we dissolved the
connection. Another was lnlmitapie IN an
oblipato tremolo that he improVlSed, quite
ecliDsing the f1utter of the French valve.
There was too much organ in him, and we
had to part.
"They have original and abstruse ideas
of mechanics. They scorn the prosalc bel
lows lever, moved by manual force, ana
often operate by striding the fulcrum, and,
alroitly shifting their poise, manage in 4
way not wholly orthodox. OF gregariouS
taefes yonr true bellows boy" has ever. a
crop of attaches, Juvenile asptrants for his
a.1so %n ,n,sfn hJS
functions in an unskilled, spasmodic way ,
while the oligarch employs his elegant leis'
ure' in carving, penciling, or practiclnS
poses on his head.
Gone specimen I had, too cOnsummate
flower of all the vagaries, all the ,posSibilii-
ties of his class. Skim-milk eyes, hair RUG,
diest of the rudy, face mottled and freckled
like rich turtle-soup, limbs lank and an
gular as a gibber, who could have looked
for aught but tamest prose in him! Yes he
was the very incarnation OF madcap antics,
the Alexander of unthought-of exploits. III
the Apostle Paul was ever an organlst, SUCH
a boy might have been his thorn. He was
q spike, q crowbar, in my flesh. Upon one
occasion he installed an acolyte at the
pump while he sought recreation in the
dizzy heights and wider prospect.
knew by the jerky pulsation that 4 neo-
phyte was operating, and my wrath last
gathered, as gasp after gasp told me at any
time my instrumental breath might fail.
when, happening to glance upward,
/ beheld in close proximity to the
ceiling two protuberant chalky orbs, in
a halo of foxy locks, calmly surveying the
external world-the appertalnlng head rest
ing right over the central siXteen-foot G..
Oh! how wished that great pipe had been
charged with some fierce explosive, that. as
by petard, might send that head flying
into space! That wish was vain. could
only use it as an air-gun; and quick as
thought struck pedal and key of the pipe
beneath that co,tchant ear. It told. One
ghastly roll of the milky eyes, q meteoric
CLEAN of red hair, and then thud, deep in
the bowels of the organ, told me something
had dropped.
"For once Flibbertigibbet lost his sang
.froid and precarious footing. and fell three
1athoms and into. disgrace, and never ap-
peared again on that field of his fau1 pas.
Henceforth, for motive-power give me
steam, or galvanism, or anything not in the
shape of an ordinary bellows boy"