The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-02-24

guitar, anu Already sounded gentle trial
cord, which almost frightened me off my
proiect-it was so dreadful actually to hear
ones self playing as mendicant-all this
was going on, and so, too, was my heart,
and my lips and nostrils, even dilating for
breath, when a group of young men and
girls coming up the street stopped behind
me-attracted, no doubt by the feeble
trial chords my trembling fingers had
struck. was standing inside the front
garden gate, which had unlatched, and
the people were, of course, outsde so
that had really nothing to fear on the
score of being recognized. But will it be
believed? even before such a small
audience as had gathered / couldn't go on
l felt could not And not, mind you,
because | had never before played and
sang before people. Quite the contrary
for | had frequently performed as an
amateur, not only at parties and balls, but
even in the concert-room. No. / had
none of the orthodox de5utdnt's weak.
ness. simply felt powerless to make the
terrible plunge, and actually begin to
perform as nendicant musician What,
then, did do? for another horror, and a
worse one, came over me at that moment
What if / should be arrested as a vagrant,
now | was in a gentleman's grounds?
would have given twenty pounds at the
moment to have been able to turn and
run away-away anywhere. But if had
gone past the now increased group at the
gate-had gone off without playing, or
in some way making my presence known
to the inmates of the hOuse-mght | not
be suspected of being a spy for burglars,
or thief myself under the guise of a
musician, and followed and arrested But
| Necessity has a mother Invention.
pretended that my instrument was out of
order at the pegs; gave muttered Cos
petto % or two; and kneeling on one knee
to support my guitar well on the other, |
fidgeted long with it to weary out my
watchers. So away they went, slowly
enough, as l thought. And 1? why l fol-
lowed them quickly enough, 1 can tell
you, and never stopped until had reached
the lonely sea-beach, where sat down on
heap of gravel, and-what? we'll, then,
cried-gasped, or sobbed, or whatever
else you like to call it was going to
say nothing about this part of the bust
ness; but recollecting that in the history
of such narrative as mine, it is best to
say exactly what occurred-nO more, and
certainly no less Il confess that / fairly
broke down-why, l cannot say.
must have sat on that heap of gravel
for more than half an hour reasoning with
myself, and hard battle had in that rea-
soning AT one time 1 fairly "jibbed,"
and would have "given the world" as
they say, if it had in earnest rained, as it
had all the evening been threatening to do.
But it did mt rain and before got up l
was glad it did not. And having got
stronger hearted, determined to see my
adventure out that night come what might.
Retracing my steps, got to one of the
terraces facing the sea. This, however,
would not suit, because of the long gar
dens in front. Besides, l had sense enough
to know that if chose spot where sew
eral houses stood together unseparated by
fencing, 1 could play to them all at once,
and should thus have an equal claim on
the inmates of each. By-and by-for l
may as we'll confess it, my heart began
dancing about again, and my fingers, too,
trembled and | loitered dreadfully-I
came in front of three houses in one block,
and without front gardens. There was a
light in the drawing room windows of the
middle one, and this determined would
be the very place for me. l stood-O,
did MT that shaking of the legs come on
then pulled out my guitar, drew my
sombrero well over my brow, lifted my
cOat-colar high on my neck, looked fur
lively up and down the street to see
whether anybody was coming, and then
up at the lighted windows, and then, my
instrument having been tuned while | sat
on the beach, gave rOuldde on the strings
to see that all was right My song was to
be Neapolitan air, well enough known
to travelers-"I te U0gIio ben assai." But
will it be credited ?-after had played
the prelude, and had actually taken the
usual preliminary full inspiration, l found
to my dismay that could not recollect so
much as the first line of my song.
wait" thought. Courage! and in a
minute or two, when this horrible dane
ing of the heart ceases somewhat, all will
be right" So waited bit and thought
hard But all remained wrong instead OF
coming right, for before half minute had
passed my downturned eyes saw the path
way suddenly darken, and looking up, ]
found the lights in the windows were gone
away
/ folio wed them.
Here vas panic number two. The third
is the charm, they say, and SO it was in
my case. Now, the last panic wasn't near
ly so bad as the first, and in one respect
it did much good, inasmuch as it taught
me by defeat how to conquer. 1t showed
me, what had not until then suspected
that was not certain tonight of being
, able to recollect the words of my songs.
have since those days often thought thai
if had not learned this when 1 really
did make my debut should have fatally
collapsed during my search for missing
words, and fled in disInay, never to appeal
7 more in public. Well, as | walked slow
l ly towards another street, the terrible
words, must do something in order tC
! live," kept, thank Heaven, repeating
a themselves in my mind /; they strengthen
c ed my resolves, and fixed my vacillatinl
: courage. By and by had to give up il
n despair all hope of recalling the words o
: my Italian aria, so l pitched upon ant
s began repeating to myself the words o
;, that short and delightful song of Norma's
: =" Deb ! con k," which | should hav
e imagined could sing in my sleep, so ia
miliar was 1 with it. But alas / coul,
v not get word farther than "Adalqisa
d What Adalgisa was to do, or why tn
{ name was mentioned at all, l could not 70
{ the life of me recall. So there wa
v an end of that Well, 1 should b
J. sure to know an English song, an
v as the most commonplace one l coul
q pitch upon, one which my organs of speec
I ought almost of themselves be able to re
v peat, settled on "Annie Laura" BY a
q the gods, such was my state of mind, tina
e even that / couldn't recollect. assur
# you actually perspired with intensity c
v thought concerning these words, plus in
d tensity of vexation too; but all to n
O purpose.
G And now had arrived at the best stan
Y of the evening: terrace of six houses
up steps, the houses all in one unparte
" block. What was l to do? Sing / cOul
If not. However, little happy forethougf
n had provided for this emergenoy,-fort
n thought, or rather accident Before lea,
= ing home | had fancied there might be
l. breakdown somehow, most probably cor
nocfnd with tho nuitar of ri,on 10 Il l.