Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-11-18
. THE CASE OF YOUNG BANGS.


When Mr.. Bangs, the elder, returned
from Europe he brought with him from
Geneva a miniature musical box, long
and very narrow. and altogether of
hardly greater dimensions, say, than a
large pocket knife. The instrument
played four cheerful little tunes for the
benefit Of the Bangs family, and they
enjoyed it very much. Young William
Bangs enjoyed it to such an. extent that
one day Just after the machine had been
wound up ready for action, he got to
sucking the end of it, and in a moment
of iuadyertence it slipped and he swal-
lowed the whole concern. The only
Immediate consequence Of the accident
was that harmonic stomach-ache was
Immediately organized upon the interior
of William Bangs, and he experienced a
restlessness which he well knew would
defy the soothing tendencies Of pepper
mintIand make moekery of paregoric.
And William Bangs kept his secret in
his own soul, and in his stomach also,
determined to hide bis misery from his
father and to spare the rod to the spoiled
child--spoiled at any rate as lar as his
digestive apparatus was concerned.
But that evening at the supper-table
w. Bangs had eaton but one mouthful of
bread when strains OF wild, mysterious
music were suddenly waited from under
the table. The entire family Immediately
groped around upon the floor, trying to
discover whence the sounds came,
although William Bangs sat there filed
with agony and remorse. and bread end
tunes, and desperately y asserted his belief
that the music came from Mary Ann,
who might perhaps be playing upon the
harp or the dulcimer in the cellar. He
well knew that Mary Ann was unfamiliar
with the harp, and that to her the dulci-
mer was as much an insolvable problem
as it would have been to fishing worm;
and he was aware that Mary Ann would
have scorned, under any circumstances,
TO evoke music while sitting upon the
refrigerator or reposing in the coal.bin,
But he was frantic with anxiety to hide
his guilt Thus it is that one crime leads
10 another HF
But he could not disguise the truth for
ever, aud that very night, while the tam-
ilyawss at prayers, Willian Bangs all at
once got the hiccups, and the music'box
started off without warning with "A Life
on the Ocean Wave aud a Home on the
Rolling Deep" with variations. Where
npon the paternal Bangs arose from his
knees and gresped William kindly but
firmly by his hair and shook him up. and
incurred what he meant by such conduct.
And William threw out a kind of gem
eral idea to the effect that he was prac-
ticinp some for aSunday school celebra-
ton. which old Bangs intimated was
sinCularly thin explanation, Then they
tried TO get up that REsiebo and every
time they would seize young William by
the legs and shake him over the sofa
cushion, or would throw some fresh va
riety of emetic down his throat, the har-
monium yiihip would give fresh spurt
and ioyously grind ost " listen to the
Moeking; Bird or Thou II AeFsr Cease
TO Love.
So they abandoned the attempt, and
we're compelled to permit the musical
box to remain within the sepuichral re-
eesses Of the epigastrium OF William
Bangs. To say that the unfortunate
victim of the disaster was made miser-
able by his condition would be 70 express
in the feeblest manner the state OF his
mind. The more music there was IN
his stomach the wilder and more COM
pletely chaotic became tho discord ln
his soul. Just as likely az moi il would
occur that while he lay asleep IN bed IN
the middle OF the night the melody works
within would begin to revolve, and
NAV Home. Sweet Home" for two or
three hours, unless the peg happened to
slip, when the cylinder would slip back
again to "A Life on the Ocean Wave
aud Home on the Rolling Deep, and
would rattle out that tuRe with yarla.
tions and fragments of the scales until
William Bangs brother would kick him
out Of bed in wild despair, and SIT on
him in a vain ehost 70 spbdue the sere-
made. which, however, invariably pro-
ceeded with fresh vigor when subjected
10 unusual pressure. E
And when William Bangs went to-
church il frequently occurred that in
the very midst Of the most solemn por-
ton of the sermon, ho would teel . gen
tie disturbance under the lowest button
of his jacket; aud presently, when
everything was hushed, the undigesied
engine would give . preliminary buzz,
and then reel of Listen to the Mock
ing Bird and Thou'lt Never Cease to
Love" and scales aud exercises, until
the clergyman would stop and glare at
William over his spectacles, aud whis.
per 10 one Of the deacons. Then the
sexton would suddenly take up the aisle
aud clutch the unhappy Mr.. Bangs by
.I.-..ll.- anl acnd dnrrn the niala nrnir