The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-20
CHE 3utlaaa daily Gluhr.
THURSDAY, MAY 90, 1875
OLD MEMORIES.
The Man with 1.-THE Game leg and the Organ
Grinder--Play that Tune Again.


From the Detroit Free Pressl
Yesterday hand organist sat down
before a house on Congress street and
began to turn out sweet melodies, but the
first tune hadn't been finished when an odd
looking man about fifty years old, having
a game leg and a general forlorn look,
came along and halted in front of the
| Italian.
"Now, that is sweet :" he said after
moment; "carries me right back to the
days when me and Hammer sat on the hind
stoop and squoze hands and told our love. ="
"Op-era muzeek," replied the Italian.
smiling at the enthusiasm of his audience
"Well, / know, but it touches me right
here" continued the man with the game
leg, laying his hand on his heart. ~
haven't felt 80 much like cryin' for four
teen years before. Seems zif | heard
angels buzzing around in the air.
lie rested his game leg on horse block,
folded his arms, and his look and attitude
were that of man whose heart was filled
with sad thoughts and painful memories.
Just as the tears were starting to his eyes
the organst moved the stop, increased the
speed, and captain Jinks' was merrily
ratified off,"
"Some odder kind of muzeek," he ex-
claimed, and the handle hadn't made four
revolutions when the man with the game
leg began to smile. Then he pushed his
hat over on one side of his head. Then he
hitched up his trousers, smiled some more,
and exclaimed:
"By guml if that ere tune don't Just
make me hope all Overt"
Good mu-zeek," replied the Italian.
"Good! Why the darned tune is heven-
ly! believe if was dyin it would stand
me on end I'd give billion dollars if
Hammer was alive and could hear that
He stepped out, spit on his hands, and
then waltzed up and down the flags, his
game leg Hopping around like loose
ing:
Ham Cabding links
Her OSs Marines
While he was doing his level best the
musician touched the stop again, and the
tune changed off on to "Birdie, Am Tired
Now"
"Ah that soothes me, that does :" said
the old man as he sat down on the horse
block. That's somethin' more to touch
the heart and make me think of my poor
Hammer"
every sweet mu-zeck," remarked the
Italian.
'Swcet Great skies but it's melting
I've known that tune for a long time, but
| never could sing it without weeping. If
| had a million dollars I'd buy hand
organ asd play that tune right along for
six months without stopping the crank"
He put his hands over his face and ap-
peared agitated, and the Italian didn't
seem to care whether lie collected a cent
or not. He ground the tune out, touched
the stop, and remarked
'Nary grand-de mu-zeek dis time-ha!"
And yankee Doodle" rolled from the
little square box like sheet-lightning sliding
down the side of haystack.
"Great Concord !" yelled the man with a
game leg as the tune reached doodle
Dandy" "hold on minute till get this
leg under me Thar--let her come now
"Whoodle, poodle, doodle-doo!
III, sky, doodle dandy"
And he leaped around, slapped the Ital-
ian on the back, threw his hat on the walk,
and continued
"Snaix and reptiles but don't that tune
make glory stand right out like mud on a
white house 'Rab, for us !"
The Italian saw that crowd was gather.
ing, and he broke the tune short off and
sailed away on the "Suwanee River"
The first strains of the dear old melody
had scarcely left the box when the man
with the game leg leaned up against a tree
box, wiped the sweat from his brow and
said:
There's something more to remind me
of my lost Hammer Isn't that pervision
for the hungry soul, though. What
strains What tears! What bullying of
the heart"
wary soft mu-seek," remarked the
Italian.
"Soft My heavens Man, if you will
pay my board I'll travel the whole country
over and carry that organ, jist to hear you
play that tune !"
lie reached out his arms, made motor
as if drawing the tune 10 his, and wills
pered:
"G-lory When die let me die listen
ing to them strains of 'Suwanee River
The organist shouldered his box ant
moved on, and the man with the game les
leaned up against the fence and wiped hi
eyes.