, 1875-06-27

him tho anomaly hs is to-day. One night IN the sum,
er Of thst year, Mr.. Olise1a family were a*.Senea
By tho sound of music In the drAw1ng-room,-not
only the , IT, but n.s hs %Gsa oys5 xere
ag,io ard again, the touch Of the muAlc1aa hean3
u1nia, hu. singuiarfy true and delicate. -.
Going down, they found Tom. who nad pecn ~
asleep II he ha ses,ed u .6o piano in an ecsasy ot
dslikht breaking out It tho end Of each snoGeeea "
fugue into fhouts Of laughter. kicking ~ hae @no
tune for modern ft.gs negro-sper. Of eousse Ten
becxne = niuedays' wonder on tho riantAaou- os
brought n u Al attez-dinner ;l1sia & an1
visitors came from .ea around to SEQ the NUS ono
aa1key claw beautiful and pathetic harznoE1es fto teo
piano There WAS hardly i resnzstion u tho mtnds
Of aoss WIG he1a him o. n9s ,t a
chils fingers fen on the KEY eadsnsss followed
broken, wandering Jet Of Starting ooaoss sna naf'
xuony. ..A a 81,
n.ann: in truth, ha could not have lived with
Out Il Tho planter. began TO wonder what kind
Of estors th'' =, w +, ~hSn nn.ghsv L. naa en-
30, Ind been slowed away these old ars forgotten
hY every one ess, and soe Of them never heard but
eysry nots intact and With whateEer quirk qutd-
dy Of ssyle belonged to the persen who had origin
NJ sung plased them Stranger still were tho bar
caused to float enehsntngsy through the evening air.
OF course such Gift should not be allowed to rest
and decay isolated s!Ays plantation while thou
hihitiens in savannah, Charleston, Richmond, and
other Sonthe1n cities. No sooner hAd Tom bcen
tor%sla 1i By nis M naster Col commsnded M shs CLOSEST
scrutiny. Scientific and musical akspttcs subjected
his eap.etties 70 Vigorous tesla: Ihe5 T.. not Only
vars vars developed, until he reached al
Inais, beyond which hia Subsequent adv4neements
wersEng That n1it hoseVer sssasllahed him a'
1. l. ya41s Of age is boy. born blind, utterly to-
Dorant ct note, Ignorant Of every phaso Of socaed
musical science interpreted severely elssscal compos
er1 with perfect clearn.ss of conception He could
reteat without the loaa Of sylisblo discourse Of af
teen minutes in length Of Which hs did not under
stand word. songs to- IN French or Gs1man a1teT
words but In notes, styie and expression Placed II
the instrument with any musician he played perfect
aoconanf1ent to the treble Of music which he heard
for the trst time he payad. Then taking the seat
vacated by the other performer, he would instantly
give the enra piecs, intact IN braiancy and symns
tfy not nota lost misplaced. The selections Of
9t1tean pages in length.
The writer rst saw Tom in 1850, in Virginia town.
-se CONCERTS wc1e given In great barn Of room,
os,,ds Will hot soof stained ftescoes chandeliers. and
wxl. snotchel with gill; The audience VAS Large pni
not the highest bench Of musical criticism hc3ort
1r1,,rh 70 bring pocr Tuu- MF. Oliver came forward
leading md coa1iug along itlo black boy IN white
linen whose head las upon hf back and wnose mouth
was constantly wide ore1 his great hiubRef-ps aud
1.nd ton. He required to b pettsd and bought Ike
anv othnr ye.k-niudbt child. The concert Wis mix
turs Of music, whining. ca1us, and promised canoS
He seated himself At last before the piano, full
hs ya.d distant stretching out hta Arn1a fuu length
uke IN ape c1a~tng for food-
- Now. Tim, something We Ike from Verdl."
Tie head tell further hack the black claws began 70
work and the4d af tee conposer4 1AFmonlas ~h1ch
vnu Tould hays chosen - the purest exponan.s oi
passion began 10 aoat through The reom ss'eenona
IRON Waher, Beethoven, and othsss followed. Ioio,
~ he "iose Of each piece would applaud himself, vo
1en1y bcns pounding hts hsndso teeihrf, aud turn
ing always 10 Lila ss:er for ths approving pat On the
he&d.
musician fEom the audience vent up to the stige
and put the boys rowera 70 the test Songs and in-
trcte syuphou1es H1re reproduced by Tom with Ir-
lection. Then musician Of the town drew out roll
Of manuscript which he e1pl4aned to b. fantasia Of
fourteen pages in leng,h, very dcult Tha musician
sexted himself st tho instrument Tom sat beside s
him struck the openng cadence md from the hrst
nu;e u The LAST eave The seconds tfumphAnIy. Jump
lag @ snore3 .s man % f5o p. ;sa sn nd
noxer than its coHpaser. When lie struck the Last
note he sprung up, yelling with dadsht' E1fts-