The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1876-12-22
THE OLD SONGS.
Recollections Of a Glee Club.
by PARMENAs MIX.


by PARMENAs MIX.
Those old songs-even now they como
family to my ear, borne on the gentle zeph-
yrs of memory. catch De Golyer's trem-
ulous air Che never had much confidence in
his voice), Dunlap's melting tenor and
Blueskin's" heavy bass, which was so
very deep and strong that the other singers
were obliged to get right down to their
work in order to secure vocal representa-
ton. My voice comes to me also l lost it
several years ago-it wasn't much of a
loss.
Alone in my own room at midnight when
the village is still and my wearied creditors
are asleep, l often recall the old days.
Again l stand beneath the pallid moon
with my silver-tongued companions and
sing. Neither of us could read music-it
was our business to sing it. There were a
few cynical critics who alluded to us as
" Euterpean homicides," and named among
our victims, "Nelly Gray" Annie of the
Vale," and an Irish lady named Belle
Mahone." Strong in the assurance, how
over, that the severest criticism is often
directed againt superior merit, we paid
little attention to uncomplimentary opin-
ion. We had each of us been told that
with the proper cultivation and practice
we might take high rank in the musical
world, consequently we continued our
midnight serenades, scattering our melo-
dious favoys promiscuously among our
female acquaintances. I am quite certain
that If out door exercise was as conducive
to vocal improvement as it is to physical
development, we would now be drawing
heavy salaries as vocalists. l am panied to
say that we are not. Indeed, the over
worked and discouraged air that character
| ICES each one Of US to-day is not the result
of drawing heavy salary oyer the rocky
routine of our professions. Pecuniarily We
are unincumbered.
| hardly think that shall ever forget
my performances with the old glee club. l
was in love at the time, and the fair being
who had entrapped my affections was,
quite naturally, made the innocent target
of great many of our musical broadsides.
We sang ourselves hoarse beneath her
window. AS a general thing we would
| ontinue the entertainment for an hour or
more When at last our list of songs was
exhausted we would steal noiselessly away,
drawing mental pictures of a white-robed
beng sitting up in bed wiping away the
tears that had been drawn out by our
affecting illusions to a certain Poor Old
Slave" and somewhat famous piece of
cutlery known as the "Sword Of Bunker
HILL"
One night we went around rather earlier
than usual and took up our accustomed
position on the sidewalk beneath the win
dow where we supposed Cur victim lay
fondly hoping we'd come round and en-
trance her for an hour or two. We opened
up with " "Father, Come Home" De
Golyer, with his tremulous air, had got as
| far as
| "ofe-arther, decrf-arthcr come home with mean
| owl"
when the door was softly opened and
| sweetly familiar voice requested me to step
that way. 1t was Madelaine, bless her
dear heart, and I felt confident that we
were to be invited in to partake of wine
and cake. She drew me quietly into the
hall and said:-
"Parmenas, you know think the world
of you and would never find fault with
anything you did, but father is SO curious.
Now your singing doesn't annoy me a bit
sleep very soundly and am not disturbed
in the least by voices in the street. But
father works in boiler shop, you know,
and he says he hears racket enough during
the day without being pestered at night.
He Just now woke me up-he had his shot
gun in his hand, and he told me that if
didn't go down and put stop to your
singing he'd cripple you all for life. I'm
so sorry, Parmenas-can't you go off to the
woods somewhere, and sing?"
I family replied that I supposed we
could, and sheepishly withdrew. When I
reached the sidewalk the boys wanted to
know what was up. AS I couldn't think of
divulging the awful truth, told them in
hushed accents that Miranda's grandfather
was lying dangerously ill, and that when
DeGolyer struck up "Father, Come Home"
he thought it was the angels calling him,
and commenced to sink very rapidly. The
family return their heartfelt thanks, l
added, but earnestly request that we shall
discontinue the serenade. Blueskin,"
the heavy bass, wished to revive the patient
by singing "The Old Sexton," but better
counsels prevailed, and we silently left the
premises.
After that, somehow or other, lost all
interest IN musical affairs, and Withdrew
from the club. My companions, however,
continued to serenade, with varying success,
until one night while they were endeavor-
ing to charm a red-headed girl with whom
"Blueskin" had picked up Irritation,
they received their quietus. They were
singing
"On on, on the boys came marching,
Like grane majestic sea-"
when the girls father emptied washtub of
water on their heads from an upper window.
1t came down lake ''grand majestic sea,
you understand. 1t may be that the old
gentleman merely wished to illustrate the
song-at any rate, the boys took it as an
insult, and that was the end of the glee
club. -~4'a'~' j." 7z'
/ -.a>.s-
tjnpatentsd Hines.
The following from the La Plata Miner is
sensible !:
cit seems to us great deal of time is
being wasted by persons who own valuable
mines, in not getting them patented. We