The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-09-03
for having discovered it's merits, and the
w. A. for bringing out its superior quail


ties. .1#
Another week had elapsed and the musi-
clans had again assembled in the music hall
for rehearsal The W. N. is the theme for
conversation, but he has not yet arrived.
Some uncasincss has been felt on this ac-
count. particularly on sIake's part, who
expected to arrange q brilliant programme
for the next evening, and he had put down
the w. N. to play DeBeriot's first concerto.
More waiting and some grumbling, and still
the w. n. had not put in an appearance.
"This is too bad" said Jake.
OId.scrapcr gave Jake peculiar look but
said nothing.
This state of affairs was destined to be OF
short duration. for in a few moments gen.
tIemaa entered the room, saying, g l have
biz news and bad news for you, Jake"
"What's that" all inquired at once.
"The wonderful musician, you Know
"Wcll, what about him ?" uneasily asked
Jake. :.
"Gone I'D the spout! drunk as lord
Resisted the police! Put him in the lock-
up," said the newcomer, nearly out OF
breath. 1--WE pause to explain that the en-
tire "policc force" OF the village consisted
OF three, and il the whole body Sad COM
bined on the unlucky musician there could
not have been much OF struggIe.)
"Ob'! my fiddle" said poor Jake, at this
unexpected announcement.
"Good-bye, boots > said Siegeletti.
"a pinch of snuff for my shirt! " said
John Fallen.
"My pants are gore! said Mcnry
Hitler. >,
"And what about my dress-coat:" said
Ronny Jcdford.
<nn tr3In
wonderful musician had been enchanted
by the bad fairy, and while under this spell
he plared the very "old Harry" generally.
The wicked enchanter first took away his
senses, and SO wound his tolls around him
that he was found in the gutter OF one Of
the streets OF the village, but had sutfi-
ciently recovered wien the police force 81
discovered him to show fight. The combat
was short and decisive, but it brought out
the whole force to convey him to the
lookup.
We are compelled to skip good deal
here, but suffice it to say the sentence
against him was "ten dollars fine and six
months in Jail, with labor" which latter
meant in the chain-gang! And the form Of
the awful justice OF the peace seemed to
swell up to twice its natural size rs he felt
that the violated sanctity of the law had
been vindicated. And again the "forcc >
was required to convey the prisoner to the
common jail.
In the mean time the news had flown
through the village OF these events, and OF
course caused many comments to be made.
Some Of the young ladies thought it was
..real cruel in the mean old policeman to
treat him in that way: some people
shrugged their shoulders and said nothing !;
and Old Scraper said it was no more than
what he anticipated.
Jake was terribly worried by the turn AZ
fairs had now taken. He had already ar
ranged the programme for the next evening
and the stranger had been put down to play
an important part. He was worried, too, to
know how he would be received il he could
be even temporarily diSenchanted. While
he was in this dilemma good-hearted OLD
gourd-scrapcr interviewed the awful justice
and obtained his release on payment OF the
fine and q promise on the part OF the Of
fender not to allow himself to be caught IN
such 4 trap again-that Is, 10 become en-
chanted.
So the W. NJ. played at the concert, but
he was now regarded as very common
place person, and his performance was but
coldy received. lie was nervous and fdget-
ty, and the perspiration poured down his
face in streams. 1t is said, too, that some OF
the old players had more cheerful look this
evening than usual, and that they nudgcd
each other and chuckled maliciously. These
reports, however, may have originated with
some malicious people to convey the I'M
preston that they were Jealous OF the W.
NJ. and were glad Of his downfall, which OF
course nobody believed.
This was by no means the last occasion
that the wonderful musician played in the
village hail, but it was clear that he had lost
the hold he once had upon the people. The
spell was broken as his slavery to the en-
chanter became generally known, and lie
will nc doubt finally sink TO those low
haunts and mechanically grind out tunes
for q mere pittancc where malden's lnno-
cent and merry laugh is never heard, and
where rbaldry and obscenity reign supreme.
Perhaps some people in reading these
lines may say they have been entrapped into
reading a temperance story. Not bit OF
it. Most people are like the Enchanted
Fiddler as far as this is concerned. Writing
or talking will not break their enchantment: !:
and like him whose splendid talents are
thus obscured, they will most probably
make no effort to throw off the chains OF 4
bad fairy that will make life failure, and
that will eventually consign them to 4
drunkard's grave. Is.
MH. GLADsToSE's TREE -CHOPPISG.-As
an artistic effect it would have been perfect
il we could only bring ourselves to believe