The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-04-19
A MUSICAL CRITIC.
Uu6 Rrowutn'a Account OF RuOeh-
steins Piano Playing

play when you were IN Ne" 10TH
ii did in the COOL
"Wel, tell us about it,
"What me might as well tell You
about the creation of the world.
''Come, now; no mock modesty' Go
ahead
"Well, sir he had the blamedest, biggest,
cattycornerdest palmer you ever lad eyes
on; somethin' like a distracted olilard-taole
on three legs. The lid was heisted, and
miohtv we'll ID was If il hadn't been, he'd
A tore the intire insides clean out, and
scattered EN- to the four winds of heaven.
''Played well, did he y
.tYou bet he did; but don't Interrupt me.
When he set down he 'peared to keer little
bout playin', and wisht he hadn't come
He tweeded little on the TRIBE, and
toodle oodle-oodled some on the bass-Jest
foolin' and boxin' the things jaws for beng
in his way. And | says to man setting
bv me. says l, what sort of fool playln Is
that? And he says, 'Hesh! But presently
his hands commenced chaaln one nother
ND and down the keys, like passed. OF rats
scamperin' through garnet very swift
Parts of it was sweet though, ana remind,
ed me of sugar squirrel turnln the wheel
of a candy cage.
NOW, says L " my AISiELADSAf ~ -
a shown off. He thinks he's dom OF 1t,
but he amt got no idea, 10 plan OF nothn
If he'd play me up tune OF some King OF
other, Id
ssBut my neighbor says 'Heish! very inl~
patient.
II was lust about to git up and go home,
bein' tired of that foolishness, when heard
little bird waking up away oil IN the |
woods, and calling sleepy-like to his mate,
and [ looked up and see that Ruben was |
beciunin' to take some interest III his bu5lH
ness. and | set down agin'. The music be- |
Gan to make pictures for me faster than
Won could shake a stick, to tell tales like |
The story books, and to start all sorts OF |
feelings-it Just toted me like was child,
wherever il pleased, and showed me all kind |
of things that is and things that isn't and |
couldn't never be. 1t was the peep oday. |
The light come faint from the east, the
breeze bowed gentle and fresh, some more
birds walked I'D in the orchard, then some
in the trees near the house, and all began
to stir, and the gal opened the shutters.
Just then the first beam of the sun fell up
on the blossoms a little more, and 1t techt
the roses on the bushes, and the next thing
it was broad day; the sun fairly bIazed; the
birds sang like they'd split their little
throats all the leaves was moYIn, and
dashiu' diamonds Of dew, and the whole
wide world was bright and happy as king.
Seemed to me like there was a good break
fast in every house in the land and not Il
sick child or woman anywhere. 1t was
fine mornin'.
'And I says to nay nei8hbor, That's
music, that is.
but he glar'd at me like he'd like to
cut my throat
Presently the wind turned it begun to
thicken up, and kind Of grey mist come
over things 1 got low spirited d rectly.
Then a silver rain begun TO fall. L could
see the drops touch the ground; some Hash
ed up like long pearl ear rings, and the
rest rolled away like round rubles. 1t was
pretty, but melancholy. linen the pearls
gathered themselves into long strands and
necklaces, and then they melted into thln
silver streams running between golden
gravels, and then the streams joined each
other al the bottom Of the hill, and made
a brook that flowed silent, except that you
could kinder see the music, specially
when the bushes on the banks moved as
the music went down the valley. [ could
smell the flowers in the meadow But the
sun didn't shine, nor the birds sing; it was
a foggy dGy, but not cold. The most curl.
Gus thing, though, was the little white
angel boy, like you see in pictures, that
runs ahead of the music book, and led it
on and on, away out of the world where
no man ever was-I never was, certain.
could see him just as plain as l see you.
Then the moonlight came, without any sun
set, and shone on the graveyards, where
some few ghosts lifted their hands and
went over tn. wall, and between the black
sharp-top trees splendid marble houses
rose up, with fine ladies in the lt-up win
dows, and men that loved EN-, but could
never get nigh EN-, and played on guitars
under the trees, and made me that mlser-
able could a-cried, because [ wanted to
love somebody, don't knOwwho, any better
than the men with guitars did. Then the
sun went down, it got dark, tho wind moan
ed and wept like a lost child for its dead
mother, aud I could a got up then
and thar and preached better sermon than
any | ever listened to- There wasn't
thing il the world left to live for, not
blame thing and yst l didn't want that
music to stop one bit. 1t was happier to
be miserable than 10 be happy without
being miserable. I couldn't understand it.
l hung my head aud pulled out my hand
kerchiof, aud blowed my nose loud to keep
from cryiu'. My eyes is weak anyway; 1
didn't want anybody TO be a gain at me
a snivelin', and its nobody's business what
1 do with my nose It's mine. But some
several gared at me, mad as Tucker.
''Then all of a sudden Old Ruben
changed his tune. He ripped and he rar'd,
he tipped and tard he pranced Gad he
charged, like the grand entry at a circus.
Feared to me that all the gas i'll ,le house
was turned on at once, things got so bright,
and hilt up my head ready to look any
man in the face, and not afeard OF nothin'.
1t was circus. aud brass band, and a
big ball all going on at the same time tie
lit into them keys Ike q thousand of brick;
he give EN- no rest, day nor night; lie set
every Twin jint in me agoin, and not bein
able to stand it no longer, I jumpt spang
onto my seat and just holered;
$50 it, my Rlbe."
every blamed man, woman and child
in the house riz on me and shouted, Put
him out put him out!
''Put your great graudmothers grizzly
grey grealish cat into the middle Of next
month" I says. Tech me if you dar!
paid my money, and you jest come nigh
me.
"With that, some several policemen run
up, and 1 had to SIMMER down, But /
wonld a fit any fool that laid hands on me,
for was bound TO hear Ruby out or die.
He had changed bis tune agn. He
hopt-light ladies and tip5acd fine from
eend to eend of the keyboard. Tie played
soft, and low, and solemn. / heard the
church bells over the hills. The candles in
heaven was lit. One by one / saw the stars
rise. Tho great organ Of eternity began
to play from the worlds end 70 the worlds
end, and all the angels went to prayers.
Then the music changed TO water, full of
feeling that couldn't be thought, much less
told about, and begun to drOp-drip, drop,
drip, drop-cloar and sweet, like tears of