Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-05-29
ORPHEUS.
The MOurnful and Pathetic Story Of that
Gifted Musician.

Gifted Musician.
Exchanged
0rpheus was the alleged son Of the
muse Calliope and the god Apollo.
Calliope was no relative, we believe,
to the steam calliOpe that used to
travel with a circus, and make more
noise than two country bands at an
agricultural fair, 0rpheus played the
Tyre with such fascinating power that
the birds of the air, the fish of the
streams, wild beasts, and even trees,
rocks and hills gathered round him to
listen-truly, a large, varied and APP
preciative audience. The applause,
says the truthful Norristown Herald,
was made by the foot of the hills, and
the trees would not leave as long as
0rpheus didn't strike up, "For I'm
Called Little Buttercup." A man
nowadays might play a Tyre until his
eyes bulged out, and not accumulate
such an audience as Orpheus fasci-
nated-save the rocks. and these
would congregate about him in such a
hurried and reckless manner that he
would have to dodge and 60 away
from there, if he valued his health.
Orpheus' fayorite song was all about
A FAIR MAIDEN NAMED EURYDIKE,
whom he loved and lost. She didn't
run away and join a Pinafore troupe.
She died from the bite of a snake that
lurked in the grass over which she
had to run to escape from another i'm
petuous lover. This was before
whisky was discovered as a remedy for
snake bites. The bibulous god
BacChus was often bitten by a snake,
but the wound never proved fatal.
He was always full of the remedy.
0rpheus mourned Eurydike, and, ac-
companied by her sister nymphs,
wandered over the hills and valleys,
filing the pure air with plaintive
strains to call her back again, and
causing the old Changers to %unloosen
their cross dogs and wonder why the
fOol-killer didn't come along that way.
They assured him hat if his girl was
dead it was easier to get a dozen new
ones than to call her back again. But
0rpheus still INDUCED in his little
game of field bawl. lie even prose-
cuted his search in the realms of the
lower world, the sweetness of his mu-
sic soothing the savage breasts of the
monsters and wicked spirits dwelling
there. He considerably augmented
the weeping and wailing existing in
that subterranean place. Even the
hearts Of Persephon and the merciless
Erinys were softened by his passion
ate grief, and they finally agreed that
Miss Eurydike should be permitted to
return with her lover to the upper
world on condition that he should not
look upon her face on the journey
back. 0rpheus gave his promise, and
of course broke it. He wasn't proof
against the temptation.
HE LOOKED BACK.
Young man, you who think all your
future happiness, and heaven itself,
dwells in the face of a certain young
person Of the spring bonnet gender,
put yourself in his place and then
censure him if you can. He wanted
to ascertain whether she wore her hair
crimped or banged. 1t is probable
that if she had worn it a la idiot fringe
he would have cut her then and
there. Eurydike was obliged to rctracc
her steps, and was lost to 0rpheus
forever. He felt mighty bad about it,
and his appetite became prodigiOusly
out of repair. For seven months he
sat in a doleful mood by the banks of
a river, under the open sky, refusing
food and drink. 1t was a long fast,
but he was over $500 in pocket by
having no board to pay. He was re-
duced toa fr%st-elass living skeleton,
but he refused several tempting offers
to travel with a show of Living
Wonders" He evidently thought a
great deal of Eurydike, and unless he
had an umbrella his hat and garments
got several thorough soakings, and II
he didn't get and awful cold in the
head it is
MIRACLE.
At the expiration of seven months
he withdrew TO the elevated regions of
the mountains and resumed the weep
ing and wailing business in a higher
key, But it was an unhealthy with
drawal for him He was discovered
by a band Of Texas roqghs called
Menads, and torn by them limb from
limb. As strange as it may appear
this sort of treatment proved fatal. 1t
killed him. He looked as if he had
been fooling with a can of nitro gly-
ceriene. His head aud Tyre hoated
down the Hebros and were carried by
the sea, the Tyre sounding sweetly with
the swell and fall of the waves, to the
Island of Lesbos. There the head
was buried, and nightingales selected
the spot to sing their sweetest lays.
The story Of 0rpheus teaches thai
truth is stranger than fotion-muet
stTanger-and NJ gone can Feadabout hi,
musical instrument without inYol
unfairly exclaiming oh, what /
Tyre
Father Giovanni, the famous Italian
: tenor, has become immensely fat, ant
continues to draw wonderful crowd
70 the Roman churches whenever h
| sings. 20 keep him in the church an,