The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-09-01

place No sooner did he get on board rail-
road train than he disappeared from his
travelling party, fastened to the smoking
car, and, after first purchasing a copy of
every newspaper which the omnipr sent
newsboy had in his possession, he would
spend the entire trip in smoking and read
ing
SOME PERSONAL TRAITS
Nor would it be safe.t intrust his own
will and memory with the name and place
OF the station for which hemight be destined
Hewas proverbially absent-minded about the
hours of the day and the times set for either
arriving or departing. On the occasion Just
referred TO Of his last performance i'm Harris
burg during March,, 1873, he had been
booked for the following night at Lam
caster. ALI the rest of the party were en-
barked on the train when the customary
qcery went out, where is Ole Bull? The man
ager fastened from car to car, but no one had
seen him. Meanwhile it was discovered that
his famous GasIar di Sale. violin 1.-THE history
of whose extraordinary adventures would
| fill book by itself and the TOurte bow,
/ with its 5000 solitaire diamond-studded
1 heel, had been taken from his room and
checked as ordinary baggage. He never
Travelled with these out of his sight, and the
| discovery provoked still more confusion.
| The concert party then all left the train,
1 which soon soon fastened on its way The
violin and bow were presently found in the
baggage room and safely locked up. An
! hour afterward Ole Bull Sauntered placidly
into the hotel and explained that he had
! become interested in a Legislative debate at
the State House, and forgot all about the
time fixed for starting
/ Arriving at Lancaster by a later train hur-
ried preparations were at once made for the
concert. Every seat in the house had been
sold a week before. After a short lunch the
carriage drove up to the hotel door, the
precious violin was carried out, the two
! ladies of the troupe took their places, the
clock struck 8, but again no Ole Bull. After
all the disengaged servants within call had
been dispatched to hunt him ap, his tall
| form was seen coming slowly down themain
staircase. In one hand he held dilapidated
specimen of hat, and there was an anus
ing expression of placid perplexity about
his face. Il have no hat" he said Il
must have changed with somebody in the
BARRIERS shop 1t was thework of very few
minutes to hasten the great artist to a neigh
boring hat store, where he made his selection
with as much deliberation as if it were mid
day instead of concert time. ..-
The same naive disregard for the ordinary
items which make up daily life character
lied Ole Bull on various occasions. One
morning, many years ago, he came down
stairs at the fremont House, in Boston.
Starting for the nearest bootblack he sud-
denly discovered that he had no money.
OppOrtCnely, at the same moment, he came
face to face with his friend James T. Fields.
Grasping both hands of the noted scholar he
exclaimed: Really, | am very much en-
barrassed. l find l am entirely without
funds. Will you loan me $50 until after
my concert to-nightg' Mr.. Fields was only
too glad to serve his famous friend. AT the
same moment a chambermaid appeared
on the scene with roll of several hundred
dollars in greenbacks, which she had found
Rt1ll fG nil nVn hill Cffn
ping in Baltimore, he asked Mrs. Bull,
whom he had wisely appointed his cashier,
for SOME money to buy cigars. Having no
other coin Immediately at hand, she gave
him twenty-dollar gold pice, Presently,
after his return from walk, she reminded
him of the change" The same delight
fully amusing expression of dismay and
confusion overspread his features as he re-
piled: why, my dear, thought it was
dollar, and think the cigar man must have
made the same mistake" That was one of
the mistakes which never got rectified.
At one time upon arriving at an inland
town, Ole Bull missed favorite walking
stick which he had carried apparently for its
associations, as he never used a cane in his
life. 1t was plain ash staff, with no more
ornamentation than billiard cue, which it
not a little resembled. Mrs. Bull more than
once suggested that it was in his way and
might as we'll be left behind. "Whyw he
exclaimed, that is from my island in Nor
way" At the depot it was missing A
telegram, signed with the magic name of
Ole Bull, hastily sent back, presently
brought one of the station officers all the
way from his previous stopping place,
journey of several hours with the cane,
which had been found at the station. The
manager urged the messenger to accept
recompense for his trouble. The latter
quickly replied that the only thing that he
could desire or accept would be ticket to
hear the great player. This was, of course,
readily forthcoming