The Osceola times., 1881-11-19
4 STRANGE PIANIST.

1888 there was little camp about Ter
miles from Pioche, occupied by upwarc
of about three hundred miners; every
one Of whom might have packed his
prospecting implements and LEFT fol
more inviting fields any time before sun
set. When the day was over these mer
did not rest from their labors, like the
honest New England agriculturist, but
sang, danced, gambled and shot each
other, as the mood seized them.
One evening the report spread along
the main street (which was the only
street., that three men had been killed
at Silver Reef and that the bodies were
coming in. Presently numbering old
conveyance labored 10 the hill, drawn
by couple Of horses well worn out with
their pull. The cart contained a good
sized box, and no sooner did its outlines
become visible through the glimmer of a
stray light here and there than it began
10 affect the idlers. Death always en-
forces respect, and even Though no one
had caught 81 Int Of the remains the
crowd gradually became subdued and
when tie horses came 70 a stand still the
cart was i'm mediately surrounded. The
driver, however, was not in the least i'm
pressed with tie solemnity of his com.
mission.
He began to pry up the lid, got a board
of, and then pulled of some old rags
A strip of something dark like rosewood
presented itself
eastern collins, by thunderr said
several and the crowd looked quite as
tonished
Presently the whole of the box cover
was oil, and the teamster, clearing away
the packing, revealed to the astouished
group the top Of something which puz'
zled all alike.
Had a dozen dead men been in the
box, their presence in the camp could
not have occasioned half the excitement
that the arrival Of that lovely piano
caused. BY the next morning it was
known that the instrument was to grace
a hurdy-gurdy saloon owned by Tom
Goskin the leading gambler in the place
II took near a week to get this wonder
on legs, and the owner was the proudest
individual in the - ate. Ii rose gradually
froma recumbent to an upright position
amid a confuson of tongues, after the
manner of the tower of Babel.
OF course, everybody knew Just how
One knew where the "ofi g'should
go, and another was posted on the "front
piece
Scores of men came to the place every
dav to assist and took the liyeliest in.
terest in it. 1t was at last in condition
for bu9ness.
at has been showing its teeth all the
the week. We'd like to have it spit out
something
Alas there wasn't a man 10 be found
who could play upon the instrument.
Goskin began to realize that he had a
losing speculation on his hands. lie had
a fiddler and a Mexican who thummed a
guitar. A pianist would have made his
orchestra complete. One day a three
card monte player told a friend conf
dentially that he could knock any am
cunt Of music out of piano, if he only
had it alone a few minutes to get his
hand i'm
The report spread about the camp, but
on being questioned he vowed that he
didn't know note of music. Ii was
noted, however, as a suspicious circum.
stance that he often hung about the in
strument, and looked upon it longingly,
like a hungry man gloating over a
beefsteak in restaurant window. There
was no doubt but that this man had
music in his soul, perhaps in his finger
ends hnt did not dare to make trial 0f
his strength after the rules OF harmony
had suffered so many years of neglect.
So the fdler went on with his jigs, and
the greasy Mexican paved his discordant
guitar, but no man had the nerve to
touch that piano. There were doubtless
scores of men in the camp who would
have given ten ounces of gold dust TO
have ieen half an hour alone with it,
but every mans nerve shrank from the
ieers which the crowd would shower up
on him should his first attempt prove a
failure, IL got to he generally understood
that the hand that first essayed to draw
music from the keys must not souch its
work.
n WAS Christmas eve, and Goskin, &C.
cording 10 his custom, had decorated his
gambling hell with sprigs Of mountain
cedar and a shrub whose crimson berries
did not seem bad imitation Of English
holly. The piano was covered with
everoreeus. and all that was wanted TO
completely GIL the gap Of Goskin's con-
tentment was man TO play that piano.
"Christmas night and no piano pound
er." he said. This is a nice country for
n christian TO live in" ,
Getting piece Of paper he scrawled
the words:
$50 Reward
To competant piano player,
This he stuck up on the music rack,
and though the inscription glared at the
freouenters of the room until midnight,