The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-11-23
He Tried to Sing.


Not long since. at convivial gather
ing, after the cloth had been removed
and cigars lighted, the intellectual ex-
ercises came in order, and it was almost
unanimously voted that they would tell
der. The president was to begin, and
he told story. Then the next man
must sing; the next tell another story;
then the next sing, and so on, in alter
nate sequence.
By-and-by it came to Sam Plympton,
and he must sing. There could be no
let-off
But" said Sam, '.let me tell you
bit Of a story first, and after that I'll
sing, if you say So"
There was no objection to that, so
Sam arose and told his story. Said he:
"When was fifteen years old my pa
rents sent me to a singing school. We
had good teacher, and plenty of pret-
ty girls, and l rather enjoyed it.
Il wanted to be a singer, and tried
hard to learn, though the teacher, at
the end of the first month, told me /
was only wasting my time. But was
not to be put down in that fashion.
Others learned to sing. Why shouldn't IP
''Wen, l stuck to it for year, and
during all that time never once OPEN
ed my mouth to sing a note in the house
at home. Once, at the end of six months,
tried it in the cow-shed. l took a
good look to see that nobody was near;
then | went out into the back part
where the COWS and oxen were tied to
stakes, and opened on the national an
them:
go, say can you see by the dawns early
light
t'Pd got as far as there, when heard
a rumpus in the stalls. Jee-rusalemi
such a set of frightened animals l never
saw. But [ persevered on until l reach
ed:
$50 the land of the free and the home Of the
brave
cat that point had to stop. An old
brindle COW broke her stanchion short
off and got clear, and was making for
the door. One of the oxen had driven
his head through the side of the barn
| and was suffocating.
NATURALLY enough, | suspended my
singing, and tried TO quiet the animals;
but l couldn't get near them. And yet
| will just say here, it was close on two
weeks before 1 could convince those
COWS and oxen that | was safe man
to be near them.
''Well, didn't practise singing any
more in the shed; but about month
after that thought had q chance for
it up in our great garret. The folks
had gone out to take walk-it was on
a Sunday-and l was in the garret at q
| gable window reading, when the thought
struck me, 'Now'I be grand time to
try one of my favorite hymns
$50 began:
"Lo! what glorious light appears
| To our believing eyes"
''Excuse me for rcciting the words; I
| don't exactly remember the tune now:
1.-the earth and sea are passed away,
And the old rolling skies"
"Td Just got out the last of the first
verse when heard human voice at
the foot of the stairs. 1t was my father.
| The folks had got home, and | hadn' t
heard 'em. Mercy, how he yelled at
| me!
&" Samuel said he, what in the
world are you a-doin' of up there on a
Sabbath day?'
''And by that time he'd got into the
| garret and stood facing me.
| on, fit to cry, feeling so badly, How
have l labored to bring you up Chris
| tian boy! And now what do find? No
| sooner am out of the house, and you
think the coast is clear, than you begin
to alarm the neighborhood howlin'
| Your poor mothers down in her room,
almost frightened out of her wits. Sam
uel, in the name of all that's wonder
full. tell me what you was a-tryin' to
| do?'
Says I, as soon as 1 could muster up
| courage to speak:
. Dad, what did you think of it when
YOU first heard it?'
g what did l think?' said he. why,
] thought a menagerie had broke loose,
and that all the wild beasts in creation
was havin' q set-to in our garret, and
the bears was gettin' the worst of it.
L" Well, said I, after q little think
ing, I'll tell you what it was, dad. L
was trying my voice at singing. was
! just trying to sing my favorite hymn
''With that he looked at me-looked
perhaps two minutes. Then he put his
| hand on my shoulder, and, with a SYM
| pathetic moisture in his kindly eyes, he
said to me-and his voice was CULVER
ng as he spoke-said he, My son, I
have an affection for you, in spite of
your failings, and l don't want you to
end badly, which you certainly will do
if you keep on in that awful way. So,
my boy, [ want you to promise me here
and now that You will never more-nev-
er, never, never-open that mouth of
yours for the purpose of tryin' to sing!
Will you promise me-?
"Well. gentlemen, l promised as he
asked. And now can you, with clear
consciences, ask me to break that
promise?''
Sam was unanimously excused.