Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1883-05-26
THEBAD BOY AND THE BAND
he GETS UP A sERENADE IN HoHoR
OF HIS Pa


"What was it 1 heard about a band
serenading your father, and his invit-
ing them in to lunch?" said the gro
Gerry man to the bad boy.
Don't let that get out, or pa will
kill me dead. 1t was a joke. One of
these Bohemian bands that goes about
town playing tunes, for pennies, was
over on the not street, and told pa
l guessed some of his friends who had
heard we had a baby at the house had
hired band and was coming in a few
minutes to serenade him, and he better
prepare to make speech. Pa is proud
of being father at his age, and he
thought it was no more than right for
the neighbors to serenade him, and he
went to loading himself for a speech,
in the library, and me and my chum
went out and told the leader of the
band there was family up there that
wanted some music, and they didnt t
care for expense. so they quit blowing
where they was and came right along.
None of them could understand Eng
lsh except the leader, and he only under
stood enough to go and take a drink
when he is invited. My chum steered
the band up to our house and got them
to play Babies on our Block,' and
Baby Mine, and l stopped all the men
who were going home and told them
to wait minute and they would see
some fun, so when the band got
through the second tune, and the
Prussians were emptying the beer out
of the horns, and pa stepped out on
the porch, there was more nor a
hundred people in front of the house.
You'd a dide to see pa when he put
his hand in the breast of his coat, and
struck an attitude. He looked like a
congressman, or tramp. The band
was scared, cause they thought he
was mad, and some of them were
going to run, thinking he was going
to throw pieces of brick house at them,
but my chum and the leader kept
them. Then pa sailed in. He COM
menced, Fellow citizens and then
went away back to Adam and Eve,
and worked up to the present day,
giving a history Of the notable people
who had acquired children. and kept
the crowd interested. 1 felt sorry for
pa, cause l knew how he would feel
when he came to find out he had been
sold. The Bohemians in the band that
couldn't understand English, they
looked at each other. and wondered
what it was all about. and finally pa
wound up by saying that it was every
citizens duty to own oh ldren of his
own, and then he invited the band and
the crowd in to take some refresh
ments. Well, you ought to have seen
that band come in the house. They
fell over each other getting in. and
the crowd went home, leaving
pa and my chum and me
and the band. Eat? Well,
should smile. They Just reached for
things, and talked Bohemian. Drink?
Oh, no. l gu,ss they didn't pour it
down. Pa opened dozen bottles of
chaml agne, and they fairly bathed in
it. as though they had fire inside.
Pa tried to talk with them about the
baby, but they couldn't understand,
and finally they got full and started
out, and the leader asked pa for three
dollars, and that broke him up. Pa
told the leader he supposed the gentle
men who had got up the serenade had
paid for the music, and the leader
pointed to me and said l was the
gentleman that got it up. Pa paid
him, but he had wicked look in his
eye. and me and my chum Lit out,
and the BOhemians came down
the street bilin' full, with their horns
on their arms, and they were talking
Bohemian for all thai was out. They
stopped in front of vacant house and
began to play, but you couldn't tell
what tune it was, they were so full.
and policeman came along and drove
them home. guess 1 will sleep 1T
the livery stable tonight. cause pa is
offul unreasonable when anything
costs him thres dollars, beside the
champagne.
"Well, you have made apretty mess
of it," said the grocery man. Its a
wonder your pa does not kill you. But
what is it / hear about the trouble at
the church, They Lay that foOlishness
to you"
Its lie. They lay everything to
me. 1t was some of them ducks that
sing in the choir was just as much
surprised as anybody when it occurred.
You see, our minister is laiu up from
che effect Of the ride to the funeral.
when he tried to run over a street car.
and an old deat on, who had symptoms
If being minister In his youth. was
invited to take The minister's place
and talk o littla He Ia M absent