The Brookhaven leader., 1883-03-22
THE WHISTLER.


20 whistle and I'll come to you, my lad;
whistle and I'll come to you, my lad,
Tho father and mither and a should gae
mad;
Owhistle and I'll come to you, my lad
Some years ago at Boston theater.
during one of the tedious waits when
the orchestra has finished its selection
and everybody had expressed a criticism
on the play, there came one of those
dead lulls during which five minutes
seems an age. and just at that moment
some one in the second gallery began
to whistle Home, Sweet Home" The
low, clear notes were a musical as the
strains of flute. and they pierced the
air with their homesick melody and
touched ever heart. All heads turned
to look up, but it was impossible TO dis
tinguish the whistler of the sweet
strains among the very ordinary look
ing people there, until a policeman ap-
peared and churlishly silenced him,
and then it was seen to lie a sickly
looking. poorly dressed man who had
entranced every ear with his plaintive,
tender melody and left a memory in
every heart. Nowadays whistling is
almost one of the lost arts. For good
ness sake stop that dreadful whistling,n
says some distracted mother to her
noisy offspring. She does not consider
that whistling is a salety-valNe e to the
boys feelings, relief to the pent-up
Utica OF his powers, AMI one OF the few
accomplishments natural to the genus
boy.
1.-THE school-boy with his sachel in his hand
Whistling aloud to keep his co rage up"
1t is fact that there are boys who
can not whistle. They will go through
the motions but only succeed in making
a frightful face, and no no Sc, while
others can cut the air with a sharp,
shrill, long-d avn inspiration, that will
startle eepy dog half dozen blocks
in the distance, and bring all the other
BOYS out Ii G rats to meet at one given
point. Send 10y on an errand and
ten to one he will whistle all the way
there, and al the way back, giving
every conceivable note that the human
whistle is capa lie of. Ordna il, peo-
pie do not notice this infection in the
air in the shape of free concerts, but
stop few moments some da; on q usy
co; ner and listen to the whistling 10y.
You don't here any whistling-yOu are
disappointed; but wait when it comes.
There's land thu is fairer than day"
You can't describe whistle any more
than you can a kiss; both are lab al per-
formances that lose much in descrip-
ton. But look at the boy that is whist
ling that sweet and sanity tune; he has
boot black kit, has face as shrewd
as ferrets, and is testing a lead nickel
and speculatiRg as TO the best way he
can run it out again. He is folloWe | in
a little while by a tired looking mes
senger who is giving Peek-a- boo for all
it is worth; and then you are almost set
to dancing as st. Patrick's Day in the
Morning comes rollicking down the
street, with snatches of ope a, Baby
Mine. The Wearing of the Green and
more fashionable snatches from the
latest operas. The sweetest VIII stler in
Detroit is a colored boy who is inserar-
able from a wheelbarrow of clothes
which he is taking home to his mother
to wash. There was ne er anything
set to music that ne can not produce in
perfect time and with every note clear
and distinct. One day he whistles ne
gro melodies; another it is all church
music. Then he gives medleys and
there is singularly plaintive, almost
painful sweetness in his tones. 1t is
said that bad boys do not whistle; they
are secretive and quiet.
There is a story of woman who was
left alone in a temporary home on the
prairie with her little family while her
husband went to a distant town after
provisions. She describes in heroic
verse her fear of the red man and how
she sat late at night by her window and
was terrified by the approach of foot
steps.
"Then knelt until late in the evening,
And scarcely an inch had4 stirred,
When su denly tar in the distance
sound as of whiStling he Ird.
started up dreadfnlly frigh ened
For fear twas an In ians call,
And then very soon remembered
The red man ne er whistles at ALL.
1t was a neighbours boy coming to
protect her who had whistled to let her
know OF his approach, and she concludes
by saying:
$50 now, my dear friend, do you wonder,
Since such goot reason I've given,
Why say 1 shan't care for the music
Unless there is whistling in Heaven?
Yes, often I've said so in earnest,
And now what I've said repeat,
That unless the "es boy there a-whsting
The music will not be complete"
Boys sent out after dark are said to
whistle to keep their courage up They
also whistle as a signal to other boys,
and now popular genius has developed
the use of it as pro ession.
For heavens sake dry up that
whistling," said the grocery man to
the bad boy. There is no sense in such
whistling: What do You whistle for
anyway"
- am practicing my profession"
said the bad boy. 81 have always been |
good whistler. and | have decided 10 |
turn my talent to account. am going |
to hire an office AMI put out sign:
Boys Furnished to Whistle for Lost |
Dogs You see there are dogs lost ev-
cry day. and any man would give half
dollar TO boy to find his dog. 1 can
hire out TO whistle for dogs, and can go |
around whistling and enjoying myself