The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-06-22
That Bad Bow,

The grocery man asked the Bad Boy
about the circumstances of q band ser.
ending his father, which was explained
rs follows:
"Don't let that get out, or pa will kill
me dead. II was n joke. One of these
bohemian bands that goes about town
playing tunes for pennies, was over on
the next street, and told pa guessed
had n baby ut the house, had hired a
band and was coming in few minutes
To serenade him and he better prepare
To make II speech. Pa is proud of be-
| ing father at his age, and he thought
il was no more than right for the neigh
| bors 10 serenade him. and he went to
loading himself for speech, in the Ii
brary, and me and my chum went out
| and told the leader of the band there
was family up there that wanted To
have some music, and they didn't care
for expense. so they quit blowing where
they was and came right along. None
of them could understand English ex-
cept the leader, and he only understood
enough to 90 and take drink wno.i he
is lvited. My chum steered tn a nd
up to our house aud got them " play
Babies on our Block and t3aby
Mine, and ! stopped all the men who
were going home and told them to wait
| a minute ana they would see some fun,
sowhcn the band got through the second
tune, and the Russians were emptring
the beer out of the horns, and pa stepped
oul on the porch, there was more nor
hundred people in front of the house.
You'd dide To see pa when he put his
hand in tine breast of his coal. and
struck an attitude. He looked like a
congressman or tramp. The band
was scared, cause they thUngAt he was
mad, and some of them were going to
run, thinking he WAS going 10 throw
pieces of brick house ut them, but nv
chum and the leader kept them. Then
pa sailed in. He commenced, Fellow
Citizens, and then went way back to
Adam and Eve. aud worked up to the
present day, giving a history of the
Notable people who had acquired chill
dren, and kept the crowd Interested.
| felt sorry for III. cause | knew how he
would feel when he came to find out he
has! been sold. The Bohomians in tho
band that cpudn' understand English,
they loohcd at each other. and won
dered what il was All about and finally
pa wound up by stating that il was
every citizens dnty to own children of
his own, and then lac invited the band
and the crowd in 10 take some refresh
ments. Well. you ought To have seen
that band come IN the house. They fell
over each other getting in, ana the
crowd went home, leaving pa aad my
chum and me and the band Eat? Well,
| should smile. They Just reached for
things and talked Bohemian. Drink?
., no. ! guess they didn't pour it
down. Pa ope ned a dozen bottles of
champagne, and they fairly bathed in it.
tried to talk with them about the baby,
but they couldn' I understand, and finally
they got full and started out. and tho
leader asked pa for three dollars, and
that broke him up. PA told the leader
he supposed the gentlemen who had got
up the serenade had paid for the music.
and tile leader pointed to me and said
was the gentleman that got il up. Pa
paid him, but he had wicked look in
his eye, and me and my chum lit out,
and the Bohenians came down the
street bilin' full. with their furas on
their arms. and they were talking Boz
hemian for all that was out. They
stopped in front of :. vacant house and
BEGAN To play, but you couldn't tell
what tune it was, they We're SO full, and
a policeman came along and drove
them home. guess will sleep at the
livery stable tonight, cause pm is oflul
unreasonable when anything costs him
three dollars, besides the champagne"
-Ieck's Sun,