The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-03-30
ROMANCE OF A SHOP.
Musicians and Their Love for Their In
struments.
From the New York sun.l

twelve wears as he burst into the shop OF a
ylolin-maker and repairer and glanced at
the fiddes on the workbench and walls.
Mo- said the maker, II can't get it
finished till tomorrow afternoon"
| Well.o was the answer, f" j was on my
wav TO school, an thought I'd look at 1t
anyhoy. Pll come in an take look at 1t
again on my way home. But | want 1t bad,
mind"
morrow morning. said the maker, after
The boy had gone, "because he'll be In To-
morrow morning anyhow. I'll have to
work tonight to finish the job, too, be-
cause here's fiddle that's to be PLAYED on
this afternoon at the Philharmonic rehear-
sal. and there's another job for the after
noon. so the boys fiddle will have to be re-
paired tonight. ] don't, somehow, mind
working for that boy over hours, because
he loves his violin as If 1t were his sister.
It's been here two days, and every day he
stops in and asks if it's ready. believe
il he wasn't afraid Of being laughed at
he'd sit here all day, and play hockey to
do il. His father bought that violin here
for him. The boy is TO have the finest one
in the shop when he's sixteen. lie loves
his fiddle because he can get good music
out OF it. He's at il nearly all the time
when he isn't at school,
professional musicians are often a.
fond OF their instruments as this boy, are
they not?
- A good many OF them are-sometimes
those you'd least expect. My son is a
dealer in musical Instruments. especially
brass Instruments When he first started,
some years ago. gave him half this shop.
One day while he was with me man
about forty years old came in. lie carried
leather case. When he had opened ii be
removed fine blue silk handkerchief, and
displayed living in the case beautiful
plated cornet. IL was certainly the finest
instrument 10 look at | ever saw. He said
he wanted TO make a contract with my
son to polish it once week. They agreed,
and he asked my son to polish it then and
there. and he would wait 1t takes some
time TO polish cOrnet, but there he sat pli
the while, never taking his eyes of the In
strument. | offered him newspaper and
book. aud even tried TO call his attention
TO some fine viOlins, but il was 40 use. lie
seemed to have thought only for his cor
net. When the instrument was polished
M, threw the silk handkerchief over It,,
placed il carefully in the box. and walked
of. Week after week he came and sat with
his ewes on The cOrnet while 1t was being
polished. Once my son was very busy on
an important Job he asked his customer
IL he wouldn't leave the instrument and
call for il in the afternoon. No, he
wouldn't. He took the instrument, came
back with it in the afternoon, and waited
until it had been polished.
tbfnL q il necessarily 4
fine player because he has tne inStIu-
meut; but this customer was so particular
about his cornet. and seemed to take such
GOOD care Of it, that | imagined he was a
distinguished amateur. | knew he wasn't
a professional because no professional
who was not enough before the public
to be known by me could have owned
so beautiful an instrument. He had
been coming TO nv son to have the
cornet polished for some time, when one
day, As he was sitting in the shop wait
mo, as usual, 4 customer Of mine en-
tered TO see about some repairs on violin.
He evidently knew the cornetist, for he
hook hands with him and called HIM by
name. When the cOrnetiSt went away |
asked who he was. and added, suppose
he is very fine performerF Iregret TO
say that my customer swOre. Play
said he. Goodness gracious. You've
seen his instrument and You know it's a
beauty. You'd think that sometimes R
beautiful sound would issue from it; bit
I've never heard one. When he'd been
in our house week we signed petition
asking him to practice on the roof. 1t was
spring time. and he went on the roof and
rrlcticed there all summer. But when it
got cold lie came down. tell you what
we do now with him. There's q great big
closet in his room. We hear him open the
door OF the closet and sit in front OF il and
blow into il. II he ever blows out pure
note we shut the closet door pestissimo and
lock il in. Then we draw out the kew aud let
the note out gradually through the key
hole. In this way we prolong our rare
good fortune
81 remember another instance OF extra
ordinary devotion on the part Of PLAYER
| to his instrument. | was working in the
| shop late one evening. 1t was after work
hours; the door was locked and the shades
were drawn. There was rap at the door,
and as | opened il little old man entered,
carrying viOloncello almost as big a. him
self. He had on thin, black, threadbare
suit almost shivered to look at it
and an old worsted comforter around his
neck. lie had wrapped his viOlonceIlo up
in shawl that would have kept the cold
off him better than his coat. He unwrapt
the shawl from around his instrument and
asked me in German for how much would
make certain repairs. 1t was a tri1ling
matter, and L mentioned Il trifing sum.
Without word, but with look of bitter
disappointment, he began to wrap I'D the
| instrument again. | pitied him and told
him I'd do it for whatever he could paw.
His hands fairly trembled with Joy as he
again uncovered the instrument. He
waited until | had finished the lob.
Then he took the cello and drew his
bow across ii some half dozen
times. 1t was common instrument,
but he drew from ii the most beautiful
tones. He tuned it and went on playing.
AS he played his features changed. They
lost their weary, haggard, hungry look,
and seemed lit up by marvellous exatation
OF spirit. BY and by he seemed to remem-
Der where he was. He ceased playlng.
put the old shawl on the cello, aud then
drawing out shabby pocket-bo book, shook il
our over my counter A few coppers and
small silver coin fell on the counter. They
seemed his whole store, and | hadn't the
he1rt 10 take them. His look OF gratitude
as | handed them back to him repaid me.
aidn't see him again for about a month.
Ihen he came In. looking stabbier, colder,
ana hungrer than before. He wanted TO
KNOW II I'd lend him trine on his violon.
cello. could keep the instrument II I'd
ohiy allow him TO come around after work.
hours and play on it. knew what separa-
llon IRON his cello meant for him, so l let
ma pave trifle, ard told him be could
take us instrument back with him. He
hugged II closely, and hurried away as
though be were afraid he might not be al
lowed TO take II with him after all.