The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-11-28
Whistling and Whistlers.
Denver Tribune.

1t is an accomplishment which proves
very useful in variety of emergencies.
Many young man going home from
seeing his girl and plodding over lone
ly country road would have been scared
10 death only that he had whistled up
his courage; otherwise he would have
been looking about for ghosts and high
waymen and got frightened by the sound
of every falling leaf or perambulating
cat. The whistle prevents him from
hearing mysterious sounds and his at
tention being taken up with trying to
follow the tune and working his eye
brows in unison, will have no time to
look about for what might be lying in
wait for him. And before he knows it,
he will arrive at the paternal domicile
and have to study about getting into
the house without awakening his father.
Many man and great many more
mitting the sin Of profanity because
they whistled when they pounded their
forefnger instead of the tack with which
they were attempting to fasten the car
pet toward the evening of a spring
cleaning day.
Men whistle when they are happy and
they whistle when they are sad. When
you see carpenter or a house painter
pushing the plane or slabbing on the
paint and whistling lively air at the
same time set him down as man who
pays his debts, is cheerful at home and
never whips the children. When the
latter task has to be performed his wife
has to do it.
When a man is sad he whistles in a
doleful tone. Nine times out of ten he
won't choose dismal air, but he will
whistle lively tune, a hornpipe or a
negro minstrel and song. And he will
draw the melody in and out between
his lips in a way to draw tears from all
listeners. Sometimes a man accom-
plishes the same result when he is cheer
full and trying to whistle real good.
When man is studying some COM
plex problem wondering how he can
live at the rate of $4,000 year on a
$500 income, or something of that sort,
if he has not got something to smoke he
will whistle. He will walk up and down
the room or the back yard, or he will
sit in a rocking chair and thrusting his
hands as far as the elbows into his pants
pockets and whistle-whistle softly.
When man is suddenly surprised al
a preposterous statement, if he is very
profane he will say: "H-and d-na-
tion!" If mildly profane he will say
"The d-l!" If not at all wicked he
will whistle: "W-h-e-wE'
Girls cannot whistle we'll as a rule
Now and then there is one who can,
but she is an honorable exception to the
rule. There is one pretty, golden-haired
creature in Denver who can whistle firs
rate, but the boys usually do not appre
ciate it, and they let her know it. Bu
girls, as rule, whistle in a jerky, dis
connected sort of way and groan mild
ly between the notes.
There used to be pious old deacor
of the Baptist church who was continu
ally whistling, although nobody eve
was known to hear him. He was a fat
happy-looking old gentleman, and hi
used to walk with slow, rolling gate
which, in a shorter man and one o
| quicker movements, would have degen
Grated into waddle. He always walked
with his hands behind him and his lip
pursed into the attitude of a perpetua
whistle. Thus he would roll along th'
quiet streets of the town where he pass
ed his peaceful life, ever with the whis
tie just about to emerge from his lips
but still it never escaped. When h
was very young, his schoolmates, hi
sweetheart and later his wife, and th'
brethren and sisters in the church, hi
neighbors, children and grandchildren
at the early stages of their acquaintance
with him, waited for the tune, but al
were disappointed and he died and mad
no sound. Doubtless there was tun
in his mind ofso rollicking and worldl,,
character that his position in tn
church would not allow him to let it g
forth to set a bad example to the young
And so he heroically restrained tn
earthly desire and went down to hi
grave with the pucker upon his lips ant
the world none the worse for his havin
whistled all to himself.