Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-11-14
HOW RUBY PLAYED IT.
BY R. @. E.

his feelings;
Well, sir, he had the blamdest,
biggest, catty cornerdest pianner you
ever laid eyes on; somethin' like a
distracted billiard table on three legs.
The lid was hoisted, and mighty well
it was. If it hadn't been he'd tore
the entire inside clean out, and scat
tered 'em to the four winds of heaven.
Played well? You bet he did
but don't interrupt me. When he
first sit down he appeared to keer
mighty little bout playin' and wisht
he hadn't come. He tweedle-leed'ed
a little on the treble, and twoOdle-
oOdled some on the base-just foolin'
and boXin' the things jaws for bein'
in his way. And says 1 to man
settin' next to me, says l: "What
sort of fool playin' is that?" And he
says "Heish !" But presently his
hands commenced chasin' one another
up and down the keys, like a parcel
of rats scamperin' through garnet
very swift. Parts of it were very
sweet, though, and reminded me of a
sugar squirrel turning candy eagle.
"Now," says l to my neighbor,
"he's shown off. He thinks he's
doin' of it, but he amt got no idee,
no plan of nothin'. If he'd play me
a tune of some kind or other I'd"
But my neighbor says "Heish !"
very impatient.
was just about to give up and go
home, bein' tired of that toolishness,
when l heard a little bird waking up
away off in the woods and call sleepy
like to his mate, and / looked up and
see that Ruby was beginning to take
some interest in his business, and |
sat down again. 1t was the peep of
day. The light came faint from the
east, the breezes blowed gentle and
fresh, some more birds walked up in
the orchard, then some more in the
trees near the house, and all begun
singin' together. People begun to
stir, and the gal opened the shutters.
Just then the first beams of the sun
fell upon the blossoms a leetle more,
and it techt the roses on the bushes,
and the next thing it was broad day ;
the sun fairly blazed, the birds sung
like they'd split their little Threats
all the leaves were mOvin', and flash
in diamonds of dew, and the whole
wide world was bright and happy as
a king. Seemed to me like there was
good breakfast in every house in
the land, and not a sick child or wO,
man anywhere. 1t was a fine morn.
in.
And Isays to my neighbor: "That's
music, that is"
But he glared at me like he'd like
to cut my throat.
Presently the wind turned; it be-
gan to thicken up, and kind of gray
mist came over things; got low
spirited directly. Then silver rair
began to fall. 1 could see the drop.
touch the ground; some flashed W
like long pearl earrings, and the res
rolled away like round rubies. /
was pretty, but melancholy. Their
the pearls gathered themselves int
long strands and necklaces, and ther
they melted into thin silver streams
running between golden gravels, anC
then the streams joined each other a
the bottom of the hill, and made {
brook that flowed silent, except tina
you could kinder see the music, spec
tally when the bushes on the bank
moved as the music went along dow
the valley. l could smell the flower
in the meadow. But the sun didn'
shine, nor the birds sing; it was
fOggy day, but not cold.
The most curious thing was the lit
tie white angel boy, like you see il
pictures, that run ahead of the musi
bark and led it on, and on, away on
of the world, where no man eve
was, certain. l could see that bo
just as plain as l see you. Then tn
moonlight came, without any sunset
and shone on the graveyards, wher
some few ghosts lifted their head
and went over the wall, and betwee
the black, sharp-top trees splendi
marble houses rose up, with fin
ladies in the lit-up windows, and me
that loved 'em, but could never 81
nigh 'em, who played on guitars III
der the trees, and made me that mi
cradle could have cried, because
wanted to loye somebody, / don
know who, better than the men wit
the guitars did.