The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-02-28
EVERY FIVE MINUTES.
Andy Tanhauser's Strange Addiction and
What His Father Thinks of It.


What His Father Thinks of 1t.
81 tell you my boys going to make a
million for his dad" said Joseph Tan
hauser, of No. 1,421 Leithgrow Street,
yesterday afternoon. Mr.. Tanhauser is
small man. His face is thin; his eyes
are keen and brilliant. On the occasion
above mentioned he wore white beaver
hat that looked as though he sometimes
used it as a footstool as well as a head
ornament.
s'Come with me-" said Mr.. Tan
hauser, with a Mulberry Sellers wave of
the hand. He opened the door of the
small frame dwelling on Leithgrow
Street and admitted the Press reporter.
Then he closed the door carefully.
"Now, this boy" he explained, in a
dramatic whisper, saint no freak.
Andy-that's his name-Andy Tan
hauser is afflicted. He shutters. Other
boys can stutter and go talkin' right
straight along. But the beauty about
my boy Andy is that he shutters so he
can only say one word every five min
utes. Been that way from his birth
Times exact, too-every five minutes
Get out your watch and time him; he
won't mind. Come in"
candy, freckle-faced boy with
tow head, was seated at the table eating
pie.
There he is" exclaimed the father,
proudly. ''Eatin' pie again. That's
what he does all the time-eats pie.
Andy, stand up and say How'd ye-do!'
to the gentleman.
Andy stood up and squinted. but
made no sound.
Guess he's just finished making
remark, explained his father. "Wait
till his times up" Three minutes
passed. Then he began suffering like
a candle. At the end of fifteen minutes
he had said, How'd ye-do!'
''He's great, isn't hep" cried the IA
ther, slapping his hat down on the ia,
BILE with loud report.
Andy sat down and philosophically re-
sumed his pie.
'.Now, not to detain you," resumed
the enthusiastic parent, 'I'll just tell
you what he can do. He's learning the
145th psalm-beautiful thing, too. That
was an idea of my own. Good one,
isn't it? He'll appeal to the religious
sentiment of the community At the
nearest calculation it will take him
three days to recite it. Like to hear a
verse; Andy, let's have one."
Andy began the recitation at three
O'Clock He selected a verse contrasting
thirty words. At precisely $50 the last
word shot from his contorted mouth
like bullet.
Mr.. Tanhauser went into ecstacies
He put on his white hat, then took it
off, and then sat down on it. Andy got
off laugh in sections.
Now, you see," went on Mr.. Tan
hauser, when he fad somewhat recov-
cred, ''that's not he can do. He's
natural born Observation-Disclosures it from
his grandmother, on my side. He can
play the mouth-organ now, and is learn.
ing to play on the piano. 1 tell you.
he'll be the greatest museum attraction
that has been seen for years. I'm go
ing to take him over to New York to-
morrow. You see, after awhile he won't
make so many faces when he talks.
I'm trying to teach him to be patient
and just wait five minutes between words
till speech comes to him."
''Can he singP"
''Sing? Well, should say so. His
favorife is Only Pansy Blossom 1t
takes him all day to sing it. Idon'tlet
him do it often, because it occupies too
much of his time. VI Philadelphia Press
asI