The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-07
MUSIC IN THE AIR"
fpreks sun.1

tPccks San.l
 A Frenchman has invested . new kind of harp made entirely of wood. lnstea6 ot strings, strips of American 6r are used, These are manipulated by tAe 6ngcss, as In ordinary harps, the performer wearing leather gloves covered with resin. The tone is said to be of q remarkable parity He probably got his idea ffom that eel ehrated American musical Instrument IeonStructed wholly of wood, which was % popular h an early day, and Is still In vogue to a certain extent in the back set tlementa, to-wit, the Aoss-6adleA" Some ct our younger reAders may never have seen one or heard its dnlcet tones, aud viii be pleased to isafn how to construct one of their own.
 Procure dry goods box or other large boS--ihe larger the hester--and remove tAe cover. With little faesSr this need cost nothing. 1.-the village merchant is al all liberal. and you tell him you arc desirous of becoming secoad PAgAninni ~-winking at the same time, which he will understand to mean that the fiddle Is especially intended to assist the slumbers of a newly-wedded pair-he will tell you to help yourself from the pile in the rear of the store II, however, he Is opposed to all such harmless recreation, and has no soul for music, and the pile of empty boxes is very large and they are becom- ing weather-woFn, you will probably wheel one away that evening, If 1t Is dark enough and the wheclbaFro V don't squeak. This, of course, ts not recom- mended, however. By Q little excTtion ycu can get enough fellows to chip in 60 that the expense will be mere rihc
 Then procure Q piece of two by four scantling, ten or twelve feet long. bore a hole through the ends and insert handles SO that each end represents cross.
 Plane of one edge of the scantling. and cover 1t with melted resin, to add to the resinant tone. This Is the fiddle bow, and may be operated by either one or two muscular persons. Drawing the bow across the edges of the box. with greater or less degree of pressure. will evoke strains which, when accompanied by the tintinnabulasion of eow-bells, tin pans, horns, etc., with an occasional dynamic interlude of gun. firing, will cause the startled car of night to quiver with mel Poe. Don't know where he found tt)
 It Is advisable at these open air con. certs 10 depend mainly on instrumental music, as t Is hard to disguise the human voice. Still. If an occasional chorus of yclls be given in unison, the effec, will be good. It is also advisable to locate the orchestra la position quite near the house wherein req ose the couple in whose honor the serenade Is rendered, but care should be saksa sAas go w.ndc~ eY door commands the place, as tt occasionally happens that the couple arc of that pscu- liaTly constituted class who can't see q joke, and the male member of the new firm may open fire with a shotgun and whatever other missiles are handy.
 Speaking of ehivaravis, (commonly called shiveFees.' the writer recalls one in which he participated over thirty years ago, but which seems as fresh and vivid in his minds eye Horatio as though 1t occurred but yesiernight; and as 1t will furnish matter for the future historian and biographer of the present public printer of the United States, and has never been in print, It is here given 10 plain, unvas- nished terms.
 At the time mentioned, which must have been about 5 or 8 it was the GUS tom of Mir. Rounds, or SieYl," as he was generally called. to visit the paicrnai roof each year during the prairie chicken sea son, as he was an inveterate sportsman and good shot. Nobody, to look at his now portiy form and dignified appear ance, wosid imagine that when a young man he was (" one Of the bhoys, but su 'h was the case-always up to some kind of harmless deviltry and fun, and liberal 10 q fault
 During this particular visit, an ill-as- sorted couple in the village got married " on the sly" The bride was an old maid, fiat, fair and forty" and the groom half-witted genius, the butt of the village. AS soon as It was dehaitely known that they were really and truly spliced, whis- pers of proposed shivaree" began to be heard among those who would be likely to take hand in, and the project sooa took definite shape. Mir. Rounds was artfully sounded and found to lean that way, and in view of being q dis tinguished guest was appointed cap, lin. It is bu. just to say that he threw the same vim and sekaf into the scheme that distinguished any enterprise he after wards undertook, and when the ap- pointed time came weII-zrmed snd equipped sqssd Of about twenty men and boys silently sssem lied near the little shanty which was to be the fature home of the lately welded pair. The captain and the writer each had double -bareisd guns. and there were several 6int-lock muskets; the instrumental music com prised one choice, exira-large horse. iSddie, George Kingsley first vioiinist, assisted by Cib. Rounds, who played . | good second one eas-pisrcing 6fs; one soul stirring drum of large caiibTs five dilapidated tin pans; one large wooden rattle, style Of eighteenth centaTy; aad l various other subordinate noise producers | specially procured for the occasion, re- gasdless of expense.
 The night vas favorable, being cloudy, 1 bnt just light eno0gh to get around with- 1 out difficulty. To sdd romance to the affair, the participants were disgsissd by l