Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-12-11
CHAPTER X
THE SHOW.

ace to whom had been intrusted the adj
yertising of the Sunburnt Minstrel Com
bination had certainly performed his duty
well. Dodgers, hangers, programmes and
led to j.. The opponents of that
branch of the mimic art over which sable
Mormons presides with dark visaged care.
were. so the playbill said ITO delight the
audience with the most select and varied
performance ever given west of the Mis-
souri, river" The public were promised
ga rich treat of instrumental music by our
MAMMOTH BRASS BAND, under the leader
ship of Prof. Horn. An aggregation of
minstrel talent never before eqaaled on
the Pacific coast, etc., etc" A perusal OF
their printed proclamations led the unsus-
pecting reader to believe that by far the
greater part Of our language was conpos-
ed of adiectives, and exclamation points
were in thick array as 'an army with ban
ners.' The old Armory Hall had been
swept and busted, coal oil lamps were Dor
rowed, night came and with 1t the promls-
ed treat by the Mammoth Brass Band.
Prof. Horn who on the hangers was pro
claimed as 1.-The wonderful triple tongue
cornetist," blew with much distended
cheeks, a very wheezy cornet and however
many tongues he may have been blest
with. apoaared to be afflicted with Iingual
rheumatism.
The PLAYER on the French horn did not
work very hard nor continuously, whether
he followed his score with punctillious
honestly, or simply INDUCED a native in
dependence was not clear, his rests were
frequent and each time accompanied by a
rolling over of his instrument which sug-
gested the probable presence OF gallons OF
water in the tortuous Windlngs of its hol-
low tubes. The trombone was evidently
as old as its manipulation but still gave
forth no uncertain sound for its loud blare
was a continuous succession of slides from
one note into another and its identity was
impossible to be mistaken. The big tuber
was shoulder by the smallest man in the
band, who made it grunt its deep bass
iIUUss WIN L
to the credit of his diminutive proportions.
The snare drum was ratified upon by an
agile looking youth who proved to be the
iig dancer, and the bass drum was be-
la.bored By the property man.
The music was evidently borrowed from
the circus. its galloping measures and jerky
execution brought up rememberances of
sawdust arenas, bareback acts and and the
ringmaster's whip. The cornet certainly
led-led by several lengths, with the snare
drum a good second. The French horn
spasmodically breaking in, the trombone
sliding along on the smooth and continu-
Gus tenor Of its way in company with its
side partner the energetic tuber, while as
was eminently proper as to order Of pro-
cession the bass drum brought up the rear.
The musical free for all sweepstakes hav-
ing been run to a finish the band entered
the hall, the spectators following via the
ticket office.
The curtain rose on asemi-cirle of burnt
cork.
At the ~interlogutor's request: Gentle
men be seated" there appeared to be a pc
culiar similarity in the glazed and shiny
knees of the eleven black clad and black
faced members of the company. It re
quired no very close observer to detect a
pronounced absence Of clean linen. A
majority Of the boots We're innocent of
backing and but one one pair could boast
of polish.
Whether those who now faced the su-
dienee We're owners Of time pieces did not
appear; but each and everyone sported a
watch chain.
The opening chorus had been sung, aged
jokes had been told, some feeble and
semle condrums had been propounded and
then came the announcement from the
middle: "Signor Crescendo will now IA
vor us with, Come Where my Love Lies
Dreaming" His voice was a trife sharp
and rather tremulous, the latter quality be-
ing effectively used in a sentimental ex-
preston of his song, and had it not been
for a habit he had Of stretching his thin
neck to its utmost elongation, his singing
would have been fairly passable. The end
men did their parts with grotesque activi-
ty. eliciting roars of laughter in return.
M%onsigneur Bellari announced as the sill
yer voiced tenor gave, you'll Remember
Me-" The silver plating of his voice must
have been considerably worn, or else, a