The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-01-09
A MUSICAL INTERLOPER.
The Work That a Church Mouse Did in a
Harmonium.

When stationed at -, in India. /
was asked to preside at the little church
harmonium, and for several years filed
that pleasant post. On coming into
church one day and beginning the vol
untaEy, l discovered that more than
half the notes would not come up after
being struck. The result, of course.
conveyed to the congregation was that
L was permanently holding down sew
eral octaves of chromatic scale! Nv
husband was fortunately near me, and
with his energetic help--picking up
each note as played tive got through
the services as best we could. Before
the next Sunday it had been repaired a
httle; but there was always a rather
painful uncertainty that note might
not suddenly shrek out unbidden.
One day | discovered, to my surprise.
that the harmonium was inhabited nv
a mouse. 1t is possible that his estab-
Hshment within and the effects of his
appetite on the felts and lining NAV in
some measure account for the surprising
vagaries of the instrument. | had left
my high seat and moved to a more
comfortable one during the sermon.
when saw little head with pair of
oeady black eyes peeping out from
under the pedals. After looking around
and finding all was quiet, he sailed out,
took a sun y llNnal in the neighbor-
nv y. end af tie sa,.ar.,
had refC =, SeHhis home. After this
we used to see him nearly every Sunday.
One day, just after we had got to church.
in came one of our dogs! She had been
tied up when we left our house, which
was about quarter of mile off; but
guessing, probably from the sound of
the bell, where we had gone, she fol-
lowed us directly she was let 90. The
harmonium was fortunately near the
door, so that she saw me the moment
she came in, and being thoroughly
well-trained dog, lay perfectly still be-
side my chair.
Of course, | was terribly anxious lest
the poor mouse should appear, for
Bessie, being a splendid ratter, would
without doubt have given chase, and
caused scene. However, the little in
mate of the harmonium was either
"out, or displayed marvellous dis
erection. Not so a squirrel. During
the sermon one of these pretty creatures,
SO common in India, came in througha
gap at the top of the ''chick''-a semi
curtain hung in the outer
doorways of all Indian houses to keep
out glare and flying insects, and pro-
ceeded to run up and down it within a
few feet of us! OF course, Bessie had
seen it at once; and there she sat with
ears erect and straining eyes, shivering
with excitement, watching its every
movement. After we had endured
several minutes OF suspense, the uncon-
'cious object of our attention, with a
whisk of the tail jumped out through
4 hole in the chick, and we breathed
freely once more.
About this time the Bishop of Cal
,utta came up to consecrate a piece of
ground to be added to the cemetry-a
very old one, where rest the bones of
heroes who fell hard by fighting. under
General Lake, at the commencement of
his century. The harmonium had been
aiken over in a handcart, that I might
accompany the hymns and chants.
During the ceremony the mouse stole
tut as usual, unconscious of the solem-
lity of the occasion. How he managed /.
% get in again so as to be carried back
% the church, | do not know; but there
lie was the following Sunday. Some
months later the new American organ !
arrived, and the old one, with it's in y
nate no doubt, was sold, and we lost .
light of it Chambers Journal