Smyrna times., 1888-07-25
POOR BLIND TOM.
HOW THE ONCE NOTED MUSICIAN
oASSES THE SUMMER.

PASSES THE SUMNER.
Feeling the Sunlight and Initiating the
Church Bells on the PianO-Angry with
an UnmusicaI Servant GirI-Whims and
Emotions.
In old fashioned st. Marks place, Just
east of the bustling Bowery, stands an
old fashioned, marble stopped dwelling
that is a marked spot in that noisy quar-
ter of the town. At varying intervals
daily the music of a sweet toned piano
floats softly from the interior of the old
house and mingles delightful harmony
with the dull hum of traffic in the popu-
lous thOroughfare. Men and women hur-
rying to and fro in the street stop often
and listen to the strains. The fingers
that so deftly touch the keys and draw
such wondrous symphonies from the in
strument are those of a strapping big
negro who sits at the piano in the spacious
back parlOr, and for hours sometimes
those residents who are fortunate enough
to have living quarters in the houses in
Ninth street whose back windows look
upon the rear porch of the old fashioned
/
Every once in a while the stalwart Afri-
can will start up from his seat and rush
out upon the porch, and pace up and down
| like an imprisoned animal, beating his
chest and moaning piteously. A railing
That reaches above his waist completely
| cuts of egress to the little garden patch
that blooms in the back yard, and he runs
his hand along it as if he were irving to
lind stairway to the garden
How are you, Tom? What's the mat
teri" some one who has been listening is
sure to say when the musician makes
such sudden appearances on the porch.
Their greeting is always CHEEKY, for all
the listeners know we'll that the big
chested negro is none other than Blind
Tom, the famous Ethiopian pianist. Tom
never appears in public. He is suffering
from some nervous complaint that rem
ders o repetition of his stage perform
ances impossible.
For hours daily he tramps up and down
the porch in his slippered feet, clad in
blue trousers and dark flannel Yachting
shirt, bareheaded and uneasy. He behaves
IKE an imprisoned bear, at times crouch
ing on all fours or dancing up and down
in u mysterious delirium. He has worn
ridge in the flooring of the porch near
the hand rail by his restless promenade
to and fro. Music or harmonious sounds
seem to be the only influences that ever
divert him from fO,m these capers on the
porch.
One Sunday recently the chimes in
trace church steeple on Broadway began
TO ring, and the echoes, softened by the
distance they had traversed, struck Toms
ear with sweet Naturalization that
reproduced note by note the beautiful
hymn, Nearer. my God, to Thee"
In an instant the blinded giant ceased
his tramp on the porch, and, resting his
hand on the railing, rGised his sightless |
eyes to the sky, and, turning his head in
the direction of the chimes, stood like n
statue, listening with rapt attention to
the melody. The echoes died away |
hnally, and, waiting some moments to |
near II they would continue, he groped |
his way through the open window into |
the parlOr, and, seating himself at the |
piano, ran his fingers over the KEYS in a |
sudden inspiration. What he PLAYED was |
an imitation, as perfect as the piano |
would allow, of the music of the chimes. |
Tom repeated the same stirring imitation. |
when q little later the chimes again rang |
out upon the June breeze.
Then he rose from the piano, went out |
on the porch and listened in a curiouslv |
ln1ehU way, to the noise made by the flap |
ping wings of flock of pigeons, whose
coIe Is punt against the wall of an ad-
joining house
Inc sun meantime rose so that its hot
rays broke past the shade of a tree in the
garden and beat against the side partition
OF the porch. The big negro leaned ON
his hand against the partition. He with.
drew 1t the moment he felt the heat. The
sensation seemed to puzzle him, for he
placed his hand on the partition again.
Withdrew 1t second time and began to
stroke it and to ponder. He stood in this
way stroking his hand for many moments.
Then he looked up and smiled. II had
dawned upon him at last that what he
had felt was sunshine. He held both
hands aloft and groped in the air until he
discovered by his sense Of feeling that he
was standing in the rays of the sun. He
remained on the spot motionless, with his
slghtless orbs opened wide to the golden
rays, and laughed with the glee of a child
who had found new plaything.
Ole cay last week when he had found
the sunlight in this same groping ,vav
servant girl, with a high keyed. disc6rd-
ant voice, began to sing ''White WingsD
as loudly as she could. She was at yv0rl,
III a dwelling some distance from Toms
mousse, but he heard her voice distinctly.
u appeared to CRATE upon his nerves ter
HDly' and he dashed up and down the
Porcn IN rage, and finally turning his
lace IN the direction of the singer. lie LET
loose the vocal batteries of his wrath fuIi
upon her. -'--
Shut up, can't your" he screamed
1ou ought to be ashamed of yourself to
make such frightful noise.
lie poured out rebuke in this frantic
styIe Tor many minutes, while tenants of
surrounding houses, who had a strongly
grounded prejudice themselves AGAINST
tne servant girls vocalization, roared
with laughter.
His method of comnliran+iro. o.oo5
musicians is as fattering as this rA6Tlyo |
of discOrd is severe and maddened There
are some cultivated vocalists and pianists
IN the Ninth street fats whose rear win |
doWs look out on his porch, and he stands
ana nstens' smiling whenever the trained
voices practice, or the pianists. who. in
InlS 1Ii instance are young women, play.
i !, heh ne DIVES into his parlor and plays
tne music of the song, or repeats +be |
piano air on his own grand piano. Il isa
mighty. popular way of showing his an
probation. ~
Day by day passes thus in the old
Iashloned house, with the afflicted blind
awaiting the new delights that
;0Ine from unexpected harmonies of sound-
watched by guardian, freed of all care,
ana giving. himself up to the whims and
emotions OF an eccentric personality, this
strangely inspired black genius lives for
III the world like some petted child in a
play house. Alternately petulant and
cheerful like a child, he plays when The
moves him with his captivat.
hs toy, the sweet toned grand piano. or
5Fopes In a blind chase after the beautiful
"a (1t unseen sunbeams, or drinks in with
tll,15, " Ine enthusiasm Of genius the varied
melodies Of singing birds, or tintinnabu-
ating chimes, or the harmonies of tbe {
luman voice. Therefore, despite his af.
Lotions, Blind Tom cannot but he in.
ensely happy.-New York Sun. I