Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-22
THE FIRST PIANO IN CAMP.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
Sam Dsvis In the Carson Appeal
In iSSS-it might have been Eve years earlier
| or later, this il not history for the public
| schools-there was little camp about 10 miles
from Phoebe, occupied by upward of three
hundred miners, every one Of whom might
have packed his prospecting implements and
left for more inviting fields any time before
sunset. When the day was over these men did
not rest from their labors, like the honest New
England agricuiturist, but sang, danced. gam
bled. and shot each other, a. the mood seized
them.
One evening the report spread along the
main street (Which was the only street, that
three men had been killed at Silver Reef. and
that the bodies were coming in. Presently
numbering old conveyance labored up the
hill. drawn by couple Of horses, we'll worn out
with their pull The cart contained good
sized box, and no sooner did its outlines be-
come visible through the glimmer of stray
light here and there, than il began to affect
the idlers. Death always enforces respect
and even though no one had caught sight Of
the remains, the crowd gradually became sub
dued and when the horses came to stand
still the cart was Immediately surrounded. The
driver, however, was not in the least impressed
/ with the solemnity of his commission.
IAN therei" asked one.
| Haven't examined Guess So"
The driver filled his pipe and Lit it as he con-
! tinued:
Wish the bones and load had gone over the
grade"
A man who had been looking on stepped up
( at once.
Il don't know who you have in that box. but
II they happen to be any friends of mine, III
lay you alongside.
1--WE can mighty soon see," said the team.
ster, cody. Just burst the lid off. and il they
happen to be the men you want. I'm here"
| The two looked at each other for moment
and the crowd gathered a little closer, antici-
pating trouble.
The teamster began to pry up the lid He
got a board of, and then pulled out some rags
A strip of something dark, like rosewood, pre-
septed itself.
Eastern cof6ns, by thunder said several,
and the crowd looked quite astonished.
Some more boards few up, and the man who
was ready to defend his friends memory shifted
his weapon little. The cool manner of the
teamster had SO irritated him that he had
made up his mind to pull his weapon at the
first sight OF the dead, even il the deceased was
his worst and oldest enemy. Presently the
whole Of the box-eover was off. and the team
ster, clearing away the packing, revealed to
the astonished group the top Of something
Boys" said he. this is a pianner."
A general shout Of laughter went np, and the
| man who had been SO anxious to enforce re-
| spect for the dead muttered something about
| feeling dry, and the keeper of the nearest bar
was several ounces better Of by the time the
boys had given the joke all the attention it
! called for.
! Hal a dozen dead men been in the box. their
presence in the camp could not have occasioned
half the excitement that the arrival of that
piano caused. By the next morning it was
known that the instrument was to grace hurdy-
| gurdy saloon, owned by Tom Goskin. the lead.
| ing gambler in the place. Ii took nearly
week TO get this wonder on its legs. and the
owner was the proudest individual in the state
1t rose gradually from a recumbent to an up
| right position, amid confusion of tongues
after the manner Of the Tower of Babel
OF course everybody knew just how such an
! instrument should be put up. One knew where
the of hind leg" should go, and another was
posted on the front piece"
Scores of men came to the place every dsy
| to assist.
I'm put the bones in good order"
If you want the wires tuned up, I'm the
boy"
I've got the music to feed il for a month"
Another brought pair of blankets for a
cover, and all took the liveliest interest in it.
1t was at last in a condition for business
Its been shown its teeth all the week.
We'd like to have it spit out something"
Alas. there wasn't man to be found who
could play upon the instrument Goskin be-
gan to realize that he had losing speculation
on his hands. He had a fiddler and Mexican
who thrummed q guitar. A pianist would
have made his orchestra complete. One day
three-card monte player told a friend conf
dentially that he could knock any amount of
music out of the piano. if he only had it alone
| a few hours to get his hand in" This report
spread about the camp, but on being ques-
toned he vowed that he didn't know a note of
music. 1t was noted. however. as a suspicious
circumstance. that he often hung about the in
strument, and looked upon it iongingly, like a
hungry man gioating over beefsteak in q res
taurant window. There was no doubt but that
this man had music in his soul, perhaps in his
fingers ends, but did not dare to make trial of
his strength after the rules of harmony had
suffered so many years of neglect. So the fid-
dler kept on with his iigs and the greasy Next
can paved his discordant guitar. but no man
had the nerve to touch that piano. There
were. doubtless scores OF men in the camp who
would have given ten ounces OF gold-dust to
have been half an hour alone with It, but every
mans nerve sbrank from the jeers which the
crowd would shower upon him should his first
attempt prove failure. 1t got to be generally
understood that the hand which first essayed to
draw music from the keys must not SLOUGH its
work.
It was Christmas eve. and Goskin. according
to his custom, had decorated his gambling hell
with sprigs OF mountain cedar and a shrub
whose crimson berries did not seem a bad imi-
tation of English holly. The piano was cov-
cred with evergreens and all that was wanting
to fill the cup of Goskin's contentment was a
man to play that piano.
Christmas night, and no piano-pounder," he
said. This is a nice country for a Christian to
live in"
Getting a piece of paper, he scrawled the
words
---..--...- .............
f: $40 Reward
f: To a compliant Pianer PLAYER.
This he stuck up on the music-rack and
though the inscription glared at the frequent