The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-07-03
BLIND TOM AT HOME.
How the Afflicted Musician
Passes These Summer DAYS.
REBUKING A DlSCoRDANT SINGER.
"A Petted Child With a Grand Piano For a
Toy-Feeiing the Sunlight and I'm
itating the Church Bells.
From the New York Sun.


the old house and mingles delightful har-
mony with the dull hum of traffic in the popu-
lous thoroughfare. Men and women hurrying
TO and fro III the street stop often and listen to
the strains. The fingers that so deftly touch
the keys and draw such wondrous symphonies
from the instrument are those of 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 dwelling, have rare and
delightful treat. The back windows of the old
dwelling, reaching from floor to ceiling, are
thrown open to the June breezes and the sun
shine, and all the wondrous variety of melody
that the negro draws from the grand piano
floats out upon the balmy air in waves of capti-
waiting sound.
Every once in a while the rtalwart African
will start up from his seat and rush out upon
the porch, and pace up and down like an i'm
prisoned animal, beating his chest and moan
ing piteously. Arailing that reaches above
his waist completely cuts off egress to the lit
tie garden patch that blooms in the back yard,
and he runs his hand along it as if he were
trying to find stairway to the garden.
elbow are you, Tom? What's the matter?'
some one who has been listening is sure to saw
when the musician makes such sudden appear
ances on the porch. Their greeting is always
CHEEKY, for all the listeners know well 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 renders repeti-
ton of his stage performances impossible.
For hours daily he tramps up and down tho
porch in his slippered feet, clad in blue trous-
oPu md dar box
headed and uneasy. He behaves like an i'm
prlsoned bear, at times crouching on all tours
or dancing up and down in a mysterious de-
lirum. He has worn q 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 these capers on the porch
One Sunday recently the chimes in Grace
church steeple on Broadway began to ring,
and the echoes, softened by the distance they
had traversed, struck Toms ear with q 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 raised his sightless eyes to the sky,
and turning his head in the direction of the
chimes, stood like a statue, listening with rapt
attention to the melody. The echoes died away
finally, and, waiting some minutes to hear if
they would continue, he CROPPED 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 little later the chimes again rang out
upon the June breeze.
Then he arose from the piano, went out on
the porch, and listened in curiously intent
way, to the noise made by the Tapping wings
of flock of pigeons, whose cote is built against
the wall &C an adjoining house.
The sun meantime rose so that its hot rays
rays broke past the shade of tree in the gar
den and beat against the side partition of the
porch The big negro leaned on his hand
ment he felt the heat. The sensation seemed
to puzzle him. for he placed his hand on tho
partition again, withdrew it second time and
began to stroke it and to ponder. He stood in
this way stroking his hand for many moments.
Then lie looked up and smiled. 1t had dawned
upon him at last that what he had felt was
sunshine He held both hands aloft, and
CROPPED 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 mo-
tionless, with his sightless orbs opened wide to
the golden rays, and laughed with the glee of
child who had found new plaything.
One day last week when he had found the
sunlight in this same cropping way a servant
girl, with high-keyed, dIGcordant voice, began
to sing ''White Wings" as loudly as she could.
She was at work in dwelling some distance
from TOMS house, but he heard her voice
distinctly 1t appeared to CRATE upon his
nerves terribly, and he dashed up and down
the porch in a rage, and finally turning his
face in the direction of the singer he let
loose the vocal batteries of his wrath full upon
her.
''Shut up, can't you ?" he screamed. "You
ought to be ashamed OF yourself to make such
a frightful noise"
He poured out rebule in this frantic style
for many minutes, while tenants Of surround
ing houses, who had a strongly grounded pre-
JUDGE themselves against the servant girls vo-
calization, roared with laughter.
"Giye it to her, Tom,' some Of them cried,
approyngly; "she deserves it,"
Every time the girl tried to sing after that
she ran against the same torrent Of rebuke
from the negro musician. She tried despe-
rately to sing him into silence, but failed to
stop the stream of angered criticism.
His method Of complimenting good must
clans is as fatterng as this rebuke of discord
is severe and maddcned. There are some cul-
tivatAd vocalists and pianists In tho Ninth
street flats whose rear windows look out on his
porch, and he stands and listens, smiling when
ever the trained voices practice, or the piar;-
lists, who in this instance are young women,
play. Then he dives into his parlor and plays
the music Of the song, Or repeats the piano air
on his own grand piano. 1t is "a mighty popu-
lar way OF showing his appreciation.
busy painting the railinga and partitions of the
porch and putting down carpet on the worn
floor. During all the time Tom himself was
invisible, and the neigbbors who enjoyed his
capers and his piano playing, began to COM
ment anXiously upon his continued absence.
81 wonder where Tom could have gone toy"
said one Of the tenants of the Ninth street flats
as ne sat in the sunshine.
"Giye me that pccolo," exclaimed fellow
tenant, land I'll fetch him out"
The last speaker raised the piccolo TO his lips
and sent the notes of the pretty ballad "My
Neliys Blue Eyes" floating over tho porch,
He played cieyerly for several minutes without
effect. Then there was a commoton in the
parlor, the bolts OF the big window were sud-
denly unlocked with clang, and Blind Tom
plunged out among the paint pots that Uttered
the porch, laid his big black hands upon the
freshly painted railing, and leaned over, with
a smile lighting up his Husky face, TO catch
the piccolo notes
When the ballad was finished he CROPPED his
way back to the piano, and pressing bis paint
smeared fingers to the keys, played the ballad
himself and the high notes. Then he Owed out
on the porch again and waited anxiously for
some more music from the piccolo player.
A bird flew into the garden while he waited,
and perChing upon a branch that nodded near
Tom, sWelled his little throat IN q sweet am
them to the sunshine and the bamy breeZeg,