West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-05-03
MY PRETTY PIRATE,

but in those days, back In 1879, / was a
clown IN circus. Really, wasn't any,
thing, but was in a chrystalis state, lust
as raindrop in "a dusty street can
scarcely be classified, but by little ex-
ertion may get into flowing gutter.
then into river. and so become some
day as much of tho Atlantic as any other
drop. had been trying TO be q musi.
clan, had given that up to be a concert
singer, abandoned that 10 turn nv tall
ents toward poetry and newspaper writ
ing and such, until l Joined a merry
crowd OF Bohemians and lived as they
did. Their gatherings and the
money my father left mo both
ended together. / had written some
Jokes for a minstrel troupe, and when
nothing else suggested itself / applied
Tor place in the company 10 black up
and sing mournfnl ditties (about graves
and red roses) in the first part and do a
banjo act later on. The troupe came to
grief out West, and the best / can say
of what followed is that | got home TO
New York without walking. No sooner
had reached Broadway than went
into new business. / became clown.
The first acquaintance | met offered the
opportunity, saying he was going to Cuba
with circus and that there was need
for one of those useful butts whom the
ringmaster perpetually cracks with has
whip, and whom it is the business Of
everybody in the sawdust arena to NAL
treat and dcride-often with perfect
Justice, ] used TO think before | put on
the cap and bells.
Come, he was kind enough to add,
''you need have no douDts, you are a
natural, instructive, true born clown.
And even II you were not you can initiate
any and every clown you ever saw. So
pocket your pride, take sixty dollars
week, learn your songs and twenty very
white-haired and round -shouldered old
jokes, and come along"
The hackers and managers were Gu
bans and lived In the Saragossa hotel in
East Fourth street while they were fit
ting out for the voyage. went to live
there, also, for everything that under
take do with intense enthusiasm, and
determined To- learn Cuban as quickly as
possible and astonish every one by sing
ing song or cracking some jokes in
shat language. In due time we set sail
on Journey | never shall forget. We
voyaged in sailing vessel, through a
summer sea, beneath perpetually cloud
WC SAODpNu Ndb>du, anu
showed there with great success, to float
afterward for days in blue pathways, be-
tween white isles fringed with palms.
1t is idie for me to dwell even for this
loving instantN on that experience. and
yet 1t was dreamful, so poetic. so utterly
certain never TO be repeated in ITS sensa-
tiOns, now that / am older and more
practical. that I literally tear myself
from the recollection. There were many
more days Of il to come when we skirtcd
the bold eastern palisaded end of Cuba,
and then clung almost within the infiu-
ence of the breakers as the good bark
with the maddeningly unpoetic name
of ''The Obijah LAWRENCE, crept
past the forest clad heights, the white
edged bays and curves and the
laughing plantations of the gem Of the
Antilles. The journey was INTERRUPTED
by long Stands at Guantanamo. St
Jago and at Cienfugos 1t was bold of
us to visit these places then for the great
revolution was in progress and every
thing was unsettled, but never did rash
experiment meet with richer reward
We played at Colon, in the heart of the
island, and then we reached MatanZas.
where our vessel was TO pick US up and
take us TO Havana.
Let me say that up TO the moment we
left the vessel on the other side of Cuba
had constantly sought the companion
ship Of my cOrnet. / had natural Gift
for playing musical instruments, and this
beautiful cornot was the main thing |
had saved from the wreck OF my fortunes.
Upon IL / improvised what thought was
sweet, pretty ara hymn tune, I sas-
pect it sounded like--and ] often, in sol
itude, blew ITS soft liquid notes from
out the bell-like throat Of my cornet. 1t
was always in solitude, or very softly.
that i played it, for / deemed it extraya.
gantly sweet and meant some day to fit
a hymn to it, adapta psalm to ITS notes.
or IN some way utilize il 90 give me fame
as l cOncoiiedly thought Alas at Glen
fuegos my cornet was stolen aud never
had the heart to play the tune on any
other instrument
One day in Matanzas I was spending
some idle hours on an American man-of-
war, whose officers had formed my ac-
quaintance. A steamer from New York
slipped into the harbor just at dusk. and
cast her anchors close to the war shin.
There was the usual noise and hustle. and
tho little harbOr boats that swarm like
mosquitoes around such a vessel, and by
which passengers are put ashore, OBJ
tanned their loads and faded away in the
twilight At ono moment. three OF
these little boats were moving almost
side by side across the water close astcrn
Of the vessel I was on. j could scarcely
elieve my ears; ! did not credit what
they tod me-yot, there could be no
mistake, for it was repeated and carried
back TO me In a long drawn whisper of
melody my comets offspring, my own
absolute and unqHestionable invention,
my pretty hymn tune.
leapcd into my small boat and
ordered my man TO pull after the other
vessels Then 7 saw that ! could not do
more than guess at which boat the mel
ody had proceeded from changed my
command and pulled for the steamer.
Alas twenty-five women had come on
her. no ono know which were I'm that
particular trio Of boats and a1 had
Spanish names. 7 knew that for copicd
every one. After looking thom over. Co
scc if pcfchanco any girl or woman had
ever known was among them and find
ing none ] determined TO keep the list
.and ondeavor 20 di cover how. in an the
&,aialoguo Of fmysteries any Que, pafticu-
4rly Cuban lady, happened to know
iuno. ln leisure hours that followed.
KIT Information about every lady