Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-03-16
Mrs. BrIndle Learns the Guitar.

thNi' - IhAh"i E Aiht ANUS ~ ilNtu "
the enjoyment of home. and which
makes IA man feel at peace with the
world and h mself as the strains of soft
and soul-insp ring music. Therefore.
have purchased a guitar for YOU and
intend to teach You how to accompany
me-"
"a. you dear man. how charming!
Where is the er-er- what do you call
it?"
Mrs Brindle. l remember to have
said distinctly q guitar. Guitar,
g-u-i-t-a-r, guitar. Now do you know
what | sa az
And Mr.. Br ndle's face began to
wrinkle like the crust on an apple
pie.
'Oi' said Mrs Brindle, ''and did you
bring a plush covered stool embroid-
cred with cat-tails to put under it?'
'Mrs. Brindle, did nothing of the
kind" Mr.. BIS face turned a deep
crimson. II simply brought a guitar
home with me. What do YOU suppose
a guitar is. anyway? Here it is; look
at it. How in the name of gentle
James are YOU going to get a stool un-
der it? just You show ne how, that's
ALL" "And can | play on it W thout
looking at it as you do the iiddle?'
''Nlrs. Brindle. if | had your musical
knowledge and a brass band around nv
hat I'd set up for a conservatory of
music ''What shall | play on il,
dearP' asked Mrs. Br.ndle. as she
picked it up. la d it across her lap and
began TO strum ON it with all her ten
fingers as though it were IA piano.
''Play cards on it. Mrs. Brinoie. play
checkers. any g%oshdinged thing you
can" howled Mr.. b. as he kicked the
cat out OF the window. ''Wait a m IL
ute, will you? Wait till | get my fiddle.
can't YOU? Put down that guitar,
Can't you tell a guitar from Il hand or
gan? WaitH | get the crank and turn
it for you and then. by the Jumping
Jehosophat. YOU can play. Ii | knew
as much about a guitar as you do. Id
tie strings across my mouth and pass
as n band of Spanish students. All
en-" Mr.B. grew black in the face.
lie reached for his violin and opened a
music book at the scale of G natural.
Look here now. Can you read
notes?"
30. yes, dear. l read four or five
that dropped ont of vour pocket on the
floor last night. One Of them was
signed-'
40. You did. did You? Wei. madam.
I'll just thank YOU TO read no more of
my pr vale papers. Now. here, tell me
if you know what tn : Means point
Ing 10 6-S musical character.
'Um or let mo sec'-and up went
Io.. E,4r.- ., I.. mouth s41f~ a,I
eight are foprtcen-siX into--no-eight
into six won't so-er-'
That's il. Mrs. Brindle: you've
solved the sphvuX rddle! You've hit
the combinal ON. II had your sense
and aril hmst cal calculation, I'd get a
box and mask as the fifteen puzzle.
No. Mrs. Ben ne. that six and that
eight don't mean an arithmet cal puz-
zle nor n problem N applied mechanics
for some gpoh-b uged foot to sweat
over. 1t means that there are six
notes to a measure, and each note is
one-eighth long
"One-cighth Of what, dear?:"
"One-eighth OF a IN le of n nautical
league. of course; any dad-darned
length you want it, howled Mr.. B.
Nov; when | count six, you must
make one note each time ! count.
Now, listen and paw attention; one. two.
three, four. five. six.' and he counted
along keeping time on Mrs. BIS back.
And Mrs. Brindle. N sympathetic mo-
ton, bobbed her head up and down.
looking at him all the TIM as if she
thought him raz
''What in the glory Of Gideon are Won
bobbin' your head up and down in that
way for? Can't you count? Count, /
tell YOU"
zone. two, three. four. five. six"
sang Mr.. b. And Mrs. Brindle chimed
in. zone. two. three, four. five. X.
seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven,
twelve"
by the blood of Boswell. what are
you do ne? Count on. Mrs. Brindle;
don't stop or vou'll break the charmed
circle. Count a mill on growled Mr..
b. If | could count as well as YOU
I'd hire out as a tightening c~alcula-
tor"
swell. don't care! You told me to
count" whispered Mrs. Brindle.
81 told YOU to count but SIX" Mrs.
Brindle chirpel her way this time
pretty successfully through two meas
ures.
There, that's all right. Now, Mrs.
Brindle, we will try the chord 'C'"
and he smiled benignlv. "'C' is n
nstural key and hns no ,harps or flats
in it's harmonious blrnling."
Mrs. L. took up the guitar and tuck
ed it under her chin. As she had seen
Mr.. Il. do the violin.
''Now. dear. give me the stick and |
am ready 10 pla - she said.
"Give vou the whatP' asked Mr..
BrindIe. his nose curling mp in Il sgust:
"what in the anne Of Bethlehem's
bounteousness do Won want a st ck
for? Take the dad hinged thing from
under o u chin; 10 YOU take it for a
napk n9 Take { awar. ! tell voul
what do YOU want a stick for? You
want TO wh1ck 10 Ike a COW in our gar
den. o. glorious GulIver. 90 ON, play
il with "A st ok. bat the immortal in
sides ont of {; whack psalms Of glory
and good tidiugs ont Of t. sing unto
the Lord a new songi II"alleluiahv"