New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-01

This was the preamble 10 the invitation which came
in the evening Of that very day. was sitting on the
doorstep helping Maria make cornstalk fiddle
hone | may be par1oned If digTcss somewhat that
NAV sneak of the musical instrument mentioned above
Have YOU ever discoursed sweet melody on one Oh
those fddles! Have you ever made ohef II you
have not you have missed great JOY, true bucolic
bannipess have always had conviction that
1beocritus must have played on a cornsIalk fiddle
Certainly II he did not, he ought 10 have done So
And Pan but that great god was fond OF NEEDS
ON This occasion Maria had selected from huge
nile Of freshly cut c0rnstalNs several that were Pc
culiarly fit to become Transformed iOr the uses Vi
rrusic To be thus fit the stalk must be lohgJohUeo
between two joints there must be an extent Win d
marked depression I'm the mIddle' OF you can o'iS
have one string to your instrument and we al KID"
,I tcl,, Of having only one string TO anything.
Carefully mass a pointed knife under each OF the
ridgos which rise on each side Of the depression )
under the ends Of this oosened skin put htte oochS
IKE "bridpess The fiddle IS then done, and you
mako be how in like manner, only Of smaller S'uA'
and often the bow has but one string.
IT is wonderful how great variety OF squeak may
be obtained by playing on cornsak nduie' in0io
IS a high squeak and a low squeak, hoarso Squ'aA
and one as fine and far away II mouse had MADE
It, still, It must be confessed tnd' a' i@ NAs10''
music always remains squeak
We had made two fddes. ono rather bulky' "hch
we called a bassvol, and were in the fuii s"ihs VI
trying them, when Lizzie Pollard IN her heo'ins
clothes came round the corner OF the mousse uro0"S
upon 7,
I knew by her face what she thought Oh me- !"
was useless TO try to explain to her thS' was "o
fool; her countnance told me hat ho q
,ropid remove her firm conviction that grown "o""
who played cornstaih nuui0 W."
anything else. -, ,.dr 70
Sb. had on kid gloves that nipped her hands TO-
cether painfully and that had been the VI
a good deal of perspraton since they his' U7s@, "
be useful She had immaculate poche'-ndINh'i
chief folded and tucked between tho pui'ohs VI MOI
dress-waist SO that the four corners "oro -,
,st Nc m,S,, Of one corner Of another. she hepi
''' -, na.oI With fringe that was thick and that
was constantly catching in her glove outohs anu n0
dIess buttons.
us,,rg seen the cornstaks the instant she turned
,he Garner she politely tried not 10 see 'hcii
again thinking, no doubt should DC coniusou Il
sbe seemed to notice them. As IL was l"PoS'iD -o'
hor IN look I'm our direction and not SEQ INC N''
be considerably directed her gaze to"aru un0 'ari'
thus presenting a very sharp profile to"dru u.s. III"
s, ,,,mark she addressed 10 the barn was CONCERNING
~ ,oa,hor She said It had been terrible muggy
lately. m we'd had much rain that aOou' o''''
,binr that could mould had moulded"
had risen hurriedly to my feet ana MARIA na' ~
IN gather ND the musical Instruments sulAho ''-'
at the interruption as she did so. -, .,,o,.o.
Tho building to which Miss Pollard hah Sp1Aei'
making no response, said that thought Such i'"s
spell of dog days was very trying ,
She gave sidelong glance In my ,.',,a "a
then told the barn that she was afraid 't"o'iu %
dreadfpl siokly II we didn't have no change IN INC
weather fore long. -. -
In ~ place as Interpreter for the ounuihs ! TO
sponded that / hoped It wouldn't be as DSi % 'a''
and this part Of the country seemed very heai'nS'
At this point in the conversation Maris haa suo
ceeded in thrusting all the hddes' pesun or
800 ont Of sight into the entry, and Miss Pollard
a,Iov.d herself to face round toward us. ho'
countenance had always seemed very pecniiar 20 me
She had profile. but she had no front face ga,
that her face was thin does not describe 'io e"oo'
that her features had Of sliding all away ro'i s a
front and being visible only at the side Ia pl0H'