Wichita eagle., 1889-12-19

00b mo ana me We IelG Elnd OF hany. and
after that We bad enough Of his scales, I can
tell you. got sick Of them, for my part
He never played . tune, and he and one of
the boarders used to talk about Some Was-
goner or other as If he had something to do
| with it. As for asking me to play-neverl
But ma said we needn't mind that, for it was
all his Jealousy, because could play pieces
and he could only do scales Musical people
| are dreadful jealous. The worst quarrels we
ever had in Smokehole were between the
members of the church choir. l alluded it
to bis jealousy therefore, and didn't do all
the sptteful things you kin do to q boarder eff
you're mind TO- Brother, he put tortoise
In his bed one night and crab another, and
sister gave him sugar in his individual salt
cellar ard salt In his coffee but little jokes
like them amt anythiag-they cheer FOLKS
up, ipeoially when it rains and Eou have to
Stay in On account of the shooters. Now and
then they were real numerous at Smdkeboie,
and whassvsr happened Mr.. venderyitch did
his ecales and never said ncthin' and one day
nDerar mInded to The poor jealous critter, fur
he went out fur tn battle one afternoon, and
when we rang the bell for tea he didn't come.
There was our boat bobbin' about on the
water and bis clothes In it.
'There amt no use a-talkin'," says pa,
she's got drewnded."
And began to cry, and such Of the board
ers as hadn't gone of they took on too.
"Such a nice young manr' says one.
''Such musical genius!" says another.
"Well, ser pa, mice is all very well, but
as to genius, he must have been risin' five
and twenty and hadn't come to tunes yet, be
he alive or be he dead. That's gospel"
Well, we went to bed that night about as
low spirited as we could be. had felt 50
hateful to Mr.. Vondervitch that kinder felt
it wuz Judgment, and l wuz crying about
him again in the middle of the night, when
all of sudden heard the piano going. The
house wuz locked up, the windows all barred,
but there wuz MIR. Vondervitch playing away
at his exercises
"He couldn't have been drowned, after
all, said l to myself. Hes got in some
how" and jumped up and put on a wrapper
and slippers and went tiptoe downstairs to
take peep.
The hall lamp was always left lighted and
the parlor door was open, and | could see
everything just as clear IS day, and if you'll
believe me, there was no one there. The
piano was a-plsyin' by itself-playin' just
like Mr.. Vondervitch too.
l turned as cold IS ice, and reckon /
should hev keeled over eff ma and pa and the
boarders hadn't all come runnin' down. They
expected to gee Mr. Vondervitch, and, when
they saw nobody and heard the piano playin'
his pieces, they nigh Almost went of.
sits ghost, and no mistaken" says pa.
"His ghost!" says ma "Oh, amt it mel
ancholyl"
Il shall diet" says one of the boarders. 1T
Is too awful" and all of sudden the piano
began to play as if it was bewitched. Crashi
-bangi-smashl
"Wagnerl" says the youngest lady boarder,
and faints away.
Jest then the door bell rang. Pa opened
il, expectin' to see the folks that was search
in for MIR. Vondervitch's body a-fetchin' Of
it, and we ali covered our eyes with our
handkerchers, and the piano playin' wilder
than ever-fairly ringin'-when we heard
pa say:
"Jerusalemi Do tell want to know!
You amt drownded Hulloo, folksl here be
is alive and kickin'l" and there was Mr. Won
dervitch himself in q coat too big fur him
and trousers too short and hat that came
down to his ears. Such sight!
And where hev you been" says pa I'VE
thought you wuz drownded."
"Vell dot boat got away" says Wonder
witch, land | must sit upon some rocks undil
q very good fisherman off takes me, like vos
Adam before he belief dere vos need of de
dailor shop, and l borrow several clothes
vich do not shust fit me, as you see, and home
come But vat is zis noisef Some chenius Of
de family compose for me a funeral march,
eh7"
"Well, Mr.. Vondervitch," said pa, 1--WE do
not know what to make of it. We hev been
supposn' it was your sperit returned fur to
haunt us. 1t plays jest like you for all the
world, and Mrs. Chillers, she says it's a Wag-
goner piece that you are fond Of"
"Ah, mine Gott!n cried Mr. Vondervitch,
"Can dis be bossiblei
sit wuz skeersome," said pa, but now I'll
kinder investigate. Why, the cussed thing is
locked"
Then he turned the key and lifted up the
cover, and out jumped on black kitten We
found out afterward that Tom had put him
there to scare Mr.. Nondcrvitch and forgot
him, and the poor thing had been having fits
on the key board.
There's your ghost" says pa; ''but it WIZ
jest like you playing every one of your
pieces"
So" says Mr.. Vondervitch, ''dis is how to
you l sound ven l make my tumble effort to
render Nagnerr'
Precisely" says pa.
Then ! kinder felt sorry for the poor young
man He folded his arms and he looked up
to the sky, and says be:
OF Won ting | am certain. We are not, in
respect to music, soul afinities, de beoble of
la INIT ma 7
He went next day, and when / speak Of
him l often say:
He'd have been real nice young man if
he had not been SO jealous of me being q mu-
steal genius Mary Kyle Dallas In Phila-
delphia Saturday Night
e