Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-03-08
SELLERS or SHEET MUSIC.
oaAnnen Who Have Many Petty Trials
and Diyertiug incidents.

''The petty trials and tribulations Of
the salesman who retails sheet music
behind a counter are q vexation 10 the
spirit and a WEAKNESS 10 the flesh"
The speaker was a well known pub
Usher OF music and the senior partner
in a West street firm. Il served n
tedious apprenticeship to that sort of
thing myself" lie continued, land so
! know whereof | speak. 1t is notori-
Gus that the muslcc' world is peopled
perhaps more largely than any other
profession with cranks. | suppose that
when a man is thoroughly absorbed
in the theory and practice Of harmony
he is prone to be Jared by the discords
of every day life, and is ~disagreeably
conscious OF being out Of tune with
the universe. But, however we ac-
count for il. the fact remains that mu-
sic buyers are. as a class, she most ex-
citing and toGchy of customers. Half
the time they haven't the faintest idea
rs to what they want, and they will
frequently own to this frankly, rely
ing on the clerk 10 make selections for
them.
But the Life of a music clerk has its
compensations. The grotesque and
picturesque incidents that come UNI
der his eye are numberless. You see
that pale young man with the saffron
whiskers over there. Well, only yes
erday a beautiful, languorous eyed
young lady tripped in here, and, GID
ing 10 the counter in front OF that
guileless youth, lisped dreadfully,
will you give me your hand in minef
The clerk happened TO be as bashful a
he looks. and he was taken completely
aback. He flushed a vivid scarlet,
stammered, why, certainly made
as il To extend his hand, and then. be-
thinking himself in time. climbed To
yonder shelf and brought down the
song, Your Hand in Mine, for which
the artless damsel had inquired in
such a bewilderng fashion. And the
young lady, WHO was evidently not
without a sense of humor Of the situa-
ton. dropped her dangerous eyes and
smiled sereuely.
The man who gives the most
trouble is, pc, laps, the funniest of all
the bores that drift into a music store.
He is the Individual who wants the
muse to al air which he does not
know by name. With the assurance
of a Mozart he says to the tired clerk
who waits on him: What / want goes
something like this: 'Trarla-la, tra-la-
lee, tra-la-loo." Don't you remember it?
Oh, you must know il. ''Tra-la-la, ira
la-la, ira la-lee. Ii you'll run over the
names of songs that sound like that |
may recall the title. Tra-la-la- tra-la-
Ia, tra-la-loo."' There's only one thing
TO do with this particular crank, and
that is tell him bluntly that you have
no ear for music, and that conse-
quently you have no idea of the tune
he is trying TO hit. After that he is
reasonably SURF TO cease his discordant
uilling and take his leave.
lone day last week a stalwart son
of Erin came in, accompanied by a
buxom young woman whose brilliant
costume and affectionate manner
stamped her as a newly welded bride.
In a timid tone, enriched by a delight
A2A y tuo souhe Wohiah oohSo
q of the clerks if he had the song,
Let Ne Fold Thee Close, Acashla.'
1--WE have let Me Fold Thee
Close, Mavourneen,"' replied the
clerk.
Sure. it's all one, me boy broke
in the happy groom. .Acushla or Ma
vourneen. il comes to the same thing
The smiling clerk busted himself
with wrapping up the music, while
the blue eyed bride slyly whispered 10
her spouse: 'Arrah, Teddy, be aisy
now. How cud yer expect the young
gintleman to have any Gaelic
"All in all, there are some very d.
verting incidor.s TO he met with in an
establishment Of this sort, and you
might pick a much worse place for the
study Of the funny side Of human ma
ture."-Boston Herald.