The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-30

from Male Quartet-Sobs from a Child.
HumOrs OF the Cylinders.
In little room. without the sign OF an
audience, several lusty fellows blew upon,
beat, scraped and otherwise maltreated
their suffering instruments, and made all
this noise, moreover. to closed doors in an
atmosphere that was sitting. The red
faced leader at length cut an unusually
broad swath in the air and the selection
was finished Rushing to the window
Professor Baton threw up the sash and in
hailed the welcome breeze
But why all this furore in a little room
! 15x209
They are loading up photograph. See
that machine standing on the table with
| the great exaggerated looking ear trumpet
hung by a string from the wall, with its
smaller end fastened to the receiver or ear
OF the contrivance2 II is really an ear
! trumpet, as for ordinary practical pur-
| poses the phonograph is as deaf as any
human being that needs the tube. The
trumpet is of tin. about two inches in di-
ameter at its smaller and four feet at its
larger end. The outside is wrapped
tightly round and round with Irvine, after
the fashion of ball bat handle, 70 deaden
a metallic ring and imprison the sound
waves.
After turning the cylinder and crying
into the tube in loud tones, Down Upon
the Suwanee River rendered by PROBES
sor Baton's Brass and String Military
Band on the Goth of September, 1890" the
gentleman in charge of the photograph
set the wheel revolving at the proper speed
and motioned for the music to start up.
First, however, he was careful to close the
window, lest some of the strains be lost in
the outside air, and the instrument fail TO
get n good impression. The musicians
rendered the plaintive melody with deaf
ening effect, and the phonograph man
smiled broadly as he stopped his ears per
force on account of the din.
MUSIC AT CLOSE QUARTERS.
"You see," he affably explained to Wis
itor, "the instrument has not reached so
perfect form as we would wish, and we
take this mode of filing a cylinder. 1t is
absolutely necessary in order to get every
note that the room be very small and the
photograph right up among the per
formers.
'That will do, gentlemen; believe that's
about all I'll ask of you today. Now let's
have the Dark Secret Quartet
The exhausted musicians put their in
struments in their cases and slowly filed
dewn the stairs. John, the Office factotum.
then stepped down about half way to the
bottom of the flight, and, placing his
fingers to his lips, drew therefrom what
was meant for the tune of Climbing Up
the Golden Stairs" Four shining faces
appeared at the street doorway, and the
Ozark Secret Quartet" was soon on deck.
Now we will change our ear trumpet"
said the operator, as the colored gentlemen
found seats. Detaching the large four
foot trumpet from the photograph and
string he substituted one of similar shape,
but about the size of an ordinary cornet.
This was likewise covered ON its outer
surface with cord.
Now you fellows stand here" continued
the operator. mo, nearer yeti There,
about three feet from the trumpet-it
don't shoot-you're loading the gun, not
firing it-see-what do you sing9" and he
paused, partly from want of breath and
partly for their reply.
by, by, My Honey. Pm A-goner
Golden Slippahp'
"Bill and the Devil!''
NEGRO SONGS.
Gall right, go ahead-one-two-th
therep'
With a rollicking rhythm and that
quaint, plaintive intonation and refrain
found only in the threats of the African
descendants, the quartet metaphorically
unloosened themselves on the melody that
Seaman made so popular.
Then the quartet was dissolved, and a
duet was organized with a double banjo
accompaniment. All the old plantation
melodies that the four could remember
were brought out with a gusto and vim
that would shame Billy Emerson, and
caught upon its cunning waxen brain to
be spoken again may be ten years hence in
some land across the sea.
Then little child, perhaps a year in
age, was given the place of honor before
the machine, and the trumpet again
changed to one somewhat over six inches
in diameter The little one gazed in ter
ror at the formidable looking continuance,
evidently a stranger to such a plaything.
The operator brought out a doll and a
toy monkey for the purpose Of getting
hearty laugh from the child. Try as he
would, however, the baby was all eyes for
the phonograph, but utterly oblivious to
the monkey, although the operator made
the beast swallow the doll, and vice versa,
many times, and performed a dozen other
antics just as amusing.
'If you won't laugh for me, my dear"
he at last rather impatiently exclaimed,
you'll cry, guessl Well register good,
hearty boo-hoo, won't WEI" Here the en-
thusiastic operator pinched the baby's
plump arm, and threw the doll and mon
key in the corner. The effect was magical |
CRIES INSTEAD OF LAUGHTER
Now that the toys were out Of all reach, |
and her arm smaTted hotly from the |
pinching. the child obligingly set most |
healthy pair Of lungs TO work. The pho |
nogrsph took down the sobs a. they came |
up from the little choking throat, and |
after a sufficient number had been gath |
cred in the wheel stopped
We'll, my little sugar lump" continued 1
the base tormentor, you can have the 1
things back low that we've got what we /
want. The cylinder Is full, and I'll send |
this to New York at once. Bah. you mean /
little impl You're laughing. as sure as /
am living. you are And my cylinder is |
full. too. What lueki" and be turned dis
consolAte!y away.
yes, il is rather interesting TO see us Gil |
EN- up for future generations Of men TO /
listen 70. We have all sorts Of tunes, 4
though. and ali sorts Of botkers once IN
while Sometimes when we have a gem 1
Of comic song nearly through the singer i
win stop to cough or blow his nose The
effect is horrible Think Of sitting down
In your psrlor with your folks TO listen 70
the family photograph The song "a fne-
with the truest iutonAtion and the