Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-08-26

said the old man, and drawing out an
old black reed stem clay pipe he
placed it IN his mouth for suction to
see if the way was clear, and the old
stem ratified as if it had the Group Of
all the winters he had been travelling.
"For the sake Of the honor of the
man who invented smoking" said the
devil, aplease don't let that instrument
off in this room"
Il beg your pardon, a thousand
times; no, no; | forgot myself There
are two. places in which / never smoke.
The one is a printing Office and the
other is a livery stable. Forgive me,
and / will go and see Mr.. Jones"
Then bidding all a general good
morning. the old man went out in
search o. Pars Jones. He was not
long in finding his man. Mr.. Jones
received him kindly and heard his
story. He made him tell the whole
history Of the fiddle, the history Of
his travels in search of the thief, and
then describe infinitely every part of
the instrument from the bridge,
screws on the right side and the left
side, strings and bow down to the
Iosin with which he rosined the bow.
Mr.. Jones didn't remember 20 have
seen such fiddle but he had a friend
who might have seen it, and he beg
ged to introduce him to that friend !.
The introduction was made and the
old man repeated his story from Mis-
souri, TO his travel from the Butte TO
Blackfoot, but the friend had neither
ever seen the thief or the fiddle de-
scribed. Other friends were called
up and introduced, and they too heard
the same story and the same deserip-
ton, but none of them had ever seen
or heard the long lost fiddle. A dozen
introductions were made and a dozen
men heard the same story, but none
OF them could cheer the old man with
a bit Of information. None of them
had ever seen his fiddle. Another
disappointment had been added to his
load OF disappointments Of years and
years.
To see what effect a fiddle would
have on him Mr.. Jones brought out
an old one dust covered and untuned
and asked him il he recognized that
one as the one he had lost AT the
sight Of it the old man frightened up
as an old circus horse brightens al
the sound of the bugle to enter the
ring. He examined it carefully, but
it was not his. Then play us a tune,
said Mr.. Jones, 'let us have one OF
your best"
The old man touched string with
the bow, then patted his foot, looked
around and licked out his tongue and
smiled, actually smiled.
GO on, 90 on, said Pars, "thats
all right give us an old Missouri
break down" and the old man started
with tie dash of a cavalry charge
from ambush. The more he was en-
couraged the more rapidly he rocked
his head, patted his feet and drew the
bow. FOR half an hour or more he
went over the tunes he used to play
on his own fiddle, at his old home in
old Missouri. After awhile the bow
began to lose its speed, his arm and
fingers grew tired, his feet ceased &c
pat, his head fell over and the Ole
man had played himself to sleep. The
old man asleep with bis head on the
fiddle!
When he awoke in the afternoon
he thanked pars for the information
given him and the pleasure he had
enjoyed from the music, then he wen
out aud mounted his poor old horse
making, with the master, a wcll-match
ed pair, and rode slowly down the
road like Abraham of old not knowing
whittier he went, in search of III,
man who stole his fiddle the night o
dance away back In the 40's in Mis-
souri,.
This is true story, and many vii
I A