The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-15
"NOT OF THIS EARTH I
A Drummer With n whistIIng Hat
Made to Play "a Sadder Tune.

Made to Play Sadder Tune.
From the New Orleans Picayune.
One OF the querrest individuals alive
walked into one Of the hotels the other
day and registered. He was dressed in
striped trousers and a plaid coat. A
derby with a hattened brim-a auizzical
ld-ftted down over his ears. From I'M
der the rim of this peculiar hat fiaxen
hair stood out straight as If extending
cordial welcome to the passing breezes.
He wore an overcoat that was six inches
shorter than his frock. all buttOned up in
front, with shell buttons as big as calves
eyes An outlandish collar with long,
sharp points extending over the lappels
of the coat half hid two silver brownies
of opposite sex that held down the ends
Of q cardinal and checkered string neck
tie His shoes were tan-coloTed. with
patent leather tips and green uppers, and
the cane he carried was as large as a cor
poraIs cudgel, hollow and filed with rose
water
This sprig OF exaggerated gentility was
a drummer-a knight of the grip who
carried a blue valise pasted over with
patent medicine adve rtisements-a man
without a country, without a home with
no friend but his order book and no
fortune but his cheek.
CLERK, give me an Al. acme, bon-ton
OF a room: 1 am here. Do you tumble?''
he said as he scattered his signature
over the register with a recklessness that
reminded one Of a cyclone saluting a
prairie.
His name was Mel Code.
"A strange name" said the clerk. smil-
ing. and taking in the personality of the
drummer
Yes. a name stranger than the operat-
les of your zizzlfng skeeters-but a
charmer, eh?" he replied
He raised his hat and then brought It
down on his head A whistle ensued like
the 'scaping Of a steam pipe.
That's my signal of distress, did We
! git on to that?"
81 should whistle" piled the clerk
The queer fellow poked out his lower
| LIP, so that his cigar stood from his
mouth ike a perpendicular, end the
| smoke curled just over his nose. He
/ thumped the brim of his derby as il to
/ knock it of. AS it moved back towards
the crown of his head 1t whistled a dim,
distressing whistle.
That's my sign of thirst" he said
Here, trot that grip of mine to my
/ room" He pulled his hat down on his
/ head, and whistled again. This time 1t
was shrll.
The drummer walked out. and the re-
porter followed after him. He met some
contemporaries, and the party dropped
| into a barroom The lutlicrous apparel of
I
| gamin.
LETS put up job on de man. said
one of them.
The three urchins agreed.
! NOW, den, We'll see de fun"
The drummer with the whistling hat
was telling his fellows of the big orders
he had caught here and there, and was
Dragging about how he would work New
Orleans with his brass. cheek, queerness
and prepossessing personality-and his
4. Il. = -
he thumped the fiat brim of his shade
and it whisted-but the street Arabs
! having fixed him, Scampered out. The
other drummers saw, but gave no sign.
The man with the whstling hat went
| back to the hotel.
| Get my grip in double gee whiz OF a
! hurry" he said to the clerk
| The bell boy fetched it to him.
Garry It to the door for me-"
"You amt of the earth, earthly" said
| the boy.
But the outlandish fellow only whistled
his hat and walked out. Along Canal
street he heard caught up and carried
along wherever he went the cry, mot
of this earth"
The street urchins said cit off de
earth"
He walked into a large business estab-
lishment. He broached the proprietor
and whistled his hat. and made known
his business, but the busy merchant
merely SalOs NOT OF tnlS edfIn, ana
turned away from him.
He entered a second store, but met the
same response.
He entered third store-the same re-
sponse.
He entered a fourth, but, as before, it
was mot of this earth"
Mel Code with the whistling hat and
the brass-monkey nerve wandered up Ca
nal street
Not of this earth" rang in his ears
from all sides.
Well this beats the DEVIL he thought
to himself. What do these people mean.
Surely it's me-it's Mel Code, myself, the
indefatigable with the whistling hat-but
perhaps it's not me-maybe I've been
transformed. Not of this earth'-how
strange that everybody should be saying
that. This internal city must be haunted"
Mel Code walked up and down the
street in despair. He could make no sales
because everybody told him he belonged
TO other spheres.
Il wonder if the fools think 1 am an
angel" he said to himself
He met one of his drummer friends all
convulsed in laughter
What in the devil is the matter with
you?" he asked.
Nothing" replied the other, but it
seems to me that you have lost your
mind"
He didn't whistle his hat. but ierked it
of his head and smashed 1t on the pave