Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-11-28

Mean Tor Us.
special correspondence OF Gazette and journal
New York, Nov. Alt is very
miserable old organ-and the grinder OF
il is quite as miserable, in appearance
at least never knew him to be visi-
BILE on warm morning, but when 1t is
chilly and everybody is shivering and
has an unkind feeling towards every
body else, then hear the tunes being
ground out, and sometimes | get up
and look out at him. Always | thro "
few pennies out of the window, and
he bows as If ha were a knight of old,
or a baron of high degree. Why? Oh,
don't know. Sometimes | find the
tears streaming down my face when he
is playing waltz-Weber' Last-and
there comes to me, as there comes to
you, the memory of the days when |
last heard the waltz, aud whirled
around in time to it; and now when 1
hear it l wonder as you do where are
the old partnersY Who're are the old
musicians, and whore the other women
who found the music of the waltz
fascinating3 just as | am wiping off
tear he begins to play ''My Mary
land"
DAYS OF AULD LANG sYNE.
And somebody sitting near me says /:
"You don remember, but do, when
tho soldiers marched through Bati
more-the captive soldiers, and we
could give them cup of coffee, or a
bit of something to eat when they
halted, but couldn't speak word, for
they were prisoners of war. 1t might
be brother or father, but the most
that could be done was to look in their
eyes and hand them soliciting that
would stay them in their long, toll
some march. oh, yes, sometimes we
women broke the law, or a spirit Of it.
! remember the order went out that
everybody was to put out fag-an
American flag. A young girl. whose
lover, whose brother and whose father
were all in the Confederate army, put
out the garrett window flag that mea-
sured 2x4-not feet by 4, but inches
by 4-while out of the window of her
bed chamber hung what seemed to be a
huge black flag, which means, of
course, sedition. In half an hours
time the marshal of the city had come
there TO inquire. She said she was liv-
ing up to the law; she had put out a
flag, and pointed to the tiny one way
up at the garnet window. Then she
was asked what she meant by put.
ting out black flag. She declared she
hadn't, and when the officer pointed to
it, she looked surprised, laughed cheer
fully, and announced that she had only
hung her black shawl and pinned it to
the broom handle out to air. This
proved to be true, but it was suggested
to her that in future she had better air
her black shawl out of the back win
dow. But that was fun, and all Balti-
more laughed to think Of "a woman get
ting the better Of the stern authorities.
But those were sad days when women
saw the men they loved, thin, haggard,
tired and yet, all that could be done
was to stand there silently, and offer to
every one something to eat or drink. 1t
is true that many love letter was
folded in sandwich; that many a
bright eye looked all the sympathy that
it wasn't permitted to speak. The
organ is playing the "Star Spangled
Banner" and suddenly 1t has come to
me and my comrade that those days
have gone, and that there Is only one
flag now, and that no women are as
patriotic as tho Southern women, and
that in their desire to have the best
man in the best place, even Maryland
voted against the ticket that, in years
gone by, represented Southern aristoc-
racy.
There is one new tune in the organ
it is what you would call common, but
thon most of us are common, for take ii
that common means being alike Most of
us are bit sentimental most of us find
that the blood in our veins dances and
OUR HEARTS THRoB
when we hear some tune that in way
touches us. just now it is very com.
mon air-''There's Only One Girl in
the World for Me''-nobotly knows
who wrote it--that is, nobody of any
importance-but 1t touches you and it
touches me, and it makes one of my
neighbors think of some girl who
meant all the world to him, and it
makes me think of somebody who-oh
well, so many ara gone. The COM
monest tunes, tho tunes of the people,
are the great ones Who doubts that
Annie Laurie will outlive Tristan
and lsolde?" How can you imagine
lump coming in your throat when all
the instruments in tho orchestra are
clashing, and the singers are straining
their lungs in their efforts to make
you appreciate German operaY No
body has to try to make such a noise
when "Ben Bolt'' is sung. Nobody
has to do that when any loving and
lovable little song is to be sung; but,
then, | don't think tho world at large
is affected by these very trying things.
Mademoiselle Sharps and Flats, who
bangs the piano live hours day, just
over my head, would probably disagree
with me and call me vulgar Probably
[ am, but never knew poem or
song worth remembering that wasn't
what the analytical writer's or scien-
titic musicians call common.
SOULFUL EUGENE FIELD.
Speaking of poetry, l must ask you
to take off your hat, my friend, for
great poet has died, and in the
presence of death we must all be I'M
covered. Who is it? We only had one
great poet in this country, ami that
was Eugene Field. IL he had been
anywhere else but in America. aurels
would have crowned him. What he
has done has been to make men,
women and children love his verses
and love the man. You and l can't
doubt that he is with his Little Boy
Blue, and while we arc certain of it,
we think of the little boys and the
little girls who must be standing near
him, who closed their eyes forever to
this world, but who, while they were
here, delighted in hearing about the
Hushaby Lady from Lullaby Street,
who came clothed so marvelously with
peoples that hung from her head TO
her feet. never knew Eugene Field,
but | love him as thousands of women
have loved him, because of his printed
works; those words which, while they