Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-04-06
| ETTERS OF Al
LOCKER ON.
CHARLES Town, w. VA,

ihS hhoiI' otiauSC thab any hah
should moil and toll for that which
lives only in the breath of his
fellow-men. The desire for renown
has been called 1.-THE last infirinity Of
noble minds But surely it is al
question whether any truly noble
mind is ever subject to such an infirm
ity. The sad finale Of that portion of
the annals of Bullfrog Flat which in
cludes the history of Wily-Willy- Billy
sons Babbletonian exploits. gives
point to these remarks, since it fur
nishes but another illustration of the
evanescent nature of worldly honors.
The sun that rises in unclouded splen-
dor, that sheds undimmed MONDAY
refulgence, may sink at last shorn of
its beams by clouds and darkness.
But such is human life. a tragi-com-
edy at best. If we may believe the
historian Of Bullfrog- Flat. Willy Willy
Billy-son was the best of men, good
citizen as well as good piper, and a
iirst-rate, A No l grinder of the hur-
dy-gurdy; nevertheless, unhappy Bard,
he prematurely, in the flower of his
youth, fell into the hands of the Philis-
tines, as has happened to many another
good man and true since the days of
Samson, the son of Manoah the Dan
lite.
1t would be long, Mr.. Editor, to re-
hearse the story. If there were only
time and space to spare it might be
told how when King K'le-ve-lan found
after repeated trials that the Bard OF
West Countree possessed no power Of
diabolic coercion worth speaking of.
he began to grow weary of his per-
formanccs and after time even left
off attendance at his daily soi,ees ms
idaLe.' thus giving him over entirely to
the tender mercies of the courtiers, the
Mooneye-bag men, the I.obbee men,
and other professors and followers OF
Philistinism in and around Babble-
ton, who were one and all rivals and
enemies Of the gentle singer of Bull
frog Flat. The end could have been
easily forseen After innumerable in
trigues, plottings and counter plot.
tings, the supreme crisis came. And
here perhaps it will be best to follow
the text of the arnalist which reads as
follows:
"Now in the whole land of Yankee
doodledum there was not known a
wind instrument like unto the organ
OF thousand pipes, which was in
| the great Lobbee temple in Babbleton.
1t was builded of divers sorts of pre-
cious woods; its keys also were Of
gold, and it pedals of silver; and its
pipes were OF metal, and of wood, and
of reeds both small and great. And
these pipes were variously attuned by
the greatest attuners and makers Of
musical instruments that were then in
the world; for it was work most diff
ficult to be done by reason of the num-
Der of the pipes both estopped and in
open diapason. And there was be-
hind the organ secret chamber
wherein were four ard twenty pairs Of
bellows worked by four and twenty
bellowsmen for the making of wind
wherewith the pipes were filled when
soever the organ was played upon; it be-
ing SO mighty an instrument, the
sound whereof was as the loud bray
ing OF trumpets and the clangor Of
clarions, together with the music Of
the flutes, and of hautboys, and of the
bassoon, mingled with a chorus Of
sweet voices singing in accord, and Of
many bird-notes mixed with soft rust
ling of leaves moved by summer
breezes; now swelling with spirit and
and hilarity in gay allegros; anon
sinking to low murnurings, and COM
plainings, and pathetic plants of pain;
then again bursting forth like mighty
tempest sweeping along the mountain
side, with the rafting Of thunder, and
the rushing of many waters dashing
and leaping amidst rocks and adown
echoilg caverns.
And the name whereby this famous
instrument was known among the
men of that day was strange name
of magical import. By adopts it was
called 1.-The Most Excellent" BUT its
true name was lie Tariff, which same
was its magical name also whereof
none knew the secret sense or mean
ing, though some do say it doth sig
Nifty "Ye Terrible Tooter"; albeit toot-
ing according to rule of high art is the
regular utterance of several distinct
notes upon a single horn, whereas
when lie Tariff was played upon
skillfully it was likest unto thousand
footing horns discharged bya a thou
sand giants together.
Now mark ye how one thing lead
eth in another In the silent nighttime
when deep sleep falleth upon men and
they do mostly dream prognostic
dreams, it came to pass that King
K le-ve-lan had vision wherein he
saw and likewise did hear most ter
rible thing 1t was about the middle
watch; and, behold, as the king lay
upon his bed upon his back, with his
nose and his toes turned upward look
ing toward the ceiling, he being at the
time, as he, said afterwards, between
sleeping and waking, 10, spirit pass
ed before him; and the flesh upon his
bones did creep and crawl as if about
to migrate; and what hair he had on
the top of his head stood up, as did
likewise his side whiskers severally,
as if about to move an adjournment
Sine HJe And the SDirit snake info