The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-15
SOUTHERN PACIFIC FROST,
A Little Comedy on the Ferry
Which Did Not Enrich
the Company.
preCiated by All Except Gum
Boys and Deckhands.

An amusing, although for the chief ac-
tors not particularly joyous, little COM
edy was enacted on the 4:30 broad~gauge
boat from Oakland yesterday.
The macaroni band has not been in evil
dence for some time past, and was not yes
terday. The boat was crowded, a good
headway was on and the lemon-drop BOYS
had started in on their missile-fingin
round of the decks, when four children
carrying musical-instrument cases and
music-stands appeared. They made the
round of the deck, seeking sheltered
spot, but the wind was blowing pretty
fresh, and they finally took refuge in the
saloon. They were pretty children, all
girls, English evidently, with faultless
Trilby profles and freshs English complex
ions. The eldest might have been 16, the
Youngest could not have been more than
8. They set up their stands, arranged
their music, opened their cases and took
out the instruments-two violins, cornet
and French horn.
There was a minute of preliminary
tuning and then they began to play, tim
idly at first, then, gaining courage, with
more emphasis and verve. The news
spread through the boat; the passengers
thronged in until the saloon was crowded.
The gumdrop boys, their occupations gone,
leaned against the door jambs and lis
tened. Everybody was enjoying the novel
concert.
But apparently something was up. Pres
entity, in every doorway, appeared deck
hand, first, second and third; they gath
cred, from the chief bugaree to the hum
blest swabber. They consulted together
and began to grow big and portentous
with prophecy of coming storm. When
the boat had passed Goat Island and was
nearing the San Francisco side the concert
came to an end, and the two younger chill
dren, caps in hand, began to circulate in
quest of stray nickels. The passengers
were in generous mood, but not more than
two or three coins had fallen into the caps
when the storm burst. One uniform ed
officer captured each of the little cap-bear-
ers while others addressed the violinists.
There were hurried whispers, expostula-
tory gestures and two very red-cheeked
maidens sank back in their respective cor
ners, while two decidedly subdued little
girls fled to them for refuge. The passen-
gers, nickels in hand, waited for an oppor-
tunity to bestow them, but none offered.
Finally one lady beckoned to the little
cornet- player to come forward and make
collections, but wary deckhand waved
her back, and then explained to the lady
that under no circumstances could they
allow the audacious children to collect a
nickel.
The lemon-drop boys grinned, and one
of them, resting his hand affectlonately
upon the shoulder of the stern deckhand,
wandered with him down the saloon.
The passengers began to grasp the situa-
ton. A young man came forward and
dropped a dime into one dropping cap.
That was the signal, and in a moment a
string of commuters was filing down
the saloon and dimes and nickels
were dropped fast and furious into
those waiting caps. OF course the Off
GERS could not interfere. The travellers
had as much right to toss nickels in the
children's laps as the Iemon-drop boys
have to toss questionable CONNECTIONS from
unquestionably dirty hands into the faces
of those same travellers. But it went hard
to see the silver drop and to know that no
percentage of it would, in all probability,
flow into the Southern Pacific's Golfers.
The officers looked sad and the lemon-drop
boys wandered disconsolately out upon the
deck, and not single passenger received
another tissue-papered insult that trip.
I'VE did not mean any HARM" the old
est girl said in answer to query. "We
thought we could make little money, but
thew tell us it is not allowed"