The record-union., 1896-05-03

-. @L>..-ssss - :, a"'r~-e%'
signal from their leader, who is quite
a promising young violinist.
The vocal solo was rendered in very
| pretty tenor voice. and the cornet solo
also was very comendable. The young
lady pianist of the orchestra has energy
enough that if turned in the right di-
rection will make good performer, but
as yet she attempts music which is far
| beyond her grade, and she could not
| possibly do justice to a selection which
requires an almost faultless technique.
Her accompanying was much better.
| A number of young people from the
| high school who sat behind me kept up
a lively interchange of ideas between
| the numbers, while the orchestra was
tuning up" with remarks like the fol-
| lowing: "Why aren't you up there on
| the stage? I thought you belonged" +"
| 81? Oh, yes. I'm advance agent; 1 don't
| appear" "Hello." as somebody in front
began to nod under the drowsy mono
tone of the tuning. Change cars!"
Now, here's something sad" as the
orchestra started up on MA Angeline.' -
| There ought to be considerable vocal
| talent in the company, if one can judge
| by the vociferouS manner in which the
hearty lungs of the young musicians
rendered the aforementioned popular
| song. Altogether it was a pleasing g
programme, and we'll worth the price
CT admission charged.
What stormy weather we have been
having for the month of April, when we
| expect everything to be warm and
pleasant, to prepare our groves for the
picnic season 1t is just such weather
as we enjoyed (?) in April, 1880, when
We thought the rain would never cease,
| it came down in such steady torrents
This reminds me very forcibly indeed
of the lack of accommoda ton we have
at the points of transfer on the electric
railroad lines. One has to drown in
| winter and roast in summer for lack of
shelter In Oakland and other cities
CT any size and ambition you will see
little waiting built everywhere
liz which you can be comfortable until
your car comes along. AT the depot in
Sacramento, where so many transfers
are made, there ought to be something
of the kind, and there is plenty of
ground on which to build. Scores Of
men from the shops often stand in the
relting rain waiting for their car, as the
terminus of the road is now too distan.
from the depot to make that available
in bad weather.
At Twenty eighth and NJ, and again
at Twenty eighth and P streets, there
is nothing to offer a shelter with the ex-
ception in the latter case of a decrepit
bob-tail car whose day of usefulness is
ended, and whose broken windows SUBJ
| ject the wayfarer to every wind that
| blows. Cannot this be remedied? AS
one of a number of people who patronize
| this car system every day in the week,
1 would feel personal gratitude for
such an accommodation, and mine is the
| voice of many others.
Speaking of street cars reminds me of
an experience of friend last year while
sojourning in Santa Rosa. In this pic
| turesque little town the people never
| dream of riding, but business men and
society women alike foot it wherever
they chance to be going. There are
| three horse-car lines all running. EN-
| terprising town. l hear you exclaim.
| oh, yes, very, but hear me out. AS I
said, there are three street car lines, but
each belongs to a different company,
| and each company is striving with all
| its might and main to secure franchises
to cover the entire town. Meanwhile
| just to satisfy some quirk in the law
| each company runs one car CD over its
road. l give you the story in her own
words:
Il started out to take a survey of the
| town with a friend and as we had seen
| from the hotel window that a car passed
| at uncertain intervals up Fourth street,
we determined to try our luck in that di-
rection. We descended to the street and
waited-would you believe it?-twenty
minutes and no car. Just as we were
on the verge of hysteria from being
stared out of countenance by the natives
as strange species, 10, and behold,
quite Unexpectedly, car whose ap-
pearance defies description, hove in
sight around the corner by the town
| hall.
Come on,' / exclaimed, grasping
my friend by the hand and half-drag-
ging her across the street, as / dashed
headlong toward that ark of deliver
| anee. here's our opportunity; we must
grasp it before it vanishes' We boarded
Abe car and inquired its destination.
g South Park, the driver answered.
"'When do you start? 1 asked.
"'Oh, anytime he amiably replied I
Just wait until / get ready to start
why. then, how do the citizens
know what to depend on?' l inquired
"'Oh, these people never ride he said:
they'd squeeze nickel It'll their fingers
met before they'd pay it out for a street
| car ride. We just run on general princi-
pies: nobody don't never ride
Here he started the car and launched
forth in a steady flow of entertainment
concerning the town in general and
street car lines in particular, until final
ly we returned from the park, which
proved to be forlorn looking race
course inclosed by high board fences.
Our charioteer entirely forgot to collect
our fare, and seemed surprised and al
most dazed when on our return trip as
we neared our starting point gave him
twenty cents. / was afraid at first I
had not given him enough, but as he
refectively dropped the coin into his
pocket. / concluded 1t was all right. and
asked him where / could find another
car, telling him l was trying to get an
idea of the town by means of its street
railroads.
Just below the opera-house.' he
said, and off we started
After wait of about five minutes on
the corner designated, our car appeared