The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-26
IN PRIZE RING PARLANcE.
The Sporting Editor dictates as Critic q
o PedereWsh Recital

!
+ the fighting editor. lie for that one
nights engagement only acted as un'
| d-rstudy for the music critic, who wa:
I carried out of the house limp and life
less on the opening night of the dis
.inguished and gifted Poles engage
ment and had not rounded to sufficient
~ to repeat. Paderewski was reveal,
ton TO the fighting editor. He didn't
know what he was going up against
as he expressed il when he returned to
the Office.
Look here" he said to the manaS
mig editor, half by way OF protest
This is not my game. l confess, not
without regret, that it is too deep for
me. am not onto all the funny angles
of Paderewski's art, as the lady in the
corner says, but l am here TO say that
in my opinion he is the best two-handed
piano fighter that ever wore hair. These
musical sharps around here haven't
done him justice. They have written
whole columns about him, but they
have filed their criticisms so full OF
dago words that an ordinary gawk like
you or me can't tell whether they mean
10 say that he's a wonder or counter.
felt.
Prom all I had heard about him
thought he was as big as Sullivan, but
he looks as though he could do bantam
weight with haircut and a shave. His
head looks like bale of timothy hay
with the bands cut. He looks as though
you could pull him through gas pipe
If he blew the tassel he carries on his
head.
HE looked like licked man when he
left his corner shutting his feet across
the stage with his fms dangling like
pair of empty stirrups. He had an eye
like a dead mackerel and no more ex.
preston on his face than a lemon pie.
I've seen people come up like that when
they were just there to take a punch
in the jaw and go out for the short end
of the purse. No ginger in him. dye
understand? 1t looked like cinch for
the piano that was standing with all
che shutters off in the middle of the
stage. Rut wait a minute. Paderewski
end sits down. 1t seems to take him
q long time to get fixed. He runs his
neck in and out of his collar a time or
two, adjusts his cuffs, sizes up the piano,
and then cuts loose. He fiddled bit
for an opening up around the pilly-
~illy-wink notes, then all of a sudden
he swings his left on the bass end OF
the keyboard with smash that rattles
the chandeliers. The game was a
sonata, with a lot of Harry Miners con
motos, Con Doyles and spaghettis in it,
and he had his work cut out for him.
after landing heavily with his left
on the stomach of Mr.. Piano. he got in
right hand smash or two over the heart
that would put any ordinary box of
wires out OF the business. He secured
mn advantage early in the round that
would have got him the fight if he
cared to follow it up, but he lay away
bit as if afraid of police interference.
After some sparring at the range
he commenced fiddling for the head
again with the right, running the
fingers of his left through his hair. as
much as To- say: oh. what a picnic!'
He got going again about two minutes
before the end of the round and had Il
long way the best of hot two-handed
mix-up, closing the round with series
of left-hand swings in the region of the
belt and some short right-arm jabs and
an upper-cut on the jaw. Then he |
bowed again and retired to his corner
The piano let go of few keys.
Paddy let up a bit in the second |
round and no wonder. If he kept up
the pace he set in the first they would /
have had 70 send out aqd get another /
piano. For an opener he took on one of 1
those soft and easy things. like punch
inc the bag with big gloves
A nocturne, perhaps" suggested the
managing editor.
"a what?"
"a Eocturne. "a"
"All right; let it go at that. It wa.
ether that or something else. ANY
how, it gave the piano chance TO get
It's second wind. After that he did
prelude ard two etudes. / remember
hat is what they were called on the
1 couldn't tell a prelude
rom an etude if you shook EN- up in a
lat
THE man with the mess of hair saved
Ill his steam for the final round. Pick
ng out a few more etudes and rhapso-
lies and things like that, he went at
hat piano with a vehemence that was
ruly inspiring, even to one who didn't
cnow exactly what il was all about.
sif! bang, smash! Cross counters,
IpPercuts, uppercuts, iabs, half-hooks,
md kidney punches! The air in front
4 that piano was filed with flying
ands and hair. The practiced ear
night have picked out of the crash and
umble concord of sweet sounds, but
was too busy looking TO listen. You
ak about your fast fighters, but this
lloke has the fastest / ever saw beat TO
eath. If the piano had eight legs in
tead of four. it couldn't have got out
4 the way. 1t had 10 stand there and
axe il.
Il take off ny hat to Paderewski. but
nv sympathies were with the piano. 1t
ras the gamest thing l ever saw. If
Sas piano l wouldn't travel as Pade-
ewski's sparring partner for two
birds OF the gross receipts. Hugh <
.eogh, in Y. o. Item I.
HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS.
Elegance without Ostentstion Shouts
BE the Rule