Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-05-01

tratlon Is, perhaps not so good and the
words are even below the average. But be-
fore the singer had finished the tune, with
it's irresistible Tilt and swing, had con
quered every one. learn that the COM
poser is Mr.. Paul Coligny, who, although
he has done good work in his own particu
lar line, has never before revealed the pos
sibilities of his talent"
And so on. Barker was in n seven IN
heaven of delight. He never decried or
sneered at musical criticism, as'most COM
posers do, for be had once met critic who
had studied music.
In due time the song was published,
and the first edition was exhausted in
week. Barker was inundated with com
missions for work from other comic sing
ers, paragraphs about his personality APP
peared in the halfpenny evening papers,
his portrait was printed in The Entr'acte
i'm fact, fame had at last crowned his
head with her sweet laurels
But they faded all too soon. One morn
ing, while Barker was invoking the muse,
he was disturbed by a furious knocking
at his front door. In a few moments AL
fred Richards, displaying symptoms of
apoplexy, burst into his room.
"Confound you'll" he shouted. "You'vo
done it this timel"
"Done whatP" asked Barker in tone
of bewilderment.
Read thisl''
Richards forced into his hands weekly
society paper. "The musical article,
mean" he added.
Barker skinned through It, "Opera at
Covent Garden, the Richter concerts Herr
Pleyfuss' second Pinafore' recital. Paul
Coligny"-his name at last. And this Is
what he read:
81 have, by chance, happened upon the
most barefaoed, impudent fraud that has
ever been perpetrated in the musical world
If one allow that the variety theater be-
longs to it,
1.-THE other night went into the Edo
RADIO for half an hour. There heard u
song that bears the sufficiently banal title
of Unit oodle-um.' The music seemed
almost brilliant (of its kind, but it struck
some chord in my memory. When ar
rived home that night, Invent through tho
scores of several of the lesser known opera
bouffes.
"In Offenbach's 'Genevieve dc Brabant'
found Unit oodle-um.' The next day
bought Mr.. Paul Coligny's vel n and
found that the entire melody an refrain
had been stolen from Offenbach
"Mr. Coligny's accompaniment is some
what different, inasmuch as he is guilty OF
several grammatical mistakes which the
French master could never have commit
ted. These facts need no further comment
from me. The question now is, What have
the holders Of the English copyright tC
sayP"
The paper fell from Barker's hand and
he turned a CHASTITY white. He looked nj
Richards piteously and said nothing.
Rut his oOunpapiou folt M ~
and, as he turned to go, said brusquely
you've played low down trick ON me
Barker. There's sure to be an awful row
about this business - shouldn't be sur
prised If 1t led to the police court. Oi
course can't sing the beastly thing
again. But l can promise you one thing
you'll never do another song for me-
He went out, slamming the door behinC
him. The door opened.
Harry, Harry What's the matterY'
cried his wife as she few to his side ant
put her arms around him. "Tell me-yol
can tell me, can't your
THAT paper on the floor, read II, >" III
answered in a muffled voice without look
ing up at her.
There was silence in the room save fol
the rustic OF the pages as his wife looked
through the paper.
"What does 1t mean?" she asked.
tits true what the critics say" he re
piled.
Then his grief changed to impoten
anger-anger with himself
Fool, fool, foolp' he cried. Il now re
member where heard the melody. 1t wa
at promenade concert years ago. haC
completely forgotten it until it came bacl
to me in that cursed dream. Am l t.
blamep Am I?'
"Of course not, dear. You must writ
to the papers and explain"
81 can't" he said. Nobody would be
lieve mel shouldn't have believed it if i
had happened to any one else. We ar
} ruined"
His wife orept up behind him. Sh
placed one arm around his neck and kisset
him.
"But believe you, Harry. Isn't tina
enoughP'
The affair made "a considerable sensation
at the time. The song was withdraw
from sale at the demand of the publisher
who owned the copyright. However, the,
did not think it worth while to bring al
action for damages, and Paul Coligny wa
soon forgotten.
From morning to night there stands be
hind the counter of the boys hosiery dc
! partment at Evans & Robinson's q worn
weary looking man. He performs his du
ties with apathetic regularity and is con
sidered by his employers to be quite typ
Of faithful, unambitious trustworthiness
,, His fellow clerks have grown weary b,
! this time of torturing him by humminI
and whistling the refrain of I'm I'll oodle
um. "-Sketoh.