The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-04-23
LISTENING TO A PAoNoGRAPH.
Five Cheerful Minutes In the Waitir :
Boom of a Ferry.


Room of a Ferry.
In tbs ferryhouso of the ferry to
South Is, ooklyn, atthe foot of White
hall street, there arc a couple Of
monographs. They stard back to
back in the middle of the great
waiting room, with their big faring
horns pointing in opposite direc-
tons.
Two men walked down the room
from the ticket choppers box. one
6 foot man of middle age and with
the calm, self contained manner of
his years, the other a young man,
an inch or SO taller, who looked as
though he might be the older mans
son and whose bearing was cool and
undemonstrative, in keeping with
that of the older gentleman. The
two tall men walked about, talking
quietly, until they found themselves
standing in front of one of the big
faring horns. The horn looked at
them with the broad, dumb humor
that all photograph horns seem to
have, and the men smiled upon it in
return, as people are apt to do, and,
acquaintance thus established, the
younger of the two men stepped for
ward and dropped a nickel in the
slot. There was q little responsive
gurgle of the machinery, and then
the monograph began to sing.
And how it did sing! Every note
was clear and true, the sound a lit
tie metallic perhaps, but the voice
was strong and resonant, and the
song was rollioking and joyous. The
two tall men stood and looked at the
monograph and smiled as they lis
tened to it.
An elderly lady, who was sitting
in the great chair next to the phono-
graph (great arm chairs on rockers
are feature of the South ferry
waiting rooms), placed her hand to
her ear and listened with unmistak-
able pleasure. A little girl who was
sitting in the giant chair next to her
slid down and walked over near the
photograph. 1t was midafternoon,
a few minutes ahead of boat time,
and there were not more than a
dozen passengers waiting. Gradual
ly, as they listened to the singing,
nearly all unbent and smiled. A So
cial feeling pervaded the little COM
pany.
1.-The other is a good one," was
the quiet remark of a man who
seemed to belong in the ferryhouse
and who happened to be passing in
that part of the room just as the
photograph stopped, and pausing
for q moment beside the phono-
graph, whose horn pointed in tho
other direction, he started that. It
was good one. The two tall men
came around calmly and stood a lit
tie way of, as before The little girl
came promptly and stood nearer. A
tall young lady came and stood a
little farther back. There was al
ready there a man with gray hair
and spectacles who listened with IN
disguised interest. One or two moro
passengers joined this group. The
general smile was broadening. It
was jolly, tuneful song, that of the
second photograph, and so full of the
voice and manner of the singer that
you almost fancied the singer him.
self must be somewhere within the
instrument.
When this song was finished, the
gray haired man in spectacles put
nickel in the slot. The little girl
turned and rewarded him with q
smile. The tall young lady smiled,
too, but not at the gray haired man.
The monograph started up again,
and everybody standing near listen
ed again with manifest enjoyment.
A little later the photograph had
ceased, and then those who had lis
tened moved, with the rest of the
passengers who had gathered with
the nearer approach of boat time,
through the now open door to the
boat.-New York Sun.