Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1896-04-03

The sporting Editor Onciates as Critic ~
a Paderewsd Recital.

Among the swell mob that got en-
tangled in the alluring meshes of
paderewski's hair the other night was
the fighting editor. lie Tor that one
nights engagement only acted as un-
dArstudy for the music critic, who was
carried out of the house limp and life
less on the opening night of the dis
tinguished and gifted Poles engage
ment and had not rounded to sufficient
" to repeat. Paderewski was a revela-
ton 10 the fighting editor. He didn't
know what he was "going up against"
as he expressed it when he returned to
the Office
Look here" he said to the manag-
mig editor, half by way of protest.
"This is not my game. 1 confess, not
without regret, that it is too deep for
me. am not onto all the funny angles
of PaderewslSi's art, as the lady in the
corner saws, but am here TO say that
in nv 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
I to say that he's wonder or a counter
felt.
From all I had heard about him L
| thought he was as big as Sullivan, but
/ he looks as though he could do bantam
weight with haircut and a shave. His
Z Ill g ~ D.
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 a licked man when he
left his corner shutting his feet across
the stage with his fins dangling like
pair of empty stirrups. He had an eye
like 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 punch
in the jaw and go out for the short end
of the purse. No ginger in him, dye
understand? It looked like cinch for
the piano that was standing with all
the shutters off in the middle of the /
stage. But wait minute. Paderewski /
makes one of them Jim Carney bows I
and sits down. It seems to take him !
a long time to get fixed. He runs his (
neck in and out of his collar time or /
two, adjusts his cuffs, sizes up the piano, /
and then cuts loose. He tiddled a bit /
for an opening up around the pilly-
willy-wink notes, then all of a sudden
he swings his left on the bass end of
the keyboard with s. 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, ne got in a
right hand smash or two over the heart
that would put any ordinary box of
wires out of the business. He secured
an 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!'
lie got going again about two minutes
before the end of the round and had IL
long way the best of hot two-handed
nix-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 OH the jaw. Then he
bowed again and retired to his corner.
The piano let go of "A 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 to send out agd get another
piano. For an opener he took on one of
those soft and easy things, like punch
ing the bag with big gloves"
"a nocturne, perhaps" suggested the
versatile managing editor
"a what?"
"A nocturne, a."
"All right; let it go at that. 1t was h
either that or something else. Any
how, itgaso the piano chance to get
its second wind. After that he did a
prelude and two etudes. remember
that is what they were called on the
1 couldn't tell prelude
from an etude if you shook 'em up in a
hat.
The man with the mess of hair saved
all his steam for the final round. Pick
ing out few more etudes and rhapso-
lies and things like that, he went at
that piano with vehemence that was
truly inspiring, even to one who didn't
know exnctly what it was all about
Biff! bang! smash! Cross counters,
ippercuts, uppercuts, jabs, half-hoolSs,
md kidney punches! The air in front
If that piano was filled with flying
lands and hair. The practiced ear
might have picked out of the crash and
tumble a concord of sweet sounds, but
was too busy looking to listen. You
ak about your fast fighters, but this
,loke has the fastest ever saw beat to
leath. If the piano had eight legs in
tead of four, it couldn't have got out
# the way. 1t had to stand there and
axe it.
Il take off my hat to Paderewsl1i, but
ny sympathies were with the piano. It
vas the gamest thing l ever saw. III
vas piano wouldn't travel as Pade-
ewski's sparring partner for two
birds Of the gross ipts."-Hugh L.
leogh, in n. o. Item.