The Press., 1897-09-02
IT PLAYED ONE TUNE.
LIMITED REPERToRY OF THE ST. JOE
 CORNET BAND.

First Piece 1t Learned and the Solemn
 occasioa On Which It Was Rendered.
 "Musio by the Band" at the School Ex-
 hibition-OId Timers Look Back.
 Two men were at a table overlooking Michigan avenue. They were unmistak- ably from some place in the west They had tho good old time manners which are becoming scarce in every section. paey were 60 or maybe 70 years each. One of them was reading the news to the other one
 The one who was reading stopped and said: 'I'n be doggoned If Sam Stone ain't dead. It says here that be died in Topeky, Kan. You remember Sam Stone. He wrote that old song, Wait For the Wagon and We'll All Take @ Ride.
 "Hain't thought of it 30 year, Cy," replied the old man opposite him. "Let's see, how did it something like this"-the old man puckered his lips and tried to whistle the air, but the sound from his mouth resembled that of hungry wind through keyhole
 "Jim, you're getting wind wasted. Getting old. Fellows like you and me can't whistle. Better hum 1t, Jim 's
 And Jim hummed it while Cy beat time with his fingers on the table.
 II had forgot, Cy. who 1t was that wrote it..
 Yes, 1t was Sam Stone I'd bout forgot it myself till I see 1t in that morning paper.
 ''Sam Stone was 94, so the paper says He died in Topeky, where he'd lived about 28 years- That was a great-old song i'll its day"
 ''That and Pop Goes the Weasel ["
 But Wait For the Wagon was the most catching. I remember it was the first piece that the St. Joe (Mo cornet band learned to play, And just then there was man died in St Joe who was a high roller in the Masonic lodge in the town, and mighty popular man he was Of course he was buried with Masonic rites, and the lodge committee called on the leader of the band to en- gage the band s service. It was the first job the band had, and as it was in debt for the snare drum and the big horn here was a chance to get even.
 ''So the leader got a retainer, and then he told the committee that the band couldn't play only one piece, and that was Wait For the Wagon. The leader said it was not built on dead march time. but by playing it low and muffiing the big drum he could make it sound solemn. So the band turned out at the funeral and it played Wait For the Wagon all the way out to Mount Moriah cemetery. Some of the boys about town had a hard time looking sad, especially Ben Ullman. the big butcher, who was one of the pallbearers. Ben was the funny man of the town, any how.
 II remember Ben, Cy."
 II knowed you did. AS was saying. it was hard to keep straight faces, the band playing that tune, going out to the grave. Coming back there was neay- ly a row. The high muck muck of the lodge told the leader of the band he had better change the music, and then the leader said the band couldn't play any thing else, and that he had told him SO The procession marched down Frederick avenue coming back and it commenced to rain, so that the lodge-it was the Zeredathah chapter, as remember-had to quicken their steps, and that put the band out. :"
 "Of course, Cy. You can't march double quick on slow music. But go on. '"
 Well, the only thing for the band to do was to hven up the tune, and that was what raised Old Ned. The newspa- per came out next week with piece in it as long as your arm saying 1t was a Ao the citizens to help pay its debts it had better learn some music that would be appropriate at funerals, as people were liable to die any time Of course that made the band mad"
 "Of course, Cy. But what did they do2"
 Stopped their papers Then when Neely's academy gave the school exhi- bition in the Presbyterian church on the hill, the band was engaged and put in the gallery, which was in one end of the church. The band opened the exer- cises with Wait For the Wagon. Then the pastor of the church prayed, and the band played Wait For the Wagon again. The programme consisted of es- says-compositions they called them u0u-uSC1tIudblOtIS dLku SOI1fS U1d1OSu and scattered along through the pro- gramme was music by the band,' and every time it played Wait For the Wagon. It got to be as good as oir- GUS remember the leader of the band died a good many years ago, and the piece in the paper about him said be wrote Wait For the Wagon, but the paper was wrong. It was Sam Stone who wrote it, him that has Just died in Topeky."
 ''It all comes back to me now, Cy. But all can remember is the tune and the first two lines:
 "Wait for the waIron,