The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1897-01-30
A FIDDLER WANTED,
NE WAS FAMED AND At DANCE MUSIC
DID VERY WELL.

Fun aud Frolio In Wa.hout On the Ore.
gon Short Line-Millionaires and Immi
grants Attend = Dance and Experience
Musical Surprise.
On St. Patrick's day, 1894, five
through trains, hound both to the east
ward and westward Of the Oregon Short
Line Of the Union Pacific, were tied ~
at Glenns Ferry. Ida. They had beer
caught between two serious washouts,
one at Pocatello aud the other at India,
Greek, three days before, and had Il
wait at Glenns Ferry for track repairt
along the line before they could proceed.
Glenns Ferry is bleak little railroad
end sheep herders' town Of 800 or 4O(
inhabitants, situate on q sagebrush
bluff overlooking the unspeakably darl
and dreary Snake river.
The five stalled trains carried 60C
passengers Of as miscellaneous charao.
ter as could be gotten together at 9
carefully selected congress of types.
There were emigrants and millionaires;
soldiers on the move; dainty women in
palace cars and women bound for Creede
and Cripple Greek in day coaches; min.
ers who killed time during the wait in
shooting magpies circling over the
Snake river; Shoshone Indians travel.
ing to the limits of their reservation;
we'll behaved and quiet people, noisy
and tumultuous people, But all were
stuck alike, and they made the best Of it.
Lines Of social demarcation were for
the timo erased. All hands mingled
easily on the little station platform and
in the little station waiting room. The
supply of food on the dining cars gave
out the first day of the hitch, and every
body was fed, and we'll fed, too, in the
station eating room. They sat down at
the tables in relays and patiently
awaited their turns.
The railroad employees and their
wives were to give dance at the little
town hall on St. Patrick's night. The
switchman who had been customarily
employed to fiddle for them had been
switched to another division. In guam
Diary, the dance committee toured the
trains aud station to ASCERTAIN if any Of
tho stalled passengers happened to be
carrying q violin and was capable Of
producing music on it. IN one OF the
sleeping cala they came across an artistic
looking man, with very long hair, a
seraphic, oleaginous countenance and
exceedingly baggy clothes. They were
looking for fiddler, they said Did he
know of any Oh tho train? Well. he
didn't know Gin outrageously bad Eng
lish); he played little himself once in
awhile, and had rather q fair fiddle
with him. Tho long haired man accent
ed the eddie" rather curiously. But
the railroad men were overjoyed. Would
be play for them to dance with their
wives and sweethearts? Certainly! Die
he know dance music? Well, some.
All Of tho stalled passengers were in
vitcd to the dance, and they all went.
A good many of them could not get in
The baggily clothed fiddler turned ~
in good time. The pianist was waitin,
for him. So was the railroad dance
committee, ono CT the members Of which
slipped So in one dollar bills into thu
folders hand as payment in advance
for thu evenings work. Itwas smiling
ly accepted. The dance began. Ths
freman's wife. who played the piano
produced Oil old bethumbed violin AMI
piano tune book end turned to the Ian
GERS. She told the fiddler, at the end OF
The first dance. that he did pretty well,
Gully he went too fast. Then there wa.
a waltz The fiddler was informed by
his accompanlst that he was getting
along finely, and every body in the room
began to prick up his ears ut the sweet.
ness Of tho violin music, although tn,
dances were common enough aud taWdry
enough.
Another waltz-the Beautiful Blu.
Danube. (" All Of the dancers on tht
floor stopped dead ut the first bar, ant
the travellers with cultivated musical
ears moved close to the piano. The pi
artist ceased. She wished to listen. The
violin music was miraculous. The play
or swayed from side to side as he phras
ed. He appeared to be oblivious Of biz
surroundings. He improvised variations
Of inspiring tenderness. He out-Strause
ed Strauss. His violin sang, throbbed
with passion. When the last note died
away. the people in the ball appeared
to be in slream-all but one.
IN. Ysaye," snid Charley Fair. the
son Of the late United States Senate,
Fair, stepping from the throng, "won't
you play that lively. rafting thing you
gave us at the Bohemian club in San
Francisco the other night? It's been
running in my head ever since"
N. Ysaye played Berlioz's "Pizzi.
oato' az be perhaps never played it be.
fore. Washington Star.