The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1897-08-06

NJ: the housssls fun 81 psopIs. And no
body here 20 play for them but cello
and mouth-organ. But thinkw can
get o violin within less than 20 milea
and here she showed him the fun
set-'.wiil you kindly play for Us until
lfr. Smith arrives2v
..MiSs. should be delighted" said
jerks.
.oh. thank you 80 much" inter
posed the girl. El
.If knew how" he continued. "but
don't. You see. I'm only learning. I
can Just start a few
..oh. am sure you will do 1t well.''
she replied; and I Will go right out
and send for an instrument" and she
hurried away.
Mr.. jerks was astonished and per-
picked. OF course he had hoped to play
in public at some time. but this was 50
sudden. He was not ina hurry. Some
other leap-year would be soon enough.
Should he bolt, or face his own mu-
sic? What very pretty girl when she
laughs" thought he; I'll stay. Wish
/ had practiced more. Wonder II I'll
break up'the party?"
In what seemed to him an incredibly
short time in which to summon fiddle
from the adjacent valley the girl re-
appeared with one in her hand. and es-
corted the reluctant and protesting
jerks to the head of the room, introduc-
ing him to the cello, the mouth-organ
and the floor manager.
Now. boys" said he. when the COM
mittee had turned away. leaving him
with his fellow musicians, who regard
ed him doubtfully. lets have an un-
Outstanding. amt in this like you
for dollar head and free drinks, but
I'm doing it to oblige lady. ] ex-
pect to make some pretty bad breaks,
and the first one of you that snickers
will eat his instrument right here. Are
you ready?"
jerks is not afraid of any individual
man, perhaps notvery much afraid ofany
woman, but when he stood up on that
platform with the fiddle in his neck
and faced the crowd. he was badly rat
tied.
"Play a waltz first" said the floor
manager, "and play slowly" With q
sigh of relief, and thought of"What'll
do when they demand fnst music?"
Mr.. jerks began that classical strain
which fits the words Where, oh, where
is my little dog gomez" the cello and
mouth-organ struck in. the girls chose
the best walters, the floor filed up,
feet shuffiled, boards creaked, and the
hall was opened.
Accomplished speakers have record
ed the difficulty experienced in learn
ing to think upon their feet, but jerks,
facing an audience for the first time
and saving away desperately at the
first bars and repeat of slow waltz,
had no such trouble. He told me after
wards that his thoughts ''thunk them
selves and came a-running," and that
he was conscious of three distinct
trains of thought running on parallel
tracks. The first concerned Mr.. Smith,
the delinquent musician; the second
subject was what a very pretty girl
when she laughs;" and the third, ac-
cented to waltz time, ran: .0h, never
can play them that second strain, /
know I'll break down if try"
To anticipate difficulty is to insure
1t. After repeating the first strain some
90 times, Jenkins made a desperate eff
fort to strike the second movement
failed and collapsed. The cello and
mouth organ hammered along uncer-
tainly for time and ceased. The
stranded walters dotted the floor like
boats becalmed on miniature lake.
The walters had been SO engrossed
in their own Efforts, and the rest of us
in looking on, that the quality OF the
music had apparently received little at
tention. When the player broke down
there was only general movement of
impatience at the interruption, and !
looked to see the persistent jerks start
up again on the same eight measures.
But he had entirely recovered his self
possession. Laying the fiddle aside, he
advanced to meet the girl at whose re-
quest he had made the effort.
Don't you think" he asked, shat
have proved that cannotplay?"
well, it does come pretty close to a
demonstration" she answered; "but 1