The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-27
THE NEwssoY,s soLILocuY

THE NEwsBOY's sOLILOeUY
-
,or Hearing a Boy soloist Sing In Church
We'll. We see, I'd gold nay pagers.
'Every bloomln' blessed one,
Aa6 ,ias strollin' round the corner
"irst A-prospeGtin' for tun.
Wa loihn by tho railin'
~ fhat church you see right there,
Win its crosses and us towers,
Kind o. settiu' OIL The squire.
AM / got sort o lonesome,
"isor the gang-they weren't around.
u',y1 / heard Il noise OF music,
"s1srrd like comm from the ground.
ots u0thlu' hut some singin,
NLnf il sounded mighty hne,
60. ain't no Judge o. them thing.
'Au HI nc affair o. mine,
Tbo1 r ssncd 10 kind o. weaken
Sm aaa hear IL plain,
nil tAr b..,ld struck up a%-whoopin',
And heard II all again,
VII there seemed 10 he a show there,
"Tbat thought ia like 10 see,
Az here was so many Boln',
~ irst saws. I'm bet it's Free
sa looks around the corner
',ni makes q careful search,
rar 4 knew the kids 'pd guy" Re
II tbey heard I'd been TO church.
wei there warn't no one %a-looktn',
So up u walks rlsht IN,
An / sat down In a corner
"VyhiIe they finished up their hymn.
well sir, blow me II | ever
was so taken all ahack-
There was marching up the aisle n
GEng OF Kids, In white and black.
Tbry were aingln' Just like angels,
And they looked so slick and nice
That | wondered where they got 'emi
Were they always kept on leo,
And they wore u long black coat, sir,
COMM TO their very feet,
And nm overall of white stuff,
,Iast Ike what Is in q sheet.
Then some men came on behind them
Singin' loudly as they came,
mi although the Kids was weaker,
They all got there, Just the same
Then. behind the whole percession,
came two men, most all In white,
And they wore some fancy bizness,
An they looked just out o. sight.
Rwt they didn't do no singlR',
Jest Gep' stlll, and looked ahead,
An, seq /, III bet they're runnln'
All the shOw-that's what i said.
Then they all got up In front there,
And the music sounded grand,
But to save my neck, l couldn't
Get a sight, sir OF the hand.
Icould hear It as DISTINCTLY,
So | guessed It must be near,
But l saw no men, nor nothin',
An | thought II very queer.
We'll, a man was standln' near me,
An | touched him with my hand,
Then he looked aroun' and saw me,
An, SEE |, Say, where's the band?"
An he looked at me a-grinnin',
Just as tho I'd made Il joke
That ERE look he gave me made me
Kind o sorry that I'd spoke.
Then he says, Why, that's the organ
Al al.H. ValRng unNu Gan nm NhApa
Ono mar plays II with his fingers,
And another pumps the air.
Here the music stopped so sudden
That l most forgot myself,
And | heard some TAI a-talk!n'
From a book, laid on a shelf,
Then they all got up and read some,
First the man, and then the crowd,
After that they knelt down softly,
And | see their heads were bowed,
So | bows my head down, too, sir,
And | listens every word;
But ! didn't understand them
Every time they said. Good Lord"
Well, they kept that up some longer,
Til n plate came down the aisle,
And some people dropped In money
An some others dropped n smile.
Il suppose they'd come on passes,
For they were allowed to stay.)
So | gave 'em my four pennies,
That was all | had that day.
Then a kid got up In front there
With n paper in his hand
All the rest was slttin' quiet
And the man tuned up the band,
Then that kid began a-singin'
Till | thought my heart I'D break,
For my throat was full OF chokln
And my hands began to shake.
We'll, | never seen no angels
And their songs I've never heard,
But I'll bet that there's no angel
Beats that kid-for he's n bird.
Ne was lookin' like a picture.
With his robes of white and black,
And ! felt my tears a-comin',
For | couldn't keep EN- back.
And / wondered II he always.
Was as good as he looked there,
Slngln' all about the angels,
angels ever bright and fair"
Well, thinks !, | guess itS easy
To be good and sing so sweet.
But you know. it's kind o. different
Seliln' papers on the street.
When the kid got thro' his slnsin'
| got up and made my sneak.
And ! got outside the church tnere'
And | swear | couldn't speak.
Then | ran across the gang. sir,
They was hRngin' round for me.
But L somehow didn't want them,
And lust why. | couldn't see.
So, ! said, ] couldn't join EN-
Cos ] had another date,
And / went on walkin' homeward,
Like a kid without n mate.
And I sneaked in iust as quiet
And / lay down on my bed,
Till / slept and got a-drenmln'
About angels overhead.
And they wore such shiny garments,
And they sang 80 sweet and fine
And the one right In the middle
Was that singin' kid of mine.
Now, | kind o. want TO know, Sir
$50 I'm asking you, we see)-
II them kids can all be angels,
Is there any show for me?
Thomas j. Kelly in The Pianist