The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-04-14
TT PLAYED ONE TUNE.
LIMITED RePERToRY OF THE ST. JOE
cORNET BAND.

rsrsf Piece IL Learned and the Sclesnn
Occasion on which 1t Was Rendered.
.sNusic by the Band" at the School En-
htblfion-osd Timers Look Back
Two men were at table overlooking
Michigan avenue They were unmlstak-
ably from some place in the west They
had the good old time manners which
are becoming scarce in every section
They were 60 or maybe 40 years each
One Of them was reading the news to
the other one
The one who was reading stopped and
said: "Tn be doggoned il Sam Stone
amt dead. 1t says here that = died IN
Topekv. Kan. You remen1T Sam
Stone. He wrote that old song, Wait
For the Wagon and Well All Take
Ride
.'Hain't thought of it 80 year, Cy, "
replied the old man opposite HIM
Lets see, how did it go:-somethlng
like this''-the old man puckered his
lips and tried to whistle the air, but the
sound from his mouth resembled that
Of a hungry wind through a keyhole-
Jim. you're getting wind wasted.
Getting old Fellows like you and me
can't whistle. Better hum il, Jim
And Jim hummed it while Cy beat
time with his fingers ON the table.
Il had forgot, Cy, who 1t was that
wrote it. -
"Yes. il was sam Stone I'd bout
forgot il myself till / Sc IL IN that
morning paper
sam stone was 81. so the paper says
he died IN TOpeky. where he'd lyed
about 2s years That was a great old
song in its day
THAT and Pop Goes the Weasel
.'But Wait Fer the Wagon was the
most catching. ! remember Il was the
frst uiece that the -. joe no } comet
band learned % play. And Just then
ther, was a man died in 81 Joe who
vas a high roller IN the Masonic lodge
in the iowa. and a mighty popular man
he was OF course be w4s buried with
Masonic rites. and the lodge committee
called ca the leader of the band 70 en-
gage the hands service II was the first
job the band had, and as il was IN debt
for the snare drum and the big horn
here was a chance 70 get even
$50 the leader got a retainer, and
then be 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 1t low and
mufiing the big drum he could make 1t
sound solemn. So the band turned out
at the funeral and il played Wait For
the Wagon all the way o1t TO Mount
Moriah cemetery. Some of the boys
about town had 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.
Il remember Ben, Cy."
II knowed you did. As was saying,
if was hard to keep straight faces, the
band playing that tune, going out TO
the grave Coming back there was near
" 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
20 rain, so that the lodge-it was the
Zeredathah chapter, as ! Iremember-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. "
We'll, the only thing for the band 10
do was 10 liven 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
disgrace, and that if the band expected
the citizens TO help pay its debts II had
better Learn some music that would be
appropriate at funerals, as people were
liable 10 die any time. of course that
made the hand mad. "
"Of course. Cy. But what did they
dog''
Stopped their papers Then when
Neely's academy gave the school exhi-
biiion in the Presbyterian church on the
hill. the band was engaged and pat IN
the gallery. which was in one end of
sIhe church The band opened the exer-
ciscs 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
then-declamatiOns and some dialogues.
and scattered along through the pro
gramme was music by the band. and
every time it played Wait For the
Wagon IL got 10 be as good as cir
Gus / remember the leader Of the band
died good many years ago, and the
piece in the paper about him said be
wrote Wait For the Wagon, but the
paper was wrong IL was Sam Stone
who wrote it, him that has just died in
Topeky."
1T all Genes back TO me now, Cy.
But all / can remember is the tune and
the first two lines:
"Xait for the wagon.
And Wen all take a ride. "
Chicago Chronicle.
They Never Sleep.