Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-10-02
II, PLAYED .ONETUNE.
LIMITED REpeRToRY OF THE ST. JOE
cORNET BAND.

-sseA = 466006x00s
"Music by tho BAND - the School Ex.
hibitfon-Old Timers Look Back.
Two men were at table overlooking
Michigan avenue They were unmistak-
ably from some place in the west They
had the good old time manners which
are becoming scarce in every section.
They were 90 or maybe 20 years each
One OF them was reading the news TO
the other one
The one who was reading stopped and
said: "I'll be doggoned if Sam Stone
amt dead. It says here that he died In
Topeky, Kan You remember Sam
Stone. He wrote that old song, Wait
For the Wagon and Well All Take q
Ride"
"Hain't thought Of it 80 year. Cy,"
replied the old man opposite him.
Lets see, how did 1t go?-something
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 keyhole.
Jim, you're getting wind wasted.
Getting old. Fellows like you and me
can't whistle. Better hum it, 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"
Eyes, 1t was Sam Stone. I'd 'bout
forgot 1t myself till SEQ it In that
morning paper"
Sam Stone was "a, so the paper says
He died in Topeky, where he'd lived
about % years That was q great old
song In its day."
THAT and Pop Goes the Weasel. I"
"But Wait For the Wagon was tho
most catching. 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 high roller in the Masonic lodge
IN tho 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 bands service. It was the first
job tho band had, and as 1t was in debt
for the snare drum and tho big horn
hero was chance to got even.
80 the leader got q retainer, and
then he told the committee that tho
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
mufHing the big drum he could make 1t
sound solemn. So the band turned out
at the funeral and it played wait For
tho Wagon all the way out to Mount
Moriah cemetery. Some Of the boys
about town had hard time looking sad,
especially Ben Ullman, tho big butcher,
who was one of the pallbearers Ben
was the funny man of tho 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 near
~ q row. The high muck q muck of tho
lodge told the leader of the band he had
better change tho music, and then the
leader said the band couldn't play any
thing else, and that no had told him SO.
The procession marched down Frederick
to rain. so that the lodge-it was tho
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 20 OIL"
well, the only thing for the band to
do was to liven up the tune, and that
was what raised Old Ned. The newspa-
per came ont next week with q piece in
1t as long as your arm saying it was q
disgrace, and that If the band expected
the citizens to help pay Ats debts 1t had
better learn some music that would be
appropriate at funerals, as people were
liable to die any time. OF course that
made tho band mad
"Of course, Cy. But what did they
do!"
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. Tho band opened the exer.
cises with Wait For the Wagon Then
the pastor Of the church prayed, and
the band played Wait For tho 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 to be as good as q cir
Gus I remember the leader Of the band
died good many years ago, and the
piece in the paper about him said he
wrote Wait For the Wagon, but the
paper was wrong. II was Sam Stone
who wrote It. him that has just died in
Topeky."
1T all comes back to me now, Cy.
But all can remember is the tune and
the first two Lines:
"Wait Tor the wagon,
And ven oil take ride"
Chicago Chronicle.
They Never Sleep.
There ere several species Of fish, rep