Semi=weekly graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1895-1902, 1897-01-30

he WAS FAMEo AND ar DANCE MUSIC
pIp very WELL.


Fun and Eroiio In washout on the Ore
gon short E.iae 7sllIonaires and Tnlnl-
grants Attend Dance and Experiences
Musical Surprise.
On ST. Patrick day, 1894, five
through trains, bound both to tho east
ward and westward of the Oregon Short
Line Of tho Union Pacific, were tied up
at Glenns Ferry, Ida They had been
caught between two serious washouts,
one at Pocatello aBd tho other at Indian
Greek. three days before, and had 20
wait at Glenna Ferry for track repairs
along the limo before they could proceed
Glenns Ferry Is bleak little railroad
and sheep herders' town of 500 or 400
inhabitants, situate on sagebrush
bluff overlooking tho unspeakably dark
and droary Snake river.
The five stalled trains carried GOO
passengers Of as miscellaneous o charae.
ter as could be gotten together at a
carefully selected congress Of types.
There were emigfants and millionairesi
soldiers on the move; dainty women in
palace cars ind women bound for Creole
and Cripple Greek in day coaches; min
ers who killed time during the wait ia
shooting magpies eiroling over the
Snake river; Ghoshoue Indians travel.
ing to the limits of their reservation:
well behaved and quiet people, noisy
and tumultuoas people. But all were
stuck alike, and they made the best Of il
Lines Of social demarcation were for
the time erased All hands mingled
easily Oh the little station platform aud
in the little station waiting room. Tho
supply Of food en- the dining cars gave
out the first day of tho hitch, ard every
body was fed and well led, too, in tho
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 a dance at tho little
town hall On Sc Petriek's night The
switchman who had been customarily
employed to fiddle for them had been
switched TO another division In aquan-
Diary, the dance committee toured the
trains and station TO ascertain i2 any of
tho stalled passengers happened to be
carrying q violin and was capable of
producing music On it. In ono Of the
sleeping cars they eemo across an artistic
looking man, with very long hair, q
seraphio, oleaginoas countenance and
exceedingly buggy clothes They were
looking for fiddler, they said Did he
know Of any on tho train? Wei. he
didn't know lin 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 oyerjoyed. Would
he play for them te dance with their
wives and sWeathearts? Certainly Did
he know dance music? Well, some.
All Of the stalled passengers were IN.
vited to the dance, and they all went.
A good many of them could not get in.
The baggily clothed fiddler turned up
in good time. The pianist was waiting
for him. Sc was the railroad dance
committee, one Of the members Of which
slipped So in one dollar bills into the
fddler's hand as payment in advance
for tho evenings work. It was smiling
ly accepted. The dance began. The
fireman. wife, who played the piano,
produced an old bethumbed violin and
piano tune book and turned to the Ian
GERS. She told tho fiddler, at the end of
the first dance, that he did pretty well,
only 10 went GOO fast Then there was
waltz The fiddler was informed by
his accompanies that he was getting
along finely, and everybody in the room
began to prick up his ears at the sweet
ness Of the violin music, although the
dances were common enough and taWdry
enough
Another waItz-the Beautiful Blue
Danube All Of the dancers on the
floor stopped dead at the first bar, and
tho travellers with cultivated musical
ears moved close 10 the piano The pr
al.ist ceased. She wished to listen. Tire
violin music was miraculous. The play
en- swayed from side TO side as ne phras-
ed. Ho appeared TO be oblivious of his
surroundings. He improvlsed variations
Of inspiring Tenderness. He out Strauss
cd Strauss Ills violin sang, throbbed
with passion. When the last note died
away, the people in the hall appeared
to be in a dYeaa-all but one
M. YGaye, said Charley Fair, the
son Of tho late United States Senator
Fair, stepping from the throng. won't
you play that lively, rafting thing you
gave us at the Bohemian club in San
Francisco tho other night2 It's been
running in my head ever since.
M. Ysaya played Berlioz's "Pi2zi
cato" as be perhaps never played it r.
fore. Washington Star.