Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-10-07

$1,000
Occasion on Which 1t Was Rendered.
"aIusic by the Band" at the schoo Ex-
bibitlon-Old Timers Look Back.
Two men were at a table overlooking
Michigan avenue. They We're unmistak-
ably from some place in the west. They
had the good old time which
are becoming scarce in every section.
They We're go 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'Il be doggoned if Sam Stone
amt dead. 1t 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 a
Ride"
"Hain't thought Of it 80 year, Cy,"
replied the old man opposite him.
Lets see, how did it 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 a keyhole.
Jim, you're getting wind wasted.
Getting old. Fellows like you and me
can't whistle. Better hum it, Jim"
And jim hummed ii while Cy beat
time with his fingers on the table.
II had forgot, Cy, who it was that
wrote it."
Eyes, it was Sam Stone. I'd bout
forgot it myself till I see it in that
morning paper"
"Sam Stone was 81, so the paper says.
He died in Topeky, where he'd lived
about 20 years. That was a great old
song in its day."
''That and Pop Goes the Weasel. "
"But Wait For the Wagon was the
most catching. / remember. it was the
first piece that the st. Joe mo cornet
band learned to play. And just then
there was a mar died in st. Joe who
was a high roller in the Masonic lodge
in the town, and a 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. 1t was the first
lob the band had, and as it was in debt
for the snare drum and the big horn
here was a chance to get even.
$50 the leader got a retainer, and
then he told the committee that the
band couldn't play only II 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
mufiing the big drum he could make 1t
sound solemn. SO the band turned ont
at the funeral and it played Wait For
the Wagon all the way u to Mount
Moriah cemetery. Some Of the boys
about town had q harS Joking sad,
especially Ben Ullmar, lie big butcher,
who was one Of the pallbearers. Ben
was the funny man of the town, any
how.
81 remember Ben, Cy."
81 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
ly a row. The high muck a muck or 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
TO rain. so that the lodge-it was the
Zeredathah chapter, as ] remcmber-had
to quicken their steps, and that put the
band ont.
"Of course, Cy. You can't march
double quick on slow music. But go on. =
well, the only thing for the band to
do WIS 10 livcn rp TIE time, ard that
was what raised Old Ned. Inc nesaspa-
per cane cut next week with a piece in
it as loag as yo.lr arln saying u Vas q
disgrace, and that if the band expected
the citizens to help pay its debts 1T had
better learn some music that would be
appropriate at funerals, as people were
liable to die any time. 0f course that
made the band lad."
"Of course, Cy, But what did they
doY"