The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-10-22
MUs1C's CHARM.

COuutIy, odAu iAm1Iy COu0A1t4u6
besides himself, of wife and six
daughters. He had failed in bust
ness, was broken in spirit; bis
children, he thought, needed fresh
air, so he accepted as q gift from
his brother large tract of land
upon the edge of the wilderness and
settled thereon. Very soon enter
prising people began to settle be-
You'd him, and there came to be
much travel past his door, and as an
act of humanity he frequently en-.
tertained wayfarers. As these calls
upon his hospitality became more
and more frequent he enlarged his
house to meet the requirements OF
a comfortable inn and put up the
usual inkeeper's sign.
Not long after this party Of
young men, eight or ten in number,
we'll mounted, were returning by a
roundabout way from an election
eering expedition. They had stop
ped at every tavern on their route,
and toward the middle of the after
noon they refined up before Tap
pans door, pretty well under the
influence of various kinds of fiery
fluid, and, having dismountod and
secured their horses, they entered
the house and noisily demanded
whisky.
Now. it SO happened that Mr..
Tappan and his wife were both away
and only his daughters were in
charge, and it also happened that
the host, being rigid and consci-
entious teetotaler, had never kept
any spirituous liquors in the house.
Of this fact the visitors were in
formed by the eldest daughter,
handsome, intelligent girl of Is.
But the riotously inclined invaders
had no care just then for female
beauty, nor were they moved by the
fear and distrust of the frightened
girls, but they still demanded whis-
ky, and when they become assured
that they could not have it they re-
solved that they would cut down
the sign before the door, and the
leader so informed the young lady.
"You must do as you please, gen.
tlemen," she said, shrinking, while
her little sisters gathered around
her for protection. 81 cannot pre-
vent YOU"
IA tavern sign and no whisky !!
Such sign is base fraud"
"Aye-down with it!
"Where is your ax?"
"You will find it somewhere by
the woodpile, sir"
Three or four of the party made
a rush for the woodpile cursing as
they went, while the leader of the
gang, a young man who would have
been decidedly handsome if he had
been himself, with others of his
companions, took notion to over
haul the house, insisting that there
must be "a drop of something"
somewhere. And we may say here
that the whole party considered
themselves gentlemen. They were
we'll dressed and respectfully con-
nected.
In small, we'll furnished apart
ment, apart from the guests room,
was found a pianoforte.
Hello !" cried the leader, "who
plays on this? Can your"
ut is mine, sir" answered the
girl addressed.
"And you can play?"
"Yes, SIR"
Scan you sing?"
81 sing sometimes, SIR"
"Will you play and sing for us?'
"With pleasure, SIR
She opened the piano and sat
down and played and sang "The
Maiden's Prayer" Her voice was
clear, musical and sweetly rich, and
the accompaniment was played with
rare skill and grace. The little sis
tiers gathered in a semi-circle close
around the instrument, and the here
tofore .riotous men-but riotous no
more-drew nearer and nearer upon
the outside. Some of them had
never heard piano before, and not
one of them had ever heard sweeter
music. After a pause, at the con-
clusion of the piece, the leader
spoke again, but in a strangely