Evening star., 1898-08-27
THE MAN WITH A VIOLIN

eign-looking and somewhat seedily clad
young man. with the worn violin case
tightly clutched under his arm. entered the
smoking car of a train bound hence for
Baltimore the other afternoon, he looked
warm. weary and depressed. The young
man looked ill-nourished. His drawn, es-
thetic face ccntrasted curiously with his
shock of coarse, duIl-black hair which he
nervously pushed back from his forehead
when he removed his dingy black derby
upon taking a seat In the smoker. He
handled the violin case caressingly, and
re garded the brass racks provided in cars
for the reception of such articles with sus-
picion. He decided not to trust his violin
in any of them, but rested it, end-up, be-
tween his knees. Then he looked some-
what anxiousiy out of the car window, as
if expecting the appearance of a be!ated
travelling companion.
"a street fiddler" you would have said,
sizing up The young man with the violin
case, about to depart for other fields. and
nervous over the non arrival Of the harp
ist and the flute player"
The smoking car rapidly filled up, and
still the your man kept his head poked
out OF the car window, scrutinizing al the
passengers approaching the train from the
gate very earnestly. The train was within
sixty seconds of its departure, when he
withdrew his head from the car window
and put his violin case UP on the vacant
space OF the seat he occupied, apparently
for the purpose of reserving ii.
All aboard" had been shouted, and the
tram was already slowly moving out, when
sharp-faeed yourg man, rather well
dressed, and with rather more than twn
parts Of jag, apparently, numbered into
the Smoking car. He was a bit ostenta-
tious in his handling of his Jag. He seemed
very good-natured, and ne appeared an un-
So hn had 0fro
the races, or something of that sort. The
only vacant seat In the smoker was that
beside the young man with the violin case,
whereon the cage rested. The dissipated-
looking youth made for that seat with ap-
parent difficulty owing to the curves Ia
the road.
Hey, there, fiddler said the young man
with the jag, gcod-uaturedly, "how Is 1t
for this seat?''
The young man with the violin case
smiled graciously, removed the violin case
from the seat, and the young man with
the jag sat down heavily. His face was
very shrewd. and as he sat down he made
lightning-quick, but very thorough. ex-
animation of the cars passengers. The
passengers We're rather a prosperous-look-
Ing lot Of men.
The train had not much more than
crossed he District line when the young
man with the ostentatious jag dug into his
valise, produced a silver flask, and passed
1t around to all hands. Only a couple Of
ternoon was very warm.
When the young man with the flask re-
sumed his seat he seemed to take great
interest in his seat-mate. He inspected
him carefully. Finally:
Got fiddle in that case, Jacko?' he In
quired of the foreign-iooking young man.
The latter smiled assent.
What's the matter with giving US a
tune then?"
EJECT ees ver' varm,'' replied the fiddler,
smiling and showing his good white teeth.
Whats the diff" persisted his jagged
seat mate. Get out the fid. aud let's have
scrape or two. The bunch OF us'u fix you
out all right f you do
''Oh. for zat!" was the reply. ''Zat is
someseeng diferong. l anf-wat you call
broke, ees eet? Veil, play
He carefully removed his violin from the
case and tuned it up He handled the in
strument as if he knew how to play it. He
did know how to play it. He started in on
a Polish dance-a weird and surely difficult
bit of work, mostly chords hign up on the
A and strings. He did it extremely well.
1t was not fiddling. 1t was violin playing.
The young man with the flask rose in his
seat in his excitement.
Why, say, there, Bill he exclaimed
you're cachuca on that thing! You're
the real article! G'wan and give us s'more.
And, say, cut out that dinky dago music
and play US something American-'Break
the News to Mother or something like
that"
AS he spoke the young man with the os-
tentatious jag dug into his wafstcoat
pocket, fished out a dollar bill, and threw
1t on the seat beside the musician.
The violinist-not looking as IL he enjoyed
1t very much-played Break the News to
Mother" "On the Banks Of the Wabash"
and few other ballads with singular mel
loWneSs of expression.
why, blame it ail! calculated the young
man with the jag, you're great, blow me
If you amt! Where die pick it up? Here,
wait a minute!"
He grabbed the seedy black derby from
the musicians head, threw a silver dollar
into it, and started down the aisle.
THAT ducks all right, isn't he?" said
he, addressing the passengers in general.
Makes the blooming thing talk. doesn't
ne? Saws he's broke. too. Dig IN and give
him a shove along. No, you don't have to
cough up a whole dollar just because
chucked in couple. half's about the
size Good boy! Room for the fddIer's
chapeau! Says he's fat on his uppers.
Let's get up decent bundle for him."
etc, etc.
Now, If the fiddler himself had sprung
his music and passed the hat around after
ward, he might have got a bit of back
sheesh but it would have consisted of pen
MES. nickels and perhaps a dime or two.
But the frank, generous spirit of comara-
derie of the jagged youth, 1urching through
the car with the hat, sort Of put the pas
sengers-who had really enjoyed the music,
anyhow-on their mettIe, and they Clipped
in halves and dollars. The youth lurched
forward and handed the haif-fiiled hat to
The musician. whose teeth CLEANED again.
'Ah, re kind Americains!' he exclaimed,
gratefully. Then the train pulled into the
Baltimore station and he stepped off win
many a bow. The young man with the Jag
stepped off. too, at Baltimore, half a min
ute later. Curiously enough, as he mingled
with the crowd passing out of the gate
his jag seemed to leave him. He looked
around sharply. The violinist Joined him
fnr ,, ,al t0 ha l. l..
pair.
How much?" alertly inquired the young
man who had had the property jag.
Nearly eighteen kopecks" said the vio-
linist, with no accent whatsoever, and viva
a satisfied expression of countenance
"Hully Santiago! but what a graft" was
the exclamation.
This is a sad old world.
Tells How Fast the Train is Going.
From Pearsons Weekly.
An ingenious form of speed-recording ap-
paratus has been recently devised for use