The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-24
The First Violin,
80" .....
BY J. K. Reeve.
How an Audience In q TheatoH
Enjoyed . Courtship.

= BY J. K. Reeve. 3
Z ".:.' x
+ How an Audience In Theater Z
2 Enjoyed Courtship.
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The orchestra brought the overture to
a finish with blare and bang that made
the walls echo and the footlights dance,
for the patrons Of the Frivolity theater
liked plenty of Ego" In their music, as in
everything connected with the entertain
ment.
AS the music ceased, the gaudy curtain
rolled up and revealed a brilliantly set
stage scene-brilliant with papier mache
and tinsel and the many make believes of
the mimic world.
There was a crowded house, and the
mixed assemblage gave good opportunity
for the study Of types. But among the
hundreds were just two of whom l want
to tell you.
Minis was first violin In the Frivolity
orchestra. There was tradition to the
effect that his name had once been
Mines, but because some one had said
that he was "mimsey looking" the name
had forthwith been contracted as above.
Minis was 200 years old. Perhaps you
think do not mean this, but let US see.
Minis was.a street boy. The urchin's
earliest recollections were Of the crowd
ed thoroughfares about Drury lane, Of
his terror of the big policeman and Of
cold and hunger. His father was thief
his mother as bad. His fathers father
died upon the gallows, while his maternal
grandfather had taken up his permanent
residence at convict prison. l have
not troubled to trace his genealogical tree
further, but make no doubt that should
find that for 200 years the heredity and
environment hnd been such as to concen-
trate and eliminate In poor little Minis
every wicked and wretched trait to
which humanity is subject.
His face told you all this. 1t was the
face Of little old man, and it had been
30 always. I cannot think that Minis
had ever been baby, soft and dimpled
and playful. It is not in nature that
baby should have grown into such an
ettigy Of manhood.
Minis had not been long in this world
before he had assimilated perfectly all
the knowledge Of good and evil which his
progenitors had been industriously accu-
mutating for him through SO many gen
erations, and it does not require much
perspicuity to guess in which branch Of
this knowledge he had the greater inner
itance.
Now, you may think from this that
/ Minis was pretty bad, but he was not,
because he possessed one saving grace.
One day while be was yet small lad
Minis heard band playing in the street.
Possibly he had heard music before, but
| only with the outer ear. 1t had never
| reached and touched that micro-organism
| which We term the soul.
Minis followed the band long way.
The band marched fast, and poor Minis
little feet grew very tired, until they
| would carry him NO farther. Then he
sat Town upon the curb and cried.
But he arose from the curb, with the
seeds of ambition firmly implanted with
in him. He would be musician.
Henceforth Minis sold papers and
blacked boots more industriously than
ever and boarded his pennies with all the
greed Of miser. When he finally count
ed them and found there were enough to
buy fife, 1t was the contamination Of
the first step in his career. From that
on he assembled by regular stages, the
first of which was hanging about an
East End concert hall and cultvating
the acquaintance of the musicians there,
and the last Of which was first violin at
the Frivolity.
When the overture was over and the
curtain lifted, Minis leaned back in his
chair, closed his eyes and kept only wide
awake enough to know when any musical
accompaniment was needed. That part
Of the show did not interest him. No
matter how many pretty girls were wav-
ing their shapely feet above the foot
lights, Minis thought 1t very foolish that
the audience should prefer that to the
numbers of the orchestra.
But he was not permitted to rest long
in peace. There was roar from the
audience, half of applause and half Of
derision, and he opened his eyes to look
around about for the cause.
On the stage was the usual thing-a
young singer giving a serio comic song,'
with interludes of dance steps and grace
full posturing. A new singer he saw at
once. And, to catch the audience, she
was singing to and making eyes at some
one in the orchestra, and that some one
was Minis. Now, this had never hap
pened before. There were plenty Of
comely fellows in the orchestra. The
young man who played the bass viol was
of q Byronic cast of features, and the
cornet player was as round and rosy as
big red apple, and these were the men at
whom the sylphs Of the stage usually
made pretty mouths. That she should
have selected him, with his old weakened
face, to draw all eyes toward made him
boil with wrath.
As he sat up and glared about the girl
was Just courtesyng and throwing kiss
to him. Minis flushed, and the people
girl, quick to see she had made hit by
chance, began to sing little love song.
This she accompanied with all manner Of
serio comic by play, with Minis still us
its object.
As he could do nothing but sit quietly
and hear it he began to study the singer.
And this is what he saw:
A young girl not beyond her teens.
He was quite sure Of that, in spite of the
make up" of the stage, which the foot
lights and her nearness to them and to
him brought out SO hideously. A girl
with a fresh, bright face, yet unmarried
by the hard life of the theater. A pretty
face, with laughing blue eyes and golden
hair, which Minis could see was not
wig.
AS he studied her carefully, from the
crown of paste diamonds that glittered
in her hair down to the silver lace that
fringed the high tops of her dainty
boots, the FIRST violin grew less angry
with the girl for singing her little love
song to him, and when she left the stage
he gave her hand" with as hearty
good will as any man in the theater,
which was strange thing for an orches-
ira player to do.
The fame of "Nonie," the new singer
at the Frivolity, ran quickly through the
town, and the theater was crowded
nightly. And every night she sang ut
Minis, until 1t came to be the feature Of
her performance and looked for by the
regular habitues as the piece de resist
ance Of the entertainment.
do you see old Mims?" said one. up
on my word, he bushes like schoolboy
when Monte comes at him. Must be a
new sensation to the old chap to have a
girl look ut him twice. Once Is enough to
scare most of 'em into fit"
"Well, would be willing to wear his
face for night to get as many smiles as
b. n,,%h nvx f,v. Jaw prn N