The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-03-17
When Ezra Sang First Bass.
BY LEON MEAD.

THE shutters of jenkins grocery
store had been up an hour or
more, and the little, red-whiskered pro-
prietor had been limiting as openly as
he dared to half a dozen of his Gus
toners, who were sitting around the
stove, that he would like to go home.
But his ostentatious preparations
the slamming of covers on open bar
rels and the extinguishing of the lights
down to a solitary lamp-made no visi-
BILE impression on them. For the
squat, little stove still radiated hos
pitable glow, and the air of the room
was comfortingly blue and fragrant
with the smoke of many pipes.
The conversation, which had lam
guished while there had been an occa-
sional customer to soothe the nerv-
Gus proprietor, suddenly became
brisk. From chickens it naturally
drifted to poultry diseases, and thence
to the uncertainty of life. That sug-
gested religion to Tom Hicks; and
religion, revivals; and revivals, sin
ners. So, by an easy transition, the
church choir came'up for discussion.
Then it was that old Uncle Ezra,
who had been silent through it all,
unlimbered ponderously, as properly
befitted a great gun of the village.
"Reckon 1 never told ye bout the
time I was a bass singer%' he threw
| out.
A respectful chorus of "Noes," and
| Tell us about it, Uncle Ez," answered
him. Each member of the party set
| tied back into his chair with sigh
of relief, and the unhappy jenkins sat
down on a cracker-box, for Uncle
Ezra, as a man of wealth and position,
was not to be interrupted nor hurried.
"Just 25 years ago, when I was in
my PRIME" he began, after prepara-
tory cough, "the Methodist church
was built, and John Tate undert ook to
organize the choir. They called him
the 'percenter," or something of that
kind. Tany rate, they were stuck fol-
bass singer. Everyone they invited
to try for the position failed. At last
some one mentioned my name, and
John come to me and asked me to jine
'em. At first I stood out right and
said no. not fatterin' myself that
could fill the bill tall. I knowed one
tune from another, and told him So
but my voice was weak and anything
but deep; besides, at that time I hat
little tech Of asthma once in awhile
"None of you young fellers never
lnowed John Tate. He was killed BY
the Injuns after he went west, bu
he was the most convincin' man 'bou
ever see, and he got me to come t.
church that night and try over som'
J of the tunes. remember had a ter
, rible cold that day; it was deep sot
I and my voice was below zero, SO t,
speak.
"Well, seein' as I had promised,
went down to the meetin' house, a
!. we called it in them days. Matild'
Savory, now the Widow Plunkett, wa
there, and George Delameter, VIII
3 was to be the tenor, and Rachel Sitter
3 now deceased, and Susan Black, VIII
e had gallivanted round with consid
r cradle, and had a slinkin' sweetnes
, for. There was a few others I don
just recollect this minute. We frs
attacked that hymn runnin'-
"There is a fountain filled with blood"
q 81 put my whole soul into it, and al
| the wind I could muster. They was al
,, | surprised to find out had such goo
u bass voice, and laughed in my sleeve
' because no one seemed to notice tha
9 I had a cold. We tried several pieces
9 and, after finishin', some one was sur
9 to say to me: why, Ez, had no ide
n that you had such a splendid bas
- voice. and another would say to tn
one settin' next: We couldn't ge
along without Ez; don't his voic
+ chord in nice?'
II "You can believe was honored, an
what made me feel the best was tn
kinder suppressed look Of pride o
v Susan's face. For the time bein'
l. really thought could sing like "a
!. blackbird. Yes, that was the compar
son 1 made to myself. You see, wa
= thinkin' of Susan; her rear name wa
Black, as 1 mentioned before.
oo| "This was on Monday night. Joh
q Tate told us to meet again on Satul
of day evenin' to practice, so we'd be abb
ir to make the new church ring with d
q vout song on the fo1lowin' day. O
D. Tuesday my cold was disappearin', an
my normal upgrade voice was comi
back.
"I now had a chance to consider tn;
y I had made mistake in joinin' IL
70 choir, for when the time should CON
III for me to make public exhibition
myself my voice would be pitched e
tirely too high. Still I felt that tn