Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-02-03
THEY WERE COMRADES.
Drummer and Fifer OF War Days
Meet by Chance I'm . Guard
Armory.

4
4 very interesting incident one evening
recently.
The soldier boys gathered there for
irill and a couple of hundred citizens
were on hand to watch them. The
a.mory was wide open.
Capt. Barney entertained guests when
not engaged with business in his pri-
cate apartments on the first floor. Thir-
ty or forty men and boys were congre-
gated in the small armory close by,
while hundred or more people watched
tie drill in the drill hall on the floor
above. The music OF the fife and drum
could be heard above the noise made
by the marching of half hundred men
and the applause and cheers of the null
litude.
Finally at about nine o'clock the
drummer entered the small armory
with the intention of putting his drum
! and fife into the locker. He was fol-
lowed into the room by a middle-aged
man, wearing a light SLOUGH hat and a
cape ulster. He was q stranger 10 every
man in the party.
Before you put that fife into the
locker" said he to the drummer, ''let
me try it. 1 used to play little now
and then
The drummer consenting, the stran-
ger took the fife and placed it to mis- lips.
He blew into the instrument and ran
his fingers over the notes. Everybody
was all attention, for it was seen at
once that the stranger had played fife
before. He set the pace for the infan-
try's drummer, and away they went.
Keeping time with his foot, the fifer, Sc
Letting a patriotic though difficult
piece, played it through severa! times.
When the fifer dropped his arms the
crowd applauded and asked for more.
81 used to play. boys, but I'm little
rusty now" said he. "but Ike it all
tie same"
You're all right, stranger" shouted
= man in the rear ranks; "give US some
more"
At this the crowd announced it's ap-
proval and the ifer played on. He
played Yankee Doodle" THE Girl I
Left Behind Me- and all sorts of popu-
Tar airs. The people came down from
the drill hall and crowded around the
strange fifer.
who is he ?'' was the word
Nobody knew.
AS he played it was noticed that an
other middle-aged man stood close by
and was taking deep interest in the
performance. He wore a stiff hat and
winter oyercoat, with collar turned up
Like the ifer, he was a stranger TO
every man in the armory.
''Mr. Drummer" said he, as the drum
mer was about to put away the drum.
before you lay the drum aside let me
try it. I used to handle the sticks, but
haven't had pair in my hands for more
than ten years"
The stranger took the drum, the fifer
struck up, and straightway the best
fife and drum music ever heard in the
Auburn armory was in progress. 1t had
been good with the stranger fifer and
the regular infantry drummer, but with
the stranger fifer and stranger drum
mer it was perfection itself. What more
inspiring in days of war than the music
of the fife and the drum?
The fifer and the drummer W ere vet
Grams at this music. Thirty years ago
trey had played together time and time
again, and yet they stood there in the
aTmory face to face, strangers. 1t was
noticed that their playing was in per-
feet harmony. The drum kept up with
the fife, although the fife was extreme
" lively and hard to follow. Great en-
thusiasm was awakened by the wonder