The Norfolk weekly news., 1900-10-18


rest How is 1t with you, Jabcz Fow.
/ lcr7"
/ II can't exactly say till | know what
/ the band is goin to do" replied Jnbcz.
/ "My old woman is mighty fond OF
| brass band tunes which lift up the
/ heels, aud II the band'll come over to
my house three times n week and give
/ us sunthln lively I'll chip in"
"Mcbbe I'm mistaken in this crowd"
! said the squar as he looked around In
! n serious way. "Mcbbc this is n crowd
/ composed of frccborn Americans whose
| forcfathcrs fought at Bunker Hill, and
mcbbc it's made up of men who'd steal
the statue of Liberty and sell 1t fur old
! junk. To say that ! am astonishcd
! does not half express my fcclin's.'
"rhat scllln the statue of Liberty is
n pint, and strong one" said the
/ deacon. "but what we want Is n free
exprcshun of opinion. Jubc Hornbcck-
or looks as IL he wanted to say sun
thin"
"I'd like to ask the sduar." said lube
| In his humble way, "if he expects that
band to meet him at the depot when
| he comes homer
"Bein hold the posishun l do" an
swered the squar, "bein I'm referred
TO rs the leadin man in Jericho, II the
band wanted to go down and see me
| of or wanted to be there to welcome
me home don't reckon anybody would
find fault"
But I'd want the same thing" said
Ebenezer Scott. IL ain't no justice OF
the peace. but my dairy Is milkin %
cows this summer, and feel I'm as
big ns anybody. go over to Dobbs
Ferry once in two weeks, and | should
want that band to toot me off and toot
me home agin."
"Thnrc may be n pint" said the dea-
con as he scratched his ear, "but l
don't skassly see 1t. Mcbbe the squar
wants to say sunthin further about
liberty and Bunker HIP"
"I'm sayin," replied the suuar as he
heavcd n long sigh, that patriotism
and love of country seems to be dead
erin a doornail in these United States.
Mebbe there's man in this crowd
aside from me who'd be willin to shed
his blood that our glorious republic
| might be saved from ruin and desola
shun. but If thar bc ! can't name him.
You might as well dispersc to your
homes and tell your wives and chill
dren that Jericho is doomed"
"By John, but what pint-what a
p'intv' whispered the deacon. Be
fore we bust up and so to ruin, how
ever, I'd like to hear from Reuben
|
Detroit, and he ought to know what in
huence n brass band has on a town.
"The influence of n brass band is ac-
cordin to the leader" said Reuben
1--WE seen 'cm where they jumped n
town right to the front in four weeks,
and I've seen 'cm where they killed
things dead in two. The leader wants
to be n pecooliar sort of n man. He
wants to be born fur the place, same
as Washington was. He wants to be
ready to die ut two minits' notice or to
live fur hundred years"
| "And mebbe you think you're that
manT' quercd the squar as he pound
ed on the counter with his fist.
81 do. l know | am. I'm the only
man in Jericho as kin lead a band to
success and make the town hump her
self. I'm self sacriticin critter, as
you all know, and If this meetin thinks
best
But the meetin shouted him down,
and it was five mnits before Deacon
Spooner could make his voice heard,
and then he said:
"There's more p'ints bobbin up here
than you kin shake stick at, but we
might as we'll hev one more. S'posin
we hear from Lish Billings. He's the
only man in Jericho who kin play on
an accordion. What d'you say, Lish 2"
There's mighty little to be said and
nuthin to bust up the country" an
swered Lish. "Do any of you sons Of
Bunker Hill know how much wind 1t
takes to blow brass hornY
Nobody did, and hush fell upon the
crowd.
1T takes ten pounds. reckoned by a
lung tester" said Lish, "and you'd
want an extra pound fur walkin up
hill. There was lung tester man in
town two weeks ago, and every son of
us handed over nickel and took a
blow. We blowed and strained and
blowed, and Rube White was one of
'em who blowed sole off his boot,
and yit no man reached seven pounds.
Whar you goin to git your wind to
blow them hornsT"
There was painful silence while
you could count hundred, and then
Deacon Spooner said:
by John, but I'm goin home and
tell the old woman that l don't know
beans when the bags united, and the
rest Of you'd better do the same
thing" NJ. QUAD.
Playtime In the Senate.
Senator Butler once had bill appro
priating $1,000 to build monument or