The times., 1901-06-05
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

An auction house recently happened to
have among the old junk consigned to 1t
a passably good piano. 1t was one of the
old style square instruments. but had
evidently been well cared for, as most of
the notes were in tune and only one or
two of the hammers were gone. One
morning when a sale was to take place
ii was moved out of the dark room to the
sidewalk and stood in the bright sunlight.
The cover was up and the keys were ex-
posed. wherefore every person who passed
stopped for a moment and made harmony
or discord upon It, as they happened to
have or not to have music in their I'm
gers, and then passed on
The corner upon which it stood was one
frequented by many people; in fact, right
in the centre Of the busiest section of the
town. The instrument stood qtise unrl-
sponsive for many hours. just soundLng
a little unwilIingiy when unframed IA
gers touched ii. But about midday, "'
the indefatigabIe rasping voice & u
auctioneeer had been stilIed, when .- -
gro Iaborers were basking in the
stretched out on ragged sofas and mat
tresses, old bedsteads and trunks, bent
shouldered negro. with tufts of white
wool peeping out from under his torn felt
ID.
stopped a moment to look at the piano.
He put his finger on one key hesitatingIy
and il spoke In a sweet, kindly tone. His
face lit up and he reached toward the
stool and slipped down upon it before the
array Of black and white keys. One black
and knotted hand reached out and struck
a familiar chord, then the other took the
octave base note, then the two together
loud enough to make the darkeys doing
in the sun lift their hats from their faces
and neep around at him. Two or three
more chords struck by his cOaXing fingers
showed that he was heir to all the plan
tatiOn harmOuieS. The corn neld the Coz
ton field, and the sugar cane Helu rose ~
view as he slid slowly and caresSln6ly
from, one sweet harmony 10 anOLifeI'
stopping every now and then ior lohS
hold on some particularly Striking COM
biDatiou of tones. In rev moments ne
strrcl, into a plaintive melody that seem
ed TO be familiar to every son OF nam
within hearing distance. Ihey ulu uot
roGve from their lazy lOunglnS poSitlolS'
but they took up the harmonles anu Ipi-
lowed him. a tenor here, carrying the
minor melody, and bass ana DdrIIOtle
Ginning in with him. The oid pIdIliiC ;I
bent over his keys, but swayed rom STio ~,
IN side pleased beyond measure dt tiIc
music Finally in long drawn choIu ing
music died away. The old musician II
eIiDDed ths stool back under the taDie
where he had found II, anu IafNiHS
stick shuffled along down the street. me ne
negroes tucked their faces IN ther mas
and slept again.
One of the hospitals of this city "hich
makes a speciality of taking care OF
..drunks" has a rather interesting @uJuiic'
to its padded cell. Some men who come
into the hospital under the influence Oh
alcohol are wild and violent, and the
Others that come
arc often in quite the opposite condition
and from having taken too much liquor
are In n conatose state. There is also
g, class OF patients who are suffering
from, overdoses of narcotics such as
choral morphine and the like, and the
or1v hone of getting them back TO life
again lies in keeping them on the rlght
side of sleep. 1t is for these that an
adiunct of the strong room has been pro-
,.ided 1t is somewhat in the form or
the paddle with which some people stIli
living are probably familiar as a thlnS
which had frequent use during their
school days. 1t is inscribed with various
legends. indicating that it is paddle
,,.itb a mission. The way of the trans
pyressor is hard" is the inscription on the
handle "Slumber, sweet slumber' covers
one side, and ITO sleep-perchanee to
,ream-aye, there's the rub covers the
Among the internes of the hospital, one
Of whom is responsible for the manu-
facture and adoption OF the instrument,
If is called the 'Awakener,' and its name
fuiIv indicates its purpose. II IS intended
to keep people awake, who ought not 10
be allowed to go to sleep. II Is uSsu OF
rbs soIes of the slumbrous ones feet, and
tal<es the place of the hand-slapping and
pinching and pounding that were preya-
lent before the ingenious Iabor-SaNllis
mind of the inferno evolved the simple
instrument The stockings are removed
from the feet of the patient, and the
paddle is applied with resoundlng
thwacks II Jars the nerve centres and
keeps the spinal column active. arouses
anger. and in many more ways stimu-
iates the body and mind to activity. 1t
usually is very quick in its effect. ana
tbe Datient responds to the treatment in
a few minutes. especially If he is only an