The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-08-30
Gladys Music Lesson Dream.


Gladys was not 4 very apt pupil.
She just lovcL TO sit at the piano
end Strum---at least that is what the
professor called it--but when it
catle to putting certain fingers Oh
certain keys, and doing ever SO
many things that she thought was
awkward, She was awfully unhappy
and very often cried.
One morning her lesson had been
worse than usual, and the professor
looked at her without pity over his
glasses and said, "Gladys, you
must practice more" After he was
gone she thought she would tell
mama, and find the usual consola-
ton by burying her head in mana's
zap and crying, but then she thought
}>cttcr Of it, and decided to be proud
iii;o grown up ladies, and SO she
started i'll TO practice awfully hard.
She practiccd that morning until
lunCl, time, and then after lunch
con when nurse came to take her
walking with baby she refused and
stayed indoors to practice. BY
dinner time her fingers and arms
and little head achcd, and she
hadn't yet found out where to put
the thumb and where not to put
it, and when to pass it under and
where not to; i'll fact, she had not
yet found out any Of those awful
rules which she imagined were made
only to tantalize little girls.
At the dinner table she sulked,
and didn't enjoy her dinner one
bit until the plum pudding ap-
pcared, and then she did a most
dreadful thing--s!le asked for two
; helps. After that she began to get
dlowsy, and kissed mama and papa
%ood night. and then nurse took
her up stairs and put her OF bed
: and tucked her in.
The next thing Gladys knew size
Was in the str2ngcst land size lad
ever heard of. 1t was a village with
only one street, and on both sides
were perky little Quccn Anne cot
/ toG"5, with long, sloping lawns
And the pavcnncnts and the middle
; ot the streets were nothing but the
black keys OF the piano running
crosswisc. They were right close
together, SO that nothing but little
child could ever fail in between
them, and other folks just walked
OH the tops ot them. But way deep
down between these black keys she
could see the white ones. And as
far as she could see from out of the
window Of her house, up the street
atld down the street, were nothing
bit these black keys. She could,
by leaning out far enough, see
about two octaves in each direction.
She began to hear sounds of
! music, very deep at first, but get
ting higher and higher, and louder
and louder, until she saw Just in
front Of the house the butcher boy,
! with basket of meat OH his arm,
Halloping up the street. His horse
seemed to know exactly where to
put his feet, and lie never slipped
| once. Behind it ran a poodle, max
ing the queerest noises, and Gladys
wondered why, until she noticed
that the poodle would skip a few
black keys because lie was running
carelcssly. Then she heard a regu-
lar tramp, but away down in the
! bass. She leaned out and saw
troop of soldiers coming up the
street, all walking on those black
| keys. One Of them in front was
blowing bugle, and the melody
he blew fitted III With the accom-
paninent Of the sounds the soldiers
made by W Walking Oil the black keys.
They passed the house, the sounds
! growing higher and higher; then
ntrse called her to 60 walking with
the baby. So the three of them
! started UP the street together, and
! it seemed to her the funniest sensa-
ton, because as they put their feet
down the keys would sway under
| their feet aud tho,, thev could J,,,-