The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-28
EGRY THE GYPSY
WHO RIDDLES
Again on His Uppsrs After Los.
ing His Job at
Zinkands.
Especial to the Advertiser.9

| Egry, whose gypsy genius made his
signs sadly for the balmy climate of
| the Isles of the Blest. Paul is on his
uppers. This is literally and not figur-
| atively speaking, as l saw him only a
| day or two ago walking along Market
street on shoes that had no soles. His
/ trim little bowlegs were shabbily dress
! ed. and his derby hat looked as if it
had been bowled down Market street
for several miles.
| Only few weeks ago and Violinist
! Egry was a dude of dudes. He was the
| first violinist in Herr Stark's orchestra
! at Zinkand's fashionable beer-joint on
| Market street, and cut quite a dash
| before the smart set which patronizes
! Zinkands after the theaters dismiss at
night.
| When Stark was away for a week
| Egry took up the baton and bore him
! self right proudly. AS all Hawaii
| knows, he is an excellent fiddler. and
! perhaps has not more than two or three
! equals on the Pacific Coast. He has
| in his art much of the fire possessed by
/ Rigo Jancey, the Zingari, who won the
Princess Chinay from her titled hus-
i band. and put all Europe in a whirl Of
gossip.
| Paul Egry is not handsome. but when
with his beloved violin at his shoulder,
he saws the strings in Il frenzy of har-
nony, the fair ones who look upon him
and hear the magic strains, forget the
Insignificant form and pock-marlled
face of the artist, and beam upon him
with goo-goo eyes.
Now these good-goo eyes have been
the undoing of Paul Egry. Some years
ago he was an honest, hard working,
respectable laborer in a theater orches-
ira here. For S. a night he fiddled sat-
isfactorily, went home to his family,
and prospered before God and man.
But soon the Demon of Conceit got
into him and made think that all the
applause he heard was for Egry and
Egry alone. Then the boon compan-
ion of Conceit yclept, Rum, fastened
on Egry and the pair chased him into
the gutter. He lost job after job. FL
nally one day he went to a friend who
was a virtuous violinist, and spoke to
him: II have an engagement to play
solos tonight at the Palace Hotel be-
fore society. I have no instrument.
Woe is met
The virtuous man handed Paul Egry
a Stradivarius. which in old Cremona
had been fashioned some centuries ago
by a master hand.
Take this. Egry. and make your SIS,
he said.
Egry seized the rare violin. and with
out stopping for thought or a drink,
bent his steps toward Uncle Jacobs.
Laying the Stradivarius before the old
connoisseur. Egry said with tears in his
voice: See, friend of the poor, I have
brought you my last possession
mood, and also knows the value of vio- !
Inns. SO he handed Paul Egry s75 and |
Paul forthwith departed to Honolulu. |
This is how and why Hawaii had the !
honor of entertaining the gypsy. It will .
be remembered that he took pupils in |
was pitied and admired by .
such generous music lovers as Harold +.
Mott-Smith, and given a chance to !
seize again the real things of life. Paul /
went up and down. If Conceit did not /
smother him Rum was kicking him
about the waterfront. When he had !
good clothes and some money his head (!
was of the size Of Judge Humphreys,
and when he did not have decent attire
it was because he was toying with
kanaka gin.
One summers day he went away to
Australia with a theatrical company. !
stories nOateu Dack 10 honolulu tnat g.
Paul had done up brownly some of the
and finally Egry himself
landed again in Hawairs capital, from
the scullery of one of the Oceanic's lin
ars. When he set foot ashore all he
had was his violin, but he soon acquir
III a jag. Honolulu would have no
more of him. and he came here.
He has a brother. a decent fellow.
who plays in Stark's orchestra, and he
ook compassion on Paul and tried TO
make a man OF him. In the last few
months Paul has been fired from link
lnd's orchestra three times. He is the
despair of his craft. 1 saw him a few
lays ago in the Occidental hotel shiv-
ering with the cold. While sending a
scrap OF paper to Sam Parker. Paul
would like to get back to Honolulu.
FREDERICK O'BRIEN I