Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-01


friend on business and we discussed
it over our cigars and bottled beer on
the little balcony at the back of his
house.
The July night was drowsy with
the heat left over from a suffocating
day. The bushes and plants in his
yard and in the others near by and the
vines on the fences were scarcely stir
red by the sluggish breeze.
There were lights in mary of the
windows, for it was still early, and one
could hear the sound of many voices.
Suddenly in the darkness Of the yards
bow scraped the strings Of a violin.
The sound Of voices ceased. My host
whispered:
Now, we win have our evening
concert And the concert began.
1T has been well said that the violin
is the instrument that comes closest
to the human voice. It has notes in
it, indeed, which few humen voices
can compass.
Great performers play the piano
for you, but the violin sings to you.
And this violin did sing OJt of that
black back yard. in which the per-
former was unseen, a voice scared
like thcsc Of all the nightingales that
ever caroled to the moon condensed
into one.
1T sang Old lures and ballads; some
merry, like Gary Owen and The
Ralles Of Mallow,' some pathetic and
sad like ALLEN Water and The Exile
of Erin some lull Of flesh and fire,
like 'Fontenoy and the great war song
of Cornwall, The March Of the Men
of Harlech and then It seemed as if
/ were listening to a woman. long
since dead ir misery. who in her day
stirred many a heart in many an
American tn later singing Killarney
as it might be sung when the lakes lie
level under the broad moonbeams and
every ripping wave along the pebbly
shore makes a chorus like The soft
Ginning Of convent bells.
"The music ceased My host, as
hard-hearted and unsentimental man
as ever made a fortune out OF hard
and unsentimental business, sat mute,
with his head bent His cigar had
gone out His beer was fat in his
glass.
There was a pause, and then the
violin began to sing again Now it's
voice took a higher flight. It seemed
as il one were in en- opera house, and
great singers were pouring from their
Threats the gold Of immortal melody.
Joy sorrow, love- hate, triumph
aud despair were fiddled out of the
darkness until, at one of the windows,
some one called Bravo!' and the cry
was taken up from house to house, in
a rolling chorus
my hest started from his reverie,
and passed his hand over his eyes like
man awakened from sleep.
He won't play any more tonight
he said, as he reached for a light for
his cigar
Who is hep | asked.
" 4 can't tell much about him, he
replied The house yonder is a board
Ing house Most of the boarders are
musical people,
He lives in the kitchen and |
think that his wife is the cook and that
he helps her Anyhow. see him
often in daytime beating rugs and car
pets, chcpping wood, and doing other
rough work about the yard
Nearly every night he plays the
violin, He Is small man, sharp
face, with o gray beard. He drinks
great deal and quarrels most of the
time with his wife who Is a stout.
middle-aged italian woman. with
coarse black hair,
More than that ] could not learn
Presently | came away in a rejecting
moad. for the adding genius OF the
backwards had brought back memories
Of other lost talents. musical and
otherwise.
There used 70 be in the vicinity of
the Cooper Union q beer saloon in the
rear of which was an apartment of
considerable size containing an excel
lent piano. Every evening one anna
teur performer or another would vol
unteer to entertain the patrons of the
place
One night shabby fellow. with long
hair and beard, growing Wild around
his face, came into the place and. hav-
ing qualified by the purchase of glass
OF beer, made a desperate onslaught
upon the free lunch. While he was
thus engaged, someone began to play
the piano. The tramp stopped eating
and remarked to the proprietor a
good-natured old German:
If you can afford to have a good
piano, you should not allow people who
don't know how to play spoil it,
Well. said the proprietor, IF you
play it better so ahead. and you shall
have all the beer you want and your
supper, too.
Without word the vagrant march
ed into the back room and seated him
self at the piano, from which the
previous performer had just risen. He
played with the touch of a master,
German pieces by Chopin and Bach.
American pieces by Nevin and Witt,
fiiHging IN between lighter dance mel
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