The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-29

that nobody had 10 coax her to play, be-
cause she loved her music so. 1t is true
that nobody had coaxed her TO play, the
hostess having merely suggested that a Sc
lection from her would be acceptable. She
opened her leathern music roll and took
out thirty-four compositions for the piano.
One man counted them afterward, when
the party was breaking up and nobody was
looking, just by way of satisfying his curl
osity The young lady looked all of the
pieces over very carefully and finally Sc
lected the biggest and blacklist one of them
in such thick clusters that they resembled
huge punches of grapes.
She seated herself at the piano, with the
music before her, and everybody in the
room ceased from talking until after she
had commenced to play. It is not good
form to talk at drawing-room musicale
while performer is getting ready for the
start. AS soon as the start is made you
may talk as much and loudly you
like. Drown out the performer II possible,
and IL you can't succeed in this. you can at
least show your hostess that you are will
ing to do your best.
But this young lady was not to be
drowned out. Although shipwrecked sew
eral times in the course Of the interpreta-
ton of the composition, and although it
was continuous battle through angry
waters. she stuck to the helm until she
had smashed up on the shore, safe and
sound, but weather-beaten. 1t was a fasci-
mating sight to watch her as she struggled
along through one of the most disastrous
voyages ever taken on a keyboard.
At the start she placed her right hand
about midway on the worries and her left
about two octaves below it, After a ter
rife crash that reminded one of the noise
made when you slam a door on a cabinet
full of china and glass dishes, she sent
her right hand on a little journey up the
road to the treble keys and then, as an
afterthought, gave the left hand a push
and sent it along after the other one. The
right hand turned, and when it saw the
left hand hustling along on its trail. waited
an instant. crouched low, and then DELHI
erately hurdled over it's rival and beat a
hasty retreat down the road toward the
starting place, while the left hand con-
tinued on up the highway, bafled and
confused like a bloodhound that has lost
the scent.
The left hand, having no business up in
the treble country, hesitated doubtfully on
some Of the highest keys and then did a
little tread-mill performance as If to warm
up before taking the return trip down
south. The right hand in the meantime
was nosing around among some tones of
the basest sort and trying to find It's way
out of an unhealthful environment into
which its own foolhardiness had plunged it.
Finally, both hands got their right bear
ings at the same time and they acted like
a couple of turtles that have just regained
their proper attitudes after going through
the maddening experience of being on their
backs for a long time. Right hand lit out
for the north and left hand lit out for the
south. There was headlong collision In
| the middle Of the keyboard which threat
ened for an instant TO bring the whole
wretched business to a sad end then and
/ there, but, after a few brutal exchanges in
which neither Of the contestants showee
to the better advantage. they succeeded In
worrying past each other and reaching
their own familiar stamping grounds which
| they should never have left in
the first place. Each Of them
kicked up a considerable rcsv about home
and made things miserable for their respec-