The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-01
THE GIRL AND THE VIOLIN.

a story from Charles n. CreWds0n's
new book, Tales of the Road" pub
Hshed by courtesy of the authorD
A LTHoUGH the travelling man win
= feed the hungry tramp Oh early
Strawberries and fried chicken
when ham sandwiches straight would
touch the spot better, all of his gen
erosity is not for fun. A drug sales
man told me this experience:
"A few years ago" said he, Il was
over in one of the towns / make i'm
Oregon. ] reached there on Saturday
evening. ] went to my custohers
store. Just before he closed he said to
me- I'll take you tonight to hear some
good music
" Where is it?' said I. I'll be glad
to go along z
It's down the street couple of
blocks; it's kind of garden. a ia uily
runs it. The old man serves drinks anu
the rest of the family-his wife and
three daughters-play 10 draw the
crowd. l want you to hear the Oldest
girl play the violin
~Nt'tf II ems AAtEiA art AEciA ans
time to go anywhere. Sometimes they
fly around the arc light, but they can
buzz close and not get their wings
scOTched. They must keep their heads
clear and they do. nowadays. you know
It's not as il was in the Old days when
the man who could tell the most yarns
sold the most goods; the old fashioned
travelling man is as much behind the
times as a bObtailed street car. Well.
Of course l told my friend Jerry that
Id go along. l should have nut in my
time working Oh new trade, but he was
one of the best fellows in the world
and one of my best friends. Yer ne
W9nid not give me much of his bust
ness; We were too we'll acquainted.
When We went 10 the garden
Jerry, his partner and myself-We sat
up front. We could look over the
crowd. 1t was a place for men only.
The dozen tables were nearly all full.
most Of the seats being OCCUPIED bv
men from the mines-sOme of them
wearing blue flannel shirts But the
crowd was orderly. The music made
them 30. The oldest daughter was only
l., but she looked %. She showed that
she'd enough experience in her life.
though to be gray. There was
tortured soul behind her music. Even
when she played rag time she would
repeat the same notes slowly and get
chord out of them that went straight
10 the heart. The men all bought
rounds of drinks freely between the
numbers, but they let them remain I'M
tasted; they drank, rather. the music.
I'VE listened for two hours. The
music suited my mood, / was a long
way from home. Most of the men
there felt as / did. Twelve O'Clock
came, yet no one had left the garden.
More had come Many stood All were
waiting for the final number. which
was the same every night, Home.
Sweet Home
There is something more enchanting
about this air than any other i'm the
world. Perhaps this is because il car
ries one back when he once has passed
its portals to his 'Childhood's JovlaDd
Little Girl and Boyland 1t reminds
him of his own happy young days or
else recalls the little ones at home at
play with their toys. | know l thought
of my OWN dear little tots when
heard the strain. How that girl did
play the splendid old meloCfvt
closed my eyes. The garden became a
mountain stream, the tones of the
violin, its beautiful ripples - nipples
which flowed right on even when the
sound had ceased.
Home, Sweet Home, I thought of
mine. l thought of the girI's-a beer
oardeni
Boys, said I to Jerry and his
partner. l am going up TO shake
hands with that girl: I owe her a whole
lot. She's a genius. ] went. And I
thanked her, too and told her how
we'll she had played and how happy
she had made me-
I'm glad somebody can be happy
she answered dropping her big, blue
eyes.
But aren't you happy in your
music?' 1 asked
Yes. she replied in such "a sad
way that it meant a million nos
when ] went back to my friends
they told me the girls father was not
OF much account or otherwise he would
send her off 10 a good teacher.
Now. that's going to take only a
few hundred dollars said l. You are
here on the spot and there surely
ought TO be enough money in the town
to educate this girl. / can't stay here
to do this thing, but you can put me
down for fifty.
= well sir. do YOU know the people
in the town did help that girl along.
When the women heard what a travel
ing man was willing to do. they no
longer barred her out because, for
bread, she played a violin in a beer
garden. but they opened their doors to
her and helped her along. The girl got
a music class and with some assistance
went to a conservatory of music I'm
Boston where she is studying today"
no.