The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-03-24
BACK TO POKER PLAYING.
Advice of a Long-suffering Wife to-
Her Husband When He Sub
stituted the Violin.


The man. who lives in a detached, If
modest home of his own in Brooklyn
began to believe one night couple of
weeks ago that he didn't know how to
play poker, relates the New York Sun.
He had just dropped the equivalent
of about a months pay in defense of
his four mines. The other fellow had
four queens.
"This." remarked the man, sis where
I sulk for the rest of the route. Gim-
leted out with four mines in my mitt,
hey? Here is where I make a stand
ing pole-vault into the discard and
poke no more" j.
Reaching home, he took his patient
wife's hand in his hands and told her
that, after searching analysis of him
self, he had found that he wouldn't
do. Wherefore, he added, every SOU
markee that he pulled down from his
legitimate labors in the future was to
be devoted to the proper purposes and
uses of himself and his heirs and as
signs, now and forever.
She expressed her great relief and
JOY. ::
On the following day, in conformity
with his resolution henceforth to find
his amusement at home of nights, he
rummaged around among the second
hand stores, and finally found the fid-
die. with the bow and case, that he
wanted. paying all of four dollars for
the outfit.
In his early youth this man had been
able to scrape so passably on the vio-
lin that his playing hadn' deprecated the
value of real estate in his boyhood
neighborhood more than 35 or 40per cent.
He was determined, therefore, to re-
sumo his fiddling, after hiatus that
had endured for many years, as one
of the methods whereby he might di-
vert himself and his wife at home,
and also keep his mind from dwelling
upon the insidious game of draw
He blew in an additional $3.50 for
the purchase of strings, keys, bridge,
tail-piece and chin rest for his four
dollar Strad and carried the gear,
together with the instrument, home
with him on mis- way from the Office.
His patient wife's eyes cleaned with
happiness.
81 am so delighted" she said, &C.
statically, that you are going to take
up your music again! 1t seems so
queer, doesn't it, that l have never
heard you play"
Yep" said he, cheerily. "but
you've got something to live for just
for that reason. Once violinist, al
ways a vioIinist, y'know. When I
get this hew-gag rugged up. I'll be
hurting out some sweet strains that'll
make you think of your happy girl
hood days down by the crick-just you
wait!"
After an hours work in getting the
fiddle strung up, he rosined the bow
and drew it across the Strings.
1t was a pretty sQueakyT start.
His wife's countenance fell just a
little. He tuned up the instrument
again, and then he was off in bunch
with what purported to be the Flower
Song"
His wife's face went blank before
he had sawed seven bars. Then a
wounded antelope expression crep:
into her eyes. He, however, was too
busy with his rendition of the Flow
er Song" to notice this
His wife softly stole into the next
room, and, raising a window, leaned
out into the cold air as far as she
could, and wondered what she had
ever done to deserve it.
Bringing his performance to a wab-
bly,, horrific and precarious close, he
rested the instrument on his knee and
looked around for tumultuous ap-
plause He found himself alone in the
room.
THE music has probably affected
her so,' he said to himself, "tnat she
has gone into her room to weep her
tender little heart out, poor child! I'll
have to stop playing so pathetically,
she's so sensitive. It's unfortunate
that I've got so much overwhelming
expression at my finger tips
So he fastened into the other room,
where he found his wife still leaning
out of the window Her figure was
not, however, being shaken by convul-
sive sobs In fact, she turned quite
a calm face upon him.
We'll, little one," said he, folding
her in his fond embrace, what dye
think of your man as a violin player?'
She gazed at him sadly and re-
leased herself from his grip.
Heaven forgive me for giving you
such advice, Jack" she said to him,
in voice filed with anguish, but
Jack, go and play poker