The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1906-04-27


to step into the parlor, and specially
requested that Pat and MoIlie. who
had been so good to me, go with us.
| said longed to sing and play some
thing and | wanted them to near it.
Everybody vent along and l a
at the piano n played and sang
'Mollie Darling 1t made a hit with
the company and everybody crowded
about to congratulate me. The last
was Mollie. She leaned over my
shoulder, ner face as red as the rose,
and whispered. An did yez hear tn
answer l gev him?'
well, / did not put that song with
my others, because it was o in
shape as the rest. Instead / placed it
in my inside pocket. At New York
| had no trouble in disposing of the
others I had written, and was stand
ing talking to the proprietor about
the batch / thought l would be able
to grind out for the next season. A
poor Irish woman entered, begging
money with which to bury her little
.CAliu. II WAS d pIIIuI STORY, ana l.
turned to the proprietor and sug.
gested that he give me $25 for Mol
lie Darling l played it over for him
and he agreed. l passed the money
over to the old woman and she show
cred blessings upon me and said she
hoped the song would be under the
special patronage of all the saints.
THE song was published and it
lay upon the shelf till I came the
next year. The publisher remarked
that l had sold him something like
a gold brick. This touched my pride.
| knew h song had merit. n |
resolved that my Judgment should be
indicated. A famous minstrel was
playing at one of the theaters. He
had sung some of my songs and we
were good friends. I asked him as a
special favor to sing Mollie Darling
He did SO n 1 led the orchestra.
Within a week the entire edition
had been sold, and there were so
many Orders for it that it was put
on the press again. Everybody on
the street was wnistling it. Since
hen millions of copies have been
sold, and the publisher made a for
u out of that one song. | did not
get a cent out of it.
Il also wrote Keep in de Middle
OBJ de Road on the impulse of the
try road down in the mountains OF
Kentucky one day when | saw an old
negro woman with a switch in her
hand, driving her husband along be-
fore her. The road was steep on each
side and he was staggering drunken
ly. Every time he staggered over to-
ward the embankment the old woman
would hit him with the switch and
shout Keep in de Middle OBJ de Road;
don't you look to de right. don't you
look to de left, but keep in de mid
die OBJ de road
when | got back to my hotel, l
down and wrote the song. In all
little country Own you always find
an organ in the parlor at the Motel.
and l sat down and played the song
there for the first time. 1t passed out
into the world and netted me $40.
81 had been down to the levee one
night in Louisville, Kentucky, and
was on my way back to the office
when | heard a woman's weary voice
in a window above me saying plain
%, Shamus O'Brien, why don't
you come home; you don't know how
happy I'd be- Those words rang in
ears all the way up Fifth street.
which was settled by Irish families,
and when l reached my little den
got out my banjo and composed the
words and music to one of the most
popular Irish songs that was ever
1t made a pronounced hit
from the start. Afterwards l heard
it sung in Ireland by a bog trotter.
O'NeilF came from the locality
There was a Nora on Fifth street,
and it was her love story of which
sang.
In the far South the darkies still
sing Roll Out an Heave Dat Cotton.
was at the Louisville wharf one day
the Robert E. Lee was unload
Lng, and l heard the darkies yelling:
De Capting's in a hurry,
An / know whut he means:
He wants ter beat de Natchez.
Way down ter Moo Awleans.'
$50. I went back and wrote the
song, and the ro%usters are singing it
ret. Often they substitute other
for h boats, but It is the
anne old song.
Il had taken a pleasure party of
ny friends down the river to look at