Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-02-28
: MUSICAL NOTES :. 5
Items of Interest to Musicians Generally and Mem
bers of the Mountain Home Band Particularly. :

tai and place where all Norwegian
kings and queens must be crowned.
What struck US most peculiar every
where throughout Norway, was the
almost total lack of water for drink
ing purposes. We literally had to
beg for it at the hotels and all pub
lie places, and SO it happened that
after we had settled down for the
night in the sleeper, somebody
mentioned water, and after dill
igent search we discovered one little
table decanter containing about
three glasses of lukewarm fluid.
Imagine our plight! Thirty of US
| III each car on a hot summer
night and no ice watcrl
Arriving at Throndhjcm at seven
O'Clock on the morning of the 9th,
we met our first disappointment.
Owing to some Misunderstanding
our train ran ahead of its sched-
ule, bringing us to the city an
hour and half ahead of time and
in consequence there was no COM
mittee, no singing society and no
brass band to meet US. In this city
the writer met a brother, sister
and stepmother whom he had not
seen for twenty-four years.
Throndhjem boasts one of the
oldest, largest and handsomest
cathedrals in Europe, and it was in
this splendid edifice, seating about
! 5000 people, that we gave our con-
cert to a packed house. The coro-
nation ceremony had taken place
only two weeks before, and the
decorations had been left intact
for our especial benefit.
The king and queen were still in
the city, and we played for them in
the palace garden and were presen-
ted. The king is a tall, hand
some, soliderly looking man, while
his wife is a frai1, delicate looking
little English woman. Their little
son is the idol of the people.
Kaiser Wilhelm, of Germany was
paying Norway his annual visit
and four of his warships were 1y-
ing in the harbor. Ws played the
''Wacht am Rhine'' for him as he
and his suite stepped aboard a tour
list steamer for a short cruise along
the coast. His band replied with
the ''Star Spangled Banner"
At this place we also sought our
quarters on the "Andenes,' new
and handsome tourist steamer, spe-
cially chartered for our use, and
which was to be our home for sew
enteen days. In addition to the
band there was nov in the party
Mr.. and Mrs. Randall and daughter
and son and nurse, Miss Gjertsen
and mother, Miss Gjertsen's piano
accompanist, Mr.. Randall's private
secretary, and two newspaper cor
respondents sixty-one in
all-quite little family. Every
thing on the boat was spick and
span, the table service was of the
best, our berths clean, comfor table
sni roomy, and if ever a party OF
tourists enjoyed life on boat we
did.
Early on the morning of the 10th
we made short trip to a bay not
} far from Trondhjcm, where farmers
, for miles around met us and con-
, veyed us about ten miles inland,
to a historic spot called Stikklestao
, where Olav Tryvasson, est Olav, .
, fell in battle, while introducing
: Christianity into the country. Ar
: imposing monument marks the
: spot. Around this we gathered
: and rendered a program, which was
: listened to by over 5000 people who
came from God only knows where.
Here most pathetic incident tool
: place. An old man and his wife,
too poor to even own a horse, hac
walked, by the aid of a cane and {
5 crutch, distance of fifteen miles
in order to meet US and find out i
we could not give them some in
: formation about their children. L
! seemed that ten years previous tive
S sons and daughter had left then
to seek their fortunes in this coun
: try. They had promised to write
and send money, but had dom
i neither, and the old couple, too ole
5 to work themselves, and too poo
] to pay for help, were just abou
4 ready to lay down their lives il
the unequal struggle with poverty
= The tears that welied unbidden t
S the eyes when told that not one o
f US knew or had ever heard of thci
i loved ones, who they said went t
: Chicago, and the look of uDutterablt
4 helplessness and hopelessness upoi