River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-03-26

their guest.
"Oh, something good, you know.
Something classical and-er-reli-
gious | suppose That's the kind OF
music old ladies generally like, isn't
it? They're all real old. you know,
and ILL., some of them, and they've
really seen better days, poor things,
and will appreciate good music.
Then I'll say you'll come directly
the afternoons performance is over,
she said Its SO good of you; | hard
ly dared dream you'd come. Two such
famous performers."
Its not so long since we were in
famous performers" laughed Miss
Lockwood, "and anyway, we're al
ways glad to do anything of the sort.
You'll let them know"
'I'll go straight there now. 1t will
be their dinner hour and I'll tell them
four o'clock"
THAT will do nicely"
81 sha'n't be able to be there myself
at that hour, and I'm awfully sorry,
for I'd love to hear you, but I've an
engagement week old for four. You
won't mind? The matron will take
care of YOU"
Four o'clock found half dozen old
ladies', out of a membership of so,
gathered in the big parlor of the
home
Where's Mrs Brainerd?" asked
one. "She's generally the first down
when anything's going on"
She said," volunteered another
quavering voice, that she wasn't
coming. She said they always sang
and played the same old things, and
she's tired Of them
Another, leaning upon crutch,
paused in the doorway and looked in.
81 had half mind" she said, mot to
come down the stairs for it. / thought,
though, beings they're from the stage
maybe they'd play something a little
different"
The matron passed along an upper
hall and, noting the many occupants
of rooms who were not taking advan-
tage of the invitation, asked the rea-
SON
We'll hear all we want up here"
one informed her. tits sure to be
high-class' music, such as Miss Van
Couver considers good for the COM
fort and elevation of our old souls,
and l, for one, can hear all I want
from here. Others voiced the same
opinion in different manners, and
when, punctual to the minute, the
Misses Radford and Lockwood ap-
peared with music roll and violin box,
but few more than the original half
dozen met them.
"The Angels Serenade,' most soul
fully and eXquisitely executed by Miss
Alicia Radford, opened the program,
and while upstairs one old head nod
ded to another as if to say, II told you
So" and here and there a door was
closed, not too quietly, the parlor au.
dience greeted the finale with polite
if mild enthusiasm. The Holy City,
conclusion found three out of eight
asleep.
The Miserere from II Trovatore
awoke the slumberers, and the pierre
ing sweetness of it's wall drew tears
from eyes whose brilliancy had long
since been washed away. Poor old
Anna Tanning, weak of intellect and
gentle of heart, crept to a stool in the
hall and sat wiping her eyes with her
apron and sobbing softly
For heavens sake, let's play some
thing more lively" whispered Miss
J Radford to her accompanist, and
broke into a gay little mazurka which,
to her relief, had the effect of dispel-
ling, to some extent, the gloom, and
moved old Anna Tanning to hitch her
stool a step nearer the door.
rs there anything in particular
you'd like us to play?" asked Miss
Radford, gently, when the mazurka
was finished. For few moments no
one spoke, and then one, more rotund
of body and brighter of eye than the
others, ventured her desire.
do you-can you-play Hawaiian
she asked timidly.
The girls looked at one another and
smiled Hiawatha was a bit old and
not exactly in their line, but they
could play it. They were also, to tell
the truth, somewhat amazed. They
had not been led to suppose that the
old ladies of the Vancouver home
were acquainted with, or had a taste
for popular music.
However, they played Hiawatha,
and played it with a vim and spirit
that brought a faint flush to the stir
rounded cheek of the old lady who
had proffered the request, and caught
the slippered toe of another softly
beating time beneath the faded hem
of her gown. At the final happy and
lightsome chords of the gay little in.
termeZzo there were a dozen old la
dies where there had been eight
clapping of hands, also, rewarded the
efforts of the artists.
THAT was beautiful" breathed the
admirer of Hiawatha, happily; 81
could listen to that all night
You don't know What You Gwine
to Do When the Rent Comes Round :?
do your" timidly inquired a particu
larly saint-like old soul, leaning feebly
forward from her rocker, emboldened
by the success of her predecessor
The vaudeville artists laughed aloud
They were beginning to get some fun
out of 1t, too.
AZ should saw we did " reul1ad Miss