The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15
Father was sitting at the piano
his head buried in his arms"

Father was sitting at the piano
his head buried in his arms"
most was when the gentlemen in uni.
form used to play me on the decks Of
tho great big white battlcShips of our
navy. Never mind where they were
whether at anchor or steaming along
over the Atlantic or the Pacific. or the
Mediterranean or any of those far away
seas-one Of the officers would be sure
To ask the bandmaster to play me be-
cause he said | was pretty; but | knew
better than that-it was because 1t made
him think of some one at home.
OF course | had great many adven-
lures. altogether too many to mention,
bur | shall always remember one ex-
perience that happened in a beer gar
den on West Seventeenth street. Father
was sitting at tin table with a friend,
and the little orchestra, / suppose out
Of compliment to father. was playing
me the very best It knew how Two
men stopped on their way out to listen,
and 1t so happened that they stood quite
near the table where father and his
friend were drinking their beer.
Some of this cheap music is really
very pretty" one Of the men said. But
lllt bliltT bllts WHO lpphtu very poor
and shabby and had long hair only
smiled pitifully at his friend, and tak-
ing his arm led him through the door.
thought father would feel terribly
about it, but instead he only smiled
and took another sip Of beer. and then
he told his friend all about the shabby
man with the long hair.
That's Ernest IIokelmann," he said.
He studied twenty years in Leipsic and
Berlin and Vienna, and then wrote a
grand opera that was produced for one
night. The critics said Il was techni-
cally a masterpiece. but Il was never
given again because no one but the
critics would go TO see II, and they don't
pay to get in. Now that little song OF
mine Is certainly not a masterpiece. but
IL s probably being played tonight in
nearly every town wherever they have
music all over the world. And that Is
because IL was written from the heart"
And then father weno on to tell his
friend how he happened To write me
on that cold December morning. And
so you see" he said, that song was
conceived in sorrow and born In sun
shine. and that is why it makes people
sad and happy too wherever II Is
played"
shall always remember the evening
father got my first royalties from Mr..
Van 1scnberg. II was in the early part
Of September. and he and mother were
together In the sitting room Father
read the letter and then smiled over at
mother.
ITS all right" he said. I'VE can go
to Berlin for the winter"
Even II the new opera isn't sue
cess" mother asked.
Yes" he said, but the new opera
will he a success. And when that Is
started We are off for a long, long
! honeymoon"
Mother came over 20 father and stood
h, hind his chair and put her cheek
down against his. and thus they re-
manned for long time.
am sorry that they are going away.
and I shall miss them greatly, but per-
haps IT Is just as well. for Aileen Mooney
and l. too. must soon be starting on our
travels Aileen and I are going "on the
road" and heard them say that We are
to travel rs far as San Francisco before
we get back. The Savage has had
great rise lately and has been promoted
to play the part of The Lady Of Long
acre" and she is to sing me in the
] second act.
suppose shall miss New York. too,
but in a way | am not so very sorry
to leave IT, for | hear that II Is rather
cruel tickle sort of a place, and that II
does not hesitate to turn to new face
and forget the old one that but yester-
day It took to it's heart. OF course |
know that at best my life is a short one,
and tina, I must spend my old days on
the dusty shelves of Mr.. Van Isenberg's
store on Twenty ninth street. But even
knowing all that. / would not care to
stay and hear the boys whistle the new
song that has taken my place and the
hurdy- gurdies play 1t on the street ana
the ladies and the gentlemen applaud
il in the gay restaurants.
So, after ALL 1t is much better that
Allcon and | should go on our long
journey, for, although We. are famous
everywhere and | have been played on
every piano and by every band all over
the country, the people will never know
what father really meant until The Saw
age and | tell them.
(COpvright bY The North American
Company