The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-10-05

few Of deprecating
manners.
When, for the third number, a big
ehested stouHsh boy stood up before
us with o cornet confess 1 dread
ed the performance, because knew
it would be variations" 1t was, on
every note. 1t was marvellous and II
was terrible. 1t was humorous anQ
pathetic and wonderful hated my
self for minding It'll hated the
American officer next to me who
kept murmuring under his breath,
70 Lord" was glad when, after
each tortured perOratioIl, some
American youngsters gave him
hand" After a long while 1t was
over, and there was great applause
The boy, flushed and proud and tired
went back to his place.
There had been a, moment of CON-
straint and disavoWala dreadful
little freezing breath Of snobbism. ]
of what came afterwards.
Presently, while our band was
playing, the Frenchmen gathered up
their things to go. Our leader was
marking time in silence, when the
leader of the Garde Republicaine
went over to him across the grass,
bowed politely, and shook hands. The
boy from Dakota kept on beating
time with his left hand. Then our
band was alone in the garden.
At once everything changed. Per-
haps they had played their rnlost
snowy pieces, and could now fall
back on rollicking familiar airs. Per-
haps the departure of the French
band had relieved them of a touch of
stage fright. Anyway, now they
threw themselves into their perform
anee with enjoyment and abandon.
The leader, instead of standing stiff
and grave before his men, went<aft-
er them like a cheer leader before a
football crowd. He smiled, he coaxed
the music out of them; now and
then he crouched as If about to
spring at them. They whirled into
a Sousa march that made the blood
leap.
The regimental band. knew what
that meant. There's not much mu-
sic at the front, and the men in the
band, in the common course OF war |
fare, are the stretcher- bearers. So |
they'd be carrying Stretchers to the
dying, over shell-cursed fields. That's
what I thought of. It wasn't to be |
all Sousa marches for them-rlot I
much more of this.
One came out before them to play |
the fife. 1 don't know why, but he
stood for my young brother-for ev
fine golden tan, his fair hair crinkled
back from. his forehead, his eyebrows
were quantity turned, giving him a
wild, elfin look. He was young
faun playing his reed In a glade. No.
he was my young brother, and he
would have to put his reed away.
The audience had been changing.
The constraint, the embarrassment,
the snobbishness were gone. There
was nothing but lively friendliness
and enjoyment In the air. The leader
felt it. He turned to us after the
applause.
II wonder if you'd care to hear a
god old rag he drawled. How
Everyone shouted. yes, give US
rag!" l.
Then, in spite of themselves, all
those decorous, sophisticated, fine-
folk were in the grip of
an intoxication they could scarcely
A pied piper was making
them dance-and IL they never 40
tually moved from the studied ele-
gance of their positions (sitting In
garden chairs, or dawdling in cir
Gle about the grass, there was ex-
element and delight In their faces,
They swayed ever so little, smiled
happily they Mere dancing inside
to that savage, careless, devil take
EN- rhythm. Oh, the piper played
and they danced!
They played maryland, My Mary
land" and "Old Black Joe" (singing
bits OF. it in their husky deep voices1,
and "iTenting Tonight" and My
Old Kentucky Home Chat brought
some homesick tears), and %Swanee
River" and then the IRRESISTIBLE
Dixie" That was clapped all the
way through ~
A dignifed old banker cried out,
DO you know Cheer, cheer, the
gangs all here'?" The leader flashed
Sure, we specialize in
that :<and gave it to us.
BY then most of the French people,
and the Russians and the Italians
and the English and the Serbs, had
melted away home Indeed, 1t was
getting on toward dinner time
o'clock and after. But the Ameri-
cans had, been enchanted by their
band. Wild Gothas couldn't have
dragged them away. They crowded /
around in a, close semicircle. Ladies
swished over the leader. Gentlemen
ran around the sidepaths wouldn't
they play this? and that? and do |
Dixie just once more? Ill
After each piece, and sometimes
all the way through the crowd !
shouted out, "Bravo!"t and 'Fine!"
and Good work, boys!'' and finally |
Joined in and sangand even
whistled in places!