Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-26
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| Signs of spring may have been
retarded to certain extent by the
| high winds and ice forming in the
water pans, in chicken yards, and
people wearing overcoats, which
smell as though they had been hast,
| lily taken out of summer quarters,
but they are here and the people
may take heart. The organ grind
ers have arrived. We do not have
| Teutonic bands any more even when
| they play the Star Spangled Banner
and specialize in National airs and
even try to play "Abide With Me-"
| in manner calculated to disarm
| suspicion. The last German band =
! to visit this city arrived just about
two years. The capital of Pennsyl-
vania was getting ready for war, and
| the band which alighted in our
midst, wore those costumes we have
| associated with itinerant musical
| groups from the Rhine for years.
| They even had those little dicky
bird caps that cartoonists have tied
to the German for ever more. This
band stayed a day. 1t essayed to
play at Fourth and Market about
the time the steel workers were COM
ing home in special cars. But the
organ grinder, barring any feelings
over Fiume is a different proposition.
He has been part of Harrisburg
life for a quarter of century, and
as essential to spring, as the violets
from Hoffman's woods or DIR. Fager5
hypatica. The first organ grinder
arrived here Wednesday. He was II
wise one. He went to the Capitol
and played several airs. He reaped
a collection from Legislators, and
exhausted his repertoire and his
arm. The answer was that he had
an old hand organ and it was loaded
with such old favorites as Sweet
! Rosie O'Grady," 1.-TWO Little Girls
in Blue" and Tramp, tramp, tramp"
Another organ that was holding
forth near the Reading station, was
so strictly up-to-date that no one
paid any attention to it. even when it
splashed forth medley of pat
riotic airs.
Speaking of organ-grinders, re-
calls the misfortune that befell Il
thrifty old grocer who used to have
n store on North Seventh street. In
an effort to escape the tribute of Il
penny or two to the begging monkey
which entered the front door of his
store, at the end of long rope, the
grocer slipped into back room,
hoping the monkey would take the
hint and go out. But the monkey
smelt food and he was hungry. The
spicy odors of apple e-butter reached
him from n crock on nearby shelf,
and nimbly climbing to it he thrust
an arm, shoulder deep, into the
sticky contents. Then he proceeded
| to lick the arm clean and repeat the
G satisfactory performance, in the pro-
S cess of which he managed to decor
: ate his little red uniform and hat
= with what looked like a coat of tar.
$ In the midst of the feast the grocer
t came upon the scene, let out n yell
I of rage and threw Il potato at the
e monkey, which fled in terror to the
S shoulder of his master outside, lib
| orally decorating him with applebut-
s ter as he did so. Then ensued an
o argument between the grocer and
g the organ grinder in which each
c claimed damages, the grocer for n
[ crock of ruined apple-butter, and
\ suits of clothes-his own and the
monkeys. Neither collected.
r In the same neighborhood, occurred
= another monkey experience, that was
s the classic community story for
e many month. One fine summer
e morning an organ-grinder came
+ along. accompanied by monkey at
s tached to a long, light rope. A wo-
= enticed the monkey up a spout and
. gave him popcorn ball. Encour-
S aged by the kindness the monkey
S went into the window next door.
= There he found a night-working
G railroad man enjoying his morning
|. sleep, and caressingly the monkey
: placed his cold, clammy little hand
: on the mans face. In the half
G darkened room, the shutters being
4
$ no chances with the strange visitor,
: and in less time than it takes to tell
r it, the monkey described a wide arc
n through window and landed in
the middle of the dusty street. You
devil" shrieked the organ grinder,
as he gathered up his injured pet,
and shook a fist at the railroad man,
who had poked his head out to see
T what manner of creature had dis
n turbed his slumbers. Devil your
d SELF" replied the railroader, land
y an imp into the bargain" as he
: grinned at his laughing neighbors,
e and went back to bed.
: Speaking or organ grinders re-
q calls one of the funniest incidents
, I of one of the parades held during
II the war. a parade was starting to
: come along Second street, and the
: head of the line, which was made
s up largely of band with excellent
: powers, reached a corner where an
organ grinder was closing up a Sc
I lection for the entertainment of the
p waiting crowds. There was a monk
II ey, and when the brasses came
: abreast of him he was taken with
. the big horn. He made one leap
II and landed on the stalwart man,
II blowing the horn. For one minute
> there was the grandest mix-up in
q weeks. Horn. monkey, cord attach
o ed to the organ at one end and the
monkey at the other, horn blower
and organ grinder and about four
y bandsmen and sixteen kids were all
:, tangled The parade had to stop