Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1926-07-30
HIS
BELOVED
TUNE
By MARY B. WooDsoN

Ids leu TdlHtE II SlIdl6C MY
* Very young he knew 1t was diff
~ ferent some way from the lives
of most other children. There
was a season when he lived peaceably
In shabby, quiet place with pretty
woman who was Mother, and Granny.
And then there was season when,
without warning, but with hot kisses
burning on his cheeks-klsses that
tasted saltily of tears, sometimes
he went to another place, where 1t was
grand and housy and cooped-up and
where there was man rather jolly
but sometimes cross-that was Father.
Being with Father always meant new
clothes from head to heels and lot
Of loving, sometimes, and lot of
scoldlng, sometimes, and too much
candy to eat, and sick SPELL and sew
eral uncomfortable visits to austere
old folks In big house by a river and
a man named Andrew.
Living with Mother-oh, BIbs much
preferred living with Mother because
1t meant being loved all the time and
having ones clothes buttoned with
little tender pats, and no Andrew. 1t
meant being understood and forgiven
and playing in peace in the yard and
welcoming Mother home from work
evenings, and Granny with her twinkly
eyes. 1t also meant getting most any
thing he wanted and the tune-his be-
loved, precious tune. Any time he
demanded that, even long before he
could talk or ask for 1t, he could have
1t played Granny would stop any
thing to play It for him on their
wheezy little monograph. And now
he was getting so big she'd let him
put the record ON himself sometimes,
and play It. Bibs loved 1t above all
things else
Vaguely, he knew he was the only
one that did care for It. He knew
everybody else thought 1t pretty aw-
full record, and got tired Of 1t. But
that was because they didn't under
stand. He loved 1t because of his Sc
cret-his own little secret he couldn't
share with anybody, not even twinkly
eyed Granny nor Mother, who under
SlOOu everything clSt III Iuc WOilus
Perhaps he sensed he didn't under
stand himself. He was always i'm
patient for the first of It to end. And
the last of 1t didn't matter great
deal to Bibs. 1t was just a sort of wind
up because everything had to have an
end. But in the mlddle-in the middle
Of that record little tune came in
a little part that somehow reached
into Blb's heart and filled It with a
strange, inexpiicable feeling-a pain,
a pleasure, a longing a yearning, a
sweetness, thing that never failed
to bring It's thrill to him, little tune
that never, never got old or tiresoHne.
Again and again Bibs demanded the
record; again and again he wanted 1t
played for the sake of this tune until
II was almost worn out And II by any
chance he was denied he roared and
roared until his Mother would groan
"Oh, heavens Again I" and put It on
for peace sake-and his.
Gradually, when Bibs went to the
place where Andrew and his Father
were, he came to miss his tune inordi-
nately. And presently he was big
enough TO fret about and tell Father
who didn't understand
"Play him something, Andrew" his
Father would say. "Play 'em all |"
And Andrew would play and play on
Fathers big photograph, but nothing
pleased Bibs no record revealed the
tune he loved. And then he would
roar and Andrew would play harder
and not find the tune, and finally his
Father would spank him and put him
to bed and he'd go to sleep still sob
bling for the thing that he missed
From his little bed Bibs saw his
Mother pressing and mendlng all his
clothes and putting all the buttons on
and his heart sank. They had had
wonderful evening together. Mother
had been tremendously loving and
they had played and played his be-
loved record as many times as he
wanted, with never no" But when
Bibs saw her mendlng and pressing,
with her eyes so tired, he knew what
1t all meant
drew and Father and weeks and weeks
and weeks without Mother and Gran
ny. And visits to the starchy old folks
in the big house by the river, and no
tune-for ages and ages. no tune
His heart swelled with rebellion
Why couldn't they let him alone2 He'd
rather stay with Mother-always Out
wardly, Blbs was very good. He had
promised Granny to be good when she
told him how 1t hurt his Mothers
heart when he was bad, and made
things harder for her. He loved his
Mother very much But lnwardy to-
night, he longed to stop her everlast-
ing fussing with his things and just
crawl into her arms and stay there
forever. He was Ill q little and that
frightened him. And ne couldn't tell
It because that worried Mother, too,
and she already had so much to bear.
But he went to sleep In hot revolt
against the morrow and It's poignant
partings.
First, though he got up to creep
into Granny's lap and beg for his tune
once more. Right in the middle Of 1t
he suddenly held Granny tight and
blurted his secret into her ever-listen-
ing ear.
Oats itdat's what II likes"
And Granny started and suddenly
held him very close and then away
and looked at him strangely. And then
0uickIy at his Mother drooninQ over