THE COUNTRY BOY 61 



difficulty, the piece was started. I thought 

 I had a pioneer idea that they didn't need 

 me, and for fear of being accused of breaking 

 down the piece in case they made a fizzle of it, 

 I would quit as soon as we got started — and 

 did. I just made motions without hitting the 

 drum; but it wasn't a new thought, as nearly 

 every other member had done the same thing, 

 so when we approached the sixteen bars' rest 

 the only one player was the leader himself, and 

 he had the tremolo stop out. He stopped just 

 as a large skyrocket went up. We hadn't been 

 used to fireworks — that is, big ones — and the 

 only barjrtone solo anybody heard was the bary- 

 tone player j^elling to the man next to him, 

 "Look, quick, Tom, at that skyrocket." 

 Uncle Jake directed the butchers he had 

 brought down to hear number eighteen, to the 

 fireworks, and we never resumed the piece, and 

 never saw each other until we met the next day 

 on the train bound for home. Aside from that 

 one piece the trip was a great musical triumph, 

 and Uncle Jake was the hero. 



A few more years passed studying character, 

 when I joined the Good Templars Lodge. 

 Father wanted to retire from it, and I was to 



