A HARD GRIND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3777, 23 August 1883, Page 4

A HARD GRIND.

A hand-organ man Avas making his way up a suburban street yesterday, when a boy mot him and asked:—" Hoav many tunes do you play?" " Zixteeiishunes—nice, scliAveet suunes, replied the man. "My father is fond of music, but he is a littlo deaf," continued the boy. " 0, dat makes no difference, I make him

hear." , , , The boy led the Avay up street to Avhero a plaster bust of Sir Isaac Newton had been arranged in a bay window to look liko a living man, and tho Italian spit on his hand and began on tlie crank. Ho ground out all tho tunes in rotation, and then began at the bottom and ground back ou the scale till ho got at the garret of the box again. The man in the bay window did not move

a hair, and the Italian dreAV a long breath and sighed: '' Play moar museek—make a him a hear soon." He ran out eight tunes, and then throAV some gravel at the AvindoAV. The bust didn't even Avork its ears, and tho Italian leaned the organ on the fence and loudly sang : " O, Avho shall dinks of mo some moar, AVhen I am far a-Av-a-y." The seven other tunes Avero rattled off at a lively pace, wliilc the man coughed, AA-histlcd, kicked on the fence, and encouraged a dog-fight, in order to attract the dead man's attention. "Sing louder —harder?" called the boy from the next street corner. The grinder secured a brace for his feet, unbuttoned his vest, and the way he roared brought out tho neighbors by the score. He kept his cj'es on the bust and gaA'c no heed to tho croAvd, and the organ box was smoking hot Avhen he let up on the grind. Resting the music on the ground, ho leaped OA-er the fence, and got a square look at his A'ictim. His quiet grin faded into a look of Avoc and misery and murder, and getting his eyes on tho boy Avith the red necktie, he ran him four blocks and under a carpenter's shop before a still, small voice Avhispercd that he had better hold on.