A COLUMN OF FANCIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13811, 26 January 1907, Page 4

A COLUMN OF FANCIES.

. LISTEN TO THE BAND.

Hv Ti'.oi- Tow.v.

Penelope and 1 have litani the band— the great, the one and only Land, that for the noncu makes to fade'away into litter insignificance, the memory of all the kinds •of yesteryear. Ono cannot, look upon the great combination that, at present ravishes our oars with music us in any way connected with the sounding brass to'which we aro accustomed—silver or crystal or inotber-o'-pcarl, it may be, but never, never can we think of it as a lirass Hand.

Wo were strolling, Penelope and I, towards our train on Thursday evening, when suddenly lights Hamcd, blinds blared, people jostled, dogs yapped. "Why," I cried,' "it must lio the Uessos o' Hi' Barn. Lei's go and hear them." "Oh, not to a band concert!" protc-steu Penelope,, who has her prejudices, like other folk, -and lacks that vagabond strain in her blond which leads some of us astray. "One might a.s well go to the Gardens on n Sunday afternoon."

"But it's tlio thing to go to hear the Besses," I. urged; "quite everyone will bs there." Which lellity argument dcsidtd her, and the- and I, not a whit more polito or apologetic than our neighbours, jostle;! and pushed and elbowed our passage till we found otirsdvcs somewhere abuiit the middle, of the stalls in His .Majesty's Theatre, when, as is her wont, Penelope immediately proceeded to pink her rebellions curls and otherwise adjust her pretty person to the best possible itdvuntagi , , which I am humid lo admit she-fe justified in doing, for she invariably looks as though she had jiinf stepped from one of lioinuey's canvases. Fastidiously edging nearer me, she said in. u perfectly audible aside, "One. rubs (shoulders villi riii:l) (juirtr people in the i-talls, doesn't yne?" I glanced apprehensively at the hum beside her, fearing lie might overhear her charitable remark, but to all appearance bis attention was riveted lo a sljui ml volume, its litlo "Coiitcs d« Ninon," wliii-li certainly sucmed a Mirprising book, with its airy, fanciful, charming tnles, lo so engross this dark, scowling man of (he people, unshaven and unkempt to a degree. Upstairs the place is rapidly lilling, and from behind come illuminating comments uncut tlio beauty and quality of our town from it big, fair, bla.se schooiboy,—

"I say, .Tones, the women hero to-night iiro a quite nil riglit lot, ain't. luey? Ra-ally Ui.il tall gayl over there with the ripping fiyen makes 'mo quite glad I came, you know, though it's suck ;i Iwustly hot ni»lit. I've played golf with her, and I tell you she's got some erase, that, gayl lias. . . . lly Jove, you wouldn't expect to seo a. liishop here, would you? They're such ewcHs, you know," lie added, ■boyishly. .._ "Oil, I say, I call this il poisonous trick shoving so many along

. His weary accents were overborne by ■what can only be termed (lie bray of a fat and consequential person iu Iho next row but one. "Yee, I lieurtl this little lot playing at the Ex." I presume ho alluded (o the Exhibition. The passion of shortening our language line apparently extended to all classes. "Tnoy'ru no bad—no bud al all. 1 will say they play pretty fair. But you ouylib to hear the Goto Brass Bund stand up lo 'Annie Rooney. , Ah, that's a. band, and 110 mistake; plenty of sound—enough to blow off the top of your 'cad." Which from his point of view was evidently a desirable state of things. Well, every man to his taste, I suppose.; sumo like apples and eomo like onions; and from the fastidious connoisseur to tint most arrant Philistine amongst we.

Wo do squint each through liis loopliolo Ami then dream brond Lcarau Iβ but the patch wo seo. But it is eight o'clock and the performers'havo arrived, and cyo with solemn indiffereuco tho warm, smiling, expectant crowd who have assembled to pass critical judgment on them; for wo are noMiiii;; if not critical, we citizens of Dunwliu. We liko a good show. Oh yes; and if we do not have to pay very much for it, so much tho belter. Neither are we given to cheapening ourselves by ■& too enthusiastic expression of our appreciation; we are not carried off our feet by udmiratiou of tho genius of even a l'aderewski or n Molbii. Dear me, no! We accord our meed of praise, with a reservation, our standard being , ;i high one, ajid always impregnated witli tho conviction ■ tli-.it, taking us all round, in this 'ere rump wo do most things incomparably better than any'of your outsiders, be their fiimo never so world wide.

But, somehow, when this particular Band began to jilay, our little .prejudice against too much enthusiasm dwindled away. I think I have never seen a Dini«din audience more responsive, more sympathetic, more, spontaneous in its applause, l'erchanco it may ho thjit lliero Was a more perfervid quality iuHwdclight they showed in Iho Keoteh airs that wo fciOT so well; but there- cim ha m> dmiM of tltcii 1 appreciation of thn wonderful precision and attack displayed in " The poet dill] tlio peasant." " Tim lost chord," also, found great favour, for wo do not ever jnd an extra charm in anything that remotely suggests a liymn time, anything that savours of tlio kirk. Merely llary Ann sittiug beside me confided to he*r sympathetic young man, between her whs ;if enjoyment, that "it was like listenini; to the singing of the angels above, so it was." And ut last camp t-ho " Marsollaisc," .with its wondrous thrill and courage and gaiety; and it. was ah! for a claymore or a shilklnli or whatsoever weapon ono fancied, to go forth and conquer the world.

"It makes me think of Maraulay," niurmured I'cnolopu, who him a consrtint ;uid nneritiinl ailmirution lor that, writer, his "Lays" Loiiig the only postry sho ever Tcads. "Do you reirn'mber —

And how can man die bettor Than taring tearful oilds l''or tho na]iO3 of his fathers

And the (omplo of his (juiU. i'lio man hraide her hud tlrnpjiwl his head In Ilia hands, hi? whole iitlitwlc denoting mi utter iibaiuloinnent of weii.riun.ss and ilepair. Ho raised liis Ueiul euuilcnly iuul met my inquisitive and troubled eye. "Tho last time 1 heard iheiu jilny that. I -was in Paris," ho saftl, as tlmugli tlwt explained cvevytliing, and the tierce regreb in his voice was at one with Iho everpresent unto of heartbreak and farewell that lies in Unit wonderful music.

Hut, in spito of eneore, and encore, awl yet again encore, at last the time eaino to go, and with tho gallant strains «( "Onward Christian soldiers" pounding in our curs wo tiled out with the rrowd.

" Lot's take ;\ liausoin," suggested Penelope, wlio likes to nit n thisli when film can. Wo were unusually silent us \v« drovo homo inulei , the summer sky of stars, its while moon glimmering palely through a glorious cumulus sky, the fewsound? that drifted to us from tlio quiet streets somid'uii; curiously roinuto and unreal; ■ I fancy (ho blood of won tlio serene. Penelopo was stirred by tlio great music ivi) had heard, and perchuiuv, like me, that niglit she dieamedi of u goodly linsl in radiant armour wlio, imdor scarlet and purplft baniisn;, marched tr. the music of the "' Marseillaise."