ROMANCE OF A GREAT SONG.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 7444, 27 April 1903, Page 4

ROMANCE OF A GREAT SONG.

Pilmps tho most popular song over written was " Ever of Thee." It is not untrue to state that no song over had such a sale, and certainly no publishor oyer roaped such a profit from a song as did Mr Turner from tho publication of " Ever of Theo." But thero is a romance attaching to it, writes Mrs A. Inch in the Newcastle Chronicle: — It happened in this way. Ono cold day in tho January of lHtiU tho door of Mr Turner's music shop, iv tho Poultry, London, was nervously oponed, and a most unclean, ragged specimen of humanity dragged himself in. He looked as though ho hadn't boon washed for mouths. His beard was unkempt and dirty and matted. For boots ho woro somo folds of filthy rags, and in all ho was a specimen of tho most degraded class of the community. Ono of tho clerks said to hun : " You get out 00 here." Two ladies who happonod to bf in tho shop noticed his woo-begono look, and woro about, to oiler him some money when aMr T. , a clerk in tho establishment, seeing tho poor fellow shivering with cold and apparent hunger, pitied hitn, and brought him into tho workshop, so that ho might have a " warm up "by tho stove. A fow minutes, after, Mr Turner, tho proprietor, came in, and seeing tho ragged individual asked what ho wanted, and " Who allowed him in ?" "I. did," said Mr T ; " the poor follow looked so cold and miserable 1 couldn't send him out in this piercing wind without giving him a warm, and besides, ho says ho has got somo business with you." "Business with me !" " Yes, sir, I havo got a song I should liko you to listen to." Turner eyed him from head to foot and then laughed outright. The miserable looking object at the stove began to grow uneasy, and begged to be allowed to play the air of his song, which ho then unearthed from his rags, and handed to the music publisher. Turner looked at it and said : " Who wrote this '?" " I did, sir," came from tho rags. "You! Well, I'll have it played over, and if it's any gooil I'll givo you something for it." " I bog your pardon, sir, I'd prefer to play it for myself." " What, you play? Well, bring him up to tho piano room when he gets warm, and we'll humor him." In a few minutes the bundle of rags was seated at a concert grand piano, and "Ever of Thee " was played for the lirst time by its composer, James Lawson. His listeners were electrified when they hoard this dilapidated tramp make the piano almost speak. His touch we a simply marvellous, and his very soul seemed to be at his linger tips. When he had finished, ho turned to his little audience and said: "I'd liko to sing it for you, but I have a terrible cold. I haven't been in bed for live nights. I'm hungry, sir, and I could not do it justice." Turner wae almost dumb with amazement. Tho air would take ;ho knew it would be a success, and ho decided that this man had a history wliich perhaps might advertise the song. So lie determined to cultivate him, and in tlattery (as ho thought) pressed him to sing '• just one stanza." Lawson protested, but finally agreed, ami if Turner was ama/.cd when ho heard him play, ho was positively enraptured when that hungry voice, hungry with love, hungry physically, poured out in the sweetest of tenors the first stanza of the song m which his soul lived. It was tho story of a lost love, but he cherished it, and as ho sang it was easy to sec that he lived and breathed only for that love. " Ever of Thee " has never been so sung since. Bui that trial verse made its success, and to the experienced publisher, Mr Turner, it was decidedly apparent that ho had secured a great song. Addressing Mr T , he said : " Mr T , take this man along; get him a bath, a shave, some decent clothes ; in fact, fix linn up like a gentleman, and then bring him here, and we shall see about this song." T "took him along." He took him to a bath, and whilo tho unclean was boing mado clean he bought for him a shirt, a pair of shoes, some socks, collars, cull's and underwear. Then ho hai him shaved. Then they hied to tho clothier's, and, having removed the rags, Lawson was quickly clad in lino raiment. The change was beginning to toll. Already the Irani)) seemed to bo the guide and treasurer. Ho was a splendid-looking fellow, and had quito a distingue appearance. But the hat was still thore, ami a mirror-like chimney-pot was purchased to complete the make-up. T laughed when all whs finished, Ho was in his working clothes, aud this unfortunate looked liko a duke. The good clothes fitted him, and they suited him and his appearance much too well to continue the assumption that Mr Lawson was a tramp. He was a gentleman all over, and he looked it. T- —- said to him : " Mr Lawson, I wish you would go into tho shop before me. They won't know you, and it will bo such a joke." " I don't mind that, Mr , but won't .sou let mo have a drink ? I want it—please let me have a drink." T refused to stand tho drink; he told Mr Lawson that if ho wanted a dinner ho could have it, but drink he could not have. Finally, tho two went into tho Ship and Turtle Dining Rooms, and over chocolate and sirloin steak tho author of ' Ever ot Thee ' told his lamentable story—which the reader of tho foregoing sketch can easily imagine.