登陆注册
20067300000051

第51章 CHAPTER X MCFUDD'S BRASS BAND(3)

One of his greatest delights in after-years was to raise his hat to this incomparable embodiment of the dignity and courtliness of the old school. The old gentleman had long since forgotten the young fellow, but that made no difference to Oliver--he would cross the street any time to lift his hat to dear John Gilbert.

The introduction of the other members of the club to the villain being over--they had stood the whole time, they were listening to the actor, each head uncovered--McFudd again marshalled his troop and proceeded up Broadway, where, at Oliver's request, they were halted at the pedestal of the big Bronze Horse and within sight of their own quarters.

Here McFudd insisted that the club should sing "God Save the Queen" to the Father of his Country, where he sat astride of his horse, which was accordingly done, much to the delight of a couple of night-watchmen, who watched the entire performance and who, upon McFudd's subsequent inspection, proved to be fellow-countrymen of the distinguished Hibernian.

Had the buoyant and irrepressible Irishman been content with this patriotic outburst as the final winding-up of the night's outing, and had he then and there betaken himself and his fellows off to bed, the calamity which followed, and which so nearly wrecked the Skylarks, might have been avoided.

It is difficult at any time to account for the workings of Fate or to follow the course of its agents. The track of an earth-worm destroys a dam; the parting of a wire wrecks a bridge; the breaking of a root starts an avalanche; the flaw in an axle dooms a train; the sting of a microbe depopulates a city. But none of these unseen, mysterious agencies was at work--nothing so trivial wrecked the Skylarks.

It was a German street-band!

A band whose several members had watched McFudd and his party from across the street, and who had begun limbering their instruments before the sextet had ceased singing; regarding the situation, no doubt, as pregnant with tips.

McFudd did not give the cornet time to draw his instrument from its woollen bag before he had him by the arm.

"Don't put a mouthful of wind into that horn of yours until I spake to ye," he cried in vociferous tones.

The leader stopped and looked at him in a dazed way.

"I have an idea, gentlemen," added McFudd, turning to his companion's, and tapping his forehead.

"I am of the opinion that this music would be wasted on the night air, and so with your parmission I propose to transfer this orchestra to the top flure, where we can listen to their chunes at our leisure. Right about, face! Forward! March!" and McFudd advanced upon the band, wheeled the drum around, and, locking arms with the cornet, started across the street for the stone steps.

"Not a word out of any o' ye till I get 'em in,"

McFudd continued in a low voice, fumbling in his pocket for his night-key.

The musicians obeyed mechanically and tiptoed one by one inside the dimly lighted hall, followed by Oliver and the others.

"Now take off your shoes; you've four flights of stairs to crawl up, and if ye make a noise until I'm ready for ye, off goes a dollar of your pay."

The bass-drum carefully backed his instrument against the wall, sat down on the floor, and began pulling off his boots; the cornet and bassoon followed; the clarionet wore only his gum shoes, and so was permitted to keep them on.

"Now, Walley, me boy, do you go ahead and turn up the gas and open the piano, and Cockburn, old man, will ye kindly get the blower and tongs out of Freddie's room and the scuttle out of Tomlins's closet and the Chinese gong that hangs over me bed? And all you fellers go ahead treading on whispers, d'ye moind?" said McFudd under his breath. "I'll bring up this gang with me. Not a breath out of any o' yez remimber, till I get there. The drum's unhandy and we got to go slow wid it," and he slipped the strap over his head and started upstairs, followed by the band.

The ascent was made without a sound until old Mr. Lang's door was reached, when McFudd's foot slipped, and, but for the bassoonist's head, both the Irishman and the drum would have rolled down-stairs. Lang heard the sound, and recognizing the character of the attendant imprecation, did not get up. "It's only McFndd," he said quietly to his suddenly awakened wife.

Once safe upon the attic floor the band who were entering with great gusto into the spirit of the occasion, arranged themselves in a half-circle about the piano, replaced their shoes, stripped their instruments of their coverings--the cornetist breathing noiselessly into the mouth-pieces to thaw out the frost--and stood at attention for McFudd's orders.

By this time Simmons had taken his seat at the piano; Cockburn held the blower and tongs; Cranch, who on coming in had ignored the card tacked to his door, and who was found fast asleep in his chair, was given the coal-scuttle; and little Tomlins grasped his own wash-basin in one hand and Fred's poker in the other. Oliver was to sing the air, and Fred was to beat a tattoo on Waller's door with the butt end of a cane.

The gas had been turned up and every kerosene lamp had been lighted and ranged about the hall. McFudd threw off his coat and vest, cocked a Scotch smoking-cap over one eye, and seizing the Chinese gong in one hand and the wooden mallet in the other, climbed upon the piano and faced his motley orchestra.

"Attintion, gentlemen," whispered McFudd.

"The first chune will be 'Old Dog Tray,' because it begins wid a lovely howl. Remimber now, when I hit this gong that's the signal for yez to begin, and ye'll all come together wid wan smash. Then the band will play a bar or two, and then every man Jack o' ye will go strong on the chorus. Are yez ready?"

McFudd swung his mallet over his head; poised it for an instant; ran his eye around the circle with the air of an impresario; saw that the drum was in position, the horns and clarionet ready, the blower, scuttle, tongs, and other instruments of torture in place, and hit the gong with all his might.

同类推荐
  • 香严禅师语录

    香严禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 三字经

    三字经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 云笈七签

    云笈七签

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 七剑十三侠

    七剑十三侠

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 江月松风集

    江月松风集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 超自然居家清洁书

    超自然居家清洁书

    本书汇集了300种物品的天然清洁,大倒墙面、地板,小到家电、餐具,只要利用醋、酒精、小苏打等天然生活用品,就能有效地清洁空间。
  • 百鬼集

    百鬼集

    喜欢鬼故事吗?那就进来吧!大鬼、小鬼、恶鬼、怨鬼诸多鬼怪,尽在此集。人有好坏,鬼亦是,都说鬼可怕,但人有时比鬼更恐怖……一样的手笔,不一样的精彩鬼故事,刺激你感官,撩拨你的心弦;
  • 如果爱没有重量

    如果爱没有重量

    爱情的彷徨与追寻,原本的失落在十年之后失而复得,却因为时间我们不再能够承担得起……
  • 制霸老公,请放手

    制霸老公,请放手

    她为了保住父亲生前的心血,被迫和他分手。从此他们形同陌路却又日日相见。他和别人相亲高调喊话,让众人关注。“相亲就相亲,我不在乎,我不在乎,我不在乎!”她无动于衷。正式订婚时她却意外出现,包中藏刀。“你敢和别人结婚,我就敢死在当场。”“张兮兮,是不是我把手里的股份给你,你就会和我睡。”他邪魅的问道。“你就不能把股份分几次给我,多睡几次!”捂脸~~
  • 栀子花开星月如明

    栀子花开星月如明

    因为一次意外失忆。通过周围人的一点点帮助寻回了记忆。与自己的三哥感情交好却错把这种感情当成了爱。当三哥成亲时,遇上了他,可是他却又她不为人知的秘密。他和她会如何?后面还会出现谁?到底谁才是她的真命天子?
  • 代众伐天

    代众伐天

    远古洪荒,人族积弱,那是一段黑暗的历史,那是一段被埋没的过去,一个来自人类最为辉煌文明巅峰时期的少年,是顺其自然般的通往未来?还是逆乱而上?跨越了宇宙玄黄..祖先血,人族泪,代众伐天(以上是玄幻悬疑流,以下是主角对话流简介)“三眼族,寸芒已经快用完了,我只能给你们小李飞刀了.”“精灵女王,谁知道这骨灵冷火能一下子把你这森林烧了,我勉强把我自己赔偿给你吧.”“帝俊,拿着这都天神煞炮,看到峡谷内兽族的百万大军了么,干掉他们,你就是天皇.”“盘古,这是斧子,下次砍柴的时候用它,好嘛?”“鸿钧,分析一下吧.”(以上是主角逗比流简介)
  • 神通万象

    神通万象

    这是一个宏伟浩瀚的神通世界。人道昌盛,人人如龙,自出生起便有天生异象,可修行无上神通,让那天地动颤,鬼神颤抖!抱圣剑而生者,剑气霸烈,凶煞无匹,剑气冲霄,横断天阙。十日环体者,生有太阳之火,一怒而动,熔炼万里,尽是火海。生来十龙十象护佑,拥有龙象之力,刀剑无伤,肉身无敌。更有天骄辈出,生来拥有神魔异象,大日金乌,百鬼夜行,佛陀诵经,圣人教诲……一念中万古沉浮,弹指间天翻地覆,我徐石无所畏惧,一路前行,必定成就无上不灭之路!“天法象我,我法象天,我命在我,不在于天!”ps:时不时爆发五更,喜欢的朋友,还请不要忘了收藏推荐,谢谢各位书友的支持。
  • 逆袭的仙奴

    逆袭的仙奴

    云清阁是位于大陆东南部的修仙小派,资源稀少,安静平和。直到岳小峰穿越,平淡的日子,一去不复返。
  • 合金异能

    合金异能

    没人知道他是谁,没人知道他来自何方,甚至连他自己也在寻找,身上唯一与众不同的是阔实的后背那一只张牙舞爪、栩栩如生的青龙纹身,从他在“楼兰古城”地下黑拳大赛中用他那钢如合金一般的拳头轰杀第300名职业拳击手之后,他便获得了伴随他后半生的称号“合金青龙王”,自此末世地球彻底沸腾前有了前奏,风云变幻,永无止境。尽在AlloyPowerWarrior合金异能。
  • 凤震天下:将军夫人来自末世

    凤震天下:将军夫人来自末世

    苏小七在末世挣扎八年,最后在一次丧尸围城中丧命,却意外穿越在古代边关的一位将军夫人身上!要问在苏小七的眼里最重要的是什么?那就是:吃的!吃的!吃的!所以当她醒来被告知要断粮了,他们被包围,她当场就怒了:靠!敢断我的粮,我就断你们的命!此后,苏小七就成为了边关匈奴的噩梦!大汉国就有了一个叫苏小七的传说!此后,大将军顾景天就开始夫纲不振,不论床上还是床下!各位看官,你们以为故事就这么俗套平淡了么?错!错!错!当苏小七习惯性地为战亡者念往生咒后,故事就变了!她的异能竟然从中得到飞升!然后她竟然能看见鬼魂了!卧槽!好好的穿越灵异了!差点吓尿了好么!雷电异能在手,管你是人是鬼,胆敢来范,杀无赦!