RAGTIME FOR TOMMY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 51, 16 October 1914, Page 6

RAGTIME FOR TOMMY.

A BLOOMSBURY REHEARSAL."

For several months past (writes a correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph") the "first floor front" of the Bloomsbury apartment house which shelters me has been tenanted by a very capable-looking little lady,, who,

I gather, is a Newnham graduate. She plays the, pianoforte as few lodging-! house instruments have the good fortune to be played upon, arid her renderings of Beethoven's sonatas . and other compositions of the type usually described on concert programmes as "Op. No. so-and-so" have afforded me many a pleasant half-hour, as, with my door open on the next floor, the delightful strains have floated up the staircase.

But yesterday I had a shock. For three mortal hours the house resounded with such plebeian airs as "Get Out and Get Under," "You Made Me Love Yon," "Yip-i-addy," "I'm Hen-or-y the Eighth, I am," and a score otj other melodies (ragtime for the most part) which during the past few years have been ground out on street organs and whistled to death by errand boys. Now the piano on the first floor is the only one wo have in the house, so I wondered what had happened. Had the little Newnham graduate departed, and a fresh tenant who knew not "Ops" taken her rooms? Not a bit of it!

This morning the explanation of yesterday's ragtime orgy was vouchsafed to ■me by my landlady. It appears that little Miss has offered her services as a nSirse at the.front. As she knows all about first-aid, and speaks three or four Continental languages, her offer has been g ladl J !1(( - e P ted - She expects to receive her marching orders in a few days' time. Meanwhile, she has purchased a number of music-hall song alliums, and is "memorising" the melodies they contnin. . You see, she may one day find, herself in charge of some convalescent "Tommies," and it might happen that a piano will be available. In that case she wants to be able to cheer her patients with the music they know and understand.

The effects of the win.i.;.,<rnn on Saturday last were not - thout their humorous aspect, says the Afbburton "Guardian." More than one person who had eyes covered with hands to protect the optics from dust suffered collision with other pedestrians, and one was unfortunate enoug'i to walk into a telegraph pole. A severe gust of. wind caught one yqung lady unawares and blew her legs from under her, letting her down heavily. A local butcher had the back uoor of his delivery cart blown off, and joints of meat, chops, sausages, avt other dainties for the larder we:e strewn over the road. A young man was blown with some force aganist -. 'wooden fence, and what little wind he had left in his body after battfiiifc with the "breeze" was knockoJ out of him. Travellers by the hV-t express from Christchurch reported that at Rakaia all vision was obscured by the flying dust, and they could not see 10 yards from the train. Once during the journey from Rak.-iia to Ashburton the train had to lull up and finally stop. A member of the "Guardian" staff, who was riding in from Winchinore had the gbass in the goggles he was wearing !.v,ken by pieces of grit.