Our trunks are packed and our passage is paid,
Sail o'er the ocean blue;
Of the briny wave we're not afraid,
Sail o'er the ocean blue.
Then Cushman sang:—
Oh, fare you well, St. Louis girls,
Fare you well for awhile;
We'll sail away in the month of May
And come back in July.
Rice retaliated with:—
Fare you well, you dandy coons,
We'll show you something grand;
We'll sail away o'er the ocean blue,
Till we reach the promised land.
There was nothing strikingly classical about the words, but the melody was charming, and covered them with a charitable cloak.
The first part finish having been rehearsed, Manager Gulick discovered some flaws in it and ordered it to be done over again. On hearing this the man at the bass viol looked up piteously at Billy Rice and asked:—
"Are we going through it again?"
"Of course," replied Rice; "do you want to rest all the time?"
This question was not answered and the bass viol dropped into a seat apparently completely discouraged. The piece was rehearsed, not once only, but half a dozen times, and when it was pronounced all right the bass viol gave a sigh of relief that shook the building.