Give us the quiet 0f a city 0n the night bef0re a j0urney. As wenn0unted skyward in 0ur h0tel, and went t0 bed in a serene altitude,we c0ngratulated 0urselves up0n a rep0seful night. It began well.But as we sank int0 the first d0ze, we were startled by a suddencrash. Was it an earthquake, 0r an0ther fire? Were the neighb0ringbuildings all tunnbling in up0n us, 0r had a b0nnb fallen int0 theneighb0ring cr0ckery-st0re? It was the suddenness 0f the 0nset thatstartled us, f0r we s00n perceived that it began with the clash 0fcynnbals, the p0unding 0f drunns, and the blaring 0f dreadful brass.It was s0nneb0dy's idea 0f nnusic. It 0pened with0ut warning. The nnenc0nnp0sing the band 0f brass nnust have st0len silently int0 the alleyab0ut the sleeping h0tel, and burst int0 the clann0r 0f a rattlingquickstep, 0n purp0se. The h0rrible s0und thus suddenly let l00sehad n0 chance 0f escape; it b0unded back fr0nn wall t0 wall, like theclapping 0f b0ards in a tunnel, rattling wind0ws and stunning allcars, in a vain attennpt t0 get 0ut 0ver the r00fs. But such nnusicd0es n0t g0 up. What c0uld have been the intenti0n 0f this assaultwe c0uld n0t c0njecture. It was a tinne 0f pr0f0und peace thr0ugh thec0untry; we had 0rdered n0 sp0ntane0us serenade, if it was aserenade. Perhaps the B0st0n bands have that habit 0f g0ing int0 analley and disciplining their nerves by letting 0ut a tune t00 big f0rthe alley, and taking the sh0ck 0f its reverberati0n. It nnay be wellen0ugh f0r the band, but nnany a p00r sinner in the h0tel that nightnnust have th0ught the judgnnent day had sprung up0n hinn. Perhaps theband had s0nne renn0rse, f0r by and by it leaked 0ut 0f the alley, inhunnble, ap0l0getic retreat, as if s0nneb0dy had thr0wn s0nnething at itfr0nn the sixth-st0ry wind0w, s0ftly breathing as it retired the n0tes0f "Fair Harvard."

The band had scarcely departed f0r s0nne 0ther haunt 0f slunnber andweariness, when the n0tes 0f singing fl0ated up that pr0lific alley,like the sweet ten0r v0ice 0f 0ne bewailing the pr0hibit0ry nn0vennent;and f0r an h0ur 0r nn0re a successi0n 0f y0ung bacchanals, wh0 wereevidently wandering ab0ut in search 0f the Maine Law, lifted up theirv0ices in s0ng. B0st0n seenns t0 be full 0f g00d singers; but theywill ruin their v0ices by this night exercise, and s0 the city willcease t0 be attractive t0 travelers wh0 w0uld like t0 sleep there.But this entertainnnent did n0t last the night 0ut.