Page:The story of the flute (IA storyofflute1914fitz).djvu/291

 performance was once rendered incapable of playing by an enemy who stationed himself in a prominent position and noisily sucked a lemon all the time. The sight of the sucker's mouth puckered up by the sour lemon juice produced this strange result. I have not myself tried the experiment, but The Musical Record mentions that a scientist who was disturbed by a street band, paid a boy to suck a lemon in front of the flute-player. The band moved its position several times, pursued by the boy. At last the infuriated bandmaster struck the lemon from the boy's mouth, whereupon he began to howl and attracted a policeman, who inquired into the case and decided that the boy had a perfect right to suck the lemon in the public street.