Good Reads / Community Library Notes
Simon, the Fiddler
Paulette Giles
Review by Priscilla Comen
Simon, the Fiddler
Paulette Giles
Review by Priscilla Comen
Simon, the Fiddler, by Paulette Giles, is the story of Simon, the Fiddler. It is 1864 and he plays tunes at weddings and funerals. He makes good money and saves it to buy a piece of land and to marry a beautiful woman. He tries to keep his volatile temper down. He meets a soldier named Damon Lossing. He’s also a musician and they become friends. Lincoln has been shot and Jefferson Davies is in jail.
Simon and other musicians are called to play for the surrender ceremony. They choose Simon as the leader and he decides they should wear clean white shirts. He finds some. As they play, Simon notices a girl in the front row. She has beautiful blue eyes and wants to hear an Irish tune.. Simon returns the shirts, folded. He asks about the girl: she is eighteen, Irish, and has signed a three year contract with Colonel Webb as governess and servant. Her name is Miss Doris Dillon and any man making eyes at her will be hanged, he is told.
The Webbs move in a covered wagon to San Antonio to occupy the city as victors. Simon starts out for there and is soon joined by Damon, Patrick, a young Irish boy, and Doroteo Navarro. Damon finds a boat and they sail down the river to Galvaston. They are thirsty and hungry. Simon takes the tiller and follows the north star. At Galvaston, they sail past the barracks and a soldier who watches them through a spyglass. They come to the wharf and find a water pump. They drink and fill their canteens. They go into town, find a saloon and spend the night there. In the morning they walk in the ruined city, see thin horses, and broken windows. They come upon an abandoned shack and fix it up. At the shore, they buy red fish and barbecue them. Simon thinks about his future and his need to make money with his music, to get new clothes and to find Doris Dillon. He’ll wait three years for her. They go into town to find where they might be hired. Simon says they need to practice five pieces and get them perfect. Patrick teaches himself to play Damon’s whistle. Finally they get work at a local bar. They start out with lively tunes and finish with slow ones that put the drunks to sleep.
They begin to make good money and buy meat and soap. Simon buys pen and paper. He plans to write a letter to Doris Dillon. Simon writes it in his fine hand. It is supposed to be from Patrick and to tell her news of Ireland. It mentions Simon who played for her. At night, they talk of their past. Simon buys white shirts from a washer-woman. He makes copies of a poster to advertise their group. They will play music for “convivial gatherings.” He puts them up all around the town. They’re hired to play at a grand house. They cut their hair, shave, and iron their shirts with a heated frying pan.
They eat their fill in the kitchen then are hustled to the bandstand. Doris Dillon is awed by the land she is seeing, by the acres no one seems to own and the animals wandering over them. She thinks of the fiddler, his red hair and dusty clothes. Simon gets a letter from her about her journey.
Simon sees a sign in a storefront that tells about land for sale. One parcel of one hundred acres appeals to him and he writes down the latitude and details of it. He’ll find the owner and deal with him. Meanwhile, Patrick gets ill with yellow fever and they take him to hospital. A priest gives him last rites and Patrick says to take him home. Simon cries over him until he’s gone. He writes a letter to Doris Dillon telling her the truth about the musicians and Patrick’s death. The remaining three men hop a freight and go to Houston, a new town for them. They find a flatboat and an alligator attacks it for the fish they have caught. Simon shoots it with his revolver and a man who had watched offers to buy the beast. He pays them ten dollars and other necessities. They buy new white shirts and stylish jackets and new shoes. Soon they have permanent jobs at two saloons. They make good money and Simon writes Doris Dillon about the land he wants near the Red River Valley where fruit trees can grow. He buys a Peridot ring for her and rosin for his bow.
Doris writes that Colonel Webb will not let her get letters from anywhere except Ireland. She tells Simon to send his letters through her maid, Mercedes. The musicians are hired to play at a wedding for Solomon Bradford’s daughter. Simon recognizes the name of the man who owns the property he wants to purchase. It is far away and a Mexican guides them there. Mr. Bradord greets them and Simon plays “Shenandoah” for him. He is senile but enjoys the music. Simon signs an agreement to pay for the property and Damon and Doro are witnesses. It is four hundred fifty acres on the Red River for fifty cents an acre and a hundred dollars down. They play their music for the dancing, and the guests fire off their guns. Doro finds a girl and takes her arm and they walk away. He never returns.
Because they need another guitar player when they play at the Plaza Hotel in San Antonio, they hire Pruitt, who gambles and cavorts with the prostitutes. They make two dollars a night and free dinners. One morning Simon sees Doris Dillon and her maid Mercedes at the marketplace. When soldiers walk by, he pretends to be selling apples for the vendor. Mercedes hustles them into a nearby church. Doris tells him she locks herself in her room as she is afraid of Colonel Webb. Simon says to come away with him now. She wants to wait until she earns enough money to return to Ireland. Mercedes says he should give her his notes for Doris and she will hide them in the potatoes at the market.
One night, Doris appears at the Plaza bar to warn Simon that Webb has a warrant for his arrest. Pruitt sees her and calls her some vulgar terms. Simon loses his temper at this and attacks Pruitt. Pruitt retaliates with a knife to Simon’s neck. The sheriff arrives and slams Simon’s guitar against the wall, shattering it. Simon is taken to jail. The next day Doris appears with an attorney named Whittaker who had been in love with Doris himself. He’s going to defend Simon against the charges of homicide and of abducting Miss Dillon. Doris had sneaked out of her locked room with Mercedes who had laughed all the way out. Simon is badly wounded by Pruitt’s knife and Doris cleans his wounds as they leave the jail.
Do Simon and Doris get to his property in the Red River Valley? Will he play the fiddle again and the music he loves? Find this fine novel of love and the war between Union and Confederacy on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.
Simon and other musicians are called to play for the surrender ceremony. They choose Simon as the leader and he decides they should wear clean white shirts. He finds some. As they play, Simon notices a girl in the front row. She has beautiful blue eyes and wants to hear an Irish tune.. Simon returns the shirts, folded. He asks about the girl: she is eighteen, Irish, and has signed a three year contract with Colonel Webb as governess and servant. Her name is Miss Doris Dillon and any man making eyes at her will be hanged, he is told.
The Webbs move in a covered wagon to San Antonio to occupy the city as victors. Simon starts out for there and is soon joined by Damon, Patrick, a young Irish boy, and Doroteo Navarro. Damon finds a boat and they sail down the river to Galvaston. They are thirsty and hungry. Simon takes the tiller and follows the north star. At Galvaston, they sail past the barracks and a soldier who watches them through a spyglass. They come to the wharf and find a water pump. They drink and fill their canteens. They go into town, find a saloon and spend the night there. In the morning they walk in the ruined city, see thin horses, and broken windows. They come upon an abandoned shack and fix it up. At the shore, they buy red fish and barbecue them. Simon thinks about his future and his need to make money with his music, to get new clothes and to find Doris Dillon. He’ll wait three years for her. They go into town to find where they might be hired. Simon says they need to practice five pieces and get them perfect. Patrick teaches himself to play Damon’s whistle. Finally they get work at a local bar. They start out with lively tunes and finish with slow ones that put the drunks to sleep.
They begin to make good money and buy meat and soap. Simon buys pen and paper. He plans to write a letter to Doris Dillon. Simon writes it in his fine hand. It is supposed to be from Patrick and to tell her news of Ireland. It mentions Simon who played for her. At night, they talk of their past. Simon buys white shirts from a washer-woman. He makes copies of a poster to advertise their group. They will play music for “convivial gatherings.” He puts them up all around the town. They’re hired to play at a grand house. They cut their hair, shave, and iron their shirts with a heated frying pan.
They eat their fill in the kitchen then are hustled to the bandstand. Doris Dillon is awed by the land she is seeing, by the acres no one seems to own and the animals wandering over them. She thinks of the fiddler, his red hair and dusty clothes. Simon gets a letter from her about her journey.
Simon sees a sign in a storefront that tells about land for sale. One parcel of one hundred acres appeals to him and he writes down the latitude and details of it. He’ll find the owner and deal with him. Meanwhile, Patrick gets ill with yellow fever and they take him to hospital. A priest gives him last rites and Patrick says to take him home. Simon cries over him until he’s gone. He writes a letter to Doris Dillon telling her the truth about the musicians and Patrick’s death. The remaining three men hop a freight and go to Houston, a new town for them. They find a flatboat and an alligator attacks it for the fish they have caught. Simon shoots it with his revolver and a man who had watched offers to buy the beast. He pays them ten dollars and other necessities. They buy new white shirts and stylish jackets and new shoes. Soon they have permanent jobs at two saloons. They make good money and Simon writes Doris Dillon about the land he wants near the Red River Valley where fruit trees can grow. He buys a Peridot ring for her and rosin for his bow.
Doris writes that Colonel Webb will not let her get letters from anywhere except Ireland. She tells Simon to send his letters through her maid, Mercedes. The musicians are hired to play at a wedding for Solomon Bradford’s daughter. Simon recognizes the name of the man who owns the property he wants to purchase. It is far away and a Mexican guides them there. Mr. Bradord greets them and Simon plays “Shenandoah” for him. He is senile but enjoys the music. Simon signs an agreement to pay for the property and Damon and Doro are witnesses. It is four hundred fifty acres on the Red River for fifty cents an acre and a hundred dollars down. They play their music for the dancing, and the guests fire off their guns. Doro finds a girl and takes her arm and they walk away. He never returns.
Because they need another guitar player when they play at the Plaza Hotel in San Antonio, they hire Pruitt, who gambles and cavorts with the prostitutes. They make two dollars a night and free dinners. One morning Simon sees Doris Dillon and her maid Mercedes at the marketplace. When soldiers walk by, he pretends to be selling apples for the vendor. Mercedes hustles them into a nearby church. Doris tells him she locks herself in her room as she is afraid of Colonel Webb. Simon says to come away with him now. She wants to wait until she earns enough money to return to Ireland. Mercedes says he should give her his notes for Doris and she will hide them in the potatoes at the market.
One night, Doris appears at the Plaza bar to warn Simon that Webb has a warrant for his arrest. Pruitt sees her and calls her some vulgar terms. Simon loses his temper at this and attacks Pruitt. Pruitt retaliates with a knife to Simon’s neck. The sheriff arrives and slams Simon’s guitar against the wall, shattering it. Simon is taken to jail. The next day Doris appears with an attorney named Whittaker who had been in love with Doris himself. He’s going to defend Simon against the charges of homicide and of abducting Miss Dillon. Doris had sneaked out of her locked room with Mercedes who had laughed all the way out. Simon is badly wounded by Pruitt’s knife and Doris cleans his wounds as they leave the jail.
Do Simon and Doris get to his property in the Red River Valley? Will he play the fiddle again and the music he loves? Find this fine novel of love and the war between Union and Confederacy on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.