The Lady is a Tramp...

This truly was one of their best numbers, and almost in Frank Sinatra style, their lead singer belted it out at least twice during every performance:
"She gets too hungry for dinner at eight,
She loves the Theater, but never comes late,
da da dada da
That's why the Lady is a Tramp"
As the band became more and more popular, they traveled further and further afield.
Concerts in Albuquerque one night and in Kalamazoo the next, took their toll not only on the members of the band, but also on their instruments.
In order to preserve their music making gadgetry they asked a carpenter to build sturdy wooden containers. These they marked with the first letter of the name of the instrument it contained.
A particularly long box contained the 20 foot long Alpenhorn and was therefore marked with an "A".
Another box marked with a "B" contained the Bassfiddle. A little thin box, marked with a "C" contained, you guessed it, a Clarinet. A number of boxes, all marked with a "D", contained the elaborate set of Drums.
The most important instrument for the band's wonderful sound was an English Horn. It got carefully embedded in a box marked with en "E".

The Big Day:.... Carnegie Hall... excitement all around....
The band, coming from Los Angeles arrived at JFK airport and waited at the luggage carousel for their instruments. They came down the moving ramp: The A box, the B, then came the Z box, containing the Zither... all the D boxes came and then the C box...
The important  "E", however, was a no-show.
The band members became concerned, then worried, then panic struck. No "E" box meant no English Horn, no wonderful distinctive sound ... no Concert at Carnegie Hall... probably the end of their career.
After frantically consulting with Airport Staff, you cannot imagine their collective sigh of relief, when they heard over the P.A. system:
"Delayed "E" is at ramp."


Bertstravels