Chapter II – What in the World is a Mellophone?!?!?!?
Later that afternoon Charlie Brown returned home and entered his room. He put the new instrument case on his bed. He was almost afraid to open it.
"Good grief." He said. "I've never heard of a mellophone, let alone seen one. How am I supposed to learn to play an instrument I've never even seen before."
Slowly he opened up the case. Inside was a shiny, brand new silver Yamaha mellophone. Charlie Brown studied the instrument. There was nothing mellow looking about it. It looked a little like a trumpet, but it was a lot bigger. The bell was huge. Charlie Brown carefully took the instrument out of the case, raised the mouthpiece to his lips and attempted to make a sound. *BLAT!*
"Good grief!" said Charlie Brown. He tried again. *BLAT!* "What have I gotten myself into this time?" He wondered.
Just then, off in the distance Charlie Brown could hear trumpet music. Someone was playing jazz charts complete with screaming super C's. "What is going on?" Charlie Brown wondered, as he ran outside to investigate. "Who could that be?" Was it Maynard Furgeson? Was it Doc Severinson? No! It was Snoopy, of course, standing on top of his doghouse as he showed off with his brand new silver Bach Stradivarius trumpet.
"Good grief!" said Charlie Brown.
"You interrupted my solo!" thought Snoopy. "What you just did was just rude, rude, RUDE!"
"Don't tell me you got the last trumpet?" Charlie Brown said with disbelief.
Snoopy replied only with an innocent grin.
"Well at least you got one. I got there late and ended up with a mellophone." Charlie Brown continued.
"What in the world is a mellophone?" wondered Snoopy.
"And why did Mr. Dunlap let you in the band? Doesn't he know that you're a dog?"
Snoopy gave another innocent grin and began playing his horn again. He sounded like Wynton Marsalis as he continued his solo concert.
"Well, I guess anyone who can play like THAT, should be in the band, even if they are a dog." reasoned Charlie Brown.
Later that day, Charlie Brown met Linus at a little brick wall in their neighborhood. This was their favorite place to talk and discuss things.
"So Charlie Brown, what instrument did you pick?" Linus inquired.
"Well, I wanted to get a trumpet so I could impress the Little Red Haired girl, but all I got was a Mellophone." Charlie Brown said.
Linus was silent for a minute and then said, "What in the world is a mellophone?"
"I'm not sure if I've even figured it out yet. But I'm sure it's the kind of instrument that doesn't impress little red haired girls. I don't know Linus. Everything I do turns into a fiasco."
"Don't worry too much, Charlie Brown." said Linus. "I'm sure you'll feel a lot better one we start having band practice. Mr. Dunlap said they are going to start next week! All of the kids are going to be there. It's gonna be great! I can't wait! I get to play trombone!"
Charlie Brown wished that he could be just as excited as Linus was. But all he could think was, "How am I going to impress the Little Red Haired Girl with an instrument that no one knows what it is?"
It was then he decided to find some professional advice. He walked a little further down the block to Lucy's psychiatric booth.
"How may I help you? You blockhead." Lucy asked in her usual crabby way.
"Well, I decided to join the school marching band today, see, so I could impress the Little Red Haired Girl. But I didn't get the instrument that I wanted. In fact, I didn't get any of the instruments that I wanted. There was only one instrument left by the time I got there, so I had to take it. The problem is, no one knows what in the world it is. Even I don't know what in the world it is."
"Well, what instrument did you get Charlie Brown?"
"A mellophone."
"What in the world is a mellophone?" Lucy asked.
Charlie Brown sighed as Lucy pulled out a dictionary from under her desk and opened it to M.
"Mellophone: A French horn especially made for marching band." Lucy read. "There Charlie Brown. Now you know what it is."
Charlie Brown pondered for a moment. A French horn wasn't that unusual of an instrument. So Charlie Brown guessed that maybe a mellophone wasn't very unusual either. Suddenly, he felt a lot better.
"Leave it to you, blockhead, to pick out an instrument that you'd have to look in a dictionary to figure out what it is. Five cents please!" Lucy said.
"But all you did was look up a word in a dictionary! I could have done that at home for free!" Charlie Brown protested.
"FIVE CENTS PLEASE!"
"Good grief," Charlie Brown said has he handed over a nickel.
Later that evening, Charlie Brown was watching television at his house when the phone rang.
"Hello?" Charlie Brown answered.
"Hey Chuck! You'll never guess what Marcie and I have been up to!" it was Peppermint Patty, and as soon as Charlie Brown realized that he wondered if he would ever be able to get an entire sentence in the conversation with out being interrupted.
"What's going...." Charlie Brown tried to reply.
"Me and Marcie here have joined the marching band at school! How about that Chuck? What do you think about that? Huh Chuck?" Peppermint Patty said in her usual animated way of talking.
"Well...." Charlie Brown said again trying to speak.
"And I'll bet you'll never guess what we're gonna play? Can you guess? Huh, Chuck? I'm gonna play snare drum, and Marcie here is gonna play cymbals. Isn't that great Chuck?"
"That's great Peppermint Patty." Charlie Brown managed to say.
As Peppermint Patty talked to Charlie Brown, Marcie listened attentively to the conversation.
"Ask Charles if he misses me, sir." Marcie said to Peppermint Patty.
"Marcie here wants to know if you think she's too inept to be in the marching band." Peppermint Patty said into the telephone receiver.
"What?" said Charlie Brown, somewhat confused.
"Never mind Chuck, she's just being weird again." Peppermint Patty responded. "Actually I don't suppose you decided to join the band too did you?"
"Well, as a matter of fact, I did." Charlie Brown said.
"You did Chuck? Somehow, I never pictured you as the musical type. But never mind that. I'll bet you picked out a real neat instrument didn't you Chuck."
"Well, as a matter of fact, I did."
"Well, what is it Chuck? Let's hear it! What instrument are you going to play?"
"A mellophone!" Charlie Brown said proudly.
"A mellophone? What in the world is a mellophone? Are you playing games with me Chuck? Who ever heard of a mellophone? Good grief Chuck, can't you even pick out a good instrument?" Peppermint Patty criticized.
"Well I...." Charlie Brown started only to be once again interrupted by Peppermint Patty.
"Never mind, Chuck. I'm hanging up now. And don't forget, practice starts next week!" and with that, Peppermint Patty ended the conversation.
"What did Charles say, Sir?" Marcie asked.
"That blockhead doesn't even know how to pick out an instrument. Get this Marcie, he's playing a mellophone!" Peppermint Patty complained.
"What in the world is a mellophone, Sir?" Marcie asked.
"Apparently it's an instrument for blockheads! Why couldn't he have played drums with us?" Peppermint Patty continued.
"Charles isn't a blockhead, Sir. I'll bet it's a very nice instrument." Marcie stated. "You really shouldn't be so upset with Charles, Sir."
"Stop calling me Sir!" Peppermint Patty said sternly.
Meanwhile, Charlie Brown hung up the phone and sighed. He had felt better after finding out what a mellophone actually is. But the phone conversation with Peppermint Patty only made him feel bad again. "At least some of my friends are going to be in band too." Charlie Brown thought.
"What's wrong Big Brother?" asked Sally, Charlie Brown's younger sister. She had noticed that he looked a little upset.
"Peppermint Patty is mad at me for the instrument that I picked out for band." Charlie Brown said.
"What instrument did you pick, Big Brother?" Sally asked.
"A mellophone." Charlie Brown said.
"What in the world is a mellophone?" Sally asked.
"AAUGH!!!!" Charlie Brown screamed with frustration.
"Anyway, I'm going to be in the band too. Only I'm not going to play an instrument. Mr. Dunlap said I'm going to be in the color guard! We get to have our own rifles and everything! We need the rifles so we can guard the instruments and the band room. Isn't that great, Big Brother?" Sally said excitedly.
"Um...Sally...there's something you should know. The color guard doesn't actually guard anything. They twirl flags and things. And they don't use the rifles to shoot anything. They're special kinds of rifles they use the rifles for tossing and throwing." Charlie Brown tried to explain to his sister. He was used to her getting things mixed up, but she seldom ever listened when he tried to clarify things for her.
"I never know what you're talking about!" Sally said totally dismissing what her brother was trying to tell her.
"Good grief," thought Charlie Brown as he headed back to his room to try his mellophone again. "Practice starts next week....this should be very interesting."
Later that afternoon Charlie Brown returned home and entered his room. He put the new instrument case on his bed. He was almost afraid to open it.
"Good grief." He said. "I've never heard of a mellophone, let alone seen one. How am I supposed to learn to play an instrument I've never even seen before."
Slowly he opened up the case. Inside was a shiny, brand new silver Yamaha mellophone. Charlie Brown studied the instrument. There was nothing mellow looking about it. It looked a little like a trumpet, but it was a lot bigger. The bell was huge. Charlie Brown carefully took the instrument out of the case, raised the mouthpiece to his lips and attempted to make a sound. *BLAT!*
"Good grief!" said Charlie Brown. He tried again. *BLAT!* "What have I gotten myself into this time?" He wondered.
Just then, off in the distance Charlie Brown could hear trumpet music. Someone was playing jazz charts complete with screaming super C's. "What is going on?" Charlie Brown wondered, as he ran outside to investigate. "Who could that be?" Was it Maynard Furgeson? Was it Doc Severinson? No! It was Snoopy, of course, standing on top of his doghouse as he showed off with his brand new silver Bach Stradivarius trumpet.
"Good grief!" said Charlie Brown.
"You interrupted my solo!" thought Snoopy. "What you just did was just rude, rude, RUDE!"
"Don't tell me you got the last trumpet?" Charlie Brown said with disbelief.
Snoopy replied only with an innocent grin.
"Well at least you got one. I got there late and ended up with a mellophone." Charlie Brown continued.
"What in the world is a mellophone?" wondered Snoopy.
"And why did Mr. Dunlap let you in the band? Doesn't he know that you're a dog?"
Snoopy gave another innocent grin and began playing his horn again. He sounded like Wynton Marsalis as he continued his solo concert.
"Well, I guess anyone who can play like THAT, should be in the band, even if they are a dog." reasoned Charlie Brown.
Later that day, Charlie Brown met Linus at a little brick wall in their neighborhood. This was their favorite place to talk and discuss things.
"So Charlie Brown, what instrument did you pick?" Linus inquired.
"Well, I wanted to get a trumpet so I could impress the Little Red Haired girl, but all I got was a Mellophone." Charlie Brown said.
Linus was silent for a minute and then said, "What in the world is a mellophone?"
"I'm not sure if I've even figured it out yet. But I'm sure it's the kind of instrument that doesn't impress little red haired girls. I don't know Linus. Everything I do turns into a fiasco."
"Don't worry too much, Charlie Brown." said Linus. "I'm sure you'll feel a lot better one we start having band practice. Mr. Dunlap said they are going to start next week! All of the kids are going to be there. It's gonna be great! I can't wait! I get to play trombone!"
Charlie Brown wished that he could be just as excited as Linus was. But all he could think was, "How am I going to impress the Little Red Haired Girl with an instrument that no one knows what it is?"
It was then he decided to find some professional advice. He walked a little further down the block to Lucy's psychiatric booth.
"How may I help you? You blockhead." Lucy asked in her usual crabby way.
"Well, I decided to join the school marching band today, see, so I could impress the Little Red Haired Girl. But I didn't get the instrument that I wanted. In fact, I didn't get any of the instruments that I wanted. There was only one instrument left by the time I got there, so I had to take it. The problem is, no one knows what in the world it is. Even I don't know what in the world it is."
"Well, what instrument did you get Charlie Brown?"
"A mellophone."
"What in the world is a mellophone?" Lucy asked.
Charlie Brown sighed as Lucy pulled out a dictionary from under her desk and opened it to M.
"Mellophone: A French horn especially made for marching band." Lucy read. "There Charlie Brown. Now you know what it is."
Charlie Brown pondered for a moment. A French horn wasn't that unusual of an instrument. So Charlie Brown guessed that maybe a mellophone wasn't very unusual either. Suddenly, he felt a lot better.
"Leave it to you, blockhead, to pick out an instrument that you'd have to look in a dictionary to figure out what it is. Five cents please!" Lucy said.
"But all you did was look up a word in a dictionary! I could have done that at home for free!" Charlie Brown protested.
"FIVE CENTS PLEASE!"
"Good grief," Charlie Brown said has he handed over a nickel.
Later that evening, Charlie Brown was watching television at his house when the phone rang.
"Hello?" Charlie Brown answered.
"Hey Chuck! You'll never guess what Marcie and I have been up to!" it was Peppermint Patty, and as soon as Charlie Brown realized that he wondered if he would ever be able to get an entire sentence in the conversation with out being interrupted.
"What's going...." Charlie Brown tried to reply.
"Me and Marcie here have joined the marching band at school! How about that Chuck? What do you think about that? Huh Chuck?" Peppermint Patty said in her usual animated way of talking.
"Well...." Charlie Brown said again trying to speak.
"And I'll bet you'll never guess what we're gonna play? Can you guess? Huh, Chuck? I'm gonna play snare drum, and Marcie here is gonna play cymbals. Isn't that great Chuck?"
"That's great Peppermint Patty." Charlie Brown managed to say.
As Peppermint Patty talked to Charlie Brown, Marcie listened attentively to the conversation.
"Ask Charles if he misses me, sir." Marcie said to Peppermint Patty.
"Marcie here wants to know if you think she's too inept to be in the marching band." Peppermint Patty said into the telephone receiver.
"What?" said Charlie Brown, somewhat confused.
"Never mind Chuck, she's just being weird again." Peppermint Patty responded. "Actually I don't suppose you decided to join the band too did you?"
"Well, as a matter of fact, I did." Charlie Brown said.
"You did Chuck? Somehow, I never pictured you as the musical type. But never mind that. I'll bet you picked out a real neat instrument didn't you Chuck."
"Well, as a matter of fact, I did."
"Well, what is it Chuck? Let's hear it! What instrument are you going to play?"
"A mellophone!" Charlie Brown said proudly.
"A mellophone? What in the world is a mellophone? Are you playing games with me Chuck? Who ever heard of a mellophone? Good grief Chuck, can't you even pick out a good instrument?" Peppermint Patty criticized.
"Well I...." Charlie Brown started only to be once again interrupted by Peppermint Patty.
"Never mind, Chuck. I'm hanging up now. And don't forget, practice starts next week!" and with that, Peppermint Patty ended the conversation.
"What did Charles say, Sir?" Marcie asked.
"That blockhead doesn't even know how to pick out an instrument. Get this Marcie, he's playing a mellophone!" Peppermint Patty complained.
"What in the world is a mellophone, Sir?" Marcie asked.
"Apparently it's an instrument for blockheads! Why couldn't he have played drums with us?" Peppermint Patty continued.
"Charles isn't a blockhead, Sir. I'll bet it's a very nice instrument." Marcie stated. "You really shouldn't be so upset with Charles, Sir."
"Stop calling me Sir!" Peppermint Patty said sternly.
Meanwhile, Charlie Brown hung up the phone and sighed. He had felt better after finding out what a mellophone actually is. But the phone conversation with Peppermint Patty only made him feel bad again. "At least some of my friends are going to be in band too." Charlie Brown thought.
"What's wrong Big Brother?" asked Sally, Charlie Brown's younger sister. She had noticed that he looked a little upset.
"Peppermint Patty is mad at me for the instrument that I picked out for band." Charlie Brown said.
"What instrument did you pick, Big Brother?" Sally asked.
"A mellophone." Charlie Brown said.
"What in the world is a mellophone?" Sally asked.
"AAUGH!!!!" Charlie Brown screamed with frustration.
"Anyway, I'm going to be in the band too. Only I'm not going to play an instrument. Mr. Dunlap said I'm going to be in the color guard! We get to have our own rifles and everything! We need the rifles so we can guard the instruments and the band room. Isn't that great, Big Brother?" Sally said excitedly.
"Um...Sally...there's something you should know. The color guard doesn't actually guard anything. They twirl flags and things. And they don't use the rifles to shoot anything. They're special kinds of rifles they use the rifles for tossing and throwing." Charlie Brown tried to explain to his sister. He was used to her getting things mixed up, but she seldom ever listened when he tried to clarify things for her.
"I never know what you're talking about!" Sally said totally dismissing what her brother was trying to tell her.
"Good grief," thought Charlie Brown as he headed back to his room to try his mellophone again. "Practice starts next week....this should be very interesting."