THE SCHOOLMASTER'S VIOLIN
After school Stineli and Rico found their way out of the mass of
children and started for home.
"Were you dreaming about your lake when you forgot to sing this
morning?" asked Stineli.
"No, something quite different," answered Rico. "I was watching the
teacher, and I am sure that I can play 'Little Lambs,' if I only had a
violin."
The wish must have been a heartfelt one with Rico, for he said it with
such a deep sigh that Stineli's sympathy was at once aroused and she
said: "We will buy one together. I have ever so many pennies that
grandmother gave me--I think twelve in all. How many have you?"
"Not one," said Rico, sadly. "My father gave me some before he went
away, but my aunt took them. She said that I would only squander them
anyway. I know we can't get those."
"Maybe we have enough without them," said Stineli, consolingly.
"Grandmother will give me more soon, and it can't be, Rico, that a
violin costs much. You know it is only a piece of old wood with four
strings drawn across it. That ought not to cost a great deal. Ask the
teacher to-morrow how much one costs, and then we will try to get
one."
So the subject was left, but Stineli secretly resolved to get up early
to build the fires, because grandmother would notice it and give her
some more pennies.
The following day, after school, Stineli went out without Rico and
stood at the corner of the building waiting for him. Rico was to ask
the teacher concerning the violin. She waited so long that she
wondered what could be keeping him, but finally he appeared.
"What did he say? How much does it cost?" inquired Stineli, eagerly.
"I didn't dare ask him," said Rico in a dejected tone.
"Oh, what a shame!" she exclaimed; but noticing Rico's sadness, she
added, "It doesn't matter, Rico; you can ask him to-morrow." Then, in
her cheerful way, she took his hand and they walked home without
further mention of the subject.
Rico had no better success, however, on the second day nor on the
third. He remained nearly half an hour at the teacher's entrance, not
finding the courage to ring the bell. The fourth evening Stineli said
to herself, "If he doesn't ask the teacher to-night, I will." This
time, however, as Rico was standing at the door, the teacher came out
suddenly and noticed the boy's hesitating attitude.
"What does this mean, Rico?" he asked, standing surprised and
perplexed before him. "Why do you come to a person's door without
rapping? If you have no business here, why don't you go home? If you
wish to tell me something, you may do so now."
"What does a violin cost?" asked Rico, timidly.
The teacher's surprise and mistrust increased.
"Rico," he said severely, "what am I to think of you? Have you come
purposely to ask useless questions, or what is your idea? Will you
tell me what object you have in asking me what you did?"
"I only wish to find out what a violin costs," said Rico, still
trembling at his own boldness.
"You do not understand, Rico; now listen to what I say. One asks
something for a reason, otherwise it would be a useless question. Now
answer me truthfully, Rico, did you ask me this out of curiosity, or
did some one who wishes to buy a violin send you?"
"I should like to buy one," said Rico, a little more bravely.
"What did you say?" broke out the teacher, impatiently. "Such a
senseless boy--and an Italian besides--to wish to buy a violin! You
scarcely know what a violin is. Can you imagine how old I was before I
was able to buy one? I was twenty-two years old and ready to enter my
life work as teacher. What a child, to think of buying a violin! Now,
to show you how foolish you are, I will tell you the price of one. Six
solid dollars is what I paid for mine. Can you grasp an idea of the
amount? We will put it into pennies. If one dollar contains one
hundred pennies, then six dollars would contain six times one hundred,
which is--Now, Rico, you are not dull at your studies; six times one
hundred is--"
"Six hundred pennies," supplemented Rico, softly, for his voice nearly
failed him as he compared Stineli's twelve pennies with this large
sum.
"But further, Rico," continued the teacher, "do you suppose that one
need only to buy a violin in order to play it? One has to do much more
than that. Just step in and let me show you."
The teacher opened the door as he spoke and took down the violin from
its place on the wall.
"There, take it on your arm and hold the bow in your hand; so, my boy.
Now, if you can sound _C, D, E, F,_ I will give you a half dollar
right away."
Rico actually had the violin on his arm! His face flushed, as with
sparkling eyes he played firmly and correctly, _C, D, E, F_.
"You little rascal!" exclaimed the teacher. "Where did you learn that?
Who taught you so that you can find the notes?"
"I know something else too, if I might play it," Rico ventured to say.
"Play it," directed the teacher.
Rico played the melody of the song, "Little Lambs," with the greatest
confidence, his eyes speaking his pleasure.
The teacher had taken a chair and put on his spectacles. He had looked
attentively at Rico's fingers, moving with easy grace, then at his
joyous countenance, and again at his fingers. The boy had played
correctly.
"Come to me, Rico," said the teacher, as he moved his chair to the
window and put Rico directly in front of him; "I want to talk a little
with you. You see, your father is an Italian, Rico, and they do all
sorts of things down there, they say, that we know nothing of up here
in the hills. Now look me in the eyes and tell me the truth. How is it
that you are able to play this tune correctly on my violin?"
Rico looked steadily at the teacher and said frankly, "I learned it
from you in school, where we sing it so often."
The teacher got up and paced the floor. This put the matter in an
entirely different light. So he was himself the cause of this
wonderful intelligence! All his suspicions vanished, and he
good-naturedly took out his pocketbook.
"There is the half dollar, Rico; it belongs to you. You had better go
now, but keep on being attentive to the violin playing. It may be that
you can make it amount to something, so that in twelve or fourteen
years you can buy a violin for yourself. Good night."
Rico had looked longingly at the violin when he realized that he must
go, and he now laid it very tenderly on the table. He was pondering
the last words of the teacher, when Stineli came running to meet him.
"How long it did take you!" she exclaimed. "Did you ask him?"
"Yes, but it is all of no use," said Rico with frowning brow. "A
violin costs six hundred pennies, and in fourteen years, when
everybody will probably be dead, he thought I could perhaps buy one.
Who wants to live fourteen years from now? There, you may take that; I
don't want it," and he put the half dollar into Stineli's hand.
"Six hundred pennies!" repeated Stineli in amazement. "And how did you
get this money?"
Rico told Stineli what had passed between him and the teacher, and
again said, "It is of no use."
Stineli urged Rico to keep the money, but he would not take it again.
"Then I will keep it and put it away with the pennies, and it shall
belong to us both," she said.
Even Stineli felt discouraged, but happier thoughts came to her as
they turned the corner to enter the field and she saw the indications
of spring on every hand.
"See, Rico, it will be summer in a short time, and we can go to the
woods once more. Let us go this Sunday so that you will be happy
again."
"I shall never be happy again, Stineli, but if you would like to go, I
will go with you."
They arranged their plans so that they could go the following Sunday.
It was not an easy task for Stineli to get away, for Peter, Sam, and
Urschli had the measles, and a goat was sick at the stable. She was
kept busy from the time she returned from school until late at night.
Saturday she worked all day and much later than usual, but did it so
willingly and was so cheerful that her father said: "Stineli is a
perfect treasure. She makes us all happy."