DOWN THE RHINE AND TROUBLES
Mr. Toymaker felt almost jolly. He counted the money he had made and
chuckled.
"At last our luck has changed," he said. "I have really sold some toys.
Now, let us go on. Let us wander down the Rhine and stop at friendly
fairs along the way."
Mitzi was not so pleased with her day.
"Still we shall not give up," she said to Fritz. "At the next large town
you must give another concert. Only we shall take care this time that
there are no beggars about!"
The family left Mainz and started along the shore of the most famous
river in all the world. England has her river Thames (T[)e]mz). France
is proud of the Seine (S[=a]n). Italy loves the Tiber. Russia sings of
the Volga. In Austria it is the Danube. But the River Rhine is dear to
Germany.
[Illustration: STOLZENFELS CASTLE ON THE RHINE]
Castles on every hill have ancient legends. The Toymaker family gazed
upon beautiful, vine-covered hillsides and villages where people live by
the making of wine. The Rhine land is a wine land. Some of the best
wines in the world come from here.
Mitz and Fritz thought of the stories of Siegfried (S[=e]g´fr[=e]d),
that great hero of Wagner's operas, "Siegfried" and "The Twilight of the
Gods." In the Rhine land Siegfried was born.
They thought of Charlemagne (Shär´l[+e]-m[=a]n), that mighty conqueror,
who lies sleeping in this land. They thought of dragons, of buried
treasure, of brave heroes, of secret caves. The Rhine country is full of
such thoughts.
Then they came to Bingen (B[)i]n[=g]´[)e]n).
"The Mouse Tower!" cried Mitzi.
"Tell us the story, please, Mother!" said Fritz.
The children had heard this tale many times. But never before had they
heard it told while they were looking at the old tower. It stood in the
center of the river.
[Illustration: THE MOUSE TOWER OF BINGEN ON THE RHINE]
"Long ago," began Mrs. Toymaker, "there lived a cruel bishop. When the
poor people were starving, he bought all the grain in the land. He locked
it up in his barn. The hungry villagers came to steal the grain. While
they were in the barn, the bishop set fire to it.
"He said, 'These people deserve to die. They are like mice stealing from
a granary.'
"But soon he was punished for his wickedness. One day thousands of mice
broke into his tower and ate him up. That is why this is called the
Mouse Tower."
Said Fritz, "He deserved to be eaten!"
Said Mitz, "I wonder how a bishop would taste to a rat."
"Mitz! Mitz!" laughed Mrs. Toymaker. "What strange ideas you have!"
Yet Mrs. Toymaker could hardly guess what strange things Mitzi was
really going to do. Even Fritz did not know. Indeed, Mitzi herself was
unaware of all that lay before her.
The Toymakers traveled along the Rhine.
They passed the beautiful rock of the Lorelei and Mrs. Toymaker
told Mitz and Fritz the famous legend of the beautiful maiden who sat
upon the rock combing her golden hair. She sang and called to passing
ships, and her voice was so beautiful that fishermen and sailors tried
to reach the rock but they were always dashed to pieces on the reefs at
the foot of the cliffs.
[Illustration: THE ROCK OF THE LORELEI]
Mitz and Fritz loved this story.
The Toymakers stopped at one or two small towns. But Mr. Toymaker sold
no toys. Again he grew worried. They passed happy people bathing in the
river. Gay bath-houses dot the shores. Bathers bake themselves in the
sun and rest beside the river.
"There is never any rest for me," sighed poor Mr. Toymaker.
"Perhaps, when we reach Coblenz (k[=o]´bl[)e]nts), you will sell more
toys," said his wife.
"When we reach Coblenz," murmured Mitzi to Fritz, "you are to give
another concert."
When they arrived in Coblenz, Mitzi said, "Come along, now, Fritz. This
is our chance."
A short time later, Mr. Toymaker looked about and could not find Fritz
and Mitzi.
"Where are the children?" he asked. "They are always running off."
"They have gone to the town," answered Mrs. Toymaker.
"I did not tell them they could go," said Mr. Toymaker. "What are they
up to? They should stay and help me with my work."
[Illustration: THE JUNCTION OF THE RHINE AND MOSELLE RIVERS IN COBLENZ]
"But they finished their work," said Mrs. Toymaker.
Mr. Toymaker grunted. He would surely have grunted more angrily had he
seen what his children were doing at that moment. Fritz was standing in
a far corner of the market square, playing his violin. Mitzi was
standing by his side.
Coblenz is a city of manufacturing and similar industries. The fortress
across the river was occupied by American soldiers after the World War.
Sometimes in a quiet city people are not much hurried. Therefore they
give heed to pleasant sounds. Coblenz has been a quiet city since the
soldiers left.
Mitzi eagerly watched the passers-by. She smiled as Fritz played. The
little dog Frank wagged his tail happily. Then he fell asleep on the
sidewalk.
Soon a large number of people gathered. They stood listening.
One said to another, "The boy plays well. He is a real musician."
Several coins were thrown.
"I am right!" thought Mitzi. Her heart pounded with delight. "People
will pay to hear my Fritz's music. They will!"
When the day was almost done, Fritz stopped playing. Mitzi showed him
the money they had made.
"See," she said. "Enough coins to make even Father smile! Come. Let us
give them to Father. How pleased he will be!"
"Now, perhaps, he will like my playing," said Fritz.
They hurried toward their wagon, where they found Mr. Toymaker very much
annoyed.
"Why did you run away and not tell me where you were going?" he
demanded.
Mitzi held out the money.
"See, Father," she said. "See what Fritz's music has brought!"
Mr. Toymaker looked at the coins in Mitzi's hand. Then he looked at the
happy face of the little girl. And then he turned to Fritz, who was
smiling at him.
"You are a very naughty boy!" he said.
The smile left Fritz's face. Mitzi caught her father's arm.
"But, Father," she said. "You don't understand. Fritz did nothing wrong.
He only played his violin when he had finished the work you gave him.
He played in the town, and people threw coins because they liked his
music."
[Illustration: "SEE, FATHER!"]
"What?" cried Mr. Toymaker. "Do you tell me that people paid to hear a
boy scratching upon a fiddle? It is not true! Fritz has stolen this
money!"
[Illustration: "FRITZ HAS STOLEN THE MONEY!"]
"Father!" gasped Fritz.
His face had gone white. Mitzi's eyes became two round bowls.
"Oh, Father, no!" she cried. "Fritz would never steal, and neither would
I!"
"Do not say another word," commanded Mr. Toymaker. "You cannot make me
believe this story. A boy's fiddling cannot bring, in one day, more
money than I can make in a week selling toys. No, you have stolen. And I
will not have it."
[Illustration: "THEY MUST OBEY!"]
Mrs. Toymaker tried to make him believe Mitz and Fritz. But Mr. Toymaker
was very stubborn.
"They are naughty children," he said to his wife. "Mitzi is always doing
things she should not do. It was she who put the boy up to it. They must
be made to obey! Tonight they shall go to bed without any supper."
Fritz cried himself to sleep that night. Mitzi tried to comfort him. To
be accused of stealing! That was worse than having to go to bed without
supper.
"We'll show Father, Fritz," Mitzi said bravely. "You'll see."
Still her heart was heavy.
"He will never believe me," said Fritz. "If only he would let me play
for him! And now he thinks that I am a thief!"
Poor, honest little Fritz!