THE MUSIC MASTER
The strange procession stopped before the wagon of the toy maker. The
Pied Piper continued his playing. The crowd stood listening. When the
piece was finished, they clapped and threw coins and shouted, "Hoch!"
Then a gentleman carrying a violin case hoisted the Pied Piper upon his
shoulder. He walked over with the Pied Piper to where the toy maker
stood.
"Sir," said the violin-case gentleman, "I believe this is your son."
Mr. Toymaker was so amazed that he could only nod his head.
The gentleman went on, "Your son's playing has made us all very happy.
We followed his music just as the children of long ago followed the
Pied Piper of Hamelin."
The people began to laugh and cheer and call for more music.
But Mr. Violin-Case said, "The concert is over. Now I am going to see
Mr. Toymaker alone."
[Illustration: "HERE IS YOUR SON!"]
When the people had left, Mr. Violin-Case and Mr. Toymaker went into the
wagon together. There they stayed for quite a long time.
Outside, Mrs. Toymaker drew her children close to her.
"Tell me," she said. "Do tell me all about it."
Mitzi said, "Good! I'll tell you, Mother. But first I must have a
pretzel to eat. I have had nothing since morning."
Mitzi helped herself to a fistful of the salty, twisted crackers. She
began to eat and to talk at the same time--a feat which cannot be done
very well.
Her words sounded to Mrs. Toymaker like "Yummeemummee."
The mother laughed and said, "Fritz had better tell me."
Fritz began, "Mitzi believed all along that people would really like my
music. She wanted to show Father. So today we went back to the same park
where I played yesterday."
By this time, Mitzi had swallowed her first pretzel, so she continued
the story: "I stood upon a bench. I talked very loudly so everyone could
hear. I said that our father had sold Fritz's violin and that Fritz
could not play for them. I said I was sorry that we could not keep our
promise and give another concert. Then the gennamemmaeppa--"
"Mitzi!" laughed Mrs. Toymaker. "How can I understand you when you are
eating pretzels?"
"The gentleman stepped up to us," went on Fritz.
"What gentlemen, dear?"
"The one who is in the wagon with Father," said Fritz.
"He has a red face, and he stands like this," said Mitzi.
She stuck out her stomach trying to imitate the gentleman who was rather
large.
"Shame, Mitzi!" said her mother. "Go on, please, Fritz. Tell me the
rest."
"The gentleman said he would help us," Fritz continued. "He took this
beautiful violin out of its case and gave it to me." Tenderly Fritz laid
the violin in his mother's hands. "He told me to play it. I did, and he
seemed to like what I played."
[Illustration: "HE STANDS LIKE THIS"]
"After the concert," interrupted Mitzi, "I jumped up on the bench again.
I asked the people to follow Fritz just as if he were the Pied Piper."
"At first," broke in Fritz, "they laughed and didn't want to. But the
gentleman urged them to do it. He said it would be fun. He said he
would like to see where I would lead them."
"And this is where we led them," said Mitzi.
"Now," said Fritz, "Father will know that what we told him is true."
Mrs. Toymaker looked very happy. She hugged Fritz to her. Just then Mr.
Toymaker came out of the wagon with the violin-case gentleman.
"This is Mr. Schmitt," said the toy maker to his family. "Mr. Schmitt is
a great music master from Berlin."
Fritz's eyes began to pop. Mitzi sat down with a jolt, her mouth open.
Mrs. Toymaker felt her heart beating very fast.
The music master went up to Fritz and took his hand.
"I have just had a talk with your father, Fritz," he said. "You are
coming with me to Berlin. You are all coming to live in the big city of
Berlin. And you, Fritz, will study and in time will become a great
musician."
Mr. Schmitt stayed to supper with the family. He sat with them beside
their gypsy fire. He told them about Berlin and promised to help Mr.
Toymaker because of Fritz's music.
He said to the toy maker, "Your little boy has a gift from God. You must
help him make it a gift to the world."
As they sat about the fire after supper Mr. Schmitt told them about
another boy.
"Many years ago," he said, "there lived a boy named George Handel
(H[)a]n´del). He was born in Halle (Häl´[~e]), a town not far from here.
Today there is a statue of George Handel in the center of Halle. He
became a famous composer. But when he was your age, Fritz, his father
would not allow him to play."
Fritz looked at his mother. Mitzi looked at her father. The toy maker
looked away from them all.
"You see," went on Mr. Schmitt, "George's father was a good man. But he
did not love music. He wanted his son to be a doctor. Now, one day
little George played for a powerful duke, who loved music. The duke
decided to help young George.
"He said to Mr. Handel, 'You are a good man. But your son will be a
great man. His music will fill people's hearts with beauty. Can you do
that?'"