PIXY IN TROUBLE
The next morning Mrs. Steiner arose earlier than usual to put in order
the boys' clothes which had been damaged in the fight for Pixy. There
was some mending and much cleansing to be done, but all was finished in
good time, when she called them to get ready for breakfast.
"Yes, Aunt Fanny, we are coming," said Fritz, and then followed "oh's"
and "ah's" and other signs of discomfort as they arose to dress, and
found themselves stiff and sore from the exertion and the blows of the
afternoon before.
It was a great satisfaction to Mrs. Steiner to see that the swelling
which had disfigured Fritz had disappeared, and his nose was in its
normal condition. The boys were so enthusiastic over their visit to the
zoological garden, and so refreshed by sleep that all had a cheerful
time while enjoying the substantial breakfast which their hostess had
prepared.
"I loved that cute little monkey, Aunt Fanny, and was so sorry to see
it treated badly by the big monkey, and then to think it was so mean as
to tear up my straw hat."
"But he would not be a monkey if he were not playful," laughed Aunt
Fanny; "and he did it in play. There is Uncle Braun," she continued as
the doorbell rang. "He has come to take you out sight-seeing."
The three boys hurried to admit him, and came back holding him by the
hand.
"I am glad you gave these boys breakfast in good time this morning," he
said after greeting Mrs. Steiner, "for I wish them to see two more of
the noted places of Frankfort on the Main, and when they get older they
can visit Frankfort on the Oden and compare the two cities."
"You have selected good places, if you still think of taking them to
those you spoke of the day you were here."
"Yes, they have seen Goethe Square, and Schiller Square. Now I wish them
to see Romerberg Square and the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew. Could you
not make it convenient to go with us?"
"No; for it would not do to take Pixy in any of the buildings, and he
could not be left alone here. But after I attend to some matters, I
will take him out for a walk."
The boys were ready to go, and they set out, their first visit being to
the Cathedral.
Their way led across a part of the beautiful promenade, and the equally
beautiful Ziel street, and later through the narrow streets of the
middle ages, and in a short time they stood before the mighty buildings
called the Kaiser Cathedral, so called because from the year 1711 the
German emperors were crowned there.
The magnificence of the carved work upon the portal charmed the boys,
and when they entered they were filled with admiration of the splendid
stained glass windows and the grand paintings. They stood for some time
gazing at the monument of the Emperor Gunther of Schwartzburg, and Uncle
Braun informed them that he was the only emperor who had been buried
there.
They heartily appreciated the privilege of seeing the great cathedral in
the company of one who could give them reliable information, and when
they left it, they walked through the narrow, ancient streets on their
way to the Romerberg Square, and their guide said as they passed along,
"In it stands the Romer, or Council House where the German emperors
were elected and entertained.
"When crowned in the cathedral they walked to the Council House,
followed by a great retinue of princes and the other great people of the
earth, while the streets, doors, windows and roofs of the houses were
filled with spectators.
"When the crowned emperor disappeared within the walls of the Council
House, all eyes were turned in expectation to the windows of Kaiser
Hall. Very soon the centre one was opened, and the Kaiser appeared in
his imperial robes, the crown upon his head, in his left hand the
imperial globe of the kingdom, and in his right the sceptre.
"A storm of applause greeted him, and at the same moment all the bells
of the city rang in rejoicing over the crowning of a new emperor."
It was a delight to the boys after hearing this on their way there to
step into this Kaiser Hall and see the portraits of the emperors looking
down upon them. Uncle Braun told them of each emperor, and was glad to
see that they were very well acquainted with history, and in turn could
tell him something of each of them.
"It would have been easier to study history if we could have come to
this Kaiser Hall first," remarked Franz. "I know a good deal of Charles
the Great, but I like better to hear of Frederick Barbarossa."
"You are making a great chasm in your likings," laughed Uncle Braun;
"see how many emperors come between them. Besides, I think you are
mistaken in thinking it would have made history easier had you come here
first. Instead, your knowledge of history has made you take interest in
these portraits which you could not have taken had you not known
something of them. So it is with all travelers. The more they have read
of a place, the more intelligent appreciation they have of it when they
see it."
The boys gazed with great interest at each portrait, and also at the
white marble statue of Emperor William I, which had been placed there
and unveiled in March, 1892.
"Now that we have enjoyed living in the past, let us step out upon the
balcony and look at the present in the form of the beautiful Romerberg
Square, its green lawn, and its fountain," suggested their guide.
It was a stirring scene upon which they gazed. People were going to and
fro; and among them Franz saw two familiar figures.
"Fritz," he said, "there is Aunt Steiner and Pixy."
"So it is Aunt Fanny," cried Fritz, joyously; "Aunt Fanny, do you see
us? Pixy! Pixy!"
Scarcely had the sound of the loved voice reached the dog, when he
sprang forward, dragging the weak little woman, who was compelled to
leap and bound over the grass at a pace which was, to say the least,
unaccustomed. She called, coaxed and upbraided by turns, but Pixy never
halted in his race, nor looked back to see how she was faring, but was
making with all speed for the balcony. At length Mrs. Steiner could hold
out no longer. She dropped the line and sank into a seat on the lawn,
and Pixy, released from his burden, sprang up the steps of the Council
House where he was met by a watchman.
"What are you doing in here, you black Satan?" cried the surprised man
as Pixy ran in. "Out with you! Out with you!"
But Pixy had seen the open door into the balcony, had spied his master,
and ran to greet him with every evidence of delight.
"Whom does that black beast belong to?" asked the watchman, hurrying
out.
"To me," replied Fritz, "but--"
"How dare you bring him in here? Come out, both of you."
Uncle Braun advised Fritz to pacify the angry man by telling how it
happened that Pixy got in, but the watchman would not listen, so Fritz
hurried out to his much-tried relative, followed by the others.
"Oh, Aunt Fanny, dear Aunt Fanny, I am so sorry that Pixy acted so
badly," he exclaimed.
"No, no; don't blame Pixy for your own fault. You should not have called
him. The affectionate creature was rejoiced to hear your voice. You
called him and he was glad to obey."
"Yes, it was my fault. I should have known what Pixy would do."
"Oh, no one is to blame. It was merely a mistake," said Uncle Braun,
joining in the conversation; "but you are all tired, especially the
aunt, and you must ride home."
He called a carriage, and before they could make objection they were
helped in, with Pixy at their feet.
"Bornheimer street, number 37," said Uncle Braun to the coachman as he
put a coin in his hand, and they were off.
"Oh, how nice it is to live in a great city!" remarked Franz. "In the
country when any of the people wish to ride out, the horse must be
brought up from the field and curried, the harness be put on, the
carriage taken from the carriage-house, the whip and carriage robe
gotten from their places, the horse put to the carriage, and then when
the drive is over everything has to be put back in its place."
"Yes, child, all one needs in a city in order to obtain these things is
money; and Uncle Braun has certainly done us a favor to-day to add to
his many kindnesses. I really don't know how I could have walked home,
for my knees trembled and my back ached. Never in my life did I take
such long steps, and run and bound as I had to do while trying to keep
back that black rascal."
"But it was not Pixy's fault. You said so yourself, Auntie!"
"Yes, I did say it. It was your fault in calling 'Pixy! Pixy!'"
The moment the dog heard his name he sprang up, put his paws on her lap,
and looked into her face with such an affectionate expression in his
brown eyes, that she could not help patting his head and saying, "With
it all, one cannot help loving you."
The carriage stopped at number 37, and Pixy sprang to the pavement,
followed closely by the boys, who helped Mrs. Steiner out carefully, and
with one on each side she went slowly up the long steps.
"Certainly such help is not to be despised," she said. "You are my
gallant cavaliers."
She took out her key as she spoke and unlocked the door, and was
surprised to see several letters which had been pushed under it during
her absence.
"They are only business circulars, I suppose," she said as the boys
gathered them up and put them on the table.
She put on her glasses, took one up, broke the seal and read:
"In reference to your notice in the 'Intelligencer' that you offer a
reward for the recovery of your dog, I write to say that it can be found
at 395 New street. If you send ten marks between twelve and one o'clock,
and a rope, you can have your dog.
"Respectfully,
"M.R."
"Now just hear that, boys! Whoever heard the like of this? If he asks
two marks for catching the dog, then he asks eight marks for one day's
feed. He must have fed it on pound cake and champagne."
"It would take my gold-piece to pay it, if the dog were really Pixy,"
remarked Fritz.
"Yes, but it is not Pixy. Let me see what this one says."
"We have your dog, and you can have it, if you will put a notice in the
paper that you will put twenty-five marks in our hand for it. If you
agree to this, then you can come to the Hessen statue with the money,
and take your dog.
"P.P."
"Wonderful that P.P. promises to bring a dog that we already have and
who is lying comfortably on his piece of carpet by the window. Now here
is a stylish looking letter. Let us see who is the writer.
"Highborn gentleman (or lady).
"I see that you speak of having lost your dog. Do not imagine that it
was lost; it was stolen. It is evident that you like dogs, so I write to
say that I have a fine Spitz which I will sell you. His brother sold for
twelve marks and I think you will be willing to give that sum. If so,
bring the money to Roderberg square at four o'clock. With due respect,
"Euphrosine Sauerbier."
"Fritz! Fritz! Your dog has shown me that there is more rascality in
Frankfort than I ever imagined," exclaimed Aunt Steiner; "or, upon
second thought, I believe they are foreigners. I am sure that no
Frankforter would do such tricky things."
"Here is a postal, Aunt, that you have not seen," said Fritz.
"Read it, my boy. Of course it is from another swindler," and Fritz
read:
"To No. 37 Bornheimer street:
"I have found your dog, and will bring it to you if you will tell me
through the paper how much the reward is.
"H.Y.R."
"Will bring us Pixy, and Pixy sitting by looking at us! Well, well, I
would never have believed it! But just see, it wants ten minutes of our
dinner hour. Franz, do you and Paul wash your hands and set the table,
and Fritz can help clear off when we have finished."
"But Aunt Fanny!" exclaimed the astonished Fritz, "when did you cook
dinner?"
"I did not cook any, yet we will have it, and a good one, and all we
have to do is to set the table, and as quickly as possible."
This was a mystery which the boys could not unravel, yet they hurried to
wash and dry their hands, the cloth was spread neatly, napkins put to
the places, and the dishes on, when a trim-looking girl came in carrying
a long basket in which was a bucket of lentil soup, a roast of veal with
vegetables and a plate of fine summer pears.
She nodded pleasantly to all, put the dinner quickly and deftly upon the
table, set the basket on a chair, and with a smile and a nod went out
and down the steps.
"Well, I never!" ejaculated Fritz. "How did you get this dinner cooked,
Aunt Fanny?"
"Very easily. All I had to do was to leave an order at a cook shop, and
you see the result. Yes, little Fritz, as I said in regard to the
carriage, in a large city one can get the comforts and luxuries of life
if he has the money. Without that, many doors and also hearts have to
remain closed. I ordered a dinner to-day because it is a change for me
as well as for you, for it is very seldom I have a meal except as I
prepare it myself. Now let us eat our dinner."
They took their seats, the blessing was asked as usual, and Mrs. Steiner
carved the roast, giving generous pieces to the hungry boys.
The soup was all that could be desired, as was each dish of the prepared
meal, and they sat at the table after they finished until the girl came
for her basket and bucket and departed, and Fritz was helping take the
dishes to the kitchen, when the door bell rang.
"Now I wonder if that is another policeman?" ejaculated Aunt Steiner, as
she went to the door and opened it.
There stood a stout young man with a cigarette between his teeth, who
set one of his feet within the room, so that she could not have closed
the door had she tried. He was leading a black dog by a rope--which
squeezed past him into the room--and he did not appear to think it
necessary to remove his cap, as he said with a foreign accent: "Dog
lost--I got him, yes, I brought him."
The dog was black, but much larger than Pixy, was shaggy and unkempt,
and had a cross and savage look, very different from the well-kept and
gentle Pixy.
"We have found our dog," replied Mrs. Steiner. "I am sorry that you
went to the trouble of bringing one."
"Found your dog? Where is he?"
"Fritz, bring Pixy here," called his aunt, and Fritz came with his dog,
followed by Franz and Paul.
"I have been more than half an hour coming here with this dog in answer
to your advertisement, and should be paid for my trouble," said the
young man, gruffly.
"It is not our fault that you came. It is not our dog. See, he is not at
all like ours and he does not answer to the name of Pixy."
"See if he don't," and he jerked the dog's head up by the cord as he
called "Pixy!"
"No matter if his name is Pixy, he is not our dog. Our dog is here, as
you see."
The man grew angry and raised his voice, and the dogs, who had been
eyeing each other with no friendly looks, snarled and sprang upon each
other, and the small entry was the scene of such a fierce battle, and
resounded with such shrill yelps and much thumping and bumping about
that the very coats and hats on the pegs trembled. Pixy was full of
fight, but the strange dog was much the larger, and scored a victory,
while Pixy ran howling under the sofa in the dining-room.
Mrs. Steiner was so weak from fright that she had to hold to the open
door for support; and tears were running down Fritz's cheeks. They all
hoped that the man would leave, but no, he wanted money. He changed his
reason for demanding it, claiming that he should have payment for the
injury to his dog.
"Asking for money when your wild beast dragged our poor Pixy over the
floor as if he were a bundle of old rags?" cried Mrs. Steiner in
astonishment.
"Your dog commenced it! He snarled at my dog."
"He did it from fright, I think, and your dog bit him and tore out some
of his silky, black hair, and Pixy is now lying under the sofa, his
teeth chattering from fear."
"What do I care where he is! If my Turk mastered him, that is not saying
that my dog is not hurt."
"So your dog is not named Pixy but Turk," commented Mrs. Steiner.
The man took no notice of this; his object was money and he resolved to
get it.
"I should have a dollar at least for my trouble," he said.
"I wish a policeman would happen along. There are not enough of them in
Frankfort," remarked Mrs. Steiner. "Look out of the windows, boys, and
if you see one beckon to him to come. I would give a dollar this minute
to see one."
"Why should you give a dollar to a policeman? Give the dollar to me, and
I will go and take my dog."
"Not a penny, Aunt Fanny!" called Paul. "He would better leave now, and
quickly, or he will see what he will get."
It would have been hard for Paul to have told what the man would get,
but his determined manner had its effect and the man ran down the steps,
instantly followed by Turk.
Mrs. Steiner sank upon the sofa, pale and nervous; Fritz sat by her
shedding tears of regret that he had brought his dog to Frankfort; and
Pixy crept out from his covert and tried to comfort them.
"I feel nervous and exhausted over the dog fight, and the rudeness of
that man," said Mrs. Steiner, "and will lie down upon the sofa and rest
awhile. Franz, you and Paul can take the dishes and other things to the
kitchen and Fritz can put water on the gas stove to heat."
"Oh, Aunt Fanny, let us wash the dishes," said Paul.
"Certainly you may," and in great glee the two boys did the work
nicely, while Fritz fed Pixy and gave him fresh water.
"Now I feel rested," said Mrs. Steiner, rising, "and you boys have been
such a help that I have time to go out on business in the city. Who will
go with me?"
"I will go!" said Franz, "and I!" exclaimed Paul.
"Aunt Fanny, if you will excuse me, I will stay at home and write a
letter. Besides, I can rest," said Fritz.
"Certainly I will excuse you, dear child; and if you get tired of
staying alone and wish to take a walk, leave the key on the first floor
with the Steerers," and the three went cheerily down the steps and Fritz
was alone with his black friend.
"Pixy," he said as he commenced to write, "whom do you suppose my letter
is to? It is to Aunt Fanny for we are going home, Pixy; yes, going home.
We will surprise them. I will tell you how we will do, Pixy. When we are
near our house I will take off your cord, and you can run in the open
door of the store and see papa. Then you can run in the open door of the
house and see mamma and sister. Mamma will say, 'Why, here's Pixy!
Fritz cannot be far away.'"
This plan seemed to suit Pixy admirably, and Fritz continued with his
letter. When it was finished he folded and addressed it to "Dear Aunt
Fanny," and laid it upon the table. He hurried into the bedroom, put
such things in his knapsack as he would need before Paul and Franz came
home, strapped it over his shoulder, put his rain-coat over his left
arm, took the end of Pixy's cord in his right, and descended the steps
after carefully locking the door, and putting the key into the hands of
the Steerer servant, he set out for home.