Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-03-05

set 1orth by the same gate and on the same road
taken by the menagerie. The whole city was
furious at not being able to learn whittier he
was going. 1t was night when the stranger
again returned to the gate in the post-c -chaisc.-
A person was.s sitting with him in the vehicle,
with his hat pressed closely down ovor his face,
and his mouth and ears bound in silk hand
kerchief. The gate-keeper considered it his du-
tty to speak to the second stranger and demand
his passport. His answer was surly, and growl-
ed out in some unintelligible language
at is my nephew" said the stranger, polite
ly, putting several silver coins into the gate
keepers hand she understands very little Ger
man. What he said just now was swearing at
out our being delayed here"
"Ah! if he is your nephew, SIR answered the
gate-keepcr, "of course he can enter without
passport. He will Elm your house, no doubt?"
"Certainly," said the strangers "and will
probably remain with me long while"
The gate-keeper made no further opposition,
and the stranger and his nephew passed into
the city. The burgomaster and the whole town
were much displeased with the conduct of the
gate-keepcr. He should at least have taken
notice of the nephew's language, it would then
have been an easy matter to decide what nation
he and his uncle belonged. The gate-keeper
asserted, in reply to these complaints, that it
was neither Italian nor French, but had sound
ed good deal like English and unless his
cars had deceived him. the younger gentleman
had said distinctly "Ros- bifl' BY this the gate
keeper helped himself out of his scrape, and, at
the same time, assisted the young man to a name
for nothing was talked of now in the city but
the young Englishman.
The young man, however, was no greater fire.
quenter of the bowling green or the tavern than
his uncle was but he furnished the people much
food for conversation in another way. 1t hap
pened now, not unfrequently, that in the hither-
to silent house would be heard a frightful up
roar and shreking so that the passers-by would
stop before the house in crowds, and gaze up
at the windows. The young Englishman would
be seen dressed in a red frock and green trous-
ers, his hair erect, and his appearance indicat-
ing terror, running with great speed through
the rooms, from window to window, the old
stranger pursuing him with hunting whip in
his hand, and often failing to ovcrtakc him
But it sometimes seemed to the crowd below
that he had succeeded it catching the young
man; for they could hear, issuing from the
rooms above, cries of anguish and sounds of
blows. The ladies of the city took such deep
concern in this cruel treatment of the youthful
stranger, that they induced the burgomaster at
last to take some notice of the affair." lie wrote
letter to the strange gentleman. in which he
alluded in vigorous tones to his harsh treatment
of his nephew, and threatened him, in case sim
liar scenes continued to transpire, with taking
the unfortunate young man under his especial
protection.
Imagine the surprise of the burgomaster when
he saw the stranger entering his doors for the
only time in ten years. The old gentleman ex-
cused his conduct towards his nephew on the
plea OF the peculiar directions of the parents of
the young man who had entrusted him with ed
ucatlon. lie stated that the youth was in most
respects clever and intelligent but that he learn
ed languages with great difficulty that he wish
ed so earnestly to make his nephew an accomp-
ahsd ks tt that he might afterwards
of Grunwiesel, and the progress made by him
was so discouraging, that on many occasions
there was no better course to pursue than to
beat it into him by suitable castigation. The
burgomaster expressed himself perfectly salts
fed with this explanation, recommendeda little
more moderation in the inhiction of chastise-
ment and reported in the evening at the beer
saloon, that he had rarely met, in his whole life
a better-informed and more agreeable gentle
man than the stranger. "rhe only pity is" he
added, "that he goes so little into society; but
| think, as soon as his nephew can speak lit
tie German he will visit our circle oftener."
BY this single incident the opinion of the city
was completely changed. They regarded the
stranger rs well-bred man, felt desire to cul-
tivate his acquaintance, and considered it to be
perfectly in order, when now and then fright
full shrek was heard to issue from the dcsolate
house. "lle is giving his nephew a lesson in
German" the Grunwieselonians said, and went
on without paying further attention to the mat
ter Three months passed by, and the tuition
in German seemed to have come to a close +; but
the old man went step further. There lived
in the city an old, infrm Frcnchman who gave
lessons in dancing to the young people. This
man the stranger summoned to his house. and
told him that he desired him to teach his neph-
ew to dance.
There was nothing, the Frcnchman secretly
declared, so wonderful in all the world as these
dancing lessons The nephew, tall, slim, young
man, with rather short legs, made his appear
ance he said, in red frock, his hair nicely curl
ed, wide trousers, and white gloves. He spoke
little, and with foreign accent, and seemed, in
the beginning, rather intelligent and docile but
| he frequently broke out into the most ridiculous
leaps, dancing the widest tours, in which he
made entrechatS which surpassed all the dancing
masters he had ever seen or heard Of When
it was attempted to check his extravagances, he
would pull off the delicate dancing-shoes from
his feet, throw them at the Frenchman's head
and run round the chamber on all fours Al
the noise, the old gentleman would rush out o
his room, in q large, red bed gown, and car
of gold paper on his head, and lay his whiT
heavily over his nephew's shoulders. The neph
ew would at once begin to howl in the mos
frightful manner, spring on the table and higf
bookcases, and even on the upper sashes Of the
windows, and talk all the time strange, foreign
language. The old gentleman would give hin
no respite, but, seizing him by the leg, would
pull him down, beat him soundly, and draw hi
neck-cloth tighter round his neck by the buckle
after which the nephew would become manner
ly and sober again, and the dancing-lesson g
on quietly to its close.
These dancing lessons very nearly killed tn,
old Frenchman but the dollar which regularl,
received and the good wine which the old gen
tleman brought out, always took him back tt
his pupil, often as he resolved never to set foo
in the hateful house again.
The people of Grunwiesel looked on thes
things very differently from the Frenchman.-
They settled in their own minds that the youn
gentleman possessed great talents for society
and the ladies in the place all congratulate
hemselves-sufiering as they did from grea
/, lack of gentlemen-on the acquisition of soyig
orous a dancer for the coming winter.
; One morning, the maids, returning from mark