The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1859-03-03
1BERTvILLE, n. j, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1869

Imagine the surprise ofthe 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 his
education. He stated that the youth was in
most respects clever and intelligent, but that he
learned languages with great difficulty that he
wished so earnestly to make his nephew an &C.
complished German scholar that he might after
wards take the liberty to introduce him to the
society of Grunwiesel, and the progress made
by him was SO discouraging, that on many oc-
caSions there was no better course to pursue
than to beat it into him by suitable castiga-
ton. The burgomaster expressed himself per-
fectly satisfied with this explanation, recon-
mended a little more moderation in the infection
of chastisement, and reported in the evening at
the eer-saloon, that he had rarcly met, in his
whole life a better-informed and more agreeable
is" he added &C. that he goes so little into soci-
ETY. but I think, as soon as his nephew can
speak little German he will visit our circle
oftener"
By this single incident the opinion of the city
was completely changed. They regarded the
stranger as a well-bred man, felt desire to
cultivate his acquaintance, and considered it to
be perfectly in order, when now and then a
frightful shrek was heard to issue from the desc
late house. He is giving his nephew lesson
in German" the Grunwieselonians said and went
on without paying farther attention to the mat
ter. Three months passed by and the tuition
in German seemed to have come to close but
the old man went step further There lived
in the city an DID, infrm Frenchman, 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 nephew
10 dance.
There was nothing, the Frenchman secretly
declared, so wonderful in all the world as these
dancing lessons The nephew, a tall, slim,
young man, with rather short legs made his
appearance, he said in red frock, his hair nice
" curled, wide trousers, and white gloves. He
spoke little, and with a 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 entire chats, which surpassed
all the dancing masters he had ever seen or heard
Of When it was attempted to check his ex-
travagances, 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 tours At the noise, the old gentleman
would rush out of his room, in large red bed
gown, and a cap of gold paper on his head, and
lay his whip heavily over his nephew,s shoulders.
The nephew would at once begin to howl in the
most frightful manner spring on the table and
high bookcases and even on the upper sashes
of the windows, and talk all the time strange,
foreign language. The old gentleman would
give him no respite, but, selling him by the leg,
would pull him down, beat him soundly, and
draw his neck-cloth tighter round his neck by
the buckle; after which the nephew would be-
come mannerly and sober again; and the
dancing lesson go on quietly to its close.
These dancing lessons very nearly killed the
old Frenchman but the dollar which he regu-
larly received and the good wine which the old
gentleman brought out, always took him back
to his pupil, often as he resolved never to set
foot in the hateful house again. la.
The people of Grunwiessel looked on these
things very differently from the Frenchman.
They settled in there own minds that the young
gentleman possessed great talents for society
and the ladies in the place all congratulated
themselves suffering as they did from great
lack of gentlemen-on the acquisition of so vig-
orous a dancer for the coming winter
One morning, the maids, returning from mar
ket, described to their masters and miste es a
singular incident. They had seen an elegant
carriage standing before the strangers house,
and servant in rich livery holding the step.
Two gentlemen had entered the crrriage, the
servant sprung into the boot behind, and the
carriage-only imagine it!--drove straight off
to the house of the burgomaster
Everywhere people were in raptures with the
two strangers, and regretted only that they had
not made their acquaintance earlier. The old
gentleman showed himself to be well-bred,