Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-03-29

Il. 4
they called him. immensely
In this way the nephew of the s,rang er
came before long, to be held in high ia
vor in the city and environs. No one
could recall ever having seen a young
man like him in Grunwiesel before and
be was, indeed, the strangest apparition
which had ever visited their borders
No one could accuse him of any cultiva-
ton, of any kind, except, perhaps, little
dancing. AT round game at the burgo-
masters house, it once fell to his lot to be
obliged 10 write something, and it was
found that he could not even sign his
name. In geography he made the most
stupendous blunders; for he made 10
hesitation In locating a German city in
France, or Danish one in Poland. He
had read nothing; he had studied moth
ing; and the priest often shook his head
significantly over the dreadful ignorance
OF the young gentleman. Still, in spite
of this, everything he said and did was
held to be excellent for he was impu-
dent enough to insist always upon being
right, and the last words of every remark
he made were, Il understand this much
better than you"
The scenes of his greatest triumphs,
however, were the Grunwiesel balls. No
one danced SO perseverIngly, none so Wig
orously as he no one made such bold j.,
such graceful jumps. HIS uncle dressed
hun for such occasions in the newest and
handsomeSt fashions; and, although it
was impossible to make his clothes fit,
yet everybody considered his dress charm
mo ha IL, l.
fence, at these balls, at the new style
which he introduced. Hitherto the bur
gomaster had always opened the bail IN
person, and the most highly born young
men exercised the right of regulating the
rest of the dances; bat since the young
Englishman's arrival, total change had
been brought about. He would seize the
prettiest glrl by the hand, without leave
or license. take his place with her in the
figure, manage everything as he pleased,
and constitute himself without ceremony,
lord, master. and king of the ball. But
as the ladies found these manners ex-
tremely elegant, the young men dared
not venture on resistance, and the eccen-
trio nephew retained unopposed his self
assumed dignity and rank.
Such was the behavior adopted by the
nephew al balls and parties in Grunwie-
sci. AS is too often the case III other
matters, bad habits come into vogue much
easier than good ones. and a new and
striking fashion, especially if it be ridic-
uious, has ever something In 1t highly at
iractIve 10 the young, who have not vet
formed an accurate or sensible Judgment
of themselves and the world. So it was
III Grunwiesel with the nephew and his
extraordinary manners. For when the
younger world perceived that be won
more admiration than he incurred rebuke
for his awkward habits, his loud iaug h,er,
and his lnsolent answers 10 his seniors,
and that these passed merely as evidences
of his spiritual nature, they thought to
themselves: Nothing is easier than to
make myself such another spiritual brute"
They had formerly been industrious, clev-
er youths but how they thought: "Of
what use is learning, when ignorance
carries a man so much farther?" So,
abandoning their books, they spent their
time IN dissipation on the streets.
Till now the Grunwiesel young men
had entertained a proper dislike to a
rough and vulgar demeanor; now they
sang all SORTS of vile songs, smoked huge
pipes of tobacco, and spent much time In
low pot-houses, for with them they re-
senbled the young Englishman. AT home
or on a visit, they lay down in their boots
and spurs on the ottemans; at assemblies
they tilted their thalrs, or put both elbows
on the table. In vain their older friends
represented 10 them how foolish, how dis
graceful this behavior was; they referred
to the shining example of the nephew
1t was said to them, in vain, that GER
tain degree of ru1eness must be forgiven
Eng ish birth; the young Grunwieselo-
mans declared that they had as good a
right as the bes. EngIishman in the world
to be vulgar in a spiritual way. Ia short
it was a general complaint that gentle
manly breeding and behavior had been
entirely eradica,ed from Grunwiesel by
the evil example of the young stranger.
Blu, the pleasure of the young men, In
their rude and reckless life, was of short
duration, for :he following incident chan
ged the whole aspect of affairs. A grea,
concert was resolved upon, to close the
winter amusements, to be given partly by
the regular city musicians. partly by skill.
ful amateurs of Grunwissel. The burg.
omaster played the vloloncello, the doc;o,
bassoon. with grea, skill, the anethecary
though he had no ear, blew the flute, sew.
eral young ladies' of the city had studied
arias, and every preliminary had beer
carefully arranged. The old stranger
expressed the opinion, that, though th'
concert would doubtless be admirable a.
| it was, he noticed that no duet vas inclu
ded III the programme, and that a due
was, as every one knew, a necessary el
ement of every concert. This opinio
occasioned good deal Of embarrassment
The burgomas,er's daughter, to be sure
sang like nightingale but where wa
the gentleman who could sing a duet wit
herl They thought, at last, of faliin
back on the old organist, who had sung a
excellent bass In former days; but ID