The Portland daily press., 1875-07-17
Notes From A German
Band.
BY Mary Cecil Hay, Author of cold Myd-
deiton's Money" etc.
CHATTER I.-WINTER.

CHATTER I.-WINTER.
1t was of no use. Karlschen came back to
US with only one halfpenny in his hat. We
played again and again on our way down the
street; yet as / said, it was OF no use. Little
Fritz, in despair, followed his brother into
some of the shops, but without any result ;
and for once his eyes lost their brightness.
so we put up our instruments, and, with a
dogged contempt, turned our backs upon the
mean old town.
As the band calls me Leader, 1 like to lead
at all times. / mean, / try to lead when the
way lies long and cold or dark and wet before
us, or when our spirits threaten to fail. So
l made a cheerful start along the wide white
road. Peter kept briskly up with his from
bone tucked under his arm that he might
beat together the great wooden gloves which
had been knitted by that beautiful Marguerite
who, as we all knew, was waiting for him in
the Vaterland. Hopeful fellow There is
hardly ever time when Peters spirits fail.
He is always confident about tomorrow,
however gloomy things may look to-day.
Behr was in an unusually gruff and difficult
humor-smOking without his pipe, as Peter
said-so he fell behind, STOPPING under his
cumbersome viOloncello, and bullying the lit
tie brother violinists, as if warmth and COM
fort could be derived from the hot words.
When anything goes wrong with Behr, he
,ldIio UdCA upOu UulyluS luG UOyS,
especially Fritz, whose bright temper seems a
continual aggravation. Little Karl-keepng
up persistent trot-was sobbing with the
cold, his tears dropping dolefully into the
scarf in which his chin was buried and Fritz,
even while his teeth chartered, was trying to
cheer him by the prospect of how warm we
should all be presently"
On in front of us, and in silence, marched
Heiner, one hand clasping his clarionet in its
hon orad tba atba I;e fot ro1lo
from those two articles Of his Heiner is insep-
arabic. He was more low-spirited than ever,
and yet he had been so low-spirited all day
that every note he played had been lower a
good deal than it was written. 81 know" he
observed dismally, when 1 limited at this,
'Tbat's the worst of my clarionet; l never
can depend upon it." Besides this want of
dependence on his own instrument, Heiner
undergoes wearing fear of any remnant of
his food lodging in the reed after meal, and
also suffers almost constantly from a sore lip J;
during which suffering he is given surrepti-
tiously to lapse into silent rest, holding his
instrument in his mouth with beautiful
correctness in the angle, and blowing out his
cheeks so naturally that, if 1 chance to look,
the sight takes my breath more than my
cornet does.
l dropped behind presently, and walked be-
side Behr for the boys sakes. There is a
good deal of trouble sometimes in keeping
the peace where Behr is concerned; but still
the comfort Of our wandering life depends so
much upon peace that no trouble is too great
to make it worth my while 10 take it. 81
wouldn't have your temper, Cello, for all
your height and magnificent proportions"
would be the occasional remark of the cheer
full little trombonist, whose height is just five
feet, and who weighs scarcely eight stone.
We pushed on along the snowy road, bend
ing our heads before the cutting wind, and
trying all kinds of experiments to keep the
life in our fingers, and to keep away depless-
ing thoughts. The short Winter day would
soon close in, and we had but poor pros
pect OF a nights rest and refreshment
Times had been bad with us ever since the
severe weather set in, and we had no money
left of our store. The few pence now in our
possession would not pay even for beds to-
night, and it began to look as if we were not
to earn any more.
"How much have we got altogether, Lead
erp' inquired Behr, making dead pause
before little snow-roofed tavern, the very
sight of which was enough to aggravate our
WEAKNESS and hunger.
"Ninepence," answered, and my voice
was heavy enough.
ga very unusual state of affairs, as well as
depressing" put in Peter, promptly; 'and
being SO long since it happened before, we
have every reason to feel that it will be years
before it can happen again."
Therefore," said |, "let us go in and en-
joy what we can afford, and leave the future
to fate"
1--WE can, at any rate, warm our noses,"
added Peter, whose mode of warming his
nose was to take up central position on the
hearth with his back to the fire.
so Leader" Whispered Karschen, looking
on into the warm kitchen with longing eyes
and lips, 81 should so like some tea.''
''Three pints of spiced sixpenny." That
was the order Behr gave roughly as he passed
in. "That's best for all of u.s." he added to
me, in tone that might have been meant to
be bit of an apology.
did not dissent, for l saw that ci-cum-
stances were very much against his recover
ing his good humor even avih the aid of
warm spiced ale.
Snow, boys, get good warm," l said.
wished we could afford them tea-ay, and
plenty of bread and butter with it too-but
knew that the ale would do them good,
though tney shouldn't care for it.
''Put that down. 1t isn't for babies like
you.".
Fritz was taking the tanKard from Peter,
after it had been round to the others, when
Behrs words startled us.
"Leave the child alone, Cello" put in
Peter, leaving the tankard with Fritz and re-
suming his standing place upon the heal th
He has as good a right to it as we have.
He plays as much and walks as far Beer
believe to be as acceptable to youth as
to age"
"There's little enough" grumbled Behr,
"without these infants making it less.''
''Ihey deserve. at any rate, half as much
as we have ourselves" said.
"Then measure it out 10 them," replied
Behr, addressing me sulkily, cor you may be
pretty sure they'll take more"
''You drink, Karlschen," said Fritz, pass
ing the cup to his little brother; 81 don't
care about any,"
''Pm not going to stand that" commented
Peter promptly; "nor are you, Leader, see.
Clarry, what do you say about it ?' As you
see, we had fallen into habit of calling each
other after our instruments.
81 don't mind. Settle it as you like" re-
turned Heiner pathetically, as he stopped
over the fire. most practically warming his
nose which was very warm indeed.
''Bah," retorted Peter with good-humored
impatience, ''bah, Clarry, would be friend
or foe, or else I'd be neither"
While 1 was wondering what Peter con-
sidered Heiner to be, if not friend or foe
or nelther, Behr went up 10 the children. At
the same moment the tankard fell with a.
crash to the floor, and the ale ran smoking
along the boards. Whether Karlschen was
frightened when he saw Behr coming TO take
it from him, or whether the chid5s hands
were too cold to hold it, I don't know.
only saw that the greater half of our warm
beverage was flowing at our feet, and that
there was no help for it now. ''''
81 didn't do IT." cried Karlschen, catching
in his breath, and looking up frightened into
Behr's wrathful face. "Fritz, you tell him
that [ didn't do it.''
/ really don't think the lad knew this was
a cowardly speech, because Fritz had alwavs
taken all blame from his timid little brother,
and always would.
Scan he?" sneered Behr, 'ithen he did it
himself; so thereW dealing Fritz sharp
hiosv ON tho haa1