Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-12-07

out OF the cart, various dishes ready
dressed, some bottles of wine, and all
the materials of an excellent dinner
| Gan you not inform me, my good
friend, who was the person who sent
you 2 said NJ. Mozart to the cook.
/ 4 cannot satisfy you, sir said the
man, respectfully.
The maitre de chapelte insisted.
well then, sir your son knows who
sent me- said the cook.
Yes cried Wolfgang, 'and Fred
erica knows biml too it was mes
senger and friend of the great ST..
John Nepomucene =
sFor heavens sake explain this
mystery said M. Mozart to the cook.
/ Sir replied the man, 4 can tell
you nothing, except that the dinner is
paid for-you can eat it without hesi-
tation. If you wish to know more,
let your son place himself as the
piano, and improvise sonata, then a
person will appear. Do not ask me
any more questions for | must not
answer them
The dinner being served, the cook
retired with his assistant, mounted
his cart, and drove away.
Little Wolfgang was the fist to
break the silence after the departure
of the cook.
| well, he said did not | tell youi
sAh brother = said Frederick, 4
| thought that the stranger gentleman
was making sport of us, but now
see myself that it was not So
my dear children said Master
Mozart, 'let us sit down to the table.
The generous man who has sent us
this dinner is, doubtless, good friend
who has been semitic us, even though
he may not be the messenger Of ST.
John Nepomncene. let us drink
his health-his name is unknown to
us, bat the remembrance of him will
always rem in in our hearts !!
You may suppose how merry they
were over the repast; the family of
Mozart had never dined so splendidly.
AS to the children, they had never
seen such feast; and they were still
in the midst of their joy, when the
clock of a neighboring convent struck
two. Wolfgang bounded from the
chair.
where are you going?' inquired
his mother.
TO compose sonata, to make the
gentleman appear, who gave US this
dinner
Then he placed little stool upon
which he stood, before the piano, for
he was so little that his elbows did
not reach the keys.
At first he ran up the scales, with
an energy and percision extraordinary
in child SO young and feeble; then
he passed to the meditation Of cords,
and finally improvised theme so
sweet, that the maitre de chdpelle
and his wife remained dumb with sur
prise. Then, as he abandoned him
self to the exuberaDce Of his infantlne
imagination his fingers flew over the
keys; touched with the hand of y
master, they would now utter their
full sound then gently pressed, ca
ressed as it were, they would give
forth tones SO expressive, that tears
stood in the eyes of Mozart and his
| wife.
Soitened, moved beyond expression
by the melting sounds which Wolf
gang drew from his instrument, they
all forgot not only the dinner, but the
the promised visit of the stranger.
Come hither that | may embrace
you, Master Wolfgang Mozart 2 cried
the maitre de chapelle, with the en-
thusiasm OF father and an artist !;
with the help of God, our Lady, and
the great St. John Nepomucene, thou
wilt be one day great performer,
great composer, great man. but
who will push thee forward in the
world, poor unknown child who will
rescue thee from the obscurity in
which thou art plunged by my pow
erty? Who will protect thee ?
Il willn exclaimed a voice from
without. 1t was that of the stranger.
On beholding him, Wolfgang ran and
took hold of his hand.
'Seer he exclaimed, there is the
friend of the great Nepomucene.'
Scarcely, however, had the maitre
de chapslte set his eyes on the stran
ger then rising with an aspect Of deep
respect, he bowed profoundly as he
said,
His Majesty, the Emperor of Aus
| tria."
Some days after this adventure,
Madame Mozart was shedding tears,
while she prepared for the departure
of her husband and son.
'We are going to the court OF the
Empress Maria Theresa, that so wise,
and SO virtuous; we are going there
at the invitation of her august hus.
band himself, Francis the First
AT six years old. to begin life OF
labor said the poor mother, sitting
her signs.
But | shall work for you, dear
mamma, and that will be life Of
pleasure replied Wolfgang, throwing
himself on his mothers neck.
An hour afterwards, the maitre de
chupeHe and his son We're on their
way to Vienna. On their arrival
they were informed that the Emperor
would receive them tie next day
At the same time, orders were given
for the arrangement of the concert, to
which all the lords and ladies of the
court were invited, to hear the won
: derIul child.
The next day the elder Mozart went
out TO visit his friends, and on his re-
turn he found his son capering about
the chamber.
Il have said nay prayers and prae.
ticed," exclaimed the boy and now
| am resting myself
"A pretty sort of rest, replied the
father, laughing.
Every one, papa answered the
| boy sfalia.vs his atun e. Sbiou