The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
LOVES SrRATAGEM;
... OR,
THE DARK-EYED STRANGER AND THE
wRINKLED OLD MAN
BY MARLEY GOWEN.


It was little village called Blunder-
not in Fairy-land, but in Maine-land-
Just out of the shadow of the solemn
forests, and where it could see and flash
back the smile of the restless, dancing,
moaning sea; and perhaps that was the
reason that it was such busy little vii
lage; for, though it had only one street.
and church, and schoOl-h0use (oh!
and blacksmith's shop,) it was the
most uneasy little place imaginable
SO conceitcd.
In the middle house of the right-hand
row lived the musician of the place-a
little wrinkled old man, with wooden
leg, ratty hair, and hooked nose, and
face that was always wrinkling up, as
If it We're making net to catch ideas
They called him 1.-THE professor;'' and
the squire's daughter, and the doctor $
daughter, and the lawyers wife, and
the two rich old maids that are to be
found in every village, and six of the
minister's ''oliye-b branches" took les
sons of him. And on Summer evenings,
when he used to sit playing Herr Wors-
tanadrttm's adagio movement, in G
Gouble-sharp minor, all the village used
to gather round his house, and say, soft
ly, one to another:
''What a great man is the professor,
and what wise, and enlightened, and
noble, and art-loving people are we
Blumdernariansr'
He was a very absent man, this pro-
fessor; for his brain was so full of crotch
cts and quavers that he couldn't tell a
cup of coffee from n sheet of music, and
wore his wooden leg upside down half
the time; and whenever his daughter
Martha (WhO was a sort of Maine fairy,
and kept his house in order, and his
queer old ideas Strengthened out, } would
say, feather, the squirc's daughter, or
the doctors daughter, is waiting for
yOu,h off went the professor like shot
his faded dressinG-gown streaming in
the wind. his ratty locks uncovered, and
his sound foot without shoe or stocking,
hopping through the streets like mad;
and then all the Blundernarians would
raise their hands and say once more, one
to another:
''Oh, what great man is the profess
sorr'
But, after awhile. there found his way
to the village young man, with dark,
thoughtful eyes, and long, curling hair,
who unpacked his trunks and set up a
huge sign, announcing that he was q
professor also. And all the neighbors,
rs they went by, used to sniff at it and
say:
81 guess he can't play Herr Worstan-
adrum's piecesr' And there was
greater crowd round the old professors
house than ever.
The young man, however, didn't seem
to take it much to heart; but one even
ing, when his neighbor had finished the
adagio movement in G double-sharp
minor, he sat down to his piano; and all
the Blundernarians laughed-for the
first few notes were not bit like Herr
Worstanadrum'
He heard the laugh, but he played on;
and presently, there came through the
window sounds like the rustling of pines
and murnur of water, and the songs of
birds, and shouts of children, and tink-
ling of bells; and all the Blundernarians
who didn't carry handkerchiefs fell to
wiping their eyes on their aprons and
jacket sleeves; and bang! went the win
dow of the professor, who had been lis
tening. And all that night he sulked in
his easy-chair, and wouldn't speak a
word to his daughter Martha when she
urged him to 90 to bed.
After that, the squire daughter found
out what handsome eyes the young pro-
fessor had, and told the doctors daugh-
ter; and then all the Blundernarians dis
covered that the old professor was out
of date, and shabby, and crusty, and
queer, and goose instead of a swan;
and in little while his pupils had all
dropped off. And the crowd was around
the Young mans window, who had al
ways something new to play; and the
or PLAYED Herr WOrstanadrum with the
loud pedal and half suffocated Martha
and himself, because he wouldn't have
the windows opened.
Poor little Martha went around with
her blue eyes swimming in tears, and
her rosy lips quivering all the time; and
whenever she passed the young mans
window, she used to dart such savage
glances at it as, if they had been pistol
balls, would certainly have made an end
of him-as he always happened to be
there when she went by.
SO matters went on, till one evening,
when Martha was almost rs sulky rs hel
father-because that day she had lost
one of her two handkerchiefs-in her in
dignation at the professors presumine
! to bow to her, the door opened, and the
| dark-eyed stranger came quietly in
holding her handkerchiefs as flag O
! truce.
Martha redeemed, and her father wa.
! so tart and crusty that she was fright
| ened but the young man would not gC
till he had heard Herr Worstanadrum'
whereupon the old professor
who was flushed and angry, played it
terribly out of time, made false notes
and at last got his poor old hands so en-
tangled that he gave terrible bang an'
came away, vowing that the piano wa
entirely out of tune.
There was quite silence, and theI
the stranger rose to 90; but the surly ole
man fancied that he was frightened a
Herr Worstanadrum, and would not hea
of his stirring till he played likewise.
With deep sigh, the young maj
seated himself at the instrument. Th
professor wrin<led his face, took off hi
spectacles, and cooked his ear critically
while Martha turned her back to hid
her tears-till, hearing a great sniff be
hind her, she saw that her father wa
weeping, and making the most terribl
grimaces to hide it.
When he had finished, the old profes
sor got up, and shut the piano withou
word; and Martha, flushed and trcm
bling, went with the strangerto the doc
for she knew from her fathers loo
that he was saying to himself that h
would never play again.
On the doorstep she thought to loo
at the handkerchief; but it was fine
than any she had ever owned, and beau
tifully embroidered.
''Take it," she said, handing it bacl
"This is not mine"
Il know it." answered the youn
man; ''but kept yours purposely. Col
would moi hnN II of me = And with