The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-04-23
LOVES sTRATAGEM;
cHE DARK-EYED STRANGER AND THp
wRINKLED OLD MAN.
BY MARLEY GowES.


1t was a little village called Biunder-
not in Fairy-land, but in Maine-lund-
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 th-
reason that it was such n busy little vii
lage; for, though it had only one street.
and a church, and n school-hollse ,yk
and a blacksmith's shop,) it WAS the
most uneasy little place imaginable and
so conceited.
In the middle house of tho right-hand
row lived the musician of the place
little wrinkled old man, with a wooden
leg, ratty hair, and q hooked nose, and
a face that was always wrinkling up, as
If it were making a net to catch ideas
they called him ''thc professor and
the squire's daughter, and the doctors
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 "olive-branches," took les
sons Of him. And on Summer EVENING".
when he used to sit playing Herr Wors-
tanadrum's adagio movement, in 9
double-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 q wise, and enlightened, and
noble. and a~rt-loving people are we
Fundamentally
He was q very absent man, this pro.
lessor; for his brain was so full of crotch
cts and quavers that he couldn't tell o
cup of coffee from a sheet of music, and
wore his wooden leg upside down half
the time; and whenever his daughter
Martha (who was Il sort of Maine fairy,
and kept his house in order, and his
queer old ideas Strengthened out would
say, FEATHER, the squirrels daughter, or
the doctors daughter, is waiting fer
you," off went the professor like a 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 tho B~lundernarians would
raise their hands and say once more, one
to another:
sorr'
But, after awhile. there found his way
TO the village a young man, with dark.
thoughtful eyes, and long. curling hair.
who unpacked his trunks and set I'D o
huge sign, announcing that he was q
professor also. And all the neighbors.
as 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 afl
the Blundernarians laughed-for the
hrst few notes were not q bit Like Herr
" orstanadrum :.
lie heard the laugh. but he played "a
nd, presently, there camo though II,
sounds like the rustlipg Of PIN.
I'd murmur OF water, and the songs ~
o:rds, and shouts of children, uad INK.
Ing of bells; and all the BluBlerraaN.s
who didn't carry handkerchiefs fell b
their eyes on their aprons Az
'1ckct-sleeves; and bang! went the win
Of the professor, who had been lis
And all that night he sulked -
us easy-chair, aud wouldn't speak =
-ord to his daughter Martha when sh.
urged him to go TO bed.
After that. the %squire's daughter found
cut what handsome eyes the Young pro
lessor had, and told the DOCTORS daugb
ter; and then all the Blundcrnarians dis
covered that the old professor WIS gu
of date. aud shabby, and cructy, and |
queer, and u goose instead of n swan.
and in a little while his pupils had all
dropped off. And the crowd was around
young mans window, who had al |
something rev to play; and tn,
old man sat Sowing in his easy-chair,
played Herr Worstanadrum with tn.
,gud pedal. ana half sIEoc.tAd Martha
and himself. because he wouldn't have
che windows opened.
Poor little Martha went around Will
Ter blue eyes swimming in tears. and
her rosy lips 1uivering all the time; and
whenever she passed the young mans
window, she used to dart such savage
Glanccs at it as, il they had been pistol
balls, would certainly have made an eng
of him-as he always happened TO b'
there when she went by.
So matters went on, till n evening
when Martha was almost as sulky as hc'
father-because that day she had los
N of her two handkerchicfS-in her in
dignation at the professors presumins
to bow to her, the door opened, and tn.
dark-eyed stranger came quietly in.
holding her handkerchiefs as a flag Of
truce.
Martha Redeemed, and her father wa.
80 tart and crusty that she was fright
ened; but the young man would not &C
till he had heard Herr Worstanadrum's
adagio-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 q terrible bang and
came away, vowing that the piano was
--arely out of tune,
There was quite a silence, and then
the stranger rose to go; but the surly old
man fancied that he was frightened al
Herr Worstanadrum and would not hen
of his stirring till he played likewise.
With a deep sigh, the young mat
seated himself at the instrument. The
professor wrinkled his face, took off hi.
spectacles, and cooked his ear critically
while Martha turned her back to hid,
her tears-till, hearing 3 great sniff be.
hind her, she saw that her father wa
weeping, and making the most terrible
grimaces to hide it.
When he had finished, the old profes
sor got up, and shut the piano withou.
n word; and Martha, flushed and trem