The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-29


1t wassa 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 a schooI-house (oh!
and blaeksmith's shop,) it was the
most uneasy little place imaginable and
SO conceited.
In the middle house of the right-hand
row lived the musician of the place
little wrinkled old man, with q 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
ministers 'solive-branches," took les
sons of him. And on Summer evenings,
when he used to sit playing Herr Wors-
tanadrum's adagio movement, in G.
double-sharp minor, all the village used
to gather round his house, and say, soft
", one to another:
''What great man is the professor,
and what a wise, and enlightened, and
noble, and art-loving people are we
Blundernariansn
He was a very absent man, this pro-
fessor; for his brain wasso full of crotch
cts and quavers that he couldn't tell a
cup of coffee from a sheet of music, and
wore his wooden leg upside down half
the time; and whenever his daughter
Martha fwho was a sort of Maine fairy,
and kept his house in order, and his
queer old ideas Strengthened out, would
say, Father, the sqnire's daughter. or
the doctors daughter, is waiting for
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 the Blundernarians would
raise their hands and say once more, one
TO another:
tt0h, what great man is the profess
sori''
But, after awhile. there found his way
to the village young man, with dark,
thoughtful ewes, and long, curling hair,
who unpacked his trunks and set up a
huge sign. announcing that he was
professor also. And all the neighbors,
as they went by, used to sniff at it and
say:
Il 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 the
first few notes were not bit like Herr
Worstanadrunl's 5.
He heard the laugh, but he played on;
and, presently, there came through the
window sounds ike the rustling of pines
and murmur 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 bangi went the VIM
dow of the professor, who had been lis
tening. And all that night he sulked in
his easy-ehair, and wouldn't speak
word to his daughter Martha when she
urged him to go to bed.
After that, the squire daughter found
out what handsome eyes the young pro-
lessor had. and told the doctors daugh-
ter; and then all the Blundernarians dis
covered that the old professor was ont
of date. and shabby, and crusty, and
queer, and goose instead of a swan;
and in a little while his pupils had all
dropped of. And the crowd was around
the Young man S window, who had al
ways something new to play; and the
old man sat scowling in his easy-ehair,
a hfa
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
chances at it as, If they had been pistol
balls, would certainly have made an end
of hiIn-as he always happened to be
there when she went by.
So matters went on, till one evening,
when Martha was almost as sulky as her
father-because that day she had lost
one of her two handkerchiefs-in her in
dignafion at the professors presuming
to bow to her, the door opened, and the
dark-eyed stranger came quietly in,
holding her handkerchief as . flag of
truce.
Martha Redeemed, and her father was
SO tart and crusty that she was fright
ened; but the young man would not go
till he had heard Herr Worstanadrum'
adagio-whereupo 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 a terrible bang and
came away. vowing that the piano was
entirely out of tune.
There was quite silence. and then
the stranger rose to go; but the surly old
man fancied that he was frightened at
Herr Worstanadrum. and would not hear
of his stirring till he played likewise.