The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-23
THE MUSICAL MOUSE.


tCopyrtghted, lssl, oy W. +. NofflaI
It was rather unkind OF them to call
him the musical mouse. and of course he
did not like IL; but he was so very small,
and his musical talent was 80 very great,
and he had such a quaint little wistful
face and such bright eyes that perhaps the
half-compassionate critic who first dubbed
him with that sobTiguet In print may be
acquitted of any malicious intention. At
all events, the nickname stuck to him,
and by it he was known throughout the
length and breadth of England; although
the posters which announced his periodi-
cal performances in London and the prov
inces continued, naturally enough, to de-
scribe him a. 1.-THE marvellous juvenile
pianist, Franz Ostermann." Not that
that was his real name, for the numerous
business letters received by his father and
iapresario were addressed to Mr.. John
Robinson, still his late mother had been a
Frauiein ostermann, and it must be
obvious to everybody that a juvenile
pianist should hail at least nominally
from the Fatherland.
1t may not be equally obvious to every.
body that the father of a Juvenile pianist
should be entitled to pocket the whole OF
that Juveniles pianist's earnings. and at
the age of IL this, somewhat suddenly,
ceased to present itself in the light OF an
absolute necessity to Master Franz. He
was a quiet and taciturn child; but that,
of course, did not prevent him from hay
Ing his own thoughts and his own ideas,
nor even fwhen favored by opportunity
from giving startling effect to them. Upon
several occasions he had shown himself
rccalcitrant: upon many occasions he had
been soundly whipped: upon few he had
carried his point. He was, therefore, by
no means without hope of success when,
Just as he was about to be led to the plat
form TO perform before large audience at
the well-known watering place of Winch
connie, he sat down resoluteiy and de-
clared, in his little high-pitched voice.
that unless DOE were given to him then
and there to do what he liked with he
would not play at all.
This was really terrible; for the nobility
and gentry of the neighborhood were wait
ing, and immediate corporal punishment
was out of the question, and the sympa-
thies of the small assembly in the artists
retiring room were entirely with good Mr..
Robinson, whose scowls and biandish-
mentS proved alike unavailing to move
the young rebel. IL was a case, Mr.. Rob-
inson felt. for provisional concession, and
he Accordingly promised his dear little
Franz that the sum demanded should be
paid that very evening. But Franz shook
his head; his terms said he, were money
down or no performance. Finally his
father produced two Is notes; somebody
lent him third, and somebody else made
up the total with five sovereigns. There
upon the musical mouse assumed his pro-
fessional smile. appeared before the audi
ence, and for the next hour and half
fairly enchanted all who had the privi-
lege of listening to him with his exquisite
renderings of the best composers"
Tho following is a transcript from the
Winchcombe Sentinel of the following day:
As matter of fact, he did not do much.
exquisite or otherwise. in the way of rem
dering." although his technical proficiency
was beyond dispute. and would have been
astonishing in q pianist of twice or three
times his age. In any case. his hearers
were enchanted; they applauded with all
their hands and feet, and as soon as the
recital was over not few ladies' found
their way into tho little room behind the
platform for the benevolent purpose of
making themselves personally acquainted
with the youthful enchanter This was
far from being novel experience to Franz
Ostermann. who submitted To feminine
caresses with the smile which he had been
taught that good manners required him to
put on at such times. but which did not
express extreme qualification. Feminine
caresses, indeed. were not agreeable TO
him: he would very gladly have dispensed
with them: even the advent of the
Dowager Lady Winchcombe herself-that
wealthy and powerful local celebrity
failed TO stir his emotions in the faintest
degree. lie had been kissed by expresses
and queens, not To speak of duchesses
marchionesses and counteSses innumera-
bic. and he had long ago arrived at the
conclusion that there IL no sort of pleas
ure in being kissed toy old women how
ever exalted their rank. Besides, some of
them had boards.
Lady Winchcombe had the advantage
over some of them. inasmuch rs she was