The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-10-05

| II thought you were friend,
cried Kitty tearfully.
II am always your friend Miss Cos.
ser. but
"There are no butts between rea
fro nds.'
who could answer the mink other.
wise than in the affirmative?
"Good!" she continued. Then lister
to my plan. But first; your other
visitor is not a. subject of the Prince OF
Lutzingen. I think?"
Lamothe rose with quckness for
hich had not given him credit. NO
Miss Gosser," he replied. II am not a
Lutzingen subject at all. But as you
doubtless desire private talk with
the consult
Kitty, who was nothing if not un-
cercn onious, playfully pushed him back
into his chair. please don't CO." she
exclaimed eagerly. perhaps you can
help us. Now. gentlemen. I'll tell you
what I'm going to do. l am going ia
get expelled from the principality for
tho crime of lese-ma jesty."
gasped. And you expect me. q
British consult
ITO help? Yes, young man: but only
secretly You shan't be implicated. or
| iuIl any iiSh vi ii NlSSlHS. wi l ,iSh
OF you is to scribble me song. like
the ones you used to write before you
became an important parsonage. Wen
| rig up the music between us: and I
shall sing it tonight at the Nolks the
atre in Marbach. 1t must be a rat
tling attack on old Won Rottweiler, the
prime minister. and the rest of the
council; besides pitching into this gad-
| hn1lt pf prinrn Inbpnn
write me song-not ascurrilous song.
| you know, but a sort of parable that
the people can see through and UNDER
stand-l'll sing it at the Volks theatre.
There will be n tremendous sensation;
the house will be crowded, and
| And Miss Kitty Gosser will be
marched across the frontier. in charge
of a troop Of dragons
Precisely After that. success is
| easy. All the Fatherland's going TO
ring with Kitty Gosser and her song"
SO / yielded; and an hour or two
| later found us busy improvising an ac-
compartment for our song satire upon
| the rather brassy piano which / had
purchased from my predecessor in the
| consulate. ! do not claim any literary
quality for the verses: but they We're
popularity written, possessed a guam
tity of blunt humor, and could scarcely
fail OF being understood by the dullest
Witted burg'her Of Marbach. OF course.
] am an old Heidelberg man. and my
German is excellent. but without La
mohhe's assistance | could never have
hoped to turn out much diomatic
work. lAmothe coached Kitty care
fully in accent and pronunciation.
shall not intlict the full text of our
composition upon my readers. The
title. freely translated into English.
was When the Cats Away" and it
was simply a fable set to music,
crowded with allusions. and telling in
obvious parable THE story of Prince
Johann's abandonment of his realm TO
Herr Won Rottweiler and his gang of
corrupt ministers. Now as every one
knows. Johann NNIII. descends from
the mediaeval lords of Katzenberg or
Cats Mountain,'' so that when he
figured in our satire as
prnccly puS>y.cat, sleek and fine
Tile twcntythird of an ancient line.
the application to his highness was
plain enough.
There was no mistaking the "Old
Father RAT whom we introduced into
the chorus of our song, for that hap
pened to be Won Rottweiler's nickname
among the good people of Lutzingen: |
and the gray whiskers of the prime |
minister We're well known to daring |
carcaturists.
1T will dot will do splendidly." |
cried the enthusiastic Miss Closer.
when after Lamothe. who proved to be
sklllful musician, had improvsed
lively. roeuiSh air ana an orthodox |
score, she sang the dogSerel for the
hrSt time in its complete form: and |
although the words were bad enough |
in all conscience, kitty managed to
make them wondrously effective. so
mat l WaNed nervous over my share
in its composition, and trembled for
the consequences to Kitty. We drank
a bottle Of chapaSnc in its honor. how
ever, and then Kitty left us with fer
vent thanks, and an eager invitation
to visit the, Volks theater in Marbach
on the evening to hear her scnsa tional
triumph.
Let me whisper an important
secret. she said, at parting. "Von
Rottweiler and nearly all the council
OF state have promised to be present
at the theater. | invited them per-
Next day | locked up the consulate,
and took the so-called schnelzingl for
Marbach. / found the old capital of
lutzinsen placarded with gaudy bills
announcing that the great English
singer Miss kitty Gosser. was to ap-
pear that evening at the Volks theater,
under the special patronage of his eX-
rellency, the Herr Baron Won Bottwei-
Ter and the members of the state
council. Punctually at the appointed
time ! was AT the theater, and pur-
chased seat In the parque,, or stall
from which | could see almost every
corner of the house with ease. The
place filled quickly, for Ktty's astute
advertising had aroused curiosity-and
the Marbachers have always been a
theater- going folk. TO the right of
he stage was the royal box, surmounl-
ed by the crowned and rampant cata-
mount, which is tho historic cognizance
of the princes OF Lutzingen. But the
leaVy purple curtains We're close down,
I'm gloomy reminder of the fact that
Johann NNlIl dwelt no longer among 5
his people. Opposite was the minister
al box blazing with lights in honor
or Won Rottweiler's coming,
The curtain raiser" concluded with
Il touch of thar homely Wertherish ,
pathos so popular in German middle !
class theaters, and the manager came !
forward to announce Miss Kitty Cos
er. The band played a lively measure. 4
The Kitty tripped into view, and I saw, 1
% my amusement, that the little mink 5
na! dressed herself in catskins, real /
II else ingenious limitations, For head