Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-04-25

Il
!. was going to get home without the
/. knowing Of the fiddle until "
= stopped at little crossroads grocer
called Shanghai to warm mp. The
. Burners curiosity got the best of hin
+ and he simply had TO see that fiddll
. He brought it in from the sled an
opened the box beside the stove.
: "such a looking fiddle as that wa
You never saw. There were no string
on it, no keys, no tail-piece, nothin,
! but the bare frame. and that locke
sadly out of tune. ] was about heart
broken and the boys were mad be
cause ! had not bought the shotgun
so got no consolation from them
But Bruner said not to mind it, as i
might be pretty good fiddle if i
was fixed up a little and he had tn,
necessary fXings.
1T was nearly midnight when he
landed me at home, but he was 50
anxious TO try the fiddle that he told
me to go to bed and he would be back
just as soon as he could put his team
away and get the parts that the fiddle
needed to put it in shape for playing
II was not more than half an hour
before he was back at the house again
and a little later he had the old in
strument strung up and going in good
shape. ! was surprised at the music
he got out of it, and was very much
pleased with my bargain when he
pronounced it "A pretty fair sort Of
fiddle after ALL
Il never had a great amount Of nse
for violin, never playing one except
tor my own amusement. but | hung
onto that old instrument through the
financial trials of many years. That
| never pawned il is due probably to
the fact that one can get practically
nothing on violin from a junk dealer.
] do not suppose that IL had cost tht
man Of whom | got it more than tn
price Of a meal or two at the most.
As ! say, | hung onto that old
fiddle, and it remained nothing more
than a fiddle until 1894 It was SADLY
ont Of repair at that time, the string
We're gone and Il lacked a key or two
and as | looked it over one day |
thought | would have it fixed % and
get q little amusement for myself and |
for the neighbors out Of III
again. With that purpose in view
one day took it down to John Bow
man; he then had a musical repair
shop on State street near VanBurep.
and asked him TO fix 1t up as best he
could. He unwrapped it and. without
saying a word to me, picked up one
u the tools on his work bench and
began cutting the top off.
What are you doing there9 o
asked, rather amazed at the treat
nent the poor old thing was receiy.
ng.
Do you want to sell this? he
sked in reply
No., / said, I want it fixed up so I
can play it, but You don't have to
MT 1t to pieces to fix It, do your /
II don't believe you know what I
GU have here, but IL | am not mistak I
n you have one of Matthias Neuner's {
Instruments, and / want to see the in G
cription that should be under here |
nd he continued his operation until Y
he lid was off.
No, the inscription is not here y
e said when the top was off, but II /
Neuner violin just the same. The =
lscription is up in the neck. where =
; does not belong. If you want to r
II this will give you $500 for it. be n
lded. e
mo money could have bought IL "
len. The old fiddle that had pur-
lased long years before in country
awnshop for ten dollars-the first
m dollars | ever earned-had sudden
changed into violin of great price pi
a musical treasure over which great W W
fists rave II
Before left the shop Bowman tr
I'VE me the history of that violin. and -
terward found the inscription which ~
owed the truth of his story up on q
e neck of the instrument, where. as "
} said, it did not belong. Matthias 60
euner was a violin maker Of Mitter- II
aid, Germany. in the latter part of m
e eighteenth and the early part of by
e nineteenth century. In the year Vi
06 he turned out but six yiolins. all
a special pattern. But three of
ose could be accounted for, and they un
IRE held at fancy prices by connois- pa
nrs in musical instruments. | had no
e fourth one. de
When the inscription was finally tn
nnd il read Matthias Neuner. eig- p!y
acher violin maker), Mittenwald Al,
l6. al,
Since then have been offered 5000 Is
the instrument and the man who or,
cred $500 for it evidently knew what
was and was trying to strike a good .
rgain." I'D
One stop an OrgRnist Forgot.
Some years ago an organist now 4