Morris tribune., 1903-02-28

distant Tyrolese Alps. The sun
had not yet risen above the misty
mountain tops, SO the city lay in
shadow, but the color suffusing the
sky and the glistening of the frost
on the fallow meadows and an oc-
casional strain from some stirring
songster betokened days advent.
The fresh air seemed to impart I'M
wonted buoyancy to Herr Veit. He
strobe Justify on and soon passed
the open country adjacent to the
city. Uplands and lowlands' he
traversed for several days, pausing
often to break the stiffness of dell
and glade with the dulcet voice of
his violin.
At last he came upon a hamlet
nesting, like his own picturesque
town, in a stream threaded valley at
the foot of range of hills, The
dampness of the day yelled the hill
tops heavily in mist, circumstance
which seemed to disturb the simple
villagers very much. They were.
gathered in a knot in front of the
mountains regarding wistfully the
SUBMITS of the nearest range. The
wandering musician, following the
path that skirted the base Of the
hills, doomed suddenly in sight, and
with one impulse the peasants hail
ed him as a being sent from other
realms, to aid them perhaps. They
conjured him to disperse the clouds
that for several days had hung about
the mountains and prevented their
getting to their focks grazing on the
heights.
The traveller replied serenely in
an unintelligible dialect that the
clouds certainly were fine evidences
of dull day, but that the herdsmen
were not to be further alarmed, as
he was provided with the sovereign
remedy for such exigencies. Seat
ing himself on a stump near by, Herr
Veit began confidently to woo the
sun god with sweet music. The
anxious rustics concluded that this
procedure was the magical way to
dissipate the mists and went by twos
and threes contentedly about their
various callings.
AS the hours wore away, howev-
er, with no marked Tightening of
the atmosphere, the people began
to doubt the strangers power and
to exhibit signs of impotence, some
manifestations being so stormy as to
affect the musician and his meas
ures TREMENDOUSLY. Phebus, too, ap-
parently was angry, for, though
Herr Veit, with his liveliest notes,
besought an audience, the day closed
unblessed with a glimpse of the sun
gods radiance. As the night be-
came darker and darker the music
grew more and more faint, but it
was only when the weariest villagers
had sunk to rest that the melody
ceased. In order to give their
would be deliverer. sufficient time,
the inhabitants had resolved to leave
him to his methods until the follow
ing day Bright and early next
morning the sun appeared, but long
before its rays gilded the mountain
tops Herr Veit, fearful of another
trial, had stolen from the scene of
his exertions, sighting after many
hardships the familiar roofs of Salz-
burg.
One evening soon after Herr
Vets return the student was asked |
to sup with him, and over the cof-
fee the adventure was recounted.
The legend which had turned the
shoemaker's head must have been of
Amphion, under whose magic music
the ramparts of Thebes are reputed
to have arisen, for when the episode
had been rehearsed mine host, pref
acing by way of momentum, "a lit
tie learning is a dangerous thing"
reflected that in the olden time 1t
must have been no small matter to
build up a wall by the power of |
music, seeing that nowadays it was
most difficult to move even a cloud
by the same.
True" Gabriel acquiesced, ''such
feats seem practicable enough on
paper; but, success granted, | war
rant that the achievements one
comes across in chronicles we're not
the crust breaking performances +
that the old bards report. Times,
moreover, have changed. We live
in another age. Different condi-
tons environ us. Waving enigmas
abroad OF in remote periods, there
orn nroh1on1c of orr very dOOTs |