"Yes, yes! More music, little fiddler! More music!" cried others.
STOOD ON HER HEADSTOOD ON HER HEAD
Mitzi sniffed to drive away her tears. Then she jumped upon a bench. From there she could look down upon the people. And Mitzi Toymaker began to make a speech!
"Ladies and gentlemen," she began.
Fritz thought his sister looked like a little leader. Her head was thrown back. Her two plump legs were wide apart. Her arms were folded. Fritz had to smile.
"I am glad, ladies and gentlemen," Mitzi said, "that you liked my brother's playing. Come back again tomorrow afternoon, and Fritz will give another concert!"
The people clapped their hands and shouted, "Hoch (hōk´)!" which is like "Hurrah."
Then some one called out, "What canyoudo, little girl?"
Mitzi gave the speaker a quick glance.
"I can do this," she said; whereupon she stood on her head.
There was a loud laugh from the crowd.
"Tomorrow, then!" cried several people.
The crowd began to move away. But the music master hesitated. Should he say something? No, he would return tomorrow. He turned his steps in the direction of home. But he could not forget the wonderful playing he had just heard. Perhaps, after hearing the little musician again tomorrow, he would try to help the youngster.
Sadly the brother and sister set off for the market square.
"Never mind, Fritz," said Mitzi. "We will go back to the park tomorrow. The people liked your music. They will come again, and perhaps Father will come and—"
Mitzi broke off suddenly. She stopped in the middle of the street with her mouth open.
"Fritz! Fritz!" she cried. "Oh, Fritzie!"
"What is the matter? What is it?" asked Fritz, puzzled.
He could see nothing to disturb his sister like this. He had not been walking in mud puddles.
"I have thought of the very thing!" saidthe girl. "I know just what we shall do. Oh, why didn't I think of it before?"
"What is it?" asked her brother.
They began to walk on again, but Mitzi was still in a state of excitement. She clutched Fritz's arm and started to talk. Her words tumbled over on top of one another, they were in such a hurry to come out.
"You shall be a real Pied Piper, Fritz!" she chattered. "Tomorrow I'll make another speech in the park. I'll ask the people to follow you just as the children followed the Pied Piper. While you are playing you will walk away. You'll be like the Piper leading the rats and the children. Only, instead of leading them to a cave, you'll lead them to—"
"Where?" asked Fritz, wide-eyed.
"To Father!" said Mitzi.
"Oh, Mitz!" cried Fritz, horrified.
"Oh, rats!" said the girl. "You'll do as I say. What fun! I know the people will follow.They are such jolly people! And what a splendid way to show Father!"
The sadness had left Mitzi. She beamed. She skipped along and sang, until Fritz caught some of her joy.
They arrived at their father's booth. But the toy maker was not there. He had closed his stand. So the children went home to their wagon. They found their father awaiting them there. The toy maker was twirling his mustache. He had a strange expression on his face.
"Now, Father," said Mitzi, "you can go and look for Mr. Krauss. Fritz and I will watch the booth for you."
But Mr. Toymaker did not move. Instead he smiled in a way which left his eyes unsmiling.
"I have decided not to go," he said. "I have decided to do something else."
"What, Father?" asked Mitzi.
"Tonight," said Mr. Toymaker, "we shallhave sausage and sauerkraut and other good things for supper." Then he turned to Fritz, saying, "Give me the violin."
The boy drew away his precious violin. Mitzi stood in front of her brother.
"Father," she asked, "why do you want Fritz's violin?"
"Because I am going to sell it," said Mr. Toymaker. "It is a fine violin. It will bring much money. Besides, it is quite useless to me. Give it here."
But neither child moved. Mitz and Fritz stood like two little statues.
"Do you hear me?" cried Mr. Toymaker. "I want the violin. Give it to me."
Still they did not move. They stood looking up at the toy maker like gingerbread children out of "Hansel and Gretel."
Mr. Toymaker reached out his hand to take the violin from Fritz. But the boy put it behind his back.
"Please, please," he said, "don't take it away from me, Father!"
Now Mr. Toymaker really did not want to hurt Fritz any more than he could help. He loved this little fellow, even if he did think the boy to be only an idle, music-loving scamp.
"Fritz," he said in a kinder tone, "you will soon be a man. You must learn to bear disappointments. Come, now! Give me the violin like a good boy."
As he spoke, the toy maker took the violin from his son's hands. Then he patted Fritz on the head.
"You must learn to help others, Fritz," he said. "You must, above all, help your father."
Fritz longed to cry out and say, "But that is just what I want to do, Father!"
Only he could not speak. His eyes were full of tears, and when he brushed the tears away, the toy maker was gone. So was the boy's beloved violin!
The Toymaker family had sausage and sauerkraut and other good things for supper. They ate their supper beside a camp fire near their wagon. That is, Mr. and Mrs. Toymaker did. But Mitz and Fritz could not eat. No, even Mitz could touch nothing—not even sausage!
Mrs. Toymaker tried to comfort them, but it was hopeless. Fritz stared at the ground, and his heart ached. He thought he should never again play his violin. Mitzi sat with Frank's long nose on her lap and stroked the dog's floppy ears.
"Tomorrow," thought Mitzi, "the crowd will come to the park to hear Fritz play, and there will be no Fritz!"
Of course, Mitzi did not know that the music master would come, too. The kind music master would return. He would look for the little boy whose music had pleased him so much. He would wonder what had happened to the clever youngster whom he wanted to help. Mitzi did not know this. If she had known it, she would have been more unhappy than she already was.
The next morning passed much the same as the day before. Mr. Toymaker sold nothing at his booth in the market place.
At noon he said, "There is no use staying here any longer."
He closed up his booth, and they went back to the wagon. After lunch Mr. and Mrs. Toymaker sat upon the steps of their wagon. They talked and talked about what they were to do.
"We could go to some small town and settle down," said Mrs. Toymaker. "When winter comes, a wandering life will not be verypleasant. Mitz and Fritz should go to school. This gypsy life is not the best life for them."
Mr. Toymaker said, "That is quite true. Let us find a town where people are notspoiled by fine toys. There we shall settle and be content to live simply."
"I do wish—" began Mrs. Toymaker.
She had started to talk about Fritz. However, she knew that it made Mr. Toymaker angry. So she stopped.
They sat together for a long time. Mrs. Toymaker knitted. Mr. Toymaker smoked a pipe. Both were so full of serious thoughts that they did not wonder about Mitz and Fritz. They did not wonder why the children had not been there since noon. As the shadows grew longer and a little late breeze blew up, Mrs. Toymaker arose.
"I must prepare supper," she said. "I wonder where the children are."
She called, "Fritz! Mitz!" But there was no answer.
"What is that I see in the distance?" asked Mr. Toymaker.
He shaded his eyes with his hand. He looked in the direction of the setting sun.Mrs. Toymaker looked, too. Black forms were coming toward them. A crowd of people was drawing near, following some one who made music.
"Listen," said Mrs. Toymaker. "The notes of a violin!"
Mr. Toymaker stood up. The music, sweet and lively, came to them more clearly. Slowly the forms of the people grew more distinct as they drew closer.
"Why, it is a Pied Piper!" exclaimed Mrs. Toymaker. "It must be the joke of some children."
But all the time Mrs. Toymaker thought she knew who it was. She thought she knew that it was really—Yes, now there could be no doubt about it!
"It is Fritz!" cried Mrs. Toymaker. "It is our own little Fritz!"
The strange procession stopped before the wagon of the toy maker. The Pied Piper continued his playing. The crowd stood listening. When the piece was finished, they clapped and threw coins and shouted, "Hoch!"
Then a gentleman carrying a violin case hoisted the Pied Piper upon his shoulder. He walked over with the Pied Piper to where the toy maker stood.
"Sir," said the violin-case gentleman, "I believe this is your son."
Mr. Toymaker was so amazed that he could only nod his head.
The gentleman went on, "Your son's playing has made us all very happy. We followedhis music just as the children of long ago followed the Pied Piper of Hamelin."
"HERE IS YOUR SON!""HERE IS YOUR SON!"
The people began to laugh and cheer and call for more music.
But Mr. Violin-Case said, "The concert is over. Now I am going to see Mr. Toymaker alone."
When the people had left, Mr. Violin-Case and Mr. Toymaker went into the wagon together. There they stayed for quite a long time.
Outside, Mrs. Toymaker drew her children close to her.
"Tell me," she said. "Do tell me all about it."
Mitzi said, "Good! I'll tell you, Mother. But first I must have a pretzel to eat. I have had nothing since morning."
Mitzi helped herself to a fistful of the salty, twisted crackers. She began to eat and to talk at the same time—a feat which cannot be done very well.
Her words sounded to Mrs. Toymaker like "Yummeemummee."
The mother laughed and said, "Fritz had better tell me."
Fritz began, "Mitzi believed all along that people would really like my music. She wanted to show Father. So today we went back to the same park where I played yesterday."
By this time, Mitzi had swallowed her first pretzel, so she continued the story: "I stood upon a bench. I talked very loudly so everyone could hear. I said that our father had sold Fritz's violin and that Fritz could not play for them. I said I was sorry that wecould not keep our promise and give another concert. Then the gennamemmaeppa—"
"Mitzi!" laughed Mrs. Toymaker. "How can I understand you when you are eating pretzels?"
"The gentleman stepped up to us," went on Fritz.
"What gentlemen, dear?"
"The one who is in the wagon with Father," said Fritz.
"He has a red face, and he stands like this," said Mitzi.
She stuck out her stomach trying to imitate the gentleman who was rather large.
"Shame, Mitzi!" said her mother. "Go on, please, Fritz. Tell me the rest."
"The gentleman said he would help us," Fritz continued. "He took this beautiful violin out of its case and gave it to me." Tenderly Fritz laid the violin in his mother's hands. "He told me to play it. I did, and he seemed to like what I played."
"After the concert," interrupted Mitzi, "I jumped up on the bench again. I asked the people to follow Fritz just as if he were the Pied Piper."
"At first," broke in Fritz, "they laughed and didn't want to. But the gentleman urged them to do it. He said it would befun. He said he would like to see where I would lead them."
"And this is where we led them," said Mitzi.
"Now," said Fritz, "Father will know that what we told him is true."
Mrs. Toymaker looked very happy. She hugged Fritz to her. Just then Mr. Toymaker came out of the wagon with the violin-case gentleman.
"This is Mr. Schmitt," said the toy maker to his family. "Mr. Schmitt is a great music master from Berlin."
Fritz's eyes began to pop. Mitzi sat down with a jolt, her mouth open. Mrs. Toymaker felt her heart beating very fast.
The music master went up to Fritz and took his hand.
"I have just had a talk with your father, Fritz," he said. "You are coming with me to Berlin. You are all coming to live in the big city of Berlin. And you, Fritz, will studyand in time will become a great musician."
Mr. Schmitt stayed to supper with the family. He sat with them beside their gypsy fire. He told them about Berlin and promised to help Mr. Toymaker because of Fritz's music.
He said to the toy maker, "Your little boy has a gift from God. You must help him make it a gift to the world."
As they sat about the fire after supper Mr. Schmitt told them about another boy.
"Many years ago," he said, "there lived a boy named George Handel (Hăn´del). He was born in Halle (Häl´ẽ), a town not far from here. Today there is a statue of George Handel in the center of Halle. He became a famous composer. But when he was your age, Fritz, his father would not allow him to play."
Fritz looked at his mother. Mitzi looked at her father. The toy maker looked away from them all.
"You see," went on Mr. Schmitt, "George's father was a good man. But he did not love music. He wanted his son to be a doctor. Now, one day little George played for a powerful duke, who loved music. The duke decided to help young George.
"He said to Mr. Handel, 'You are a good man. But your son will be a great man. His music will fill people's hearts with beauty. Can you do that?'"
The Toymakers and Mr. Schmitt flew to Berlin in an airplane. People in Germany travel by plane as easily as we travel by train and boat. Berlin is the capital of Germany. The Berlin airport is the largest in the world.
As the children stepped out of the plane they heard music. They saw people sitting about at tables eating and drinking. These people were watching the landings of the different airships.
"Come. We shall go to my home," said Mr. Schmitt. "I have a large house near the music school. I want you to stay there with me until you find a home of your own."
They drove in a taxicab through the Brandenburg Gate and into a famous street,Unter den Linden (Ōōn´tẽr dĕn Lĭn´dĕn). New York has Fifth Avenue. London has Piccadilly Circus. Chicago has Lake Shore Drive. Edinburgh has Princes Street. And Berlin has Unter den Linden.
They drove along the wide, shady boulevard with its flower beds, lawns, and fountains. What a splendid street!
The children's joy and excitement madethem unusually quiet. It was very wonderful to be riding through this fine city and to know that their struggles and hardships were over.
Mr. Toymaker had sold his wagon. Mr. Schmitt planned to find him work in a big Berlin toy shop. Later, the kind music master intended to find a cosy home for the family. Mitz and Fritz were going to school.Fritz would study music and practice on his violin. One day he would be able to give real concerts.
Mr. Schmitt lived in an old-fashioned house, which seemed beautiful to the children. It was full of ornaments and heavy furniture. Great pictures of musicians hung upon the walls.
Mitz, Fritz, and their dog immediately explored the house from attic to cellar. In the kitchen, Mitzi found a jolly cook, who gave her cookies. Yes, Mitzi knew that she was going to like Berlin!
Fritz found musical instruments in every room. Sounds of piano and violin and flute came from all quarters of the house. No, never before in all his life had Fritz been so happy!
That evening, when the children were in bed, Mr. and Mrs. Toymaker sat talking.
"It is true," said Mr. Toymaker to his wife. "You were right. Fritz has turned beautyinto gold. People will pay for things even if they cannot touch them."
Mrs. Toymaker replied, "But even if they cannot touch music, music can touch them."
At last Mr. Toymaker agreed.
"It can touch their hearts," he said.
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Transcriber's Note:The list of illustrations with their page numbers have been added after the table of contents. Images have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the closest paragraph break.