Mitz and Fritz of Germany

by Madeline Brandeis

  Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Matthias Grammel and theOnline Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  MITZ AND FRITZ OF GERMANY

  RHEINSTEIN CASTLE PERCHED HIGH ON THE WOODED BANKS OF THE RHINE]

  MITZ _and_ FRITZ _of_ GERMANY

  BY MADELINE BRANDEIS

 

  _Photographic Illustrations_

 

  GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS NEW YORK _by arrangement with the A. Flanagan Company_

  COPYRIGHT, 1933, BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  LOVINGLY DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MY DEAR FATHER WHO WAS GERMAN-TRAINED AND GERMAN-SCHOOLED, BUT SO DIFFERENT IN UNDERSTANDING FROM THE FATHER OF MITZ AND FRITZ

  [Signature: Madeline Brandeis]

  THE PICTURES IN THIS BOOK

  were taken in Germany! That is, the pictures of cities and churches and parks were taken there. But Mitz and Fritz and Mr. and Mrs. Toymaker were not.

  These characters are played by my good actor friends. You have seen them all on the screen. But never before did you see:

  Mitzi Green as Mitzi Toymaker Jackie Searle as Fritz Toymaker Herta Reinach as Mrs. Toymaker James Guilfoyle as Mr. Toymaker

  Those are the parts they play in this book.

  And then, a musician friend helped me, too. What more could one ask than to have as the music master such a great violinist as Alexander Zukovsky?

  I am grateful to all these kind people.

  [Signature: Madeline Brandeis]

  Oh, dear! I almost forgot to be grateful to my dog friend, Koopsak, who posed as Frankfurter!

  Some of the photographs in this book are used through the courtesy of the German Tourist Information Office, N. Y., and the Hamburg American Line.

  CONTENTS

  PAGE

  Chapter I

  "Foolish Fritz" 9

  Chapter II

  The Toymakers 22

  Chapter III

  Goodbye to Nuremberg 33

  Chapter IV

  Bayreuth and a Plan 39

  Chapter V

  Along the Road Chapter 49

  Chapter VI

  Mainz and a Beggar 55

  Chapter VII

  Down the Rhine and Troubles 61

  Chapter VIII

  Bonn and Beethoven 75

  Chapter IX

  Mitzi in Hamelin 82

  Chapter X

  Stroebeck and Disgrace 91

  Chapter XI

  Eisenach and Bach 101

  Chapter XII

  A Castle and the Poet City 108

  Chapter XIII

  The Leipzig Fair 117

  Chapter XIV

  The Concert 124

  Chapter XV

  Fritz and His Violin 134

  Chapter XVI

  The Pied Piper 141

  Chapter XVII

  The Music Master 146

  Chapter XVIII

  Berlin and Happiness 154

  Pronouncing Vocabulary 159

  LIST of ILLUSTRATIONS

  PAGE

  RHEINSTEIN CASTLE PERCHED HIGH ON THE WOODED BANKS OF THE RHINE 2

  Handwritten signature: Madeline Brandeis 5

  Handwritten signature: Madeline Brandeis 6

  LITTLE MITZ AND FRITZ OF GERMANY 8

  FRITZ 11

  "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" 12

  GAVE A PIECE OF MEAT TO FRANK 14

  MITZI SMILED AT THE PRETTY MUSIC 15

  MITZI 17

  HER EYES POPPED 20

  HIS EYES WERE FULL OF TEARS 23

  MR. TOYMAKER 25

  EATING PICKLES 27

  A TOY SHOP IN NUREMBERG 28

  MRS. TOYMAKER 30

  CHURCH OF OUR LADY--NUREMBERG 32

  A HOUSE IN NUREMBERG 37

  HOME OF RICHARD WAGNER--BAYREUTH 40

  CHILDREN PLAYING AT THE FESTIVAL 41

  THE SCHUHPLATTLER, A NATIVE FOLK DANCE OF THE BAVARIAN MOUNTAINS 42

  MARKET PLACE--BAYREUTH 44

  GROUP OF HIKERS ON THE MARCH 50

  AN OLD CASTLE MADE INTO AN INN FOR HIKERS 51

  KASSEL; OLD STREET IN THE "GRIMM QUARTER" 53

  SABABURG CASTLE IN THE GERMAN FAIRY TALE FOREST NEAR KASSEL IS THE PALACE OF SLEEPING BEAUTY AND BLUEBEARD FAME 54

  MAINZ 56

  THE GENERAL 57

  CATHEDRAL AT MAINZ 59

  STOLZENFELS CASTLE ON THE RHINE 62

  THE MOUSE TOWER OF BINGEN ON THE RHINE 64

  THE ROCK OF THE LORELEI 66

  THE JUNCTION OF THE RHINE AND MOSELLE RIVERS IN COBLENZ 68

  "SEE, FATHER!" 71

  "FRITZ HAS STOLEN THE MONEY!" 72

  "THEY MUST OBEY!" 73

  BONN 76

  "DO NOT LOOK SO SAD" 77

  BIRTHPLACE OF BEETHOVEN--BONN 79

  THE RAT-CATCHER'S HOUSE--HAMELIN 83

  PIPED UPON HER SAUSAGE 84

  BEGAN TO EAT HER PIPE 86

  "WAKE UP, YOU SILLY" 88

  ONLY FRITZ, FRANK, AND MOTHER 89

  A BAVARIAN MOUNTAIN VILLAGE 92

  CHILDREN CARRY CHESSBOARDS TO SCHOOL 94

  CHILDREN PLAYING CHESS 95

  MITZ LOOKED CROOKED 97

  "YOU NAUGHTY LITTLE GIRL" 99

  EISENACH 102

  "LET ME TRY IT ON" 103

  THE HOME OF BACH IN EISENACH 105

  WARTBURG CASTLE 109

  STATUE OF GOETHE IN LEIPZIG 111

  STATUE OF MENDELSSOHN IN LEIPZIG 113

  A CHURCH IN LEIPZIG 116

  LEIPZIG 119

  LEIPZIG 121

  THE PARK IN LEIPZIG 125

  MITZI WAS HAPPY 126

  FRITZ PLAYED
130

  STOOD ON HER HEAD 132

  "GIVE ME THE VIOLIN" 137

  "PLEASE, FATHER" 139

  "YOU MUST LEARN TO HELP OTHERS" 140

  SAT UPON THE STEPS OF THEIR WAGON 143

  "HERE IS YOUR SON!" 147

  "HE STANDS LIKE THIS" 150

  THE BRANDENBURG GATE IN BERLIN 155

  UNTER DEN LINDEN IN BERLIN 156

  THEY WERE GOING TO LIKE BERLIN 158

  LITTLE MITZ AND FRITZ OF GERMANY]

  Mitz and Fritz of Germany

  CHAPTER I

  "FOOLISH FRITZ"

  Toys! Toys! Toys! All over the room--toys!

  It was a big, comfortable room with a work bench in it, and shelves anda table full of paints and pots of glue.

  On the window seat in a corner sat a girl, a boy, and a dog.

  The girl wore a stiff white apron. Her cheeks were rosy and plump. Shehad a saucy look. Her big blue eyes were fixed upon the pages of a book.She was reading to the boy. The boy wore a green blouse smeared withpaint. He was busily carving a wooden elephant. The dog was brown andvery long. He lay asleep beside the children with his nose on the girl'slap.

  These are Mitz, Fritz, and Frank. Now you have met them. And this istheir father's workshop--the workshop of a German toy maker in Nuremberg(N[=u]'r[)e]m-burg), city of toys.

  Mitz was really Mitzi. Fritz was really Frederic. Frank, the dog, wasreally Frankfurter. But the former names were their nicknames.

  "So! It is finished at last," said the boy who was Fritz.

  He put the wooden elephant on the window sill. He stretched his arms. Hewas younger than his sister, and his cheeks were not so red nor was hisface so saucy. He had the look of one who dreams--a happy look.

  Mitzi cocked her head on one side and examined the elephant.

  "It is not so bad," she said. Then she added, "For you!"

  FRITZ]

  Fritz smiled. His face seemed made for smiling.

  "Now, please," he said, "read some more, Mitz."

  "Good. I will," answered Mitzi. "But you must carve while I read. Fatherwill scold if he comes home and finds you idle."

  Fritz began to carve a doll and Mitzi began to read. She read aboutRichard Wagner (Vaeg'n[~e]r), who was one of the greatest musiciansthat ever lived.

  But suddenly she stopped reading and screamed, "Fritz! Fritz! What areyou doing?"

  "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"]

  Fritz looked down at his work and, behold, he had almost cut off thehead of a doll he was carving! The poor head was hanging by a splinter.

  "Shame, shame! I cannot read to you if you do such things," said Mitzi.She started to close the book.

  "No, please!" begged Fritz. "I promise I will not do it again. I wasthinking only of Richard Wagner. I was not looking at the doll."

  "Good, then," said Mitzi, "I shall read more if you will not dreamagain."

  But before she began to read, she got up and went to a big cupboard.From the big cupboard she helped herself to a lovely, thick slice ofGerman brown bread. Then she took out a long knife and a long sausage,which looked very much like the long dog, Frank. She cut the sausage andput pieces of it on the bread and ate it.

  "Will you have some?" she asked Fritz.

  But her mouth was so full of bread and sausage that her words soundedlike "Will-awamwam?"

  Fritz shook his head. He was trying hard to stick the doll's head backinto place. Mitzi seated herself on the window sill. She gave a pieceof meat to Frank, who gobbled it up and promptly fell asleep again. Thenshe began to read.

  GAVE A PIECE OF MEAT TO FRANK]

  "'One day,'" she read, "'when Richard Wagner was a little boy, he waswatching some acrobats in the market square. A band was playing andRichard listened joyfully. They were playing a selection which heliked. It was "The Huntsman's Chorus." Little Richard--' Fritz!"

  Again Mitzi screamed and put down the book in horror. The poor woodendoll had fallen to the floor. The head had rolled off. But Fritz had notnoticed it at all. Fritz was reaching for a violin, which lay on a chairbeside him. He was beginning to play the violin.

  MITZI SMILED AT THE PRETTY MUSIC]

  "This," he said, "is 'The Huntsman's Chorus.' It is what Richard Wagnerheard that day and loved."

  Mitzi listened. She smiled at the pretty music that Fritz made. Shecould not help smiling.

  Often Fritz was very stupid. Often he made her very angry with hisclumsy, dreamy ways and the mistakes he made. His playmates called him"Foolish Fritz." He was forever losing things and forgetting things anddropping things, making Mother sigh and Father storm.

  But his music! A different thing! Mitzi thought it was the sweetestmusic in all the world. Even Mother, who had taught him all she knew,thought it beautiful. But Father? Ah, Father hated it. Fritz must neverplay when Father was around. Father was very severe, and he did not lovemusic.

  MITZI]

  To the strains of "The Huntsman's Chorus" Mitzi nodded her head in timeas she chewed on her bread and sausage. Frank awoke and gazed wonderinglyat the boy with the violin. Frank was a dachshund (daeks'h[)oo]nt)--a"badger dog," in English. At one time, Frank's kind of dog was used tohunt badgers. Maybe that is why Frank seemed interested in "TheHuntsman's Chorus."

  Dachshunds are close to the ground, with tiny, crooked legs, and bodiesthat look like frankfurter sausages. Indeed, that is why Frank's realname was Frankfurter. All at once, the little dog's body bristled. Hepricked up his long ears and let out a terrific bark.

  Fritz stopped playing. Mitzi stopped eating. They looked up and saw whatFrank had seen. The wooden elephant had disappeared from the windowsill. Outside they heard a child crying.

  "Give me my toy! I want my toy!" cried the child outside.

  Fritz climbed upon his knees and looked out. He saw a large boy tryingto take the wooden elephant away from a small boy. The younger child wascrying and pulling at the toy.

  "I want it! It's mine! I took it off the window!" he screamed.

  But the big boy pushed so hard that the little one fell down on thesidewalk.

  "It's mine," said the bully. "And don't you try to get it away again orI'll push you harder!"

  Before Mitzi knew what had happened her brother had darted out of thehouse. Now he was standing before the big boy.

  "Give that elephant to me," said Fritz. "It is mine, and you stole it."

  "It's mine now," said the boy.

  He smiled at Fritz's angry face and soiled workman's blouse. He stood ahead taller than Fritz.

  "If you want it you'll have to take it away from me," he added. Hestarted to turn away.

  Fritz jumped upon him and with both fists beat him. Fritz pounded andhit. The big boy tried to strike back, but Fritz's arms were moving likea windmill.

  Mitzi stared out of the window. On her open mouth hung neglected crumbsof bread. Her eyes popped. Never had she seen her "Foolish Fritz" actlike this before. He had always been so very gentle and smiling.

  HER EYES POPPED]

  Frank barked. The child who had been knocked down howled. It was quite ascene. But finally Fritz ended it all by giving the big boy one mightypush. The bully fell down with a heavy thud upon the sidewalk.

  Fritz snatched the wooden elephant out of the older boy's hand. He wasabout to go into his house when there came a terrible scream from thelittle boy.

  "Mine! My toy! Ow!" he screamed.

  Fritz stopped. He looked at the child, who was very ragged and dirty andpoor. The youngster's little shoes were torn.

  "Here. Take it," said Fritz, handing the elephant to the youngster. "Gohome, now," he added, "before that great clumsy one snatches it awayfrom you again."

  The delighted tot ran home. The bully limped away in the oppositedirection. Fritz rubbed
his cheek where the fellow had struck him. Thenhe started to go into the house.

  But as he turned, he almost ran into a great burly figure, which hadplanted itself in his way. It was his father!

  CHAPTER II

  THE TOYMAKERS

  Mitzi sat upon a high stool in the kitchen, nibbling a radish. Hermother was cooking. In the workshop was Fritz being scolded by hisfather.

  Mitzi could hear the rumbling voice of the toy maker saying, "How oftenmust I tell you to keep your hands off that violin in working hours? Ifyou had not been fiddling today, this never would have happened!"

  There was a moment's silence, and then Mitzi again heard the angryvoice: "See! I take the violin away and I hide it! Now you cannot playit ever again!"

  Mitzi jumped down from her stool. She nearly stepped upon Frank, wholeaped into the air with his ears waving. She burst into the workshop.

  HIS EYES WERE FULL OF TEARS]

  "Father!" she cried. "Wait, please!"

  The toy maker was holding the violin in his hands, and there were tearsin Fritz's eyes.

  "I asked you to stay out of here, Mitzi," said the toy maker.

  "Oh, but, Father," said the little girl, "do not take the violin away.Let me have it. I'll keep it. I'll never again allow him to play itwhile he is working."

  But still the toy maker held the violin.