Grantville Gazette, Volume X

by Eric Flint

  Dolf and Carl each ate a cooked onion. The old man paid the woman who roasted the onions and then doubled his price. He sold out almost immediately. "I should have tripled the price."

  Carl shook his head, his eyebrows raised as if in pity. "What and have other vendors roast their onions as well? Then where would you be?" The old man growled but gave a grim smile before walking away.

  A few more sets of tunes and then Carl put his fiddle away. "Getting too hot. You can see how the market is emptying." His bag over one shoulder, the fiddle case over the other and his thin walking stick in his right hand, he was about to leave the area when Gertrude stopped him.

  "Herr Johantgens, where will you be playing tonight?"

  "Thought I'd check the local taverns. At least one of them won't have a fiddler."

  "How about trying the Golden Lion? The Aschersleben Committee meets there and I'm certain you'll get a lot more applause when you sing their tunes."

  With both Dolf and Gertrude at his side, Carl entered the dim tavern. Dolf recognized Heinrich behind the bar and took half a step back. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Gertrude?" The tavern keeper beamed.

  "I have an entertainer for you, Herr Grueber." Dolf was somehow reassured that she was not on a first name basis with the man. "This is Carl Johantgens who arrived in the city today. Did you hear him playing in the market?"

  "No, but that's not unusual. How do you do, Herr Johantgens?"

  "Well enough if I can make a few coins tonight and sleep under a roof, mein Herr. Fraulein Fischel tells me that the people who come to this tavern are receptive to progressive tunes. Not that they're all I'd be playing."

  "No, indeed. I like all sorts of music myself. Come, sit down at the table. Let's discuss this over a mug of beer." Gertrude excused herself while Heinrich drew two mugs of regular beer and a small beer for Dolf.

  "Good." Heinrich smacked his lips after his first sip and gave Carl a broad smile. "Now, on to business . . ."

  Dolf watched the two men negotiate using very different styles. Heinrich was jovial but aggressive, laughing frequently. The much younger Carl was mild and almost diffident. He turned aside what might be considered slights with a soft smile but often revisited issues where there'd been no agreement. It seemed to Dolf that Carl might even be getting the better deal, including the right to sleep in the back room after closing. On the other hand, Carl promised that at least half of his tunes would be common or drinking songs people could sing with and that CoC tunes would not be over a quarter of those played. The most surprising part to Dolf was watching Carl write down their agreement and copy it. Each man signed both copies. "My father was, is, a merchant and ingrained in me early that written agreements save a lot of arguing later."

  When they emerged from the tavern, it was late afternoon. Dolf was curious. "Did you get the better deal?"

  Carl gave a shrug and a weary smile. "Who knows? We both got what we really wanted. You'd better get home, Dolf. I'm certain your parents are wondering what you've been doing. I'm going to wander around town."

  At supper Dolf related everything he had seen and heard.

  "You remember the Aesop fable about the ant and the grasshopper?" his father asked, his brown eyes serious. He took another spoonful of soup. "Farmers like us are the ants and your friend is the grasshopper. It gets very cold under the bridge in the winter."

  True, Dolf thought. Then remembered that Carl would be sleeping in the back room of the Golden Lion tonight, not under a bridge.

  * * *

  The next morning Dolf found Carl leaning against a wall near a doorway, chatting with Gertrude and an older laundress.

  "Ah, here's my would-be match maker." Carl teased Dolf with a slight smile, his light tan face crinkling. "It's all your fault, Gertrude. Leading him astray with all that progressive talk. Right, Dolf?"

  Dolf blushed. He was warmed by Carl's easy companionship but he didn't know the laundress at all and Gertude Fischel hardly any better.

  "Don't tease him, Carl," Gertrude said. "It's your fault anyway, talking about walking up and down the countryside when he should appreciate that a good farmer stays with the land he knows best. Oh, by the way, Dolf," she said, bending over and looking into his eyes, "Listen carefully. I plan to marry a stable, dependable man, not a wanderer. And one, ahem, more mature."

  "Huh!" Carl mimed being shot in the chest by an arrow and fell back against the wall. A moment later his twisted smile and raised eyebrow showed his skepticism. "So how's that new-fangled machine that Gertrude tricked you into buying a few weeks ago working, Elina?"

  "It works fine except for being a little hard to turn when I first start," the older woman replied. She took a few steps backward into the doorway and turned the wringer handle. It screeched loudly in the small room.

  "Put some grease on it!" Dolf yelled, holding his ears.

  Gertrude was clearly unhappy. "He's right. Unless it's greased regularly, that's what happens. Sorry if I didn't make that plain."

  An older man wearing a black leather apron walked up to the small group. Dolf guessed he was a printer. "Herr Johantgens? In answer to your question yesterday, I didn't receive your lucky Saxon Groschen. Our guards must have used it to make change."

  Carl made a sour face and lifted his hands in regret. "I hadn't realized which coin it was when I gave it to them, Herr Wagner. It's really my fault."

  "Call me Jan. Several people mentioned that you gave an excellent performance at the Golden Lion last night."

  "Thank you, Jan. You can call me Carl. Always nice to receive compliments. It's even better when accompanied by coins, preferably silver." He grinned, turning towards Gertrude. "And best when it's from a sweet fraulein like Gertrude." She gave him a dismissive sniff.

  Dolf watched the byplay and looked at the older man. So this was Jan Wagner, the Aschersleben CoC leader Heinrich had mentioned. Jan was similar to Papa but with a heavy mustache and a goatee. He didn't look any more forgiving than Dolf's own father.

  The older man turned abruptly and strode away. Dolf had the feeling that he'd expected more of a response from Carl. As he was thinking that, Carl left Gertrude and Elina, heading towards the market.

  Dolf hurried to catch up. "Carl, why did you not talk longer with Herr Wagner?"

  Carl stopped and gave a sigh. "How many Committee members would you say there are in this city? One in five? One in ten? One in fifteen?"

  Dolf shrugged.

  "If this is like most cities, one in twenty or fewer." Carl's voice was full of resignation. "Many more will know about them but with a greater or lesser knowledge of their convictions. If I'm known as a friend of Herr Wagner this early in my stay, I become identified with the CoC. Because I'm an outsider, many people would think I'm an agitator, someone who's ready to upset the current situation. Understand?"

  "Yes, I think so."

  "Remember how I make my living? People give me money for playing music. If they don't like my politics or for any number of other reasons, how much do you think they would put into my hat? Besides, last night at the Golden Lion, I made five times the money singing drinking songs as I did playing the others. Sure, most of the crowd enjoyed hearing them, but for some reason they thought that I should play them to display my solidarity with the working masses, not for money."

  He resumed walking. "In the market where we're heading, people will give money more quickly to someone who makes them feel good, not thoughtful. They want to hear light music. Not dancing music, not drinking songs."

  "But you played that tune about the woman who ran away with her lover."

  "Uh huh. For which she was punished, you might say. He was also punished for the murder." Carl gave a grunt of laughter. "That sort of song is popular with parents whose daughters might be less than obedient. A morality tale, you see."

  Carl didn't walk directly to where he'd played the day before. Instead he talked again to the vendors, introducing himself to some, calling others by name, asking how sales wer
e going today. He bargained for an apple from one vendor and a stoppered jug of fresh cider with a mug from another.

  "Good morning, Carl." Georg welcomed him to his stall. "I'm having two dozen onions roasted. Hanna set aside some small rolls, too. We'll slice the rolls open and pop in a hot cooked onion. Delicious and you won't burn your fingers." He paused a moment. "So how many should I save for you?"

  Carl looked at him with a soft smile as he lifted amused eyebrows. "That's as smooth as I've ever heard it done. Put me down for two—one for me and one for Dolf."

  He lifted his fiddle from its case and began tuning it. "Any tunes you want to hear today, Georg?"

  "How about that one you played yesterday called Frenchman's Retreat?"

  "Not until my fingers are really loose. How about Du bist mein Sonnenschein?"

  The old man frowned, the wrinkled skin of his face moving into deep folds. "Don't know it."

  "That's right. I only played it at the tavern. It's easy to remember and anyone can sing it." Carl began playing the simple tune and singing along with it. Before long both Georg and Dolf were joining in and several market visitors walked over to listen.

  Later Carl and Dolf were sitting on the ground in the shade with their backs to the building. Carl poured cider into a mug for both of them. "So what have you learned today, Dolf?"

  After taking a sip, Dolf looked up at Carl. "What do you mean?"

  "You watched everyone and saw everything that happened. I played about a dozen songs. Which tunes gathered the best response? Which ones received the worst?"

  The boy frowned. "I hate to say it, but the two CoC tunes got the worst response."

  "Uh huh. But in other towns those same ones are some of the most popular, especially where there is an active Committee chapter. So what does that tell you?"

  "That it isn't very popular?"

  "Right. Not popular and it's an organization which is supposed to be by and for the working class, women, the poor and younger tradesmen. The type of people who frequent the market. I suspect that what we saw in Herr Oehlschlegel's tailor shop was only one example. That said, having talked with Jan Wagner last night and seen the obvious improvements, the organization as a whole is doing a lot of good."

  Dolf was torn. He wanted to blurt out what he'd written to Spartacus, but didn't want this man who'd befriended him to get into trouble. He might look strong, but Heinrich had at least four other men he could call on. So he drank his cider.

  Carl stood, brushed off the back of his trousers and began tuning the fiddle.

  "Will you be playing in the tavern again tonight?"

  "Yes, but it'll be my last night. I'll be leaving the area mid-afternoon tomorrow, as soon as the market crowd dissipates. I should be in Halle before nightfall. So don't let my horse go out with the other horses in the morning."

  "You're leaving? So soon?" Dolf couldn't believe his new friend would leave.

  "Uh huh. Always leave your audience wanting more. Tomorrow's Saturday, always a good day for tips. But Sunday? Best to be in a new town. Besides, some of the other fiddlers here in town might decide to give me some competition next week which would cut down on my income." He stepped forward and played a dramatic downstroke on the violin strings, quickly vibrating the bow back and forth.

  Then he gave a bright smile. "Good morning, everyone. Before I play, I suggest that you purchase Georg's roasted onions for your noontime meal. Good for your health and placed inside a freshly baked roll, so you won't burn your fingers. I also recommend Maria Deitz's cider. Do any of you have any tunes you'd like to hear?"

  "How about Mein Freiin?" Gertrude's voice was clear in the distance.

  "As you wish, esteemed Fraulein," Carl answered with a bow of his head. He played a few opening bars and then began to sing her request, a romantic song about his search for the love of his life and how she'd fulfilled him.

  Dolf couldn't help but notice that while the coins weren't plentiful, this song brought in more than the progressive songs. After four more melodies, while Carl retuned, he mentioned that Gertrude Fischel not only sold laundry hardware but also MaidenFresh blue bleaching powder which made linens whiter than lying out all day in the sun.

  When the set was complete, another small jug of fresh cider was sitting next to Dolf as he munched on his roasted onion.

  "No charge." Georg had winked to Dolf when he handed him the onions.

  "How did you know I had MaidenFresh bleaching powder?" Gertrude asked later, glowering with her hands on her hips. "I sold out all that I had brought today while you were still playing."

  Carl swallowed his bite of onion and took another swig of cider. "There's no MaidenFresh laundry in town and you have Laughing Laundress goods. Pretty obvious connection to me. If you didn't have it, you should. Besides, I recognized the barrel."

  She eyed him with suspicion, her dark blond eyebrows lowered. "You're not quite as stupid as you sometimes seem." She changed the subject. "I admit your song is very romantic but who's the Freiin?"

  "All traveling singers, fiddlers too, are issued a Freiin, whether noble or not, to serve as an inspiration. A muse, you might say. Besides, it comes in handy if he's invited to play for nobility."

  "I never heard the song before today," Dolf grouched, almost disapproving.

  Carl burst out with a laugh and shook the boy's shoulder with one hand. "It's a song my parents knew before I was born. Surprisingly enough, it's lasted for a good many years. I even heard an English version of it in Grantville."

  Adam Oehlschlegel walked over. "Herr Johantgens, my wife Maria was in the market a short while ago and heard you suggesting that your audience purchase certain goods. She also saw what happened at those stalls even before your break." He paused a moment. "Could I prevail upon you to mention my shop? Maria says that we will have a shirt ready for you tomorrow if you mention us in each of your, sets."

  Dolf saw Carl consider the offer, then shake his head. "Much as I would like to, it would be unfair for me to take a shirt for what will only be two or three more sets today. But I'll mention your shop anyway."

  The older man laughed and gripped Carl's hand with both of his, shaking it up and down. When it came away, Dolf saw a gleam of silver in Carl's palm.

  No, this grasshopper wouldn't be wondering where his next meal would be coming from during the winter.

  * * *

  Dolf figured that by early afternoon Carl had received goods or money from half of the market vendors he mentioned. He described Herr Oehlschlegel's tailor shop in glowing terms in each of his sets. After Gertrude had sent word that she'd restocked, he resumed mentioning her bleaching powder.

  "Is she your girlfriend already?" Dolf teased Carl. "I mean, she hasn't sent any money over or volunteered to wash your clothes."

  Carl grinned. "Nope. But I have my reasons which have nothing to do with her."

  Dolf was mystified.

  "Isn't it time you went home and did some chores?"

  "No. Uh, Papa told me last night that they would be harvesting next week and that I could stay with you as long as I wasn't in your way. By the way, uh, when will you be coming back to Aschersleben?"

  "Not for a long time. I've got a number of places to visit and once the fall rains start, I want to be in Thuringia. I know quite a few people there."

  "Is that where your Freiin is?"

  Carl burst out with a laugh. "Not exactly. She lives in Saxony. After Halle, I'm going to Leipzig and I'll visit her."

  Jan Wagner walked up to them. "Herr Johantgens, Carl. My niece Gertrude tells me that you're responsible for her selling out her bleaching powder twice today. I thank you."

  Carl grinned and showed an uplifted palm. "I can only make suggestions. I can't make anyone buy."

  "Tell me, is there anything you've noticed here that is different from other towns?"

  Carl twisted his mouth and then sighed. "Your watchmen seem to be more . . . vigorous about getting funds from people marketing goods than any other
town I've seen. Personally, I think it's bad policy. But that's just my opinion."

  "I'll talk it over with Heinrich Grueber. He's the head of the watchmen." A quick wave and Jan was gone.

  Dolf just had to say something. "Carl? Herr Grueber is . . . dishonest. I mean, he doesn't send all the money they collect over to Herr Wagner." He dropped his head as if ashamed. "I, uh, overheard them once. I didn't mean to."

  Carl gave Dolf's shoulders a rough paternal rub. "I figured that out when Herr Wagner hadn't seen my lucky Saxon Groschen. But I like having you confirm it to me." He didn't speak for a moment. "It's good to have people like you who can report things that are important to the right people."