Show TIIE VIOLINIST by ruth shafer ath grade long ago in the eighteenth century an austrian by the name of took his young bride to live in a small village of austria these people were very poor after a year or two a baby boy was bom who was named fritz fritz had quite an ear for music and when he was thirteen years of age his father bought him a violin this made fritz very happy when he grew older he wished to go away to study music this was not agreed upon by his parents but pritz had such a great desire to study that at the age of eighteen he ran away he worked his way to study under a great master and soon became quite famous he fell in love with a maiden as poor as himself they soon married and went to live in a small cottage only once in a while did they get a square meal A baby was born which was a boy and was named fritz also but the mother soon died so father and son went out into the world together when the son was fourteen he died of starvation and cold this made the father very sad he wrote back to the village where his father and mother had lived but found they had both died from the shock of their only son running away from them fritz was alone in the world but he still had his music one day when he was playing his violin in the street he fainted because he had been living tor two days only on music the people of an inn near by picked him up brought him to their inn and gave him a bed and food to eat when he was better he played tor them they liked bis music so well they let him stay in this picture he Is playing for them and thinking of his troubles the sadness of his music gives a very sad atmosphere to the picture |