Read Ebook: Vinzi: A Story of the Swiss Alps by Spyri Johanna Kirk Maria Louise Illustrator Stork Elisabeth P Elisabeth Pausinger Translator

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Ebook has 1200 lines and 61078 words, and 24 pages

Meditating deeply the mother remained silent, for she could not understand what Vinzi meant. She herself had always found much pleasure in music and singing. She had taught her children to sing as soon as they were able to talk, and her boy had always enjoyed their daily evening song.

"Come, Vinzi," she said at last, "let us sing a song now; then we'll both feel happy again. Which one do you want to sing?"

"I don't know, mother; if only I could sing the tune I hear," he answered.

"I suppose you have some music running in your head. Sing out and you can't help enjoying it," said the mother, starting up a song Vinzi knew well.

At first he hesitated, but soon the well-known melody carried him along. His clear, sure voice joining hers, they finished the song before they reached Mrs. Troll's cottage. Stefeli suddenly leaped forward from behind a tree, from which hidden spot she had watched the two children who were both sitting in front of the house with a book. It had not escaped Stefeli that Alida did not look much at her book and was constantly turning her head from side to side to see what might be going on. Stefeli was dreadfully anxious to run over to Alida and start a friendship with her. But suddenly the governess, who was not crooked at all, but on the contrary very stiff and straight, came out of the house. This intimidated Stefeli so much she hid further and further behind the tree in order not to be discovered. Stefeli told her mother and brother of these things and was glad to have them by her side when passing the house, because the governess was still sitting there. When closer, all four children eagerly examined each other, for they were very much interested.

"They are the same ones we saw yesterday," Alida said with half-raised voice. "I think I'll go over and make their acquaintance."

"Indeed you won't Alida! We don't even know who they are," quickly replied the governess.

Despite the fact that the words had been spoken under her breath, those who were passing had been able to hear them.

"She doesn't want Alida to talk with us, did you hear it, mother?" said Stefeli when they had gone a little further.

"Yes, I did," the mother replied. "It is lucky that you didn't run over to them. You must never do it, Stefeli; do you hear?"

"Yes, but then we'll never meet and Alida wanted to so much," Stefeli said rebelliously.

"You see, Stefeli, the governess probably has charge of the children's education and is responsible for what they do and with whom they play. They might hear and learn from others all kinds of things that they shouldn't do," the mother explained. "Maybe Alida is a little like you, Stefeli, and likes to stick her little nose into every opening and look through every hole in a hedge. That is probably why the governess has to watch her and choose her friends very carefully."

This made Stefeli more eager than ever to meet Alida and be her friend.

"I see father over there," said Vinzi. "We ought to hurry if we want to get home at the same time as he does."

This was the mother's intention, and, walking fast, they joined the father not far from the house. Soon afterwards the little family sat down to supper in their comfortable room.

The meal passed very quietly because the children knew that they had to be silent, and the parents themselves said little. As soon as the children had finished, Vinzi asked, "Can we go out?" As the request was readily granted, they hurried over to the barn, where many delightful corners could be found for playing hide and seek.

It was a bright, warm June evening. Vinzenz Lesa had leisurely risen from the table, and going out he lit his pipe and settled himself on the bench before the house. His wife soon afterwards came out and sat down, too. Now he grew talkative and told her of a visit he had made to an acquaintance of his in the valley whose meadows, fields and cattle he had examined. He had compared his own property with what he saw, and when he had thoroughly looked everything over he could not help saying to himself, "Vinzenz Lesa, you are blessed with a fine property."

"Yes, we certainly ought to be grateful and I am sure we are," said his wife.

"Yes, it is true," he continued, "but whenever I am very happy about it and begin to plan how to improve and develop the farm it always seems as if some one were throwing an obstacle before my feet and keeping me from going further. I mean Vinzi. For whom should I do all of it if not for him, and what kind of a boy is he? He has no eyes in his head and shows not the slightest pleasure or interest in taking to pasture the most beautiful cows that can be found far and wide in the whole neighborhood. If I say to him, 'Just look what wonderful fodder is in this meadow!' he says 'yes' and stares into the distance so one can see that he has neither listened nor really looked at the meadow he is standing in. I am afraid there is something wrong with him."

"No, no, Vinzenz, you must not say that," his wife interrupted eagerly. "If Vinzi does not always listen and has his thoughts elsewhere and does not show the real pleasure he should have in farming, he has never done anything wrong. You must not say that."

"I don't say it," the man went on, "but what is wrong is wrong, and when a boy has no feeling for such meadows, fields and cows as we own, and everything connected with a farm, something must be wrong. But I am sure I don't know how to help it."

"He may yet change; just think how young he is!" said the wife comfortingly, though her secret anxiety about the boy had grown again that day during her stroll. She knew well enough that there was something about the boy difficult to understand and she also realized that his thoughts never were on the objects before him. Deeming it wise to change the subject, she talked about seeing the strangers who had taken the upstairs rooms at Mrs. Troll's cottage for the summer. She told him that the children had looked so nice that she would not mind taking them into her own home. This might easily be managed in their big house, where a few nice rooms could be fitted up for that purpose.

"Well, what on earth will you say next, and can't we even have peace in our own house?" said the man, half frightened, half angry. "Why should we take other people's children into our house when we have children of our own?"

"If they are as nice as those we saw, and as well brought up, ours could only learn good things from them," answered the woman. "We all like to see our children clean and well-behaved rather than tumbling about like little pigs and using rough words."

"Oh, well, all children have bad manners, and when they get too bad one can let them know. I know quite well what you are aiming at, but you might just as well give it up because there is no use," the farmer said. "I shall not tolerate strangers in the house. I mean to live by myself and I absolutely forbid the children to have anything to do with those city folks. Don't let them go over there or our girl will soon become as spoilt as the boy. I am glad to say she is still different from him. She runs after the cows and strokes them like friends and the young cattle run after her, eat from her hand and rub their heads against her like comrades. If one says anything, the child pays attention and minds her business and uses her own eyes besides. She knows exactly what is lacking in the barn or stable and knows how everything should be. But the boy neither sees nor knows anything. It would be quite different if I could change those two around, make the girl into the boy, and the boy into the girl. But as long as things have to be as they are, I have no inclination to have her changed, too."

"The way you talk, Vinzenz, one might think you consider it a sickness to be well brought up," the woman replied calmly. "But you need have no fears; a governess is looking after those children who is going to see to it that hers don't come near ours. It is late, we had better go in now."

At the same time she called to the children to sing their daily evening song. As soon as they arrived the mother began, and both joined in with clear, sure voices. They knew the song well and each apparently had a good ear for music. Even as little children they had been able to repeat the mother's songs correctly. As the beautiful melody was resounding through the calm, peaceful evening air, father Vinzenz regained his usual composure, which had been so disturbed that day by anxious thoughts and fears.

ON THE PASTURE

The children had no school during the summer months because at that time they were all needed for light tasks in the fields and meadows. School began again late in the autumn.

On Monday morning the sun had only just flushed the tops of the mountains before rising above the wooded heights, when, early as it was, Stefeli, already neatly washed and dressed, rushed into Vinzi's little chamber. She found him still fast asleep.

"Wake up, Vinzi," she cried out. "The man has just brought back the cows from the pond and as soon as we have had breakfast, father wants us to go up to the pasture to watch them. The man has to come back when we get there. We'll take lunch with us and stay all day long because it's too far to come all the way home. Won't we have fun eating out of doors? Please hurry."

Vinzi had awakened meanwhile. When he gazed at his sister with his large dark eyes he still seemed lost in revery.

"Oh, I had such a wonderful dream," he said. "Mother and I were in Litten, the place we went to last year. We went to church together and everything was exactly as we had seen it then. An organ was playing the most beautiful piece and it was more wonderful than I could tell you. Do you know what an organ sounds like?"

"Oh, Vinzi, you must come now. Please hurry up and don't talk about an organ now," Stefeli urged. "Mother has already taken in the coffee and father is having breakfast. You know we won't have any fun if father gets cross. Do hurry up."

With these words Stefeli ran away.

Vinzi had realized the truth of his sister's words. He quickly jumped out of bed and completed his necessary toilet. Soon he stood in the room ready to start off. He speedily swallowed his milk and coffee and stuck the bread into his pocket, before the three others had half finished theirs. The father, looking at the boy, thought to himself, "He can hurry if he wants to. Perhaps something can still be done with him." The mother had packed the children's lunch neatly into a bag, which she hung around Vinzi's shoulder. Stefeli now came skipping along with a straw hat on her head and in her hand a rod which Vinzi had cut for her. This she used for gently urging the cows ahead whenever they needed it, but she never beat them. When the children went out, followed by the parents, Vinzi discovered that he had left his whip in the barn. All cow-herds carried one in order just for fun to flick it sharply from time to time. A sound like thunder would re-echo from the mountains roundabout. As Vinzi did not care for this pastime with the whip he regularly forgot where he had put it. While he hunted about uncertainly his father began to frown. But suddenly, in leaps and bounds, his sister, who had noticed where he had left it, appeared with the whip.

At last the children started off. "Keep the cows from going across the stream, Vinzi," the father called after them.

"Take care not to go too near the rushing stream yourselves," was the mother's last reminder.

"Yes, yes," the children called back gaily, as they hurried along towards the mountain pasture. As soon as they arrived Stefeli began to shout violently. She had not forgotten that their man was to return to the farm as soon as they had arrived to take charge of the cows. He did not hear for quite a while because he happened to be on the other side of the roaring stream. Stefeli, however, did not give up till he had heard and understood her cries. He then hurried away.

"We have to see that the cows stay on our own pasture and that Schw?rzeli does not jump about too much, for if she doesn't eat she'll get thin," said Stefeli. "Come, Vinzi, let's sit down over there under the tree; for if we leave our bag in the sun, the bread will get dry."

Vinzi, who had already settled down, got up. He followed Stefeli, watching her while she carefully laid their provisions in the shadow of the broadest branches. Then they both sat down in the cool shade under the spreading tree where earlier the ground had been thoroughly dried by the sun.

Suddenly the fugitive stood still and turned around, while Stefeli rushed breathlessly towards the young heifer, who was quietly awaiting the arrival of her mistress.

"You are a bad Schw?rzeli to scare me so," Stefeli exclaimed, firmly grasping the rope about Schw?rzeli's neck, on which a little bell was fastened. "Just wait! If you go on like this I certainly won't bring you any more salt to lick. You know you love it as if it were good sugar!" Schw?rzeli was tenderly rubbing her head on Stefeli's shoulder now as if to say, "I meant no harm, but it is such fun to caper across the meadow."

"Yes, yes," Stefeli answered, as if she had understood everything Schw?rzeli had been trying to express, "you want me to forgive you now, but stop running towards the stream. You can run towards the other side all you want. Oh, I see, you think it more fun to run downhill than uphill. I know. Come along with me."

As the two wandered peacefully back to the place which was meant to be the pasture of the day, Vinzi met them half way. Quite surprised, he asked, "But Stefeli, why did you run away? It was so nice under the tree. I was hearing the most beautiful music. I was just going to ask you if you heard it too, when I found you were gone. Only then I saw you coming back with Schw?rzeli."

Despite being used to her brother's ways, Stefeli could not help being astonished that he had not been aware of what was going on. She told him about the chase and her great fear that Schw?rzeli might gallop straight towards the stream, fall down the banks and drown. It was lucky that the little beast had suddenly become manageable. Stefeli was eager to know what Vinzi had heard in the meanwhile.

"Oh, it is such a shame you did not hear it," he said, "for one can hardly describe such music. A chorus of deep, strong voices was rising from the tree above me and floating far across the meadow. Then high, clear voices joined in and were lost in the distance till they resembled the sounds of waters far away. Oh, it was so beautiful. Come, we might still hear it if we go back."

"Go now, Schw?rzeli, and behave yourself," said Stefeli, letting go of the rope by which she had held the heifer. Then she followed Vinzi.

But she had scarcely settled down beside Vinzi when both jumped up again. They noticed simultaneously that the brown cow had strolled as far as a fence which formed the boundary between their own and another pasture. In order to get through she was pushing hard against the boards. Soon the children had fetched her back and the cow was slowly wandering to the proper field. Stefeli discovered an especially inviting spot where fragrant mountain pinks were nodding in the grass. "Come, Vinzi, we'll stay here. I am sure we couldn't possibly hear the tunes any more." To this Vinzi gladly assented. A great peace enveloped the heights, and the cows were quietly wandering about. Schw?rzeli was usually either at the head or the rear of them, but she gave no more disorderly leaps. Only when changing ground she trotted about a bit.

The children looked with happy faces at the lovely scene before them. After enjoying it silently for a while, Stefeli said, "I should just love to be a cow-herd all my life. Would you like it, too, Vinzi?"

"No, I should not like it," was his answer.

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