Gritli's Children Page 4

  CHAPTER IV.

  FARTHER PROCEEDINGS IN BUCHBERG.

  Oscar's suspicions were correct; as soon as the school-house door wasopened, the nimble Fani had slipped out among the very first; and hadjoined Emma, who at once claimed his attention by saying:--

  "Come, Fani, I know of a splendid tree for you to draw, and I have thepaper and everything all ready."

  Fani was more than willing; and off they scampered, first down the road,and then by a path across the meadow to a small green hill, known asOak-ridge. As they slackened their pace in the ascent, Emma explainedher plan. A short time before, the two higher classes in the school hadbegun to take drawing lessons, a new experiment. Emma and Elsli were inthe fifth class, and so was the studious Fred, who, though more than ayear younger, was so much in advance of those of his age that he hadquite outstripped the fourth class to which he properly belonged, andwas, indeed, more clever than most of the members of the fifth. Not indrawing, however. In that, Fani led the whole school, and he was,indeed, so successful with his pencil that the teacher often said tohim:--

  "Now, Fani, just see what you can do, if you only try! You could do farbetter than this, even, if you would only take pains, and not be soindifferent and light-minded."

  On this very day the teacher had said that he should like to have thechildren sketch something from nature; a tree or a flower, perhaps; andhe assured Fani that he copied trees remarkably well, and that hewould, probably, succeed out-of-doors. Emma was very much interested inFani's drawing; and he had made several pictures especially for her,which she used for book-marks; a rose and a bunch of strawberries, afisherman, rod in hand, seated by a stream under a tree.

  So now Emma told Fani how excited she was when she heard what theteacher said, and how she instantly bethought herself of a splendidoak-tree that she had noticed a few days before when walking with hermother in the meadow, not far from the village; and how impatient shefelt to carry Fani off, the moment school was over, that he might set towork that very day to copy it. Talking thus, they reached the top of theridge and the tree was before them. It was, in truth, a magnificentsight, as it stood on the brow of the hill, and threw its heavy shadowfar out all round on the short meadow grass. Fani stood gazing withwonder up into its rich foliage.

  "Oh, how beautiful!" he exclaimed. "I'm so glad, Emma, that you thoughtof it; it is splendid to draw! I'll begin directly; not exactly here,but a little farther off." And Fani stepped slowly back till he hadreached the right point of view. There he sat down on the ground, andEmma, placing herself at his side, drew out from her satchel a perfectwealth of paper and pencils.

  "There's paper enough there to make a great many sketches," said theboy, as he looked with longing eyes at all this fine material.

  "I will give you a lot of it to take home," said Emma. "I thought Iwould bring a good deal, because you might have to try several timesbefore you got a good picture. Now pick out a pencil, Fani."

  It seemed to Fani a wonderful mine of wealth; all this fresh paper, andsuch an assortment of pencils to choose from. He selected two pencils,and then, spreading a sheet of white paper before him, he began hissketch. Emma watched every stroke with silent intentness. But, as thepicture grew under the boy's fingers, she could not control herexcitement.

  "Oh! oh! Now it looks exactly like the real oak! How nicely you make thebranches and all the dear little twigs! Oh! it is the very best thingyou ever did, Fani! How pleased the teacher will be! I'm sure none ofthe others will do anything half so good! How can you do it, Fani? Inever could in the world."

  "I only just copy what I see," said Fani, whose eyes constantly movedback and forth between the tree and his paper, while his cheeks glowedand his eyes sparkled with excitement. "How lovely those twigs are! andthen the leaves! I don't think any leaf is as handsome as an oak-leaf,and just look up there! see how perfectly round the shape of the treestands out against the sky, as if it had been marked by a pair ofcompasses. Oh, I wish I could sit all day long drawing this tree; thereisn't anything more beautiful in the whole world!"

  "I know something!" cried Emma, suddenly; "you must be an artist, Fani.That's the way a painter begins, I'm sure; no one else would ever thinkof saying that he could sit all day long drawing one tree."

  "It's all very well to say that I must be an artist," said Fani,sighing; "but next spring, when I leave school, I shall have to go intothe factory and just work hard from morning till night; I couldn'tlearn to paint then, if I wanted to ever so much, could I?"

  "But you do want to ever so much; don't you, Fani? Think how glorious itwould be! Wouldn't you do anything in the world for the sake of being apainter?"

  "Of course I would, but what can I do? How could I possibly manage it?"

  "You just wait; I'll think and think till I can invent some way. Onlyimagine how fine it will be when you are a famous painter and havenothing to do but to paint and draw all the time. Won't that be just thevery best thing you can think of, Fani?"

  Emma's enthusiasm was infectious. The pencil dropped from the boy'shand, and he gazed up into the sky as if already looking upon the futurecanvases which he should cover with pictures when he was a greatpainter.

  "Do you really believe it, Emma? Do you really think that I can ever doit? I should like to begin directly; I feel as if I couldn't wait. Butwhat can I do? How shall I begin?"

  "I can't think exactly, but I'm sure I shall get hold of some plan;don't be in too great a hurry," said the girl; "I dare say I shall havesomething to propose when I go to school to-morrow. But now come; hurryup and finish the oak, and then take the paper and pencils home with youand do something else. You know your drawings will be shown atexamination, and will need nice paper and pencils; you have nothing butbrown paper; so take this."

  Fani was delighted with the gift; it was for want of material that hehad not drawn at home, and now there was nothing to prevent him fromworking to his heart's content. As he put the finishing touches to hissketch, while Emma looked on and admired, the sun went down, the shadowsbegan to fall, and reminded the children that it was quite time toreturn home.

  Fred had meanwhile finished his researches for grubs, and stood outsidethe hedge, looking up the road, in the hope of seeing his sister Emma,with whom he wished to have a very plain talk on the subject of thepaper. On the inside of the hedge, in the garden, stood Oscar, with thesame intentions, but in a more seriously displeased state of mind, forhad not Emma robbed him of his friend? and just now, too, when he was soimportant to Oscar; for the preparations for the Festival could not goon without Fani.

  Feklitus was of no real assistance, for he was so slow-witted that itwas impossible to get an idea into his head; while Fani took everysuggestion like a flash, and had things at his finger-ends in a moment.As Oscar thought and fretted over his injuries, his anger with Emma grewapace; he was sure that she had in hand some project, such as she wasfamous for; it was a shame, and he was determined to ferret it out, andspoil it for her; he would punish her for taking possession of hisuseful friend; and so on and so on, while Oscar, in growing excitement,paced to and fro with hasty steps.

  In the meantime, Fred was peering into the twilight, and along the road,awaiting the coming of the culprit. At last, he saw some one comingalong the sidewalk; but it could hardly be Emma, for it was too wide, ittook up the whole width of the path. He ran forward, and found that itwas Elsli, who was toiling along, her brother Rudi hanging to her skirtson one side, and Heili on the other, while in her arms she was carryingHans, a solid child of two years. The poor patient girl was quiteweighed down under the burden of her three brothers.

  "Oh, put that big boy down on his own feet!" cried Fred, who was shockedat the sight of such needless labor, "you are not fit to carry such aload."

  "I can't put him down; he begins to scream as soon as I do, and he getsso naughty," said Elsli, as she walked painfully along.

  "Are you going to our house?" asked Fred, following her.

  "Yes, I am going to fetch something
; I have brought a bag to put itinto," and Elsli lifted her arm a little and showed a large bag hangingfrom it.

  "You can't carry anything more; do put that fat child down; he willbreak you in two," said Fred indignantly.

  By this time they had reached the house.

  "Now I shall have to put you down a minute, Hanli," said Elsli wearily,"for my arm aches so that I cannot bear it any longer." With these wordsshe put the child upon his feet; but he forthwith set up a shriek thatbrought all the women out of the house with a bound; Mrs. Stein and hersister and Kathri were on the spot in an instant.

  "I should like to give you something to scream for!" cried the maid,suiting a significant gesture to her words with the open palm of herhand, as she turned away into the house again. Elsli snatched up thechild hastily, and tried to quiet him.

  "Mamma, do tell that big cry-baby to stand on his own legs. He'll killElsli at this rate; he is far too much for her to lift." Fred spoke ingreat excitement.

  This made the child cry louder than ever, and he clung to his slendersister with such increased force, that she staggered a little and seemedabout to fall.

  "You really ought to put him down, my child," said the mother; "he wouldsoon get used to it. Come here!" and she tried to take the child fromElsli's arms. It was harder than she expected; for the little fellowclung tight with arms and legs, and kicked with his feet and poundedwith his fists, and when at last Mrs. Stein succeeded in detaching himand placing him on the ground, he flung himself upon his sister'sskirts, and screamed so lustily that she took him up again, sayingresignedly:--

  "It's of no use; he's a very naughty little boy; and begins to call tome to carry him as soon as I get home from school."

  "Such a big boy as Hans ought to be able to go alone by this time, andthen there is the baby besides; how do you manage to do it all, Elsli?"

  "Oh, Hans is in a dreadful way if I take the baby; he screams and kicksas hard as he can, and then his mother hears him, and she comes runningin, and says that she can't have such a noise, and I mustn't let thechildren scream so. So I have to put the baby into the cradle to quietHans, and then I rock the cradle with my foot to quiet the baby."

  "Come into the house, Elsli," said the doctor's wife; "you look verytired. Hans, if you will get down and come into the house yourself, youshall have a piece of bread and an apple. Come."

  "If you won't come," said her sister, "you can stay here, while Rudi andHeili come with me and get bread and apples. They can walk, withouthanging on to Elsli's skirts and tearing her to pieces. Come, boys!"

  The two boys did not need urging, but followed their kind friend intothe house. And even obstinate little Hans understood what bread andapple meant; when his sister put him down on his feet, he made noresistance, but, taking her hand, stumped along into the house without aword. Fred followed them, switching a willow wand, as if to suggest themost efficient method of teaching Hans to walk by himself. When theyreached the dining-room, the boys opened their eyes wide to see the bigloaf from which Mrs. Stein cut each a slice, and they were not slow insetting their teeth into the rosy apples, of which each had one for hisown. Elsli too had an apple and a slice of bread.

  Elsli explained that she had come to get the clothes which Mrs. Steinhad told her father to send for.

  "You cannot carry them, my child," said Mrs. Stein, "it is enough foryou to take the boys home. Tell your mother that I have something to sayto her; and when she comes to see me, she can carry the clothes home."

  "Don't you care to eat the bread and apple, Elsli?" asked the aunt,noticing that the girl put the apple into her pocket, and held the breadin her hand.

  Elsli blushed, as if she were guilty of a breach of good manners, andsaid, timidly:--

  "I should like to take them home to Fani; he will not get any supperto-night."

  "It is very nice of you to take it to him," said Mrs. Stein kindly, "butwhy will he not have his supper?"

  "We have done supper at home, and we ate up everything, all the sourmilk and potatoes, for there was not a great deal; and father said thosewho are not there at supper-time are not hungry, and can go without ButI know that Fani is hungry, only he is busy about something, and forgetsthat it is time for supper."

  "Where is he? Does he never help you with all these heavy children?"

  "No, he is never allowed to help with the children. Mother says he's ofno use; he only makes the children naughtier, and he'd better keep outof the way. So he does keep out of the way, and half the time doesn'tget any supper, and I can't keep any for him. But he is always good andkind to me. When he does come home he writes my exercises for me; for Inever can get time for my lessons, I am so busy all the evening, tillmother comes and takes the lamp, and I go to bed."

  "It's Fani's own fault if he doesn't come home in time for supper," saidaunty. "And you never will learn anything, my child, if he always doesyour lessons for you."

  Elsli turned very red, and her big blue eyes filled with tears.

  "I know it. I am the stupidest and most backward scholar in the wholeschool."

  "No, you're not stupid at all," cried Fred eagerly. "It is only that younever know the things that we have to learn by heart. And, now that Iknow why, I should just like to catch any one laughing at you again!They'd better try it!"

  Elsli was seldom merry and lighthearted, like other girls of her age;she was too much weighed down with care and hard work. She lookedgratefully at Fred for his kind confidence; but no real joy came intoher worn face. She stood up presently and took up her burden again, forHanseli had given several signs that he was ready to start for home,and wanted her to carry him. The two ladies stood at the door, andwatched her as she walked away with slow and weary steps.

  "Ah! how I wish that some ray of sunshine could come into that sweetgirl's lot!" exclaimed the doctor's wife, and her sister was respondingwith the same thought, when the sound of noisy voices was heard, whichbecame louder and louder, as Emma came running through the garden, abrother on each side, and both accosting her in vehement tones.

  "What made you carry Fani off again?"

  "What have you done with all the exercise-paper?"

  "What are you and he up to now?"

  "It's all your fault if we can't do our lessons."

  "Where have you hidden him, so that he doesn't keep his promise andcome to the meeting?"

  "Where have you put all the paper; I haven't even begun on myexercises!"

  The angry questioners, with Emma between them, came up the steps. Theirmother was just then called away; their aunt exclaimed:--

  "Be still, boys; how can Emma answer either of you, if you both keep upsuch a fire of questions?"

  Emma darted to her aunt's side, and eagerly whispered in her ear whatshe had done with the paper; adding:--

  "Do help me, aunty; you know if Oscar knew that, it would only make himmore angry."

  Her aunt could not find it in her heart to blame Emma for the use shehad made of the paper.

  "Come in, boys," she said, "and learn your lessons, and be quiet for awhile; I'll give you plenty of paper"; adding, as a farther argument,"your father will be at home directly, and you know he will not want anoise in the house."

  They came in quietly enough, and soon the four brothers and sisters wereindustriously at work over their lessons, around the table; even Oscarforgetting Fani for the time, in the interest of his studies. It seemedas if peace and quiet were ensured for the rest of the evening. Butsuddenly the silence was disturbed by a harrowing cry from Rikli, whopushed her chair back from the table, and ran out of the room into thepassage-way, as if some monster were after her. All looked up from theirwork and looked around in alarm for the cause of the outburst.

  "Here, here!" cried Emma, pointing to the table, where a shining greengold-chafer was gravely walking over the white paper, evidently anescaped prisoner from the pocket of the indefatigable collector.

  "Oh, Fred! you shouldn't carry live creatures about in your pockets,"said his mother, gently.
"You have plenty of boxes for them. Just seewhat discomfort you give your neighbors, to say nothing of yourself andthe poor little animals."

  "Fred is nothing but a wandering menagerie-cage; and no decent person issafe anywhere near him," said Oscar, returning to his book.

  "At any rate, my collections are not all the time falling through andcoming to nothing, like your clubs," retorted Fred. "And see here,mamma, what a handsome and useful little fellow this is; let me read youwhat it says about him"; and Fred opened his book, which was alwaysclose at hand:--

  "'The gold-chafer, _Auratus_, with its arched wing-coverings, and itsstrong pincers, lives upon caterpillars, larvae, and other injuriousinsects, and thus makes itself very useful. But instead of beingprotected on this account, as it deserves to be, it is everywherepersecuted and trodden upon.' So you see, mamma."

  "We will not persecute your chafer, Fred; but his place is not in yourpocket, nor on the study-table, my boy; take him away," said his mother;and at the same time his aunt called to Rikli through the open door:--

  "Come back, dear little girl, and don't behave as if a little beetlecould eat you up alive! If you go through life shrieking out over everytrifle, you will some time or other be punished for it; for no one willpay any attention to your screams, even when there is something reallythe matter."

  Rikli came back into the room just as Fred was carrying the beetle out,and, as they met in the door-way, Fred said:--

  "I'll make up a poem about you. You are the musician with the sweettones of your voice, and I am a brother-artist, a poet"

  "Yes, yes! a lovely piece of poetry can be made about your pockets fullof long-legged creatures, that come crawling out and stretch theirhorrid long legs all over the table!"

  "Of course there could," said Fred stoutly, and went off to lodge hisuseful persecuted gold-chafer in his cabinet.

  When the children were clearing away their work, before going to bed,their mother said:--

  "To-morrow afternoon is a holiday, and I want you, Emma, to go and visitthe little sick girl, Nora Stanhope; and it will be well for you to goevery holiday and Sundays too. She will be very glad to see you."

  "It will be a good thing for Emma to have a friend of her own; thenperhaps she'll let other people's friends alone," said Oscar, in a toneof satisfaction.

  Emma made no reply, but went quietly to bed; she had not the least ideaof giving up her friendship for Fani, to please anybody.

  As they were all going upstairs in a little family procession,--firstOscar, then Emma, then the aunt, and last the two youngerchildren,--Fred turned to Rikli and said:--

  "Haha, Rikli, this goes capitally!" and he sang in a loud voice to atune of his own making:--

  "Hanseli is a cry-baby, Rikli is another; She is so much like him, He must be her brother."

  Rikli was breaking out into an indignant cry at this unflatteringcomparison, but her aunt turned and took her by the hand, saying:--

  "Not again to-day, my dear, nor yet to-morrow, I hope. Show Fred that heis wholly wrong in likening you to that spoilt child."

  It often happened, as to-night, that the mother was prevented by otherduties from going up with the children to see them safe in their beds;and then the aunt had to go the rounds alone, and the children oftencame near quarrelling over her, for each one thought that the others hadmore than their fair share of her time and attention. To-night Fred wasthe unlucky one, and when his turn came, at last, he said quiteearnestly:--

  "I wish, aunty, that you could be divided in two and then multiplied byfour, so that we could have two of you apiece; and then we should allget our rights."

  Aunty was all ready to give Fred his full rights now; but at that momentcame Kathri with imperative need of her in the kitchen, so she had torob him of his share to-night; but she promised to make it up by givinghim a double portion before the others to-morrow night.