Erick and Sally Page 6

  CHAPTER VI

  A Lost Hymn

  The next morning, when the mother lay still and pale on her bed, Erickwoke up; Marianne, who had watched for his wakening, came to his couchand said:

  "Dear Erick, your mother has gone, last night, to heaven, and now shefeels very happy, and looks down on you and watches to see whether youstay good and honest so that sometime you may come to her."

  First he had answered quite quietly: "Yes, I know, Mother has told methat it would come so." But when he went to his mother and looked at herfor a long, long time and she did not open her eyes, then he sat down ona footstool and cried quietly. As long as his mother lay there he couldnot be made to leave her, and when she was carried out, then he sat downin the spot where she always had sat, and did not go away the whole day.But he was quite still, and although he wept, he did it so quietly thatno sound could be heard.

  The day after the officials had been there and Marianne had taken Erickfrom the empty room upstairs to her little home, she thought that itwould be best if he were to go to school and again come in contact withother children, so that he might become happy again and make a littlenoise with them; for this quiet weeping seemed sadder to Marianne thanif he had sobbed aloud. So she told him on that morning, that it wouldbe best for him if he were to go to school. In an instant Erick obeyed,took out his books, packed them in his bag and started on his way toschool. So it went on from day to day, and gradually it seemed toMarianne that Erick grew more and more as he used to be; but the sunny,joyous face which he used to have had not yet returned, and somethinglike shyness had come to him, which never before had been noticed inhim. It seemed as if a safe, strong wall, which formerly had protectedhim, had fallen down, and as though he looked for the first time onthings and people which surrounded him and which were strange to him.The safe wall had been the great love of his mother, which had encircledhim everywhere.

  Two weeks had passed since Erick had again gone to school. When lessonswere over, he had never waited until the scholars of the Middle Lot hadgathered to make a noisy journey home, but he had run away at once andhad walked the long way alone. When he came home, he found his piece ofbread and his cup of milk ready on the table if Marianne was not thereto give it to him. When she was there, she often said: "Go out a littleto play with the children, Erick, it will be good for you and you willhave time afterwards to do your lessons." Erick had always gone out, asfar as the hedge before the house, and had stopped and watched how hereand there the children were running about and playing all kinds ofgames; but he had never joined them.

  So also today, he stood there and looked with surprised eyes across atthe freshly mown meadow, where a crowd of Middle Lot children wereplaying with much noise "Catch me if you can." Big Churi was runningafter Kaetheli and as she knew what heavy blows from those big fistswould fall upon her back if she should be caught, she rushed over thefield toward the hedge and into Marianne's little garden, almostthrowing down Erick on her way. At this instant the quick-running Churiwould have caught Kaetheli; but quick as a deer, Erick rushed forth,opened his arms wide and so stopped Churi until Kaetheli had shot aroundthe cottage, fleet as an arrow, and again to her goal on the meadow,where she could get her breath without fear of being caught.

  Churi grumbled: "Another time you leave me alone, or--" With this heshook his fist at Erick and then ran away, for he hoped to catchKaetheli before she should reach her goal. When the latter had rested alittle she came running back again, for she indeed had felt Erick'schivalrous service and she was very grateful to him. She therefore couldnot see him standing so alone, but ran up to him and said cheeringly:"Come and play with us, you must not always stand so alone, that islonesome."

  "No," said Erick, "I cannot play with you. I do not want to shout soterribly."

  "You need not scream, that does not belong to the game. Come along!"Saying this, Kaetheli took Erick's hand firmly in hers and pulled himalong.

  Erick played with the rest, and now he had begun he played with all hismight. They had stopped the game of "Catch" and were playing a circlegame. The children had formed a large circle and held each other'shands. In the middle of the circle stood the excluded child. This childhad to strike someone's hand at random and then there was a race aroundthe circle to see who would first get in the open space inside. Thisgame was played with the greatest zeal; but suddenly Erick pulled hishands away from his neighbors' and ran away, so that great confusionarose.

  "We will not let him play any more," cried Churi, much angered.

  "Indeed we will," maintained Kaetheli firmly, "perhaps a wasp has stunghim, or perhaps they play the same game where he used to live. When hereturns he can take my hand. Now we will go on."

  So it was done, and soon after they were playing again with great glee,and Erick was forgotten.

  Not far from their playground stood a blind man with a barrel-organplaying his melodies. When Erick had heard the first notes, he had freedhimself and had run away. Now he stood at a little distance from theorgan grinder and listened with strained attention to all the melodies.When the man left, the boy went quietly toward the cottage, and whenMarianne saw him come, she said to herself: "I had hoped that thechildren would make him merry again, and now it seems to me that he issadder than he was before."

  From that time on Kaetheli looked every evening, when the games began,to see whether Erick was standing near the hedge, and when she saw himthere she ran to get him. Erick now played every day with the childrenand when he was in the spirit of the game, he looked quite happy. Butalmost every evening the same thing occurred as on the first. In themidst of the game Erick stopped, ran away and did not return. Once anumber of wandering journeymen had passed by; they had sung loud andjoyously their wander-songs, one after the other. Away was Erick, andone could see him far away, quietly following the singing men. Oncetrumpet blasts sounded across the meadow to the playing children--forone of Middle Lot was with the players in the army and was practisinghis marches--at once Erick ran away in the direction of the sounds.Another time a boy with a harmonica had approached the playing children;it was Erick's turn just then to seek the hiders, but threatenings andpleadings were of no avail, he did not seek any more. He placed himselfin front of the boy and listened to him; there he remained standing anddid not stir.

  Churi in his hiding-place was about to burst with anger because Erickstopped seeking. He had hoped that Erick would exhaust himself lookingfor him, for Churi had climbed up the high pear-tree which stood in thecentre of their playground, and from there he could overlook Erick'sinactivity and his stubborn resistance to being moved. Kaetheli too hadbecome impatient, for in the farthest corner of the goat-shed, whithershe had crawled, she felt herself secure from being found, and now, allat once, she discovered that there was no more seeking, and she couldeasily guess the cause. With a good deal of trouble she crawled outagain, with many signs of her hiding-place on her dress for she had beenobliged to sit crouched. She ran to Erick, who was still in the samespot, near the harmonica player.

  "I should like to know what is the matter with you," she called out."Every evening, just when we have the greatest fun, all at once you runaway like a hare, or you stand there like a statue and let everything goas it will. But that will not do! Come and seek us. But first I musthide again."

  The tones of the harmonica had just stopped and the boy had gone. Ericktook a deep breath and said: "I cannot play any more. I must go home."

  He turned away and went; but that annoyed Kaetheli. She ran after himand talked angrily at him. "That is not nice of you, Erick; you need nothave done that. You have spoiled the game now four or five times--thatis surely not kind of you, do you think it is?" They had by this timearrived at Marianne's cottage. Erick stopped at the hedge and turnedround. He said, quite friendly: "Do not be angry, Kaetheli, you see Ihave to act so."

  "Yes, but why? Tell me now, what you do and why you have to spoileverything?" demanded Kaetheli, rather huffed, for she could not yet getover the fact that
she had crawled all for nothing into the incomparablehiding-place in the goat-shed.

  "I will tell you, Kaetheli, for you must not think that I purposelyspoil everything for you. I did not think of that," said Erick, excusinghimself. "Do you see, there is a beautiful song which my mother sangevery day, and also on the last day, and I should so much like to hearthat song again. But no one sings it, and I may listen wherever I like,I hear only other things. Oh, if I could only hear that song again, justonce!"

  Now Kaetheli saw how Erick's eyes filled with big tears, and in aninstant her anger turned into pity. "You must not be sad on thataccount, for I can help you," she said readily. "I know so many songs;tell me what the name of yours is, then I will say it to you rightaway."

  "I try to remember it all the time, but I cannot get the words together;but I remember well the melody. Do you think you could guess the words,if I sing the melody?"

  "Of course I can, you just sing on," encouraged Kaetheli, withconfidence.

  Erick sang a line, and then another, and still a bit, then he could notgo further. Kaetheli, surprised, shook her head. "I never have heardthat song, but perhaps we sing it, only a little differently. I am sureI shall find it. Tell me what it is about, about people or animals?"

  "At the beginning about flowers, green trees, you know, with thosebeautiful branches and--"

  "Stop, I know all," Kaetheli interrupted him; "now I am going to sing itto you." And with a firm voice and full tones Kaetheli began seriously:

  "'Three roses in the garden, Three birds are in the wood, In summer it is lovely In winter it is good.'

  "Is that it?" she now asked, full of confidence that it must be it. ButErick shook his head decidedly, and said:

  "No, no, that is not my song, there is no similarity between it and whatyou sing."

  Kaetheli was much surprised. "But the flowers and the trees are in thesong," she said, "or perhaps, Erick, you have forgotten the song and donot know how it goes?"

  "Indeed, indeed I know," the latter assured her. "You see, first thereis a great feast, where they all come and throw down many flowers andwreaths because a great lord is coming and--"

  "Perhaps a count," Kaetheli interposed.

  "Perhaps so."

  "Oh! now I know it! If you only had spoke of the count right away; nowlisten!" And again Kaetheli began with full tones:

  "'I stood on a high mountain And looked into a vale, A little ship came swimming Three counts did hoist the sail.'

  "Well, Erick?"

  But Erick shook his head even more and said sadly: "Not at all, not abit like it! Perhaps the song is lost and no one knows anything aboutit."

  "I know something else to help you," said helpful Kaetheli, whose tenderheart was filled with compassion. "To be sure, it is a little late, butI can still do it."

  Then she ran away, and Erick looked after her with great surprise, andwondered where she was going to look for the song.

  Running all the way, Kaetheli had reached the bottom of the hill in aquarter of an hour. On the garden wall stood Ritz. "Get Sally, Ritz, butbe quick," Kaetheli called up to him. That just suited Ritz, for hehoped that something particular was in store, and before Kaethelireached the wall, Sally was brought out.

  Breathlessly Kaetheli told her what she wanted and now expected, sinceSally knew so many songs that she would bring out the desired one on thespot. But it was not accomplished so quickly and there followed a longexplanation, for Sally must know all that was to be found in the song,whether it was joyous or sad, and then she began to guess and to trywhether it could be this one or that, but none seemed to fit accordingto the descriptions, and suddenly Kaetheli jumped up and exclaimed: "Theevening bells are ringing; I have to go home. I am afraid that fatherwill be at supper before me and then he'll scold. I thought you wouldknow it much quicker, Sally, such a simple song! Think it over and bringit to me at school, but sure, for else Erick will be sad again. Goodnight!"

  Kaetheli was away like a shot, and Sally went thoughtfully back to thehouse. Very soon the sitting-room was lighted up, where mother and auntwere seated at the table, and now the father also sat down. Edi had longsince waited with his book to see whether the lamp would be lighted inthe room, for his mother had forbidden him to read in the twilight. Ritzsat down to finish, with many a sigh, a delayed arithmetic lesson. NowSally entered the room; under each arm she carried four or five books ofdifferent sizes and makeup. Panting under the heavy load she threwthem on the table.

  "Oh, for heaven's sake," cried Auntie, frightened, "now Sally will turninto a historical searcheress."

  "No, no," cried Sally, "only give me a little room, I am obliged to lookfor something." She sat down at once behind the heap of books and beganher work in earnest. But she did not remain undisturbed for long, forthe large amount of reading material which she had brought in attractedthe eyes of all, and all at once the father, who had looked at the booksfrom over his paper, said:

  "Sally, I see a book which is little suited for you to read. Where didyou get the Niebelungen song?"

  "I was just going to ask," said the mother, "what you intended to dowith A.M. Arndt's war songs?"

  Sally had taken along from all tables and book-cases what seemed to hera collection of songs. These two books she had found in her father'sstudy and now she explained that she had to find Erick's lost song, andwhat Kaetheli had told her about what was in it.

  "Aha," said Edi, and giggled a little, "on that account you took thatbook from the piano. Erick will be pleased with the words you will getfrom this."

  He held the book before his sister and pointed with his finger to thetitle: "Songs Without Words". Sally was not as thorough in her thinkingas her brother was. She had, in the zeal of her intention, thought thatthese were some particular kind of songs, and she now looked with someconfusion at the book in which only black notes were to be found. Ritz,too, was now roused to interest in the doings. He too had taken up abook and read rather laboriously: "Battle Sonnets" from--

  "What! You have also been to my table, Sally?" the aunt interrupted thereader. "You children are really terrible! At any rate you ought to havebeen in bed long ago; it is high time, pack together."

  But this time Sally showed herself unusually obstinate. She assured themthat she could not sleep, not for the whole night, if she had not foundthe song. She must bring it to Kaetheli, as she had promised to do so,and from fear that she should not find the song Sally worked herselfinto such a state of excitement that the mother interfered. Sheexplained to the child that they were not the kind of books where such asong could be found, and that the descriptions which Kaetheli had givenwere much too uncertain to find any song. Sally herself should speakwith Erick about what he still knew of his song, and then they wouldsearch for it together, for she too would gladly help the poor boy tokeep in memory the song his mother had loved.

  These words pacified Sally and so she willingly packed together herbooks and put each in its place.