ialifornia 
 Jgional 
 Jility

 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 UNIV. OF CALIF. LIBRARY. LOS ANGELES
 
 Rico stood as in a dream and did not stir,
 
 The Story of Rico 
 
 BY THE SWISS WRITER 
 
 JOHANNA SPYRI 
 
 Author of Heidi, Chel, 
 and many other stories 
 
 TRANSLATED BY 
 
 HELENS H. BOLL 
 
 Printed in the U. S. A. 
 
 Beacon 
 
 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
 
 / "L-Ck -JT 
 
 Copyright, 1921 
 By THE BEACON PRESS 
 
 All rights reserved
 
 To 
 
 The Friends of Many Years 
 SUSAN S. SHERIDAN, PH. D. 
 
 and 
 ELIZABETH W. CLEAVELAND, PH. D. 
 
 2132803
 
 PREFACE 
 
 To Our Boys and Girls: 
 
 If you have read some of Johanna Spyri's 
 books you will not want to wait to hear what 
 we would like to say to you, but will want to 
 start right off to read the story. If, however, 
 you have not read any of her stories, we would 
 like to tell you that she was born almost one 
 hundred years ago, in a little country called 
 Switzerland, which has very high mountains 
 and very deep valleys. She loved girls and 
 boys and always wanted to write stories for 
 them, but she never wrote any until she was 
 quite old, and of course she did not know how 
 to speak English, because the language she 
 learned as a child was German. 
 
 The girls and boys who could read German 
 liked her stories so well that the woman who 
 translated this story decided to write it just as 
 Madame Spyri would have written it if she had 
 known English. The translator has been care 
 ful to preserve the simple, direct sentences that 
 have made this story so attractive to young 
 people. 
 
 [vii]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 The translator understands American boys 
 and girls, for she has been a teacher for many 
 years. She also knows Swiss boys and girls, for 
 she has often visited the places which are men 
 tioned in this story. Madame Spyri liked 
 American children, and when, in 1898, the 
 translator wrote to her for permission to edit 
 " Rosenresli " for high school students who 
 study German, Madame Spyri, in granting the 
 request, replied : " I want to have big and little 
 friends in America." 
 
 We know that you will like this story for the 
 author wrote about children whom she really 
 knew, and you too will feel that you actually 
 know the people and the places mentioned. 
 
 THE PUBLISHERS. 
 
 [viii]
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PART I 
 SCHOOL DAYS IN THE MOUNTAINS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter I In the Silent House ... 1 
 
 Chapter II Happy Days at School . 6 
 
 Chapter III The Old Schoolmaster's 
 
 Violin. ...... 13 
 
 Chapter IV The Distant, Nameless 
 
 Lake 22 
 
 Chapter V Rico Learns the Name of 
 
 his Lake 27 
 
 Chapter VI Grandmother Tells about 
 
 Rico's Mother ... 31 
 
 Chapter VII A Precious Inheritance . 35 
 
 Chapter VIII On the Silser Lake ... 41 
 
 Chapter IX Mysterious Happenings . 47 
 
 Chapter X Stineli Tells a Secret . . 52 
 
 Chapter XI A Long Journey .... 56 
 
 Chapter XII A Stranger Helps the 
 
 Little Wanderer . . 67 
 
 Cix]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 PART II 
 AT THE BEAUTIFUL GARDA LAKE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter XIII At the Distant, Beautiful 
 
 Lake 77 
 
 Chapter XIV Rico Makes New Friends 87 
 
 Chapter XV Silvio's Mother Makes a 
 
 Promise 103 
 
 Chapter XVI The Minister Finds a 
 
 Way 109 
 
 Chapter XVII Back Over the Moun 
 tains 121 
 
 Chapter XVIII Two Happy Travellers . 131 
 
 Chapter XIX Clouds on the Garda 
 
 Lake 141 
 
 Chapter XX Rico Finds his Home . .150 
 
 Chapter XXI Sunshine on the Beauti 
 ful Garda Lake . 160 
 
 Cx]
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 . . . Rico stood as in a dream and did 
 
 not stir 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 The grandmother liked to listen to the 
 fresh young voices 44 
 
 Then she . . . made figures with her 
 nimble fingers so that the shadow fell 
 upon the wall 136 
 
 Illustrations by Julia Greene 
 
 Cxi]
 
 PART I 
 SCHOOL DAYS IN THE MOUNTAINS
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 In the Silent House 
 
 N the Upper Engadine, near the road 
 which leads up the Maloja, lies a lone 
 some little village its name is Sils. 
 From there one leaves the road and 
 goes across the field, and behind, quite 
 close to the mountain, lies a small hamlet to 
 which the name of Sils-Maria has been given. 
 There stood, a little distance in the field, two 
 little houses opposite each other. Both these 
 little houses had ancient wooden house-doors 
 and tiny windows placed deep in the wall. 
 Beside one of the houses was a small garden, 
 in which grew vegetables. There also were 
 four flower-pots, the flowers of which were lean 
 and lanky like the vegetables. Near the other 
 house was nothing except a small barn; near 
 the door, two hens strutted in and out. This 
 house was a good deal smaller than the other 
 and the wooden door was black from age. 
 
 Every morning, about the same time, a tall 
 man came out of this door, which was so small 
 that he had to bend to get out. The tall man 
 
 [1]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 had very black, glossy hair and black eyes, and 
 beneath the well-formed nose began a dense, 
 black beard, so that nothing could be seen of 
 the rest of the face except the white teeth 
 which flashed between the hairs of the beard 
 when the man sometimes spoke; which, how 
 ever, happened rarely. 
 
 All the people in Sils knew the man but no 
 one called him by name. With everyone he 
 went by the name of the Italian. He regu 
 larly went along the narrow path across the field 
 towards Sils and up the Maloja. Much road- 
 building was going on there and the Italian 
 worked there. But when he did not go up the 
 road, he went down toward St. Moritz. There 
 houses were being built and there also he found 
 work. There he remained during the day and 
 only returned in the evening. Usually, when 
 he stepped out of the door in the morning a 
 small boy stood behind him, who remained 
 standing on the threshold when the father was 
 outside, and looked with his large dark eyes 
 after him or elsewhere, one could not say 
 where; for it seemed as if those dark eyes 
 looked beyond everything that lay before them 
 and at something which no one else could see. 
 
 On Sunday afternoons, when the sun was 
 shining, both stepped out of the little house 
 
 [2]
 
 IN THE SILENT HOUSE 
 
 and walked side by side up the road. And if 
 one looked at them, one saw the same thing 
 in two forms, only in the boy everything was in 
 miniature; but it was like a piece of the father, 
 up to the black beard which the child did not 
 yet have, only a narrow, pale little face was to 
 be seen, with the well-formed little nose in the 
 centre, and around the mouth was something 
 sad, just as if it did not care to laugh. 
 
 When now the two were walking thus side 
 by side, neither said a word to the other. The 
 father usually hummed a song, often he sang 
 louder, and the little boy listened. But when 
 it was raining on Sunday, then the father sat at 
 home in the little house on the bench near the 
 window, and the little boy sat beside him and 
 again they said nothing to each other. But 
 sometimes the father pulled a harmonica out of 
 his pocket and played one tune after another, 
 and the boy listened attentively. Sometimes 
 he would take a comb or a leaf and bring forth 
 melodies, or he would carve a piece of wood in 
 shape and whistle a song on it. It seemed 
 that there was nothing from which he could not 
 extract music. But once he had brought a 
 violin home, which so delighted the little boy 
 that he could not forget it. The father had 
 played many airs and melodies on it and the 
 
 [3]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 little boy had steadily watched him, and had 
 not only listened, but when the father had put 
 away the violin, the little boy had softly taken 
 it and had tried to see how the melodies were 
 drawn from it. And the father had smiled and 
 had said: "Well, then, come," and had placed 
 his big fingers on the little ones with his left 
 hand, and with his right he had taken the boy's 
 hand and the bow in his own, and so they had, 
 for a long time, continued to fiddle all kinds of 
 melodies. 
 
 The next week, when father was away, the 
 little boy tried to play, and finally he really 
 did play a melody. Then, one day the violin 
 disappeared and was never seen again. At 
 times when they were sitting together, the 
 father began to sing, at first softly, then al 
 ways more distinctly. Then the boy joined 
 in and when he could not sing the words, he 
 sang the tunes, for the father always sang in 
 Italian, and the boy understood much, but did 
 not know the words well enough to sing them. 
 There was however one melody which he knew 
 better than the others, for his father had sung 
 the song a hundred times. It belonged to a 
 long song which began 
 "Una sera 
 La Peschiera " 
 [4]
 
 IN THE SILENT HOUSE 
 
 It was a quiet, pensive melody, from which 
 someone had written the juvenile romance so 
 that he sang it always with delight and quite 
 devotedly, and it sounded well, for the little 
 fellow had a voice as clear as a bell, and it 
 blended well with his father's rich bass. Every 
 time that they sang this song, the father patted 
 the little one on the shoulder and said: "Bene, 
 Henrico, va bene." (Good, Henry, that's 
 good.) 
 
 It was only the father who called the boy 
 "Henrico," by everyone else he was called 
 "Rico." 
 
 There was also an aunt who lived in the 
 household; she mended and cooked and kept 
 things in order. In the winter she sat near the 
 stove and span ; then Rico always had to think 
 out, how he could arrange his outings, for as 
 soon as he opened the door, the aunt said: "Do 
 leave the door alone, it is getting quite cold in 
 the room." Often he was alone for a long time 
 with the aunt because his father had work 
 somewhere below in the valley and stayed 
 away for many weeks at a time. 
 
 [5]
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Happy Days at School 
 
 ICO was approaching his ninth year. 
 He had attended school for two win 
 ters, for in summer time there was no 
 school there in the mountains, for then 
 the schoolmaster had to look after his 
 fields, had to cut hay and to hoe just like 
 everybody else, for no one had time for school 
 in the summer. But this did not trouble Rico, 
 he knew how to entertain himself. In the 
 morning he would often stand in front of his 
 house, until the door of the house across the 
 road opened, and a little girl came out and 
 looked laughingly across to him. Then Rico 
 would run quickly to her, for the children had 
 much to tell each other since last evening, 
 when they had parted, just before Stineli was 
 called into the house. 
 
 The girl's name was Stineli and she was the 
 same age as Rico; they had walked to school 
 together and were in the same class, and they 
 had been always together; for it was only a 
 small distance between their homes, and they 
 were the best of friends. 
 
 [6]
 
 HAPPY DAYS AT SCHOOL 
 
 Rico had only this one friend, among the 
 boys round about he had none, and when they 
 fought and threw each other on the ground 
 and stood on their heads, he went away and 
 did not even look back. But when they 
 shouted : " Now we will give Rico a good whip 
 ping," then he stopped, stood very straight, 
 but did nothing; for with his large dark eyes 
 he looked so strangely at them that no one 
 came near him. 
 
 But he was happy with Stineli. She had a 
 little snub nose, and above it a pair of brown 
 eyes which were always laughing, and she had 
 two brown plaits tight around her head, which 
 Ipoked very neat, for Stineli was a neat girl 
 and knew how to help herself. Stineli who was 
 about nine years old, was the oldest, and so had 
 to help her mother the whole day long, for 
 much had to be done. For after Stineli came 
 Trudi and Sami and Peterli, and then Urschli 
 and Anne-Deteli and Kunzli, and then there 
 was the baby who had not yet been christened 
 and therefore had no name. Stineli was called 
 from all sides, and through having to help here 
 and there and run hither and thither the whole 
 day long, she had become so quick that every 
 thing was done as if of itself. She had put on 
 three stockings and two shoes and tied them, 
 
 [7]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 before Trudi, who was to help one of the chil 
 dren, had brought the legs into the right posi 
 tion. And when the little ones called Stineli 
 in the room and at the same time the mother 
 called her from the kitchen, then the father 
 shouted from the barn to Stineli for he had lost 
 his cap, or the whip was entangled, and Stineli 
 had to help him, for she found the cap at once, 
 it was usually on the feed-box, and her nimble 
 fingers quickly untwisted the whipcord. 
 
 So Stineli was always on the run or working; 
 but she always was quite happy and cheerful 
 with all, and in winter she was glad about the 
 school for then she walked there and back 
 again with Rico, and at recess they also walked 
 together. And in the summer she was happy 
 again, for there were the beautiful Sunday 
 evenings when she could get out, then she went 
 for a walk with Rico, who had been waiting for 
 a long time at his door. Then they took hold 
 of each other's hands and ran over the large 
 meadow to the wood-covered height which 
 extends far into the lake like an island. There 
 they sat beneath the fir-trees and looked down 
 into the green lake, and they had so much to 
 tell and to ask, and they felt so happy that 
 Stineli was glad the whole week, and through 
 everything, for Sunday always came again. 
 
 [8]
 
 HAPPY DAYS AT SCHOOL 
 
 But there was still another person in the cot 
 tage who now and then called for Stineli, that 
 was the old grandmother. But she did not 
 call for Stineli to help her; she wanted to 
 give her perhaps a small coin which she hap 
 pened to come across, or something else, for 
 Stineli was her favorite, and she saw more than 
 anyone else how the child had to work for her 
 age. Therefore she liked to give her a little 
 money so that Stineli, like other children, 
 could buy something when fair-time came 
 round, perhaps some red ribbon or a needle- 
 case. Grandmother liked Rico too, and she 
 liked to see the two together, and sometimes 
 she helped so that Stineli could stay a little 
 while with Rico. 
 
 In the summer evening, grandmother always 
 sat before the cottage on the wood log which 
 lay there, and Stineli and Rico stood by her 
 and she told them stories. When the prayer- 
 bell began to ring from the little church tower, 
 then the grandmother said to the children: 
 "Each of you must now say the Lord's prayer, 
 and you must never forget that you must pray 
 the Lord's prayer; that is why the bell rings." 
 "And you see, children," the grandmother 
 would say now and then, "I have lived a long 
 time and have seen much, and I do not know 
 
 [9]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 one single person, who had no need of the 
 Lord's prayer once in his life, but I have known 
 many a one who has sought it in great fear, 
 and has no longer found it when need came." 
 Then Stineli and Rico stood there very 
 devoutly, and each said the prayer. 
 
 Now May had come and school had to be 
 kept a while longer, but it could not be for 
 long, for things were sprouting under the trees 
 and long stretches were free from snow. 
 Rico was standing in the doorway and was 
 thinking these things. Then he looked at the 
 door across the way and wondered if it was not 
 going to be opened. Now it opened and 
 Stineli came jumping out. 
 
 "Have you stood there long? Have you 
 again been surprised at something, Rico?" she 
 called out, laughing heartily. "Do you see, it 
 is quite early today, we can walk quite slowly." 
 
 Now they took each other's hands and 
 walked toward school. 
 
 "Are you still thinking of the lake?" 
 Stineli asked. 
 
 "Of course," Rico assured her with a serious 
 face, "and I sometimes dream of it, and I see 
 such large, red flowers and across it I see the 
 violet mountains." 
 
 "Oh, what one dreams only once, never 
 [10]
 
 HAPPY DAYS AT SCHOOL 
 
 comes true," Stineli said quickly. "I once 
 dreamed that Peterli was climbing all alone up 
 the very highest fir-tree, and when he was sit 
 ting on the topmost branch, it was a bird, and 
 he called down: 'Stineli, put on my stockings.' 
 Now you can see that it is nothing." 
 
 Rico had to think deeply, how that could be, 
 for his dream could not be true and yet it was 
 like something that returned to his mind. 
 But they had now arrived at the schoolhouse, 
 and a large crowd of children came noisily 
 from the other side. They all entered together 
 and soon after the schoolmaster came. He 
 was an old man with thin gray hair, for he had 
 been teacher for so many, many years that his 
 hair had turned gray and had fallen out. 
 They now began in good earnest to spell and 
 make syllables, then came the 1X1, and last of 
 all came the turn for singing, and all sang with 
 full voices: 
 
 "You lambkins come down 
 From sun-covered height, 
 The day is departing, 
 It soon will be night." 
 
 And the teacher played on his violin. 
 
 But Rico looked so intently at the violin 
 and the teacher's fingers watching how he 
 
 [11]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 touched the strings, that he forgot to sing and 
 did not utter another sound. Now, all at once, 
 the whole herd of singers fell gradually to a 
 whole half tone lower; then the violin too began 
 to be shaky, and now all the singers flatted 
 still more, and one cannot know how low they 
 would have gone, had not the teacher thrown 
 the violin on the table and cried angrily: 
 "What kind of singing is that! You senseless 
 screamers! If I only knew who sings so 
 wrong and spoils my song!" 
 
 Then a little fellow, who sat next to Rico, 
 shouted: "I know why we sang so, it always 
 goes like that when Rico stops singing." 
 
 "Rico, Rico, what do I hear?" the teacher 
 said seriously, turning to the former. "You 
 are usually a good boy, but inattention is a 
 great mistake, you have heard it now. One 
 single inattentive scholar can ruin the sing 
 ing of a whole class. Now we will begin once 
 more, and now Rico, pay attention." 
 
 Rico now began with firm clear voice and the 
 violin followed his lead, and all the children 
 sang with all their might to the very end, so 
 that it really was a pleasure to listen. This 
 satisfied the teacher, who rubbed his hands and 
 added a few firm strokes on the violin, and 
 said contentedly : "Ah! it is a fine instrument." 
 [12]
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 The Old Schoolmaster 's Violin 
 
 UTSIDE, Stineli and Rico had freed 
 themselves from the crowd and started 
 together on their homeward way. 
 
 "Rico, did you stop singing because 
 you were astonished at something?" 
 asked Stineli. "Did the lake come into your 
 thoughts?" 
 
 "No, something else," said Rico. "I know 
 now how one plays 'You lambkins come 
 down.' If I only had a violin." This wish 
 must have been close to Rico's heart, for it 
 came out with a deep sigh. Stineli was 
 at once full of compassion and venturous 
 thoughts. 
 
 "We will buy one together," she suddenly 
 cried with great joy of the help that had come 
 into her mind. "I have many coins which 
 grandmother has given me. I think I have 
 as many as twelve, how many have you?" 
 
 "None at all," Rico said sadly. "Father 
 gave me a few before he went away. But my 
 aunt said that I would only spend them, and 
 [13]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 has taken them and locked them in her chest 
 up in the attic." 
 
 But Stineli did not lose heart. "Perhaps 
 we have enough money, and I am sure grand 
 mother will give me a little more," she said 
 comfortingly. "Do you know, Rico, I do not 
 think that a violin will cost much ; it is nothing 
 but wood with four strings pulled tight on it, 
 that cannot cost much. You must ask the 
 teacher tomorrow what his violin has cost, and 
 then we will look for one." 
 
 So it was arranged, and Stineli thought that 
 she would do at home all she possibly could, 
 and she would get up quite early and kindle the 
 fire before her mother was up; for when she 
 kept on doing something extra early and late, 
 then her grandmother often stuck a coin in her 
 pocket. 
 
 The next morning when school was out, 
 Stineli went out alone, and she stopped at the 
 corner of the schoolhouse and waited for Rico, 
 who was now to ask the teacher about the 
 violin. He did not come out for very long and 
 Stineli kept peeping about with increasing im 
 patience from behind the woodpile ; but it was 
 only the other boys who were still standing 
 here and there. But finally, Rico came from 
 behind the woodpile. Now he was here! 
 [14]
 
 THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER'S VIOLIN 
 
 "What did he say that it cost?" Stineli 
 called out to Rico, holding her breath with 
 expectation. 
 
 "I did not like to ask," Rico answered 
 despairingly. 
 
 "What a pity!" said Stineli and stood there 
 quite dumbfounded, but not for long. "It 
 does not matter, Rico," she said, quite happy 
 again, and took his hand to go home, "you can 
 ask tomorrow. I have this morning received 
 another penny from grandmother, because I 
 was up when she came into the kitchen." 
 
 But things went the same way the next day 
 and the day after. Rico stayed every day half 
 an hour before the teacher's door and did not 
 go in to ask his question. Then Stineli 
 thought: " If he does not ask for another three 
 days, then I shall ask the price." But on the 
 fourth day when Rico again stood hesitatingly 
 before the door, it opened suddenly, and the 
 teacher came hastily out, and gave Rico such a 
 push that the slight little fellow flew several 
 steps backward. The teacher stood there 
 much surprised and rather angry. "What 
 does that mean, Rico?" he asked when the boy 
 stood in his old place again. "Why do you 
 come to a door and do not knock, if you have 
 some business there; if you have nothing to 
 [15]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 do there, why don't you go away? But if 
 you have a message for me, then you can give 
 it to me here. What do you want?" 
 
 "How much does a violin cost?" came from 
 Rico's mouth in great haste, because he was 
 afraid. 
 
 The schoolmaster's displeasure increased 
 visibly. "Rico, what shall I think of you?" 
 he asked with a severe countenance. "Do 
 you come to your teacher's door to ask useless 
 questions, or have you some purpose? What 
 did you mean to say by that?" 
 
 "I did not mean to say anything," Rico said 
 shyly. " I only wanted to ask, what a violin is 
 worth." 
 
 "You did not understand me, Rico, now pay 
 close attention to what I tell you : a person says 
 something and has a purpose in his mind; if he 
 has no purpose, they are useless words. Now 
 listen well, Rico. Did you put the question 
 without any purpose, or from curiosity, or did 
 someone send you, who would like to buy a 
 violin?" 
 
 "I should like to buy one," said Rico, some 
 what more decisively; but he was much fright 
 ened when the teacher in great anger cried: 
 
 "What, what do you say? Such a lost, 
 senseless, foreign little boy as you are, wants to 
 [16]
 
 THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER'S VIOLIN 
 
 buy a violin? Do you know what a violin is? 
 Do you know how old I was and what I had 
 learned before I could buy a violin? I was 
 teacher, a full teacher, twenty-two years old, 
 and had my appointment! And a little fellow 
 as you are! And now I will tell you what a 
 violin costs. I have paid six hard florins for it. 
 Can you imagine the amount? Let us see how 
 many blutzgers that would make: one florin 
 has one hundred blutzgers, then six florins 
 must be six times one hundred. How many 
 are there? How many? Well, Rico, you are 
 not usually one of the stupid ones. How 
 many?" 
 
 " Six hundred," Rico said softly, for his voice 
 refused him obedience from pure fright, when 
 he comprehended the number and compared 
 Stineli's twelve blutzgers with it. 
 
 "And then, little boy, what do you think?" 
 the teacher continued. "Do you think that 
 one just takes the violin in his hand and it be 
 gins to make music? No, indeed, something 
 else has to be done before one can play. Come 
 in here," and the teacher opened the door 
 and took the violin from the wall "there, 
 take it in your arm and the bow in your hand; 
 so, little boy, and if you can bring out c, d, e, f , 
 I will give you half a florin." 
 [17]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Rico had really the violin in his arm ; his eyes 
 shone like fire; c, d, e, f, he played firmly and 
 quite correctly. 
 
 "You rogue!" the teacher exclaimed with 
 astonishment. "Who has taught you that? 
 How can you find the notes?" 
 
 "I can do something else if I may play it," 
 said Rico and looked longingly at the instru 
 ment in his arm. 
 
 "Play it!" said the teacher. Now Rico 
 played with all firmness and eyes beaming with 
 
 joy: 
 
 'You lambkins come down 
 
 From sun-covered height, 
 The day is departing, 
 It soon will be night." 
 
 The teacher had sat down on a chair and had 
 put on his glasses. He looked with serious 
 study now at Rico's fingers, then at his spark 
 ling eyes, and then back to the fingers. Rico 
 had finished. 
 
 "Come here, Rico!" 
 
 The teacher moved his chair into the light 
 and Rico had to stand directly in front of him. 
 "So, now I have to talk with you. Your 
 father is an Italian, Rico, and you see, down 
 below all kinds of things happen of which we 
 [18]
 
 THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER'S VIOLIN 
 
 here, in the mountains, know nothing. Now 
 look right in my eyes and tell me uprightly and 
 truthfully, how you managed to play this 
 melody without mistake on my violin." 
 
 Rico looked at the teacher with open, truth 
 ful eyes and said: "I have learned from you, 
 how to play the verses in the singing lessons 
 where we sing them so often." 
 
 These words gave the matter a quite differ 
 ent turn. The teacher rose and walked a few 
 times up and down the room. Then he him 
 self was the cause of this wonderful phenome 
 non; there was, then, no witchery. With a 
 reconciled mind he drew his purse from its 
 keeping-place and gave Rico a half -florin, say 
 ing: "Here is your half -florin, Rico, it is yours 
 by right. Continue as you have begun and 
 pay close attention to the violin playing as long 
 as you go to school, then you can bring it to 
 something, and in twelve or fourteen years the 
 time will have come when you, too, can buy a 
 violin. Now you may go." 
 
 Rico cast one more look at the violin, then 
 he went out with a very sad heart. 
 
 Stineli came from behind the woodpile. 
 "This time you have stayed a long time. 
 Have you asked?" 
 
 "Everything is lost," said Rico, and his eyes 
 [19]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 came so close together from trouble, that a 
 thick, black line was over both eyes. "A 
 violin costs six hundred blutzgers and in four 
 teen years I may be able to buy one, when 
 everyone is long since dead. Who would 
 want to be alive in fourteen years. There, you 
 may have that, I do not want it." With these 
 words he pressed the half -florin into her hand. 
 
 "Six hundred blutzgers!" repeated Stineli, 
 full of horror. "But who gave you this piece 
 of money?" 
 
 Rico now told her everything that had hap 
 pened at the teacher's house and said again the 
 words of greatest sorrow: "Now everything is 
 lost." 
 
 Stineli wanted to give him back the half- 
 florin, as a small comfort; but he was quite 
 angry with the innocent half -florin and refused 
 to take it. 
 
 Then Stineli said: "I will put it with my 
 blutzgers and we will share in the money 
 together, and everything belongs to us both." 
 
 This time Stineli too was very downcast, but 
 when she came with Rico around the corner, to 
 the field-path, the narrow path lay so beautiful 
 in the sun up to the cottage door, and in front 
 of the door the spot shone so white, that Stineli 
 cried out: "Look, look, summer is coming, 
 [20]
 
 THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER'S VIOLIN 
 
 Rico, and we can go again into the woods 
 above, then you will be glad again. Shall we 
 go next Sunday?" 
 
 "I shall never be glad again," said Rico, 
 "but if you want to go I will go with you." 
 
 At the door it was decided that they would 
 go across to the forest height, and joy was 
 again on top in Stineli. During the week she 
 did what she could, and that was much. Peterli 
 and Sami and Urschli had the measles, and in 
 the barn a goat was sick, and had to have hot 
 water very often. Stineli had to run here and 
 there and lend a hand everywhere, as soon 
 as she came from school, and Saturday the 
 whole day, until late in the evening, and even 
 then she had still to clean the feeding-pail. 
 And the father said in the evening: 
 
 "Stineli is real handy." 
 
 [21]
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 The Distant, Nameless Lake 
 
 HEN Stineli opened her eyes on the 
 Sunday morning she had a great joy 
 in her heart, and at first she did not 
 know the reason, until she remembered 
 that it was Sunday, and that her grand 
 mother had said late in the evening: "Tomor 
 row you must have the whole afternoon; it 
 belongs to you." 
 
 When the midday meal was over, and 
 Stineli had put away all the plates and dishes, 
 and had washed the table, Peterli called out: 
 "Come to me, Stineli!" and the two others in 
 bed shouted: "No, come to me!" and the 
 father said: "No, Stineli must look after the 
 goat." 
 
 But the grandmother went out into the 
 kitchen and beckoned to Stineli. "Go now," 
 she said. "I will look after the goat and the 
 children, and when the evening bell rings, then 
 you both will come home." The grandmother 
 knew that there were two of them. 
 
 Now Stineli shot away like a bird, for which
 
 THE DISTANT NAMELESS LAKE 
 
 one has opened the cage door, and across the 
 way stood Rico, who had already waited a long 
 time. Both marched over the meadows to 
 ward the wood-covered height. The sun was 
 shining on all the mountains and the blue sky 
 was over them. On the shady side they had to 
 walk a little in the snow until they came higher 
 but the sun rose and it shone on the lake, and 
 there were lovely dry places on the mountain 
 side, right over the water. There the children 
 sat down; a sharp wind was blowing over the 
 height and sang around their ears. Stineli was 
 filled with pleasure and joy. She kept on cry 
 ing: "Look, look, Rico, the sun! Oh, how 
 beautiful! Now summer is coming; look how 
 the lake glitters. There cannot be a more 
 beautiful lake than this one," she said con 
 fidently. 
 
 "Ah, Stineli, you should just see the lake I 
 mean," and Rico looked over the lake so lost in 
 thought, as if that which he should like to see 
 was there where nothing could be seen. " You 
 see there are no such black fir-trees with nee 
 dles ; there are such shiny green leaves and large 
 red flowers, and the mountains do not stand so 
 high and black and so near, they are far beyond 
 the lake and are quite violet, and in the sky 
 and on the lake everything is golden and still 
 [23]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 and warm; there the wind does not act so, and 
 one's shoes are not always full of snow, and one 
 can always sit on the ground and look around." 
 
 Stineli was quite drawn along; she already 
 saw the red flowers and the golden lake before 
 her, that must indeed be so beautiful. 
 
 "Perhaps sometime you may go there again 
 and see the golden lake and everything; do you 
 know the way?" 
 
 "One goes up the Maloja, I have been there 
 with my father; and there he pointed out the 
 road to me, it goes down the whole mountain, 
 always winding round and round, and far 
 below is the lake, but so very, very far, that 
 one can hardly get there." 
 
 "Oh, that is quite easy," said Stineli, "you 
 must just keep on walking, then you will surely 
 get there at last." 
 
 "But father has told me something else, you 
 see, Stineli : if one goes a long way, and one goes 
 into an inn and eats and sleeps there, then 
 one must pay, and so one must always have 
 money." 
 
 "Oh, we have a lot of money," cried Stineli 
 triumphantly. But Rico did not triumph with 
 her. 
 
 "That is just as good as nothing, I know 
 that from the violin," Rico said sadly. 
 [24] '
 
 THE DISTANT NAMELESS LAKE 
 
 "Then stay home, Rico, see, it is beautiful 
 at home." 
 
 Rico sat quite thoughtful for a while, his 
 head resting on his arm and his eyebrows met. 
 Now he turned again to Stineli, who had been 
 pulling up the tender, green moss, and was 
 making a little bed of it, two pillows and a 
 cover. She was going to bring them to sick 
 Urschli. "You say, Stineli, that I should 
 stay at home; but do you see, I feel as if I do 
 not know where I am at home." 
 
 "What do you say ? " cried Stineli, and threw 
 a whole handful of moss away from pure aston 
 ishment. "Here you are at home, of course. 
 One is always at home where one has father 
 and moth here she suddenly stopped. 
 Rico had no mother and his father had gone 
 away a long time ago, and the aunt Stineli 
 never came near the aunt, she had never given 
 her a kind word she did not know what to 
 say. But Stineli could not remain long in such 
 an uncertain mood. Rico had again begun to 
 wonder. Suddenly she seized his arm and 
 cried : 
 
 "I should like to know something. What is 
 the name of the lake where it is so beautiful?" 
 
 Rico thought for a while. "I do not know 
 the name," he said, being surprised himself. 
 [25]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Then Stineli proposed that they should ask 
 someone what it was called, for if Rico ever 
 got enough money and could go, then he would 
 have to ask for the road, and to do that, he was 
 obliged to know the name. 
 
 Now they began to consult whom they could 
 ask: the teacher or the grandmother. Then 
 Rico thought that his father would know best 
 and he would ask him as soon as he should 
 return. 
 
 Meanwhile time had sped and suddenly, far 
 away, the children heard the faint ringing of a 
 bell. They knew the tone, it was the prayer- 
 bell. Both jumped up and they ran hand in 
 hand through shrubs and down the hillside and 
 over the meadow, and the bell had not stopped 
 long when they stood before the door where the 
 grandmother was looking for them. 
 
 Stineli had to go into the house at once and 
 the grandmother said quickly to Rico: "You, 
 too, go right into the house and do not stay 
 before the door." 
 
 The grandmother had never told him that 
 before, although he always did so, for he had 
 no desire to go into the house, and he always 
 stood for some time outside the door, before 
 he opened it. But he obeyed the grandmother 
 and went in at once. 
 
 [26]
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Rico Learns the Name of his Lake 
 
 HE aunt was not in the room, so Rico 
 went out again and opened the kitchen 
 door. There she was, but before he 
 could enter, she lifted her finger and 
 said: "Bst! Bst! don't open and shut 
 all doors and do not make such an awful 
 noise. Go into the living-room, and keep 
 quiet. Your father lies up-stairs in the bed 
 room; they have brought him on a wagon, he 
 is ill." 
 
 Rico went in and sat down on the bench, 
 which was along the wall, and did not move. 
 So he sat a good half hour. The aunt was 
 rummaging about the kitchen. Then Rico 
 thought he would go quite softly and look into 
 his father's room. His father might want to 
 eat something for supper, for supper-time had 
 long passed. 
 
 He crept behind the stove and up a narrow 
 stair into the room. After a short time he 
 came back again and went at once out into the 
 kitchen and to the aunt. Then he said softly : 
 "Aunt, come!" 
 
 [27]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 The latter was on the point of yelling at him 
 when her glance fell on his face : it was deathly 
 pale; cheeks and lips were like a sheet, and his 
 eyes looked so black that the aunt was almost 
 afraid. "What is the matter?" she asked 
 hastily, and followed him involuntarily. He 
 went softly up the stairs and into the room. 
 There lay the father on his bed with fixed eyes ; 
 he was dead. 
 
 "Oh, oh," screamed the aunt, and screaming 
 she ran out of the door on the other side of the 
 room which led to the passage, down the stairs, 
 and straight across the road and into the other 
 house, and begged the neighbor and grand 
 mother to go over. From there she ran to the 
 teacher, and then to the selectman. 
 
 So one after the other came and entered the 
 quiet room, until it was full of people, for one 
 heard from the other what had happened. 
 And in the midst of this confusion and hear 
 ing the many words of lamentation from all 
 neighbors, Rico stood at the bed, without say 
 ing a word, never moving, only looking at his 
 father. Through the whole week people who 
 wanted to look at the dead man, and hear 
 from the aunt how things had happened, came 
 daily to the house, so that Rico heard the story 
 over and over. His father had had work below 
 [28]
 
 RICO LEARNS THE NAME OF HIS LAKE 
 
 near St. Gallen where a railroad was being 
 built. He had been struck on his head by the 
 blasting of a rock, and had a deep wound, and 
 since he could no longer work, he had wanted 
 to go home, to take care of himself until he was 
 better. But the long journey, partly on foot, 
 and partly lying in an open wagon, had been 
 too much for him. He arrived home Sunday 
 toward evening, and lay down on his bed, 
 never to rise again. He had passed away, 
 without anyone seeing him, for Rico had found 
 him already dead. 
 
 The Sunday after, the man was buried. 
 Rico was the only mourner who followed the 
 coffin ; a few kind neighbors had joined him ; so 
 the procession went to Sils. Rico heard how 
 the minister in the church read aloud: "The 
 departed man's name was Henrico Trevillo 
 and he was born at Peschiera on the Garda 
 Lake." 
 
 It seemed to Rico that he heard something 
 that he had known before, but he had not been 
 able to put it together. He had always seen 
 the lake before him, when he had sung with his 
 
 father: 
 
 "Una sera 
 In Peschiera." 
 [29]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 But he had not known why. He had to repeat 
 softly the names, and a number of old songs 
 appeared with them in his mind. 
 
 When he wandered home, quite alone, he 
 saw the grandmother out on the woodblock 
 and Stineli beside her. She beckoned to him. 
 When he came she stuck a piece of pear-cake 
 into his pocket, as she had done to Stineli a 
 little while before, and said that they both 
 should take a walk, for Rico must not be alone 
 on this day. Then the children walked out 
 into the bright evening. The grandmother 
 remained sitting on her wood stump and looked 
 compassionately after the small dark boy until 
 they disappeared out of sight. Then she said 
 softly to herself : 
 
 "No, what He does and lets be done 
 For thy own good is meant." 
 
 [30]
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Grandmother Tells about Rico's Mother 
 
 N the road from Sils the teacher came 
 walking up, leaning heavily on his 
 staff. He had attended the funeral. 
 He coughed and gasped, and when he 
 arrived where the grandmother was 
 sitting and had wished her a good evening, 
 he added: "If you allow it, neighbor, I will 
 take a seat beside you for a little while, for 
 I have some trouble with my throat and my 
 chest; but what can the likes of us say with 
 soon seventy years behind us, if one buries, as 
 today, such a young man. He was not thirty- 
 five years old." 
 
 He had sat down beside the grandmother. 
 "I, too, have to think of that," said the latter, 
 "that I, a woman of seventy -five, remain, and 
 here and there a young one has to go, of whom 
 one should think that he was needed." 
 
 "No doubt old people are left for some good, 
 where would otherwise be the example for the 
 young?" remarked the teacher. "But, neigh 
 bor, what do you think will become of the little 
 fellow across the way?" 
 [31]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 :< Yes, what will become of him?" the grand 
 mother repeated. "I, too, ask that, and if I 
 had to look to mankind, then I should not 
 know how to answer. But there is still a 
 Father in heaven, who sees the forsaken chil 
 dren. He will, I am sure, find a way for the 
 little boy." 
 
 "Tell me, neighbor, how did it happen, that 
 the Italian married the daughter of your 
 neighbor across the way? One could never 
 find out anything about this man." 
 
 "It went just as it usually goes, good neigh 
 bor," said the grandmother. "You remember 
 that my old friend, Mrs. Anne-Dete, had lost 
 all her children and her husband also, and lived 
 alone across the way in the cottage, with 
 Marie-Seppli, who was a merry child. It may 
 be eleven or twelve years by now, when Tre- 
 villo came here for the first time. He had 
 work on the foot of the Maloja, and came down 
 here with the young fellows. Marie-Seppli 
 and he had hardly seen each other, when they 
 agreed that they would marry. And one has 
 to say that of Trevillo, he was not only a very 
 handsome fellow, whom everyone liked, but 
 also a respectable and upright man. Anne- 
 Dete herself took delight in him. To be sure 
 she would have liked to have had the young 
 [32]
 
 GRANDMOTHER TELLS ABOUT RICO 
 
 couple remain with her in her cottage, and 
 Trevillo would gladly have done so; he got on 
 well with his mother-in-law, and as for his 
 wife, he did whatever she wanted. But he had 
 taken her often for a walk up the Maloja and 
 had looked down the road, which one can see 
 from there, which leads into the valley, and he 
 had told her how things were down below, 
 where he had been at home. Then Marie- 
 Seppli had taken it into her head, that she 
 wanted to go down, and nothing could be done, 
 however much her mother begged and grieved, 
 not to go down below to live. But Trevillo 
 said that she must have no anxiety on that 
 account, that he had a small farm and a little 
 house down below, he had wanted to go out a 
 little into the world, that was how he had come 
 to Sils-Maria. Now Marie-Seppli had won, 
 and after the wedding she wanted to go at once 
 down the mountain. She wrote to her mother 
 that she was very happy and that Trevillo was 
 the best of husbands. 
 
 " But after five or six years, Trevillo one day 
 stepped into the room of my neighbor Anne- 
 Dete, and led a little boy by the hand and said: 
 'Here, mother, this is the only thing that is left 
 me of Marie-Seppli; she lies buried below with 
 her other little children. He was her first and 
 
 [33]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 dearest.' She has told me that. Then he had 
 sat down on the bench, where he had seen 
 Marie-Seppli for the first time, and had said, 
 here he would stay with his little boy, if it 
 suited his mother; for he had not been able to 
 bear it any longer down below. 
 
 "Joy and sorrow came together for Anne- 
 Dete. Little Rico was about four years old 
 and was a quiet, thoughtful child, without noise 
 and fault, and he was her last joy. A year 
 after, she died, and advised Trevillo to take the 
 cousin of Anne-Dete into his house for the 
 household and the child." 
 
 "So, so," observed the teacher when the 
 grandmother was silent, "I did not know any 
 thing of all that. Well, it is possible that rela 
 tions on Trevillo's side may turn up as time 
 passes, and they can be urged to do something." 
 
 "Relations," sighed the grandmother, "the 
 aunt is a relation, but he receives few good 
 words from her in a whole year!" 
 
 The teacher rose laboriously. "It goes 
 down hill with me, neighbor," he said, shaking 
 his head, "I do not know what has played 
 havoc with my strength." 
 
 Grandmother cheered him up, saying he was 
 a young man in comparison with her. But she 
 had to wonder about how slowly he walked. 
 [34]
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 A Precious Inheritance 
 
 OW there came many beautiful summer 
 days and whenever the grandmother 
 could do it, she arranged that Stineli 
 got a free moment; but always more 
 work had to be done in the house. 
 Rico stood many an hour on his doorstep and 
 wondered and looked across at the door, to 
 see whether Stineli was coming. 
 
 Toward the end of September, when the peo 
 ple were sitting out doors, to enjoy the last 
 warm evenings, the teacher too sat now and 
 then outside his door; but he looked so thin, 
 and coughed more and more, and one morning, 
 when he wanted to get up he had no strength, 
 and fell back in his pillows. There he lay very 
 still and began to think about all kinds of 
 things, what would happen if he had to die. 
 He had no children and his wife had been dead 
 long since, only an old servant was with him in 
 his house. He had principally to think of what 
 was to become of all the things that belonged 
 to him, if he were no longer there, and since his 
 [35]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 violin was hanging on the wall just opposite 
 him, he said to himself: "I should have to 
 leave that, too." 
 
 And then he thought of the day, when Rico 
 had stood there and had played on the violin, 
 and he would rather that the little boy should 
 have it, than a distant cousin, who did not 
 know anything about playing a violin. So he 
 thought he might let Rico have it cheap, for, 
 no doubt, the father must have left something 
 to his little boy. But then he remembered 
 that, if he had to leave his violin, he could no 
 longer use the money. But he could not give 
 an instrument away for which he had paid 
 six hard florins. So he thought, keener and 
 always keener, how he need not give the 
 violin, for nothing; but at the end of all think 
 ing it came always clearly before his eyes that 
 there, where he could not take his violin, noth 
 ing else could be taken, and all had to stay 
 where it was. 
 
 Toward evening, fever gained the upperhand 
 more and more and he lay during the whole 
 night in a struggle with many thoughts, and 
 old things, which he had long since forgotten, 
 appeared to him, and pursued him; so that in 
 the morning he lay there completely exhausted 
 and had only one thought : he should like to do 
 [36]
 
 A PRECIOUS INHERITANCE 
 
 something kind, and perform some good deed 
 right away. 
 
 He knocked with his cane on the wall until 
 the old servant came, and he sent her up to the 
 grandmother, that she might come to him, but 
 asked that she come very soon. 
 
 The grandmother entered his room soon 
 afterward, and before she could ask how it was 
 with him, he said : " Be so good as to take down 
 the violin and bring it to the little orphan; I 
 will give it to him; tell him to look after it 
 well." 
 
 The grandmother had to wonder much, and 
 had to exclaim: "What will Rico do! What 
 will Rico say!" Then she noticed that the 
 teacher had become a little restless, as if great 
 haste were needed. So she left him and has 
 tened as quickly as she could, with her gift 
 under her arm, over the field, for she could 
 hardly wait to tell Rico of his good luck. 
 
 Rico stood at the door and at a sign from the 
 grandmother he ran to meet her. 
 
 "There, Rico," she said, and held the violin 
 toward him, "the teacher sends you this for a 
 present, it is yours." 
 
 Rico stood as in a dream, but it was true; 
 grandmother was really holding the violin out 
 to him. 
 
 [37]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 "Take it, Rico, it is yours," she repeated. 
 
 Trembling from joy and excitement, Rico 
 now seized his violin, took it in his arm and 
 stared at it, as if it would be taken again from 
 him if he were to look away. 
 
 "You must take good care of it," the grand 
 mother completed her mission, but she had to 
 laugh a little, for it seemed to her that the 
 admonition was unnecessary. "And Rico, do 
 not forget the teacher, and never forget what 
 he has done for you; he is very sick." 
 
 The grandmother went now into her house, 
 and Rico hastened with his treasure upstairs to 
 his room; he was always alone there. 
 
 He sat down and played and played and for 
 got eating and drinking and all about the time. 
 Only when it was getting dark, he got up and 
 went downstairs. The aunt came out of the 
 kitchen and said : "You can eat tomorrow, you 
 have behaved in such a way today, that you do 
 not deserve anything." 
 
 Rico felt no hunger, although he had eaten 
 nothing since morning. He had not thought 
 of eating when he came down, so he went quite 
 contentedly across the way into the other 
 house, and right into the kitchen. Stineli 
 stood by the hearth and was kindling the fire. 
 When she caught sight of Rico, she gave a loud 
 [38]
 
 A PRECIOUS INHERITANCE 
 
 yodel, for the whole day long, since the grand 
 mother had told her what had happened, the 
 ground had been burning under her feet, be 
 cause she could not get out to give vent to her 
 joy; but she could not stay still for another 
 moment. Now, she was beside herself and 
 kept on shouting: "Now you have it! Now 
 you have it!" 
 
 At this noise the grandmother came out of 
 the living-room, and Rico went at once up to 
 her and said: "Grandmother, may I go and 
 thank the teacher, if he is ill?" 
 
 The grandmother thought for a moment, for 
 the teacher had looked very sick in the morn 
 ing; then she said: 
 
 "Wait a moment, Rico, I will go with you," 
 and she went to put on a clean apron. Then 
 they wandered together toward the school- 
 house. The grandmother entered first, then 
 Rico came softly after her, having the violin 
 under his arm, for it had not left his hand since 
 it belonged to him. 
 
 The teacher lay there much exhausted. 
 Rico stepped to the bed and looked at his 
 violin, and he could say hardly a word, but his 
 eyes sparkled so, that the teacher must have 
 understood him, for he cast a glad look at the 
 boy and nodded his head. Then he beckoned 
 [39]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 to the grandmother to come to him. Rico 
 stepped aside, and the teacher said with a 
 weak voice: "Grandmother, I should very 
 much like to have you repeat the Lord's 
 prayer for me. I begin to feel so afraid." 
 
 At this moment the church bell was heard 
 and Rico quickly folded his hands and the 
 grandmother folded hers and they repeated the 
 Lord's prayer. Then it was quite still in the 
 room. The grandmother bent a little and 
 closed the lids of the old teacher, for he had 
 started for the better world. Then she took 
 Rico's hand and went out with him. 
 
 [40]
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 On the Silser Lake 
 
 TINELI did not get her balance again 
 during the whole week, her joy was so 
 great, but it also seemed to her that 
 this week was ten days longer than 
 any other, for Sunday simply would 
 not come. 
 
 But when it came, the golden sun shining 
 over the autumnal heights, as she arrived with 
 Rico under the fir-trees, then such delight took 
 possession of Stineli that she had to jump 
 around about the moss patches, shouting with 
 joy, and then she sat down on the very edge of 
 the incline, so that she could see all : the sunny 
 heights and the lake and far beyond the blue 
 sky. 
 
 Now she called: "Come, Rico, come here, 
 we will sing, long, long!" 
 
 Then Rico sat down beside Stineli and tuned 
 his violin, for of course it had been brought 
 along. Now he began and the children sang: 
 
 "You lambkins come down 
 From sun-covered height " 
 
 [41]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 They sang all the verses, but Stineli had not 
 enough by far. "We will keep on singing," 
 she said and sang on : 
 
 "You lambkins go over 
 To the joy -giving height, 
 The sun stands above it 
 The wind blows with might." 
 
 And now Rico sang the verse with Stineli 
 and was glad and said: "Sing on, Stineli!" 
 
 Stineli became quite enthusiastic from joy 
 and looked up and down, and sang again: 
 
 "And the lambkins, and the lambkins, 
 And the heaven, so blue, 
 And the red and white flowers 
 On green meadows' bright hue." 
 
 And Rico played and sang along and said: 
 "Sing still more!" 
 
 "And a boy is so dreary 
 And a maiden so gay, 
 And one lake like the other 
 Their water display." 
 
 And Rico laughed too and sang and said : 
 "Sing still more!" 
 
 Then Stineli sang once more and sang one 
 verse after the other: 
 
 [42]
 
 ON THE SILSER LAKE 
 
 "And the lambkins, and the lambkins 
 They sorrow defy, 
 They jump about happy 
 And do not know why. 
 
 " And a boy and a maiden 
 They sit by the lake 
 And were he not fretting 
 His heart would not ache." 
 
 And now they began again at the beginning 
 and sang their song from beginning to end and 
 were greatly delighted with it, and when they 
 had finished with it, they began afresh and 
 again and again, and so they sang the song 
 about ten times, all the verses, and the more 
 they sang it, the better they liked it. 
 
 Rico then played a few melodies which he 
 knew from his father, but after a while they 
 came back to their song and began to sing it 
 anew. 
 
 But sometimes Stineli stopped and cried 
 out: "Now something comes in my thought, 
 how you can go down to the lake, and need no 
 money." 
 
 Rico stopped suddenly and looked at Stineli. 
 
 "You see," she continued excitedly, "now 
 you have a violin and know a song. You must 
 go in every inn or tavern to the room-door and 
 [43]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 sing the song and play the violin; and then the 
 people will give you something to eat, for they 
 will see that you are no beggar. So you can 
 go as far as the lake, and on the homeward way 
 you can do the same thing." 
 
 Rico became quite thoughtful, but Stineli 
 did not leave him time to be astonished, she 
 wanted to sing their song again. 
 
 Because of all the singing, they did not hear 
 the prayer-bell, and only when it began to 
 grow dark did they think that it was time to 
 go home, and from the distance they saw 
 the grandmother watching anxiously for their 
 return. 
 
 But this time Stineli was too excited to have 
 room for care or to be subdued by it. She ran 
 to the grandmother and cried: ''You cannot 
 believe, grandmother, how well Rico can fiddle, 
 and now we have a song of our own, only for us. 
 We will sing it to you directly." 
 
 And before the grandmother could say a 
 word, they were singing with clear voices their 
 song, from beginning to the end accompanied 
 by the violin. And the grandmother liked to 
 listen to the fresh young voices. She had sat 
 down on the stump and when the children had 
 ended, she said: "Come, Rico, now you must 
 play a song for me, and we will sing it together. 
 [44]
 
 The grandmother liked to listen to the fresh young voices. .
 
 ON THE SILSER LAKE 
 
 Do you know the song, *I sing to Thee with 
 heart and mouth?" 
 
 Rico might have heard it, but he could not 
 remember it and suggested the grandmother 
 should sing it first, then he would softly play it 
 after her, and then he would know it. 
 
 "Now I am to be a solo-singer with my 
 trembling voice," said the grandmother, but 
 she sang quite contentedly one verse to the 
 end, and if the voice trembled a little it was 
 quite true, and Rico could easily follow the 
 melody, besides he had heard it before. 
 
 Now they began, and before each stanza the 
 grandmother spoke the words to the children; 
 and so they sang all together: 
 
 "I sing to Thee with heart and mouth 
 Oh Thou, my soul's desire, 
 I sing and make Thy name be known 
 On earth, and never tire. 
 
 " I know Thou art the fount of grace, 
 The source of life Thou art, 
 From which, for each, will ever flow 
 All strength to th' human heart. 
 
 "Why fret'st thou then in thy poor mind 
 And sorrow'st day and night? 
 Cast down thy grief before thy God, 
 Who made thee in His might. 
 
 [45]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 " He never yet has made mistakes 
 In His great government. 
 No, what He does, and lets be done, 
 For thy own good is meant. 
 
 "Then let Him rule, and further do 
 Whate'er He may desire, 
 Then thou will'st rest in peace on earth, 
 And joy thy soul acquire." 
 
 "So," said the grandmother contentedly, 
 "that was a real evening blessing. Now, chil 
 dren, you can go to rest, and may God be with 
 
 you." 
 
 [46]
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Mysterious Happenings 
 
 HEN Rico came into the cottage, later 
 than usual, for about a half hour had 
 passed during the singing with the 
 grandmother, the aunt came rushing 
 toward him. 
 "Are you beginning already?" she shouted. 
 "The food stood for an hour on the table, now 
 it is put away. Go at once to your room, and if 
 you turn out a vagabond and tramp, I am not 
 to blame for it. I would rather do I know not 
 what, than take care of such a boy as you are." 
 Rico had never answered a word, when the 
 aunt scolded him, but on that evening he looked 
 at her and said: "I can go out of your way, 
 aunt." She pushed the bolt on the house-door 
 so that it rang, then she rushed into her room 
 and banged the door behind her. Rico went 
 up to his dark room. 
 
 On the following day, when the whole large 
 
 household, parents, grandmother and all the 
 
 children were sitting at their supper, the aunt 
 
 came rushing across and called into the room, 
 
 [47]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 asking if they knew anything of Rico, she did 
 not know where he could be. 
 
 "He will come all right, when supper is 
 ready," answered the father slowly. 
 
 Now the aunt came quite into the room, for 
 she had thought, she could just call the boy, 
 for he must be there. She told them that he 
 had not come for his breakfast, nor for his din 
 ner, and he also had not slept in his bed, that 
 was still as it was yesterday, and she believed 
 firmly that he had gone on his loafing trips 
 before daybreak, for the bolt had been pushed 
 back, when she went to open the door; but she 
 had first thought, that perhaps from annoyance 
 she had forgotten to bolt the door, for no 
 human being could know what she had to put 
 up with with that boy. 
 
 "Then something has happened," said the 
 father at once. "He may have fallen in a 
 crack on the mountain, that happens some 
 times with such small boys who crawl about in 
 all places. You ought to have spoken of it a 
 little sooner," he continued slowly, "one ought 
 to look for him, and at night one can see 
 nothing." 
 
 Now the aunt began to make a terrible noise. 
 She said, that indeed she had suspected that 
 they were going to blame her. So it went 
 
 [48]
 
 MYSTERIOUS HAPPENINGS 
 
 always if one had had to bear so much for 
 years and had been silent. "No one will be 
 lieve," she cried and spoke a great truth 
 "what a tricky, cunning, silent boy he is, and 
 how hard he has made my life for the last four 
 years; he will become a vagabond, a tramp and 
 dangerous loafer." 
 
 The grandmother had long since stopped 
 eating, had risen from the table and gone over 
 to the aunt, who was still making a noise. 
 
 "Stop that, neighbor, stop that," the grand 
 mother had said, before the woman obeyed. 
 "I know Rico too; ever since the boy was 
 brought to his grandmother, I have always 
 known him. But if I were in your place I 
 would not say another word, but should think 
 whether the little fellow, who may have met 
 with an accident, and who may be already 
 above, standing before the dear God, whether 
 he has to accuse no one, who in his loneliness 
 has added great wrong to him, by giving him 
 harsh words." 
 
 It had come a few times in the aunt's mind, 
 how Rico had looked at her the evening before, 
 and how he had said: "I can go out of your 
 way." She had shouted so terribly, to quiet 
 these thoughts. She did not dare to look at 
 the grandmother and said that she must go. 
 [49]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Perhaps Rico had come home, and she would 
 have been glad to have seen him. 
 
 From that day on, the aunt said never a 
 word against Rico in the grandmother's pres 
 ence, or to anyone else. She believed, as all 
 the rest did, that he was dead, and she was 
 glad that no one knew what he had said to her 
 the last evening. 
 
 In the morning after the news, Stineli's 
 father went out in the barn, and looked for a 
 staff; he had said that he would call a couple of 
 neighbors; one must look for the boy, perhaps 
 toward the Glacier, where the landslides were. 
 
 Stineli had followed him and the father said : 
 "That is right, come, help us to seek him, you 
 can get into the corners better than I can." 
 
 Only after a long bean stick had been found, 
 she said: "But, father, if Rico had perhaps 
 gone along the road, then he cannot have fallen 
 into anything?" 
 
 "Of course he can," answered the father. 
 "Such senseless boys get off the road and into 
 the landslides, they themselves do not know 
 how, and Rico was never attentive." 
 
 Stineli knew better than anyone else, that 
 
 Rico was that, and from that moment a great 
 
 fear came in her heart and grew with her every 
 
 day, so that for fear she could neither eat nor 
 
 [50]
 
 MYSTERIOUS HAPPENINGS 
 
 sleep, and did her work as if she did not know 
 what she was doing. 
 
 Rico was not found. No one had seen any 
 thing of him. They sought no longer, and 
 soon the people found comfort and said: "It 
 was the best thing for the orphan, he was so 
 forsaken and had no one." 
 
 [51]
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Stineli Tells a Secret 
 
 TIT Stineli grew stiller and thinner 
 from day to day. The little children 
 cried, "Stineli does not want to tell 
 us stories and she never laughs now." 
 The mother said to the father: " Don't 
 you see? She is no longer the same." And 
 the father said: "That 's because she is grow 
 ing. We must give her a little goat's milk 
 every morning in the goat stable." 
 
 After three weeks had so passed by, the 
 grandmother one evening took Stineli upstairs 
 in her room and said: "See, Stineli, I can well 
 understand that you cannot forget Rico; but 
 you must think that the dear Lord has taken 
 him, and if it had to be that, then it was good 
 for Rico, we shall see it some day." 
 
 Then Stineli began to weep louder than her 
 grandmother had ever seen the child, and kept 
 on calling out loud: "The dear Lord has not 
 done it, I have done it, grandmother, and there 
 fore I feel like dying from fear, for I have put 
 Rico up to going down to the strange lake, and 
 [52]
 
 STINELI TELLS A SECRET 
 
 now he has fallen in a landslide and is dead, 
 and it has hurt him, too, and I am to blame for 
 it all." And Stineli wept and sobbed as if her 
 heart would break. 
 
 A heavy load had fallen from the grand 
 mother's heart; she had given Rico up for lost, 
 and the painful thought had pursued her, that 
 the little boy had run away on account of the 
 bad treatment he had at home, and was per 
 haps lying in the lake, or had perished in the 
 forest. Now, all at once, new hope came to 
 her. 
 
 She quieted Stineli so that she could tell 
 her the whole story about the lake, of which 
 she had not known anything. She now learned 
 how Rico had always talked of the lake and 
 how he had been drawn there, and how Stineli 
 had found the way. She was quite sure that 
 Rico had started to go there; but the father's 
 words about the landslide had taken all hope 
 from Stineli. 
 
 The grandmother took the child's hand and 
 drew her toward her. "Come, Stineli," she 
 said lovingly, "I must explain something to 
 you. You remember what stands in the old 
 song which we sang with Rico the last evening: 
 
 "No, what He does and lets be done 
 For thy own good is meant." 
 [53]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Do you see, although the dear God has not 
 done it Himself as if He had let Rico die in his 
 bed, yet the whole thing was in His hand,when 
 you did something unwise, for He would have 
 been able to be master over such a little 
 Stineli. And that you have done something 
 really foolish, you will remember your whole 
 life long, and what may come of it, when chil 
 dren run out into the world and want to under 
 take things of which they know nothing, and 
 never say a word of it to anyone, not to parents 
 and not to a grandmother, who mean well with 
 them. But now the dear God has let it be 
 done, and we may believe for sure, that all will 
 turn out for the best." 
 
 "Now, Stineli, think of that, and never for 
 get what you have learned. But, because you 
 are sorry for it, from your heart, you may go 
 now and pray to the dear God that He may 
 turn to something good, the foolish thing that 
 you and Rico have done. Then you may be 
 joyous again, Stineli, and I am glad with you, 
 for I believe confidently that Rico is living and 
 that the dear God will not forsake him." 
 
 From that day on Stineli became cheerful 
 
 again, and although Rico was lacking her on 
 
 every step she had no fear nor any more 
 
 reproaches in her heart, and from day to day 
 
 [54]
 
 STINELI TELLS A SECRET 
 
 she looked across to the road to see whether 
 Rico was not coming down from Maloja. 
 Time went by but nothing was heard of 
 Rico. 
 
 [55]
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 A Long Journey 
 
 N that Sunday evening Rico had gone 
 to his dark room and had sat down on 
 a chair. He wanted to stay there until 
 the aunt had gone to bed. 
 
 After Stineli had made the discovery 
 how the journey to the lake could be carried 
 out, the whole thing appeared so perfectly 
 easy to Rico, that he began to think when it 
 would be best for him to start; for he had a 
 feeling that the aunt might keep him back, 
 although he knew that she would not miss 
 him. 
 
 When he now came home, and she went for 
 him in such a way, he thought: "Then I'll go 
 at once, as soon as she is in bed." As he thus 
 sat on the chair, he thought how pleasant it 
 would be, if he should not hear the aunt scold 
 ing for many a day, and what bunches of red 
 flowers he would bring back for Stineli. And 
 he saw the sunny shores and violet mountains 
 before him, and then he fell asleep. 
 
 But he was not in a comfortable position, for 
 [56]
 
 A LONG JOURNEY 
 
 he had kept the violin in his hand ; so he woke 
 again after some time, and it was still dark. 
 Now he noticed that he was wearing his Sun 
 day clothes, that was well ; he had his cap still 
 on his head from yesterday; so he took the 
 violin under his arm, and he went softly down 
 the stairs, shoved back the bolt and wandered 
 out into the cool morning air. 
 
 It had already begun to dawn and the 
 roosters began to crow in Sils. He marched 
 hastily along so as to get away from the houses 
 onto the highway. Now he was there and 
 walked contentedly along for everything was 
 familiar to him, he had often walked so far with 
 his father. How far it might be, however, un 
 til he came on the Maloja, he did not know, 
 and it seemed a great distance to him still, 
 after he had walked continuously for two good 
 hours. 
 
 Now gradually bright daylight came, and 
 when he, after another good hour's walk, had 
 arrived on the place before the inn in Maloja, 
 where he had often looked down the road with 
 his father, the sunny morning lay over the 
 mountains, and the fir-trees were all as of gold. 
 Rico sat down on the edge of the street, he was 
 already very tired and now he realized that he 
 had eaten nothing since his dinner on the pre- 
 [57]
 
 ceding day. But he was not dismayed, for 
 now the road went down hill, and afterwards 
 the lake would surely appear. 
 
 As he thus sat, a large mail-coach came rat 
 tling up. He had often seen it when it drove 
 by Sils, and he had thought that a coachman 
 must enjoy the greatest happiness on earth, 
 sitting always with his whip on the box and 
 driving fine horses. Now he saw one of those 
 lucky creatures near by, for the mail-coach 
 stopped and Rico did not turn his eyes from 
 the remarkable man, who came down from his 
 high seat, and went into the tavern and came 
 out again with several enormous pieces of rye- 
 bread, upon which lay a huge slice of cheese. 
 Now the coachman pulled a strong knife out of 
 his pocket and cut his bread and put a piece in 
 the mouth of one horse and then the other. His 
 turn came between, but on his piece of bread 
 came always a good morsel of cheese. As 
 they now were eating all together so content 
 edly, the coachman looked around and all at 
 once he called out: "Hello, little musician, 
 will you breakfast with us? Come along." 
 
 Only when Rico had seen the bread, did he 
 
 realize how very hungry he was. He therefore 
 
 gladly accepted the invitation and went over 
 
 to the coachman. He cut an astonishingly 
 
 [58]
 
 A LONG JOURNEY 
 
 large piece of cheese and laid it upon a still 
 thicker piece of bread, so that Rico hardly 
 knew how he could master the things. 
 
 He had to place his violin on the ground. 
 The coachman watched complacently how 
 Rico bit into his breakfast, and while he con 
 tinued his business he said: "You are a very 
 young violin player, do you know anything?" 
 
 "Yes, two songs, and then the one from 
 father," Rico answered. 
 
 "So, and where do you want to go on your 
 two little legs?" the coachman continued. 
 
 "To Peschiera on the Garda Lake," was 
 Rico's serious answer. 
 
 The coachman burst into loud laughter, so 
 that Rico looked quite astonished up at him. 
 
 "You are a good walker, you," laughed the 
 coachman again, "don't you know how far that 
 is, and that a small musician, as you are, could 
 run both his feet off together with the soles, 
 before he would have seen one little drop of 
 water of the Garda Lake? Who sends you 
 down there?" 
 
 "I go myself," said Rico. 
 
 "I have never met anyone like this mite be 
 fore," the coachman laughed good-naturedly. 
 "Where are you at home, musician?" 
 
 "I do not really know, perhaps on the 
 [59]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Garda Lake," Rico answered quite seriously. 
 
 "Is that an answer!" The driver looked 
 closer at the boy. Rico did not look like a 
 runaway beggar child. The black curly head 
 over his Sunday suit looked quite fine, and the 
 small face with the serious eyes bore a noble 
 imprint, and if one once had seen it one liked 
 to look at it again. 
 
 The coachman may have felt that too, for he 
 looked at Rico firmly and then again even 
 more firmly, then he said kindly: "You carry 
 your passport in your face, my boy, and it is a 
 good one, although you do not know where you 
 are at home. What will you give me if I let 
 you sit beside me on the box and take you 
 down?" 
 
 Rico was so astonished as if it could not be 
 possible that he really had heard these words. 
 To drive down into the valley on the high coach 
 he could never have thought it possible. But 
 what could he give the man? 
 
 " I have nothing besides my violin, and I can 
 not give that to you," Rico said sadly after 
 some thinking. 
 
 "Yes indeed, I should not know what to do 
 with that thing," the coachman laughed. 
 "Come, now we start and you can give me a 
 little music." 
 
 [60]
 
 A LONG JOURNEY 
 
 Rico did not trust his ears; but really the 
 coachman lifted him over the wheels onto the 
 high seat and climbed after! The travellers 
 had taken to the coach again, the door was 
 closed and now it went down the street, which 
 Rico had so often looked at, and had longed to 
 get down there. And his wish was fulfilled, 
 and how ! High up between heaven and earth 
 Rico drove along and he could not yet believe 
 that it was he. 
 
 The driver did wonder a little to whom the 
 little boy beside him could belong. 
 
 "Tell me, you little walking possession, 
 where is your father?" he asked after a strong 
 crack with his whip. 
 
 "He is dead," answered Rico. 
 
 "So, and where is your mother?" 
 
 "She is dead." 
 
 " So, then one has perhaps a grandfather and 
 a grandmother, where are they?" 
 
 "They are dead." 
 
 " So, so, but perhaps a brother or a sister you 
 surely must have, what has become of them?" 
 
 "They are dead," was Rico's continuous, 
 sad answer. 
 
 Since now the driver saw that all were dead 
 he let the relations alone and only asked: 
 "What was your father's name?" 
 [61]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 "Henrico Trevillo of Peschiera on Lake 
 Garda," replied Rico. 
 
 Now the man proceeded to arrange the 
 things in his mind: this is a misplaced boy 
 from down below, and it is well that he comes 
 again to his own place. With this he dropped 
 the subject. 
 
 When now, after the first steep descent of 
 the mountain road, the way became a little 
 more even, the driver said: "Well, musician, 
 now play a cheerful song." 
 
 Then Rico took his violin and was of such 
 good cheer high up there on his throne, riding 
 along under the blue sky, that he began and 
 sang lustily, 
 
 "You lambkins come down 
 From sun-covered height." 
 
 High on the postchaise sat three students, 
 who were taking a holiday trip, and as now the 
 song went on and Rico sang with much delight 
 and joyousness, Stineli's stanzas, there sud 
 denly arose above on the coach a loud Hello 
 and laughter, and the students called out: 
 "Stop, musician, and begin again, we will sing 
 with you." 
 
 Then Rico began again and now the students 
 joined and sang with all their might, 
 [62]
 
 A LONG JOURNEY 
 
 "And the lambkins, and the lambkins " 
 
 and between the singing they laughed so loud 
 that Rico's violin could not be heard, and then 
 they sang again, and one sang quite alone into 
 the singing of the others: 
 
 "And were he not fretting, 
 His heart would not ache." 
 
 And then the others fell in again and sang as 
 loud as they could 
 
 "And the lambkins and the lambkins" 
 
 and so it went on for some time, and when Rico 
 stopped for a moment, then they called to him : 
 "Play on, do not stop," and they threw small 
 silver coins to him, again and again, so that he 
 had a little heap in his cap. 
 
 Within the coach the travellers opened all 
 the windows and stuck out their heads to hear 
 the jolly song. Rico began to play anew and 
 the students began afresh and divided the song 
 into Solo and Chorus. Then the solo voice 
 sang very solemnly: 
 
 "And one lake, like the other, 
 Their water display" 
 
 and then again: 
 
 "And were he not fretting, 
 His heart would not ache" 
 
 [63]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 and then the chorus fell in and sang with all 
 their might, 
 
 "And the lambkins, and the lambkins" 
 
 and then it seemed they laughed as if they 
 wanted to shorten their lives. 
 
 Suddenly the coachman stopped, it was 
 noon and a halt had to be made and dinner had 
 to be taken. When he swung Rico down, he 
 carefully held his cap, for all the money was in 
 it, and Rico had enough to do to take care of 
 his violin. 
 
 The driver was quite happy when he gave 
 the cap into Rico's hand, and said: "So, that 
 is right and now you, too, can have dinner." 
 
 The students jumped down, one after the 
 other, and they all wanted to see the player, for 
 they had not been able to see him well from 
 their seats. Now the wondering and the mer 
 riment began afresh; judging from the good 
 voice, they had expected to see a bigger man, 
 and now the fun was doubled. They took the 
 little boy in their midst and marched singing 
 into the inn. Rico had to take a seat between 
 two of the gentlemen, at the beautifully set 
 table, and they said that he was their guest, 
 and each of the three put a piece of meat 
 on his plate, for none wanted to give less 
 [64]
 
 A LONG JOURNEY 
 
 than the other, and Rico had never eaten such 
 a meal. 
 
 "From whom do you have the beautiful 
 song, little player?" one of the three asked. 
 
 "From Stineli, she has made it herself," 
 Rico answered seriously. 
 
 The three looked at each other and then 
 burst out in ringing laughter. 
 
 "That is fine of Stineli," one cried, "now we 
 will give a Hurrah for Stineli." 
 
 They drank Stineli's health, and Rico had to 
 clink his glass with theirs for Stineli, which he 
 gladly did. 
 
 Now it was time to start, and when they 
 stepped up to the coach again, a stout man 
 came to Rico; he had such a big stick in his 
 hand that it looked as if he had torn up a 
 young tree. He was dressed in a yellowish- 
 grey suit. 
 
 "Come, little one," he said, "you have sung 
 so prettily. I have heard you inside the coach, 
 and I, too, have to do with sheep, like you; you 
 see, I am a sheep trader and because you can 
 sing so beautifully of sheep, you must have 
 something from me." With these words he 
 put a large silver coin in Rico's hand, for the 
 cap had been emptied into Rico's pocket. 
 
 Then the man took his seat inside the coach, 
 [65]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 and Rico was lifted up by the coachman like a 
 feather and swung onto his high seat. When 
 the coach did not go so quickly, the students 
 asked for music, and Rico played all the 
 melodies which he had from his father, and at 
 last he played: 
 
 "I sing to Thee with heart and mouth." 
 
 The students must have fallen asleep at this 
 melody, for everything had become so quiet, 
 and now the violin was silent, and the evening 
 breeze wafted softly around them, and silently 
 the little stars came up in the sky, one after the 
 other, until they radiated round about, wher 
 ever Rico was looking. And he thought of 
 Stineli and the grandmother, what they were 
 doing now, and he remembered that about this 
 time the prayer-bell was ringing, and both 
 would pray the Lord's prayer. He would do 
 that, too; it was then as if he were with them, 
 and Rico folded his hands and prayed under 
 the brilliant, star-studded heavens, very rever 
 ently, his Lord's prayer. 
 
 [66]
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A Stranger Helps the Little Wanderer 
 
 ICO too had fallen asleep. He awoke 
 from being taken hold of by the coach 
 man to lift him down. Now all came 
 out and down from the coach, and the 
 three students came to Rico and shook 
 
 his hand, and wished him a happy journey. 
 
 And one called out: "Greet Stineli from us 
 
 most heartily!" 
 Then they disappeared in a street, and Rico 
 
 heard how they once again began: 
 
 "And the lambkins, and the lambkins.'* 
 
 Now Rico stood there in the dark night and 
 had no idea where he was nor what he should 
 do. Now he remembered that he had not 
 even thanked the driver, who had taken him 
 along so far, and he wanted to do so at once. 
 
 The driver had disappeared together with 
 the horses, and it was dark round about; only 
 at the other side hung a lantern; Rico went 
 toward it. It hung on the stable door, where 
 the horses were being led in. Aside stood the 
 man with the big stick, he seemed to wait 
 [67]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 for the coachman. Rico too stood there and 
 waited. 
 
 The sheep trader could not have recognized 
 him in the darkness; all at once he said in a 
 surprised tone: "What, you are still here, 
 little one? Where are you going to spend the 
 night?" 
 
 "I do not know where," answered Rico. 
 
 "For goodness' sake! At eleven o'clock in 
 the night and such a bit of a boy as you are, 
 and in a strange country " 
 
 The sheep trader had to puff out his words, 
 for in the excitement he could not get his 
 breath easily; but he did not complete his 
 sentence, for the coachman came out of the 
 stables, and Rico went directly toward him and 
 said: "I wanted to thank you for taking me 
 along." 
 
 " It is well that you came, I had almost for 
 gotten you over the horses, and I wanted to 
 give you in charge of an acquaintance. I was 
 about to ask you, good friend," he continued, 
 turning to the sheep trader, "whether you 
 would not take the little fellow along, since you 
 are going down into the Bergamask region. 
 He is going down to Lake Garda, somewhere, 
 he is one of those who are hither and thither 
 you understand what I mean " 
 [68]
 
 A STRANGER HELPS THE WANDERER 
 
 All kinds of stories of stolen and lost chil 
 dren came into the sheep trader's mind: he 
 looked compassionately at Rico, by the light of 
 the lantern, and said in a low tone to the coach 
 man: "He looks as though he were not in the 
 right casing. No doubt he belongs in a 
 gentleman's cloak. I'll take him along." 
 
 After he had talked over a sheep-deal with 
 the driver, the two took leave from each other 
 and the trader beckoned to Rico to come with 
 him. After a short walk the man went into a 
 house and directly into a large room of an inn, 
 where he sat down in a corner with Rico. 
 
 " Now we will look at your money," he said, 
 "so that we may know what you can afford. 
 Where are you going down below at the 
 lake?" 
 
 "To Peschiera on the Garda Lake," was 
 Rico's unchanged reply. Now he took all his 
 money out of his pocket; it was a nice little 
 heap of small coins, and on the top was the 
 large silver piece. 
 
 "Have you only the one large piece?" the 
 trader asked. 
 
 "Yes, only the one, you gave that to me." 
 
 The man was so delighted that he had been 
 
 the only one who had given a large piece and 
 
 that the boy knew it, he felt inclined to give 
 
 [69]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 him another piece. When food was served the 
 stout man beckoned to the boy to come to the 
 table, saying: "I pay that and also your bed 
 for the night; then you will have enough for 
 tomorrow." 
 
 Rico was so tired from all the singing and 
 playing and travelling the whole day long, that 
 he could hardly eat, and he had scarcely touched 
 his pillow, in the large room where he was to 
 spend the night with his protector, when he fell 
 at once into a deep sleep. 
 
 The next morning Rico was shaken very 
 early out of his deep sleep, by a firm hand. 
 He jumped hastily out of bed for his compan 
 ion stood there ready for the journey, with his 
 stick in his hand. 
 
 But it was not long before Rico, too, was 
 ready, with his violin in his hand. The two 
 stepped first into the dining-room and Rico's 
 companion called for coffee, and he encouraged 
 the boy to drink of it for now a long journey 
 was coming and one that would give an 
 appetite. 
 
 When that piece of business was satisfacto 
 rily accomplished, the two travellers started 
 and after a walk they turned round a corner 
 and how Rico had to open his eyes all at 
 once he saw a large, shining lake before them. 
 [70]
 
 A STRANGER HELPS THE WANDERER 
 
 "Now comes the Garda Lake!" Rico said 
 excitedly. 
 
 "Not by far, little fellow; now we are on the 
 Lake of Como," the trader explained. Then 
 they went in a ship and sailed for many hours. 
 And Rico looked now along the sunny shore, 
 and then into the blue waves, and all spoke of 
 home to him. All at once he placed his silver 
 piece on the table. 
 
 "What? what? have you already too much 
 money?" his protector asked him, who, lean 
 ing on his stick watched with surprise Rico's 
 doings. 
 
 "I have to pay today, you said so last night," 
 said Rico. 
 
 :< You do pay attention, if one tells you some 
 thing. That is good, but one does not put the 
 money so on the table, just give it to me." 
 
 With these words he rose and went to look 
 round to see to whom he should pay. But 
 when he pulled out his well-filled leather bag, 
 which was filled with such silver pieces, for he 
 was on a trading journey, then he could not 
 find it in his heart to give the little fellow's 
 single large piece, and he brought it back again 
 together with his ticket and said: "There, 
 you can use your money better tomorrow; to 
 day you are still with me, and who knows how 
 [71]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 things will go with you tomorrow. If now you 
 arrive down at Peschiera at the Garda Lake, 
 and I am no longer with you, shall you remem 
 ber the house where you have to go?" 
 
 "No, I know no house there," answered 
 Rico. The man had to overcome a secret sur 
 prise, for the little fellow's story seemed very 
 mysterious to him. But he did not let Rico 
 see it, and did not ask any more; he thought 
 that he should not get to understand the boy's 
 doings; the coachman would explain it to him 
 when they met again; he would, no doubt, 
 know everything about the boy. He felt very 
 sorry for Rico who now, very soon, had to lose 
 him too. 
 
 When the boat stopped, the man took Rico's 
 hand and said: "So that is better, I shall not 
 lose you thus, and you can keep up better, for 
 now it means to walk quickly, for they will not 
 wait." 
 
 Rico had to try hard to keep up with his pro 
 tector. He neither looked to the right nor the 
 left, and all at once he stood before a long row 
 of rolling wagons, the like of which he had 
 never seen. He followed his companion up a 
 few steps into one of the wagons, and Rico was 
 now for the first time in his life, in a railroad 
 carriage. After they had ridden for about an 
 [72]
 
 A STRANGER HELPS THE WANDERER 
 
 hour, the sheep-trader rose and said: "Now 
 my turn comes, we are now in Bergamo, and 
 you remain seated, until someone comes to 
 fetch you, for I have arranged everything, 
 then you get out and are there." 
 
 "Am I then in Peschiera on the Garda 
 Lake?" Rico asked. His protector con 
 firmed that. Rico now thanked the kind 
 man very prettily, for he had indeed com 
 prehended, how many kindnesses the man 
 had shown him, and so they parted, and each 
 felt sorry that he had to leave the other. 
 
 Rico now sat very quiet in his corner, and 
 had time to be astounded, for no one troubled 
 himself about him. He might have sat so per 
 haps three hours without moving, when the 
 train again stopped as it had done several 
 times before. 
 
 A conductor came in, took hold of Rico's 
 arm and pulled him hastily out of the carriage 
 and down the steps. Then he pointed up the 
 hill and said: "Peschiera," and was in a mo 
 ment back in the carriage and had disappeared. 
 The train rushed on. 
 
 [73]
 
 PART II 
 
 AT THE BEAUTIFUL GARDA LAKE
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 At the Distant, Beautiful Lake 
 
 ICO stepped a few feet away from the 
 building where the train had stopped, 
 and looked about: this white house, 
 the bare, open space before it, the 
 straight road, all appeared so strange 
 to him; he had never seen that before, and 
 he thought: "I am not on the right spot." 
 Sadly he went on down the path, between the 
 trees. The road now turned, and Rico stood 
 as in a dream and did not stir. Before him in 
 bright sunshine lay the light blue lake with 
 the warm, still shores and beyond the moun 
 tains came toward each other; in the midst lay 
 the sunny bay and the friendly houses on it 
 shone across. Rico knew that he had seen 
 that, there he had stood, just there, he knew 
 these trees; but where was the small, white 
 house? It must be there, quite near; but it 
 was not there. 
 
 But below there was the old street; oh yes, 
 he knew it so well, and there the large red 
 flowers shone forth from between the green 
 [77]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 leaves; there must be a narrow, stone bridge, 
 there over the outlet of the lake, he had walked 
 over it so often; but he could not see it. 
 
 Suddenly Rico began to run up to the street, 
 driven by ardent longing, and across it, there 
 was the narrow bridge he knew all there he 
 had gone across and somebody was holding his 
 hand his mother all at once the face of his 
 mother came before him, as he had not seen it 
 before for many years ; there she had stood and 
 had looked at him with loving eyes; and some 
 thing came over Rico as never before in his life. 
 
 He threw himself on the ground beside the 
 narrow bridge and wept and sobbed aloud: 
 "Mother, my mother, where are you? Where 
 is my home, mother? " He lay there for a long 
 time and had to weep out his great sorrow, and 
 he felt as if his heart must burst, and as if it 
 were an outbreak of all sorrow which had made 
 him dumb and stiff when it had come to him. 
 
 When Rico got up from the ground, the sun 
 was far down and a golden evening glow cov 
 ered the lake. Now the mountains became 
 violet and a rosy hue lay over the shore. Rico 
 had thus remembered his lake and had seen it 
 thus in his dreams, and everything was much 
 more beautiful now he saw it again with his 
 very eyes. Rico kept on thinking, as he was 
 [78]
 
 AT THE DISTANT BEAUTIFUL LAKE 
 
 sitting there and looked and could not see 
 enough: "If I could only show that all to 
 Stineli!" 
 
 Now the sun had gone down, and the light 
 round about turned into darkness. Rico arose 
 and went toward the street, where he had seen 
 the red flowers. A small path led up to them 
 from the street. There they were, one bush 
 beside the other, but it was like a garden ; to be 
 sure there was only an open fence round about 
 the place, and in the garden there were flowers 
 and trees and grapes, in profusion. 
 
 Above at the end was a handsome house, 
 with an open door, and in the garden a young 
 fellow went hither and thither and cut off 
 bunches of large golden-yellow grapes here and 
 there and whistled contentedly at his work. 
 
 Rico looked at the flowers and thought: "If 
 Stineli could see these!" And he stood for a 
 long time without moving before the hedge. 
 
 Now the young gardener saw him and called 
 out to him: "Come in, fiddler, and play a 
 pretty song, if you know one." 
 
 The boy called that in Italian, and Rico felt 
 so strange; he understood what he heard, but 
 he could not speak it. He stepped into the 
 garden and the young fellow wanted to talk 
 with him; but when he discovered that Rico 
 [79]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 could not answer, he pointed to the open door 
 and made clear to Rico that he should play 
 there. 
 
 Rico approached the door, it led directly in 
 to a room. There stood a little bed, and beside 
 it sat a lady who was making something with 
 red laces. Rico stopped before the threshold 
 and began to play his song and sing: 
 
 :< You lambkins come down." 
 
 When he was through, there arose from the 
 bed the pale head of a boy, who called out : 
 
 "Play again!" 
 
 Rico played another melody. 
 
 "Play once more!" it sounded again. 
 
 So it went on five or six times, and again and 
 again it came from the bed: "Play again!" 
 
 Now Rico had played all he knew; he took 
 his violin and was going away. Then the sick 
 boy began to scream: "Stay here! Play 
 again, play once more!" And the lady had 
 risen and came to Rico. She gave him some 
 thing in his hand and Rico at first did not know 
 what she wanted; but it came again into his 
 mind, that Stineli had said, if he were playing 
 before a door, the people would give him some 
 thing. Then the woman asked in a friendly 
 tone, from where he came and where he was go- 
 [80]
 
 AT THE DISTANT BEAUTIFUL LAKE 
 
 ing? Rico could not answer. She asked if he 
 were there with his parents? Then he nodded 
 "no"; whether he was alone? He nodded 
 * ' yes ' ' . Where he was now going, so late in the 
 evening? Rico shook his head uncertainly. 
 Then the woman felt compassion for the small 
 stranger, and she called the young fellow from 
 the garden, and told him to go with the strange 
 boy to the Inn "At the Golden Sun"; perhaps 
 the landlord could understand the boy's lan 
 guage, for he had been travelling for a long 
 time about the world. He was to tell the land 
 lord that he should keep the boy over night, 
 she would pay for it, and he was to send him 
 tomorrow on the right way which he had to 
 take, he was so very young "only a few 
 years older than my boy," she added full of 
 pity and he also should give him something 
 to eat. 
 
 The little one shouted again from his bed: 
 "He must play once more," and did not stop 
 until his mother said: "He will come again to 
 morrow, but nowjtie must sleep and so must 
 you." 
 
 The young fellow now went ahead of Rico, 
 and the latter knew now where he was going, 
 he had understood the lady's words. 
 
 It was a good ten minutes' walk to the little 
 [81]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 town. In the middle of a narrow street the 
 young man went into a house and directly into 
 a large bar-room which was thick with tobacco- 
 smoke, and a number of men sat around the 
 tables. 
 
 The young fellow gave his message and the 
 landlord said, "It is well," and the innkeeper's 
 wife came at once and both looked at Rico 
 from top to toe. But when the guests at the 
 next table saw the violin several of them called 
 out: "We are going to have music," and one 
 called: "Little one, play something merry!" 
 And they all shouted so in confusion, that the 
 landlord could hardly ask what language Rico 
 spoke, and from where he came. Rico now 
 answered in his own tongue, that he had come 
 from over the Maloja, and that he understood 
 all that they were saying, but could not speak. 
 The landlord understood him and said that he 
 too had been there above, and they would talk 
 together later, now he should play a little, for 
 the guests kept on calling for music. 
 
 Then Rico obediently began to play as 
 usual with his song, and sang the words. 
 But not one of the guests understood a word, 
 and the melody seemed, no doubt, a little 
 simple to them. Some began to talk and to 
 make a noise; the others called out, they 
 [82]
 
 AT THE DISTANT BEAUTIFUL LAKE 
 
 wanted to hear something different, a dance or 
 something pretty. 
 
 But Rico sang his song through to the end, 
 when he once had begun it. As he had finished 
 it, he thought of what he should play next. He 
 did not know how to play a dance, and grand 
 mother's song went still slower, and they 
 could again not understand the words; then 
 something occurred to him and he began: 
 
 "Una sera 
 In Peschiera " 
 
 The first tones of the melody had hardly 
 been played, when there was perfect silence, 
 and all at once voices rose from this and that 
 table and at last from all tables, and there rose 
 a chorus more beautiful than Rico had ever 
 heard, so that he became quite enthusiastic and 
 played ever more fierily , and the men sang more 
 and more eagerly, when one stanza was at an 
 end, then Rico began at once a new one with 
 firm strokes, for he knew, from his father, where 
 the stanza ended. And when now the end 
 came, there arose such a noise as Rico had 
 never heard. Everyone in the room called 
 and shouted in confusion, and struck their fists 
 on the table, from pure joy, and then they all 
 came with their glasses toward Rico and he 
 [83]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 was to drink from each, and two shook his 
 hands and one his shoulders, and one and all 
 shouted at him and made such an uproar from 
 pure joy that the poor little boy became fright 
 ened and grew paler and paler. He had played 
 their own Peschiera-song, which belonged to 
 them alone and which no stranger could learn, 
 and he, this little boy, had played it firmly and 
 correctly, as if he belonged to Peschiera; these 
 intense-feeling Peschierans could not empha 
 size enough and could not rejoice enough over 
 this wonder of a violin-player and all wanted to 
 show him how highly they esteemed him. 
 
 But now, the innkeeper's wife interfered. 
 She had a plateful of rice with a large piece of 
 chicken on it in her hand; she beckoned to Rico 
 and told the men to leave him alone now, that 
 he must eat and they could see that he was as 
 white as a sheet from excitement. Then she 
 put his plate on a small table in the corner and 
 sat down with him and encouraged him to eat, 
 for that would be good for such a thin little 
 fellow as he was. 
 
 Rico found his supper very good, for since his 
 coffee in the morning he had not had a bite, 
 and he had been through too much to go with 
 out eating. As soon as his plate was empty, 
 his eyes closed from fatigue. The landlord too 
 [84]
 
 AT THE DISTANT BEAUTIFUL LAKE 
 
 had come to the table and praised Rico for his 
 playing, and asked him, to whom he belonged 
 and where he was going. Rico said, while he 
 tried hard to keep his eyes open, that he be 
 longed to no one, and he wanted to go nowhere. 
 
 Then the landlord said in a friendly way, he 
 should go to sleep without fear, tomorrow he 
 could go to see Mrs. Menotti again, who had 
 sent him there; that she was a very kind lady 
 and could perhaps employ him as a young ser 
 vant, if he did not know what to do. 
 
 But his wife kept on pulling his sleeve, as if 
 he should not say what he was saying; but he 
 finished, for he did not understand what his 
 wife wanted. 
 
 Now the men at the tables began again, they 
 wanted to hear their song once more. But the 
 landlady called out: "No, no, you can hear it 
 again next Sunday. The boy is tired to 
 death." With these words she took Rico by 
 the hand and brought him upstairs to a large 
 room. Horse-harness hung on the wall and in 
 one corner grain lay in heaps, and in the other 
 stood his bed. In a few minutes Rico lay in it 
 and was fast asleep. 
 
 Later, when all was still in the house, the 
 landlord sat at the small table where Rico had 
 sat, and his wife stood before him, for she was 
 [85]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 still clearing away, and she said eagerly, "You 
 must not send the boy to Mrs. Menotti; that is 
 a boy I can use for all kinds of work, and have 
 you not noticed how he can play? They all 
 became wild over it. You take my word for it 
 that he will be a player, better than our three, 
 and he will learn to play dances, I tell you, 
 then you can have him for nothing on the dance- 
 days. You must not let the boy out of your 
 reach; he looks nice, and I like him." 
 
 "Just as you like," said the landlord, and he 
 could see that his wife had thought out some 
 thing to their advantage. 
 
 [86]
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Rico Makes New Friends 
 
 HE next morning the landlady stood in 
 her doorway and made investigation 
 about the weather and what else that 
 might have happened over-night. The 
 gardener of Mrs. Menotti was coming 
 along; he was at the same time master and 
 servant on the fruitful estate, for he liked his 
 position as he understood garden and field 
 work, and ruled and looked after everything. 
 When he stood before the landlady he said: 
 "Mrs. Menotti wants me to tell you that, if the 
 young musician of last night has not gone 
 away, he shall come across to Mrs. Menotti, 
 for her little boy wants to hear him play again." 
 "Oh, yes, if Mrs. Menotti is in no great 
 hurry," the landlady said, while she put both 
 hands on her hips, as a sign that she would not 
 hurry. "For the present, the little musician 
 still lies upstairs in his good bed and is still 
 bravely sleeping and I like him to sleep. You 
 may tell Mrs. Menotti, that I will send him 
 now and then ; that he is not going any farther, 
 [87]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 but that I have taken him in and have adopted 
 him; for he is a forsaken orphan, who did not 
 know where to go. And now he is well taken 
 care of," she added with emphasis. 
 
 The young fellow went with his message. 
 
 The landlady let Rico finish his sleep, for she 
 was a good-natured woman, only she thought 
 first of her own profit, and then of that of 
 others. When Rico at last awoke he had slept 
 away all fatigue and came down the stairs quite 
 refreshed. The innkeeper's wife beckoned 
 him into the kitchen and placed a large basin of 
 coffee on the table before him, and laid a piece 
 of corn-cake beside it. Then she said: 
 
 "You can have it every day, if you like, and 
 at noon and evenings, even better, for then food 
 is prepared for the guests and there is always 
 some left over. You can do errands for me 
 and play the violin when it is needed, and you 
 can be at home with us and have your own bed 
 room and you need not wander any more 
 through the world. And now you can say 
 whether you want to stay." 
 
 Rico answered quite contentedly: "Yes, I 
 will stay," for he could say that much in the 
 landlady's language. 
 
 She went at once over the whole house with 
 him and through the barns and the stables and 
 [88]
 
 RICO MAKES NEW FRIENDS 
 
 into the vegetable garden and the barnyard 
 where the chicken coops were, and she ex 
 plained to him the surroundings and directions, 
 how to go to the shoemaker and the store 
 and to other important people. Rico paid 
 close attention, and to try him, the landlady 
 sent Rico at once to three or four places to 
 fetch all kinds of things such as oil, soap and 
 thread and a mended boot, for she had noticed 
 that Rico could speak a few words quite 
 plainly. 
 
 Rico brought everything quite right, which 
 pleased the landlady very much, and toward 
 evening she said : " Now you may go with your 
 violin to Mrs. Menotti and stay there until it 
 gets dark." 
 
 Rico was glad of that, for he would pass the 
 lake and afterwards be near the beautiful 
 flowers. 
 
 Arrived at the lake, he ran to the small 
 bridge and sat down, for there lay again all the 
 beauty before him, the water and mountains 
 in the golden vapor, and he could hardly get 
 away. 
 
 But he did, because he knew that he now 
 must do what the landlady told him to do, be 
 cause he could make his home with her. 
 When he entered the garden, the little boy 
 [89]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 heard him, for the door was always open, and 
 he cried out: "Come and play again!" 
 
 Mrs. Menotti came out and shook hands 
 with Rico and drew him into the room. It 
 was a large room and one could see, through the 
 wide door, directly into the beautiful garden. 
 The bed of the sick boy stood just opposite the 
 door, besides that there were only chairs and 
 tables and beautifully carved boxes in the 
 room, but no other bed, for in the evening the 
 little bed was moved into the next room, where 
 the mother's bed stood; and in the morning, 
 the little bed, with the owner of it, was brought 
 out again into the beautiful, cheerful room, 
 where the sun threw its beaming rays on the 
 floor every morning, and rejoiced the heart of 
 the little boy. Beside the bed stood a pair of 
 crutches, for from time to time the mother 
 took the little boy out of his bed and guided 
 him in walking on his crutches a few times up 
 and down the room, for he could neither walk 
 nor stand on his little legs, as he was com 
 pletely paralyzed and had never been able to 
 use them. 
 
 When Rico came to the door, the little boy 
 
 raised himself by means of a cord which was 
 
 hanging from the ceiling down to his bed, for he 
 
 could not sit up without help. Rico came to 
 
 [90]
 
 RICO MAKES NEW FRIENDS 
 
 the bedside and looked in silence at the little 
 fellow. He had very thin arms and small, thin 
 fingers, and a narrow, thin face such as Rico 
 had never seen in a boy, and out of the face 
 two large eyes looked piercingly at Rico, for 
 the little boy, who saw something new and who 
 thirsted for new things, and very seldom saw 
 them, looked at everything that came in his 
 lonesome path very keenly. 
 
 "What is your name?" the little boy now 
 asked. 
 
 "Rico," was the answer. 
 
 "And I am Silvio. How old are you?" was 
 his next question. 
 
 "I shall soon be eleven years old." 
 
 "And I, too, shall soon be eleven," said the 
 little boy. 
 
 "But, Silvio, what are you talking about," 
 the mother interrupted, "you are not quite 
 four, time does not go quite so quickly." 
 
 "Play again!" said Silvio. 
 
 The mother sat down in her seat beside the 
 little bed and Rico went and stood a little 
 further away and began to play. Silvio could 
 not get enough of it, and as soon as one piece 
 was played then his "play again" was heard. 
 
 Rico had played all his pieces about six 
 times, when the mother went out and came 
 [91]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 back with a plate full of the golden yellow 
 grapes and said that Rico must rest now and 
 sit on her chair and eat some grapes with 
 Silvio. 
 
 Then she went into the garden and looked 
 after things and was glad, for she hardly ever 
 could get away from Silvio's bed, for he could 
 not bear it and he cried quite pitifully; so it 
 was a real pleasure for the lady, that she could 
 get away. 
 
 Meanwhile the two boys understood each 
 other splendidly, for Rico could answer Silvio's 
 questions very well and when he did not know 
 the right word at once, then he made himself 
 understood with signs, and that kind of con 
 versation Silvio found most entertaining. 
 The mother could look at her flower-beds and 
 grape vines, and the beautiful fig trees in the 
 fields round about, without having Silvio call 
 her a single time. 
 
 But when now she returned and it was grow 
 ing dark, Rico rose to leave. Little Silvio 
 made a great noise and held Rico with both 
 hands by his short coat and would not let him 
 go if he would not promise that he would come 
 tomorrow and every following day. But Mrs. 
 Menotti was a cautious woman ; she had indeed 
 understood the landlady's message and she 
 [92]
 
 RICO MAKES NEW FRIENDS 
 
 now quieted Silvio and promised him that she 
 would go very soon to the innkeeper's wife and 
 talk things over with her, for Rico could not 
 promise anything. 
 
 At last the sick child let go of the jacket and 
 gave his hand to Rico, although the latter did 
 not like to leave the pleasant room, where he felt 
 happy and where it was so still and everything 
 looked so pretty, and where Silvio and his 
 mother were so friendly to him. 
 
 A few days passed, when late one afternoon, 
 Mrs. Menotti, much dressed, appeared in the 
 "Golden Sun," and the landlady ran to meet 
 her and conducted her to the hall upstairs. 
 Mrs. Menotti asked very politely, whether it 
 would not suit the landlady of the "Golden 
 Sun" to let Mrs. Menotti have Rico a few 
 evenings in the week; he entertained her little 
 boy so well and she would gladly do her share 
 in whatever the landlady wished. 
 
 The landlady was flattered that the highly- 
 respected lady should come to ask her for a 
 favor, and it was settled at once that Rico 
 should come every free evening, and Mrs. 
 Menotti, in return, undertook to supply Rico 
 with clothes, so that the landlady was delighted 
 with the arrangement; for now she had not to 
 pay a cent for Rico, and everything he received 
 [93]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 was pure gain for her. So the two women 
 parted, satisfied with their arrangement. 
 
 Thus the days went by for Rico. In a short 
 time he spoke Italian as fluently as if he had 
 always known it. And once he did know it. 
 So he remembered one thing after another, and 
 he had a good ear and he spoke it like an Ital 
 ian, so that all people were surprised at it. 
 The landlady could use him better than she 
 had expected, for he attended to her business as 
 properly and neatly, as she herself could do it, 
 for she did not have the patience, and when 
 something had to be prepared for a feast, per 
 haps a wedding, then Rico had to do it, for he 
 knew what was beautiful and could bring it 
 about. 
 
 When he ran his errands, he was back before 
 the landlady thought that he had arrived at the 
 place where he was sent, for he never wasted 
 time in conversation. When anyone wanted to 
 question him about himself, he turned around 
 and walked away. This pleased the landlady 
 particularly, when she noticed it, and gave her 
 a great respect for the boy, so that she herself 
 did not question him, and so it came that no 
 one really knew, how he had come to Peschiera; 
 but a story had spread, which everyone ac 
 cepted, namely, that he, an orphan, had been 
 [94]
 
 RICO MAKES NEW FRIENDS 
 
 badly treated high up in the mountains, that 
 he had run away, and had met with many 
 dangers on the long journey and had at last 
 arrived where the people were not so uncouth 
 as they were in the mountains, and that he 
 loved to be here. And when the landlady 
 told the story she did not forget to add that 
 he deserved having found a home under her 
 roof. 
 
 When the first dance-Sunday came, there 
 assembled at the "Golden Sun" a most sur 
 prisingly large crowd, so that they did not 
 know where to put them all, for everyone 
 wanted to see the small musician and hear 
 him, and those who had heard him the first 
 evening came first of all, and wanted to begin 
 with their song. 
 
 The landlady ran hither and thither in the 
 ardor of work and shone, as if she herself had 
 turned into the "Golden Sun", and when she 
 met her husband, she said each time victori 
 ously: "Did I not tell you so?" 
 
 Rico listened first to a dance played by the 
 three musicians who had come, and the melody 
 fell so in his ear and his fingers, that he could 
 at once play with them, and now he knew the 
 dance forever. So it came about that, late in 
 the evening, when they stopped dancing, he 
 [95]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 could play all the dances with the others, for 
 each dance had been played a number of times. 
 
 At the end, the Peschiera song had to be 
 sung, accompanied by Rico, and if there had 
 been a great noise the whole evening, now the 
 hearts of the Peschierans became more and 
 more inflamed and there was such a noise that 
 Rico thought, "Now they will fly at each 
 other and kill each other." But all the noise 
 was an expression of friendship and he himself 
 came in for such ear-splitting applause, that he 
 kept on thinking, "If it were only over," for 
 there was nothing more distasteful to Rico 
 than noise. 
 
 In the evening the landlady said to her hus 
 band: "Have you seen it? Next time we 
 shall need only two musicians." 
 
 And the husband was very contented and 
 said: "We must give something to the boy." 
 
 Two days later there was a dance above in 
 Desenzano, and Rico was sent there with the 
 musicians. It was the same noise and com 
 motion, and although the Peschiera-song was 
 not requested, there was the same loud noise 
 about other things, and Rico thought from 
 beginning to end: "If it were only over!" 
 
 He brought home a whole pocketful of 
 money; this he let roll all uncounted over the 
 [96]
 
 RICO MAKES NEW FRIENDS 
 
 table, for it belonged to the landlady, and she 
 praised him and placed a large piece of apple- 
 cake before him. The following Sunday there 
 was again a dance in Riva on the other side of 
 the lake. This time Rico was glad, for Riva 
 was the spot on the other side of the lake which 
 looked from Peschiera like a sunny beach, with 
 friendly white houses round about the shore, 
 which were reflected in the lake. 
 
 The musicians went in the afternoon in an 
 open boat over the golden lake with the blue 
 sky above them and Rico thought, "If I could 
 sail thus with Stineli! How astonished she 
 would be about the lake in which she would 
 not believe!" 
 
 But at Riva the same racket went on and 
 Rico wished himself away again, for it was so 
 much more beautiful to look at Riva from the 
 other side in the quiet twilight, than to sit here 
 in the midst of the terrible noise. 
 
 But when there was no dance-day, Rico 
 could go every evening to little Silvio and stay 
 for a long time, for the landlady wanted to 
 make herself obliging to Mrs. Menotti. Rico 
 loved to go there, that was his joy. When he 
 passed the lake, he went to the narrow bridge 
 and sat down on the ground for a while ; for this 
 was the only spot where he had the feeling that 
 [97]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 he might be at home. There he could see 
 everything most vividly, as it used to be when 
 he had a home. For what he saw before him, 
 he had seen in former days, and here he could 
 see his mother most plainly. There she had 
 stood at the lake and had washed something, 
 and now and then she had looked at him and said 
 some loving words, and he sat in the same spot 
 where he now sat. All that he remembered 
 perfectly well. He always left there reluc 
 tantly, but he knew that Silvio was listening for 
 his step. When he then came through the gar 
 den he felt happy again and he liked to enter 
 the quiet, clean house. Mrs. Menotti was 
 friendlier to him than anyone else, he felt that ; 
 she had great compassion for the forsaken 
 orphan, as she called him, for she had heard 
 the story of his running away. But never had 
 she asked Rico anything about his life in the 
 mountains, for she thought that it would only 
 waken sad memories in him. She also felt 
 that Rico had not the care which a little boy of 
 his age and his quiet habits, ought to have, but 
 she could do nothing, but have him with her as 
 often as she could get him. She often put her 
 hand on his head and said, full of pity : 
 
 "You poor orphan!" 
 
 Rico became, with every day, more necessary 
 [98]
 
 to Silvio. In the morning he began to lament 
 and to call for Rico, and when he was in pain, 
 then he screamed more, and could not be 
 quieted, when Rico could not come. For 
 since Rico could talk so fluently, Silvio had 
 found a new, ever-flowing source of amuse 
 ment which was the story -telling. 
 
 Rico had begun to talk of Stineli to Silvio, 
 and since he felt happy in talking of her, he 
 grew so lively and entertaining, that he seemed 
 no longer the same boy. He told hundreds of 
 stories: How Stineli once caught Sami by one 
 leg, just when he was falling into the water- 
 hole, and how she had to pull and pull and 
 shout the while with all her might, while Sami 
 shouted below until the father came along 
 quite slowly, for he assumed that it was chil 
 dren's nature to scream without any need. 
 And how she cut dolls for Peterli and made 
 furniture for Urschli from all kinds of material, 
 wood and moss and grasses. And how all the 
 children called for Stineli when they were sick, 
 because they forgot what hurt them when she 
 entertained them. And then Rico told how 
 he went out with Stineli, and how beautiful she 
 was, his eyes shone so that his whole body 
 became excited, and little Silvio also became 
 excited and wanted to hear more. And 
 [99]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 when Rico stopped, then he called out, "Tell 
 again about Stineli!" But one evening Silvio 
 became more excited when Rico wanted to 
 go away, and said that he could not corne 
 tomorrow, nor the day after, which was 
 Sunday. 
 
 Silvio screamed for his mother, as if the house 
 were on fire and he lay in the midst of the 
 flames, and when she rushed in from the gar 
 den, he called out: "Rico must never again go 
 to the inn, he must stay here. He must always 
 stay here. You must stay here, Rico, you 
 must, you must!" 
 
 Then Rico said: "I should like to, but I 
 have to go." 
 
 Mrs. Menotti was in great perplexity; she 
 knew indeed, what Rico was to the inn people, 
 and that she could not get him on any condi 
 tion. So she pacified Silvio as well as she 
 could and drew Rico compassionately to her 
 heart saying: "Oh, you poor orphan!" 
 
 Then Silvio shouted in his anger: "What is 
 an orphan? I, too, want to be an orphan!" 
 
 But now the mother became excited and said : 
 "Oh, Silvio, do you want to be sinful? See, 
 dear, an orphan is a poor child who has no 
 father and no mother and is nowhere at home 
 in the wide world." 
 
 [100]
 
 RICO MAKES NEW FRIENDS 
 
 Rico had riveted his dark eyes on Mrs. 
 Menotti, they looked blacker and blacker; but 
 she did not notice it. She had forgotten Rico, 
 when she, in her excitement, explained to 
 Silvio. Rico crept softly out and away. 
 Mrs. Menotti thought that he had gone so 
 softly, so that he would not excite the little 
 boy, and she was satisfied. She sat down by 
 the little bed and said: "Listen, Silvio, I will 
 explain it to you, and then you must not make 
 this noise again. See, my boy, one cannot 
 take boys away, for if I wanted to take Rico 
 from the innkeepers, then they could come 
 and take my Silvio. Then you could never 
 again see the garden and the flowers and must 
 sleep alone in the room where the harness 
 hangs, and where Rico does not like to go; he 
 has often told you that. What would you 
 then do?" 
 
 "Come home again," was Silvio's decisive 
 reply, but nevertheless he kept quiet and lay 
 down. 
 
 Rico went through the garden, and over the 
 street down to the lake. There he sat down 
 in his little spot and laid his head in his hands 
 and said with a comfortless voice: "I know 
 now, mother; I am nowhere at home in this 
 whole world." 
 
 [101]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 And thus he sat in his great sadness till late 
 in the night, and would have preferred to stay 
 there, but he had finally to return to his bed 
 room. 
 
 [102]
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Silvio's Mother Makes a Promise 
 
 UT in little Silvio the excitement worked 
 on and when he now knew that Rico 
 would not come for two days in suc 
 cession, he began to call out early in 
 the morning: "Now Rico is not com 
 ing ! Now Rico is not coming ! " and continued 
 calling with short pauses between, until even 
 ing. And the next morning early, he began 
 again. But this activity had used him up so 
 that on the third day he was like a little heap 
 of straw, which a spark could bring into bright 
 flames. 
 
 Rico appeared toward evening still disgusted 
 from the noises of the dances, where he had 
 played. Since he now knew that he was no 
 where at home, the thought of Stineli had re 
 ceived new power and he said to himself: 
 "There is only Stineli in the whole world to 
 whom I belong, and who troubles herself about 
 me." And there came over him a great long 
 ing for Stineli. He hardly sat by Silvio's bed, 
 when he said: "Do you see, Silvio, only with 
 [103]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Stineli one feels happy and nowhere else." 
 These words were hardly uttered when the 
 little fellow pulled himself up on his cord and 
 shouted with all his might: "Mother, I want 
 Stineli, Stineli must come. One feels happy 
 only with Stineli and nowhere else in the whole 
 world!'* 
 
 The mother came in, and since she had often 
 listened with much satisfaction to Rico's story 
 of Stineli and her small sisters and brothers, she 
 knew whom this outburst concerned, and said : 
 " Yes, indeed, I should be glad, for I could use 
 a little Stineli for you and myself, if I only had 
 one!" 
 
 But Silvio did not accept such uncertain 
 utterances, he was all fire and flame for his 
 wish. 
 
 "Now you can have one at once," he cried, 
 "Rico knows where she is, he must fetch her; I 
 will have Stineli, every day and always. Rico 
 must get her tomorrow, he knows where she 
 is." 
 
 When the mother found that Silvio had 
 thought everything out and wanted to take the 
 thing quite seriously, she began to turn his 
 mind to something else, for she had heard sev 
 eral times of the many unheard-of dangers 
 Rico had to overcome on his journey, and how 
 [104]
 
 SILVIO'S MOTHER MAKES A PROMISE 
 
 it was looked upon as a great wonder that he 
 had reached Peschiera alone, and what a ter 
 rible wild people were living up there in the 
 mountains. So she knew that no human being 
 could fetch down such a maiden and least of 
 all, a tender boy like Rico; he might perish 
 miserably if he were to try such a thing, and 
 then she would have the responsibility of it, 
 and that she could not and would not have, for 
 she had already enough. 
 
 She presented to Silvio the impossibility of 
 the whole thing and talked to him of all kinds 
 of terrible occurrences and vicious people who 
 might pursue Rico and kill him. But it was all 
 of no use. Little Silvio had fixed the idea 
 firmly in his head as never anything before in 
 his life; for whatever the mother could say and 
 however eagerly she talked from fear, as soon 
 as she stopped, Silvio said : "Rico must get her, 
 he knows where she is." 
 
 Then the mother said: "And if Rico knows, 
 do you think that he would run into danger and 
 temptation, when he can have things as he has, 
 and need not go to wicked people?" 
 
 Then Silvio looked at Rico and said: "Will 
 you go and fetch Stineli, Rico, or will you not ? " 
 
 " Yes, I will," Rico answered firmly. 
 
 "Oh, dear heavens, now Rico too becomes 
 [105]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 senseless ! ' ' cried the mother in terror. ' ' Then 
 I know no help. Take the violin, Rico, and 
 play and sing something, I must go into the 
 garden." With these words Mrs. Menotti ran 
 hastily out under the fig trees, for she thought 
 that Silvio would then forget his idea quickly, 
 when he could not tease something from her. 
 
 But the two good friends within did neither 
 play nor sing; but talked each other into a per 
 fect fever with all kinds of projects, how Sti- 
 neli could be fetched and how things would 
 turn out afterwards, when she was there. 
 Rico forgot entirely to go home, although it had 
 become quite dark, for Mrs. Menotti purposely 
 did not come into the house, she was hoping 
 that Silvio would fall asleep. At last she 
 came in and Rico went at once, but she had a 
 hard battle with Silvio. He refused absolutely 
 to close his eyes until his mother would promise 
 that Rico must fetch Stineli, and that she 
 could not do, and so Silvio came to no rest until 
 the mother said: "Be contented, everything 
 will be arranged over night." For she thought 
 that he would forget his wish over night, as he 
 usually did and something new would come into 
 his mind. 
 
 Then Silvio grew still and fell asleep. But 
 the mother had reckoned wrong. She was not 
 [106]
 
 SILVIO'S MOTHER MAKES A PROMISE 
 
 quite awake, the next morning, when Silvio 
 called out of his bed : "Is everything arranged, 
 mother?" 
 
 Since she could not assure him that it was, 
 such a storm started as she had never experi 
 enced before with the little boy, and it went on 
 until late in the evening, and the morning after 
 Silvio began again where he had left off the 
 night before. 
 
 Silvio had never yet shown such a persist 
 ency in the same wish. When he screamed and 
 lamented she could bear it, but when the hours 
 of his pain came, then the poor little chap 
 whimpered and moaned pitifully: "Only with 
 Stineli one feels well, and nowhere else!" 
 
 This pierced the mother's heart and it seemed 
 to her like an accusation, just as if she would 
 do nothing that could help him to feel well ; but 
 how could she think of such a thing, when she 
 herself had heard Rico answer Silvio's question, 
 "Do you really know the way to Stineli?" 
 "No, I do not know the way, but I shall find 
 it." 
 
 She hoped from day to day that through some 
 happy event a new demand would come into 
 Silvio's head, for it always had been so, she 
 could depend usually on that: if he had de 
 manded something when he felt well, then he 
 [107]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 surely would not wish it as soon as his pains 
 came. But this time it was different, and 
 there was a good cause for it. Rico's stories 
 and expressions about Stineli had created, in 
 the susceptible mind of the little boy, the belief 
 that nothing would hurt him any more, as soon 
 as Stineli should be with him. Therefore 
 Silvio acted more and more pitifully from day 
 to day and his mother did not know where she 
 could find counsel and help. 
 
 [108]
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 The Minister Finds a Way 
 
 N this state of unrest, it was for Mrs. 
 Menotti a real comfort, when she, after 
 a long time, saw the well-meaning old 
 pastor in his long black coat, coming 
 into the garden, who now and then 
 came to visit the little sick boy. She jumped 
 up from her chair and exclaimed joyfully: 
 "Look, Silvio, there comes the good pastor!" 
 and she went to meet him. But Silvio, in his 
 anger with everything cried out as loud as 
 he could, after his mother: "I would rather 
 Stineli would come!" 
 
 But then he hastily crawled beneath his 
 cover, so that the reverend gentleman should 
 not know from where the voice came. The 
 mother was much frightened and begged the 
 pastor, on stepping into the house, not to take 
 the reception amiss, it was really not intended 
 seriously. Silvio did not stir, he only said 
 quite softly beneath his cover, "Yes, indeed, I 
 mean it." 
 
 The pastor must have guessed from where 
 [109]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 the voice came; he stepped at once up to the 
 bed, and although not a hair could be seen of 
 Silvio, he said: "Good for a greeting, my son, 
 how goes it with your health, and why do you 
 hide in your subterranean hole like a small 
 badger? Come out and explain to me, what 
 you know about Stineli?" 
 
 Now Silvio crawled out, for he had respect 
 for the reverend gentleman, since he was now 
 so near to him. He quickly held out his thin 
 hand to him for greeting and said, "Rico's 
 Stineli." 
 
 Now the mother had to explain, for the pas 
 tor shook his head, surprised, while he sat 
 down at Silvio's bed. She told him the whole 
 affair and about Stineli, and how the small Sil 
 vio had got it in his head that he never would 
 be contented again if Stineli did not come to 
 him, and how Rico too had become unreason 
 able about it and thought that he could fetch 
 the girl although he did not know the way, and 
 she lived far away in the mountains where no 
 one could get, and one did not know what ter 
 rible people lived up there, for one could fancy 
 what kinds of things must happen there, if a 
 tender boy like Rico had rather face the great 
 est dangers than to stay among such people. 
 If everything were different, Mrs. Menotti 
 [110]
 
 THE MINISTER FINDS A WAY 
 
 added, then no money would be too much to 
 let a girl like Stineli come, to satisfy Silvio's 
 longings and to have someone for him, for what 
 she had to bear often seemed too much for her, 
 and she thought that she could not stand it 
 much longer. 
 
 And Rico, who otherwise talked so sensibly, 
 thought no one could help her so well as this 
 Stineli. He must know her well, and if the 
 girl was as he described her, then it might be a 
 salvation for a girl, if she should come away 
 from there above; but she knew of no one who 
 could do her such a service. 
 
 The parson had listened very seriously and 
 had said never a word, until Mrs. Menotti had 
 finished. He could not very well have put in a 
 word, for she had not opened her heart for a 
 long time, and it had been so full, and Mrs. 
 Menotti, from the pressure of words, had almost 
 lost her breath. 
 
 When all was quiet, the old gentleman first 
 added another snuff to one before; then he said 
 very slowly: "Hm, hm, Mrs. Menotti, I 
 almost think that you have an opinion of the 
 people among the mountains, which is almost 
 too terrifying; there are also Christians, and 
 since one has invented all kinds of means to 
 travel, it will be possible for one to get up there 
 [111]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 without danger. One can find that out; it has 
 to be planned." 
 
 Here the gentleman had to fortify himself 
 with another snuff, then he added : "There are 
 all kinds of traders, who come from above to 
 Bergamo; sheep-traders and horse-traders, 
 who must know the way. One can make in 
 quiries, and then one can decide; means will be 
 found. If you care much for it, Mrs. Menotti, 
 then I will look around; I go once or twice every 
 year to Bergamo, so I could manage the thing 
 a little." 
 
 Mrs. Menotti was so grateful, that she did 
 not know how to express it to the pastor. All 
 at once the sad thoughts which had oppressed 
 her for so many days and nights, and in which 
 she had become so entangled that she could not 
 see a way out of it, had all been taken from her. 
 The old gentleman had taken the whole burden 
 on himself, and she could, from now on, direct 
 Silvio to him. 
 
 Silvio, during the whole conversation had 
 almost pierced the pastor with his gray eyes. 
 When the latter now rose, and offered his hand 
 to the child, Silvio put his so strongly into the 
 gentleman's as if he would say with this : "This 
 time I mean it!" The pastor promised to 
 report, as soon as he had made his inquiries 
 [112]
 
 THE MINISTER FINDS A WAY 
 
 and knew whether the thing could be carried 
 out, or whether Silvio had to give up his desire. 
 
 The weeks passed one after the other but 
 Silvio behaved himself well. He had a fixed 
 hope before him, and moreover Rico had be 
 come all at once more entertaining and lively 
 than ever before. It had hit him like a kindling 
 gleam of joy, when he heard the decision of the 
 reverend gentleman; and since then, new life 
 had sprouted in him. He told Silvio more 
 than ever, and when he took his violin, he 
 played such heart-refreshing tunes and melo 
 dies, that Mrs. Menotti did not wish to leave 
 the room, and she could not stop wondering 
 where Rico got all this music. 
 
 Rico had only real joy in playing in this 
 home ; it sounded so beautiful in this large, high 
 room, and it was so still and airy and there 
 was no tobacco smoke and no human tumult, 
 and he need not play just the dances, he could 
 play what gave him joy. Rico loved this 
 house better every day and often when he 
 entered it he thought: "Someone who comes 
 home feels, no doubt, as I do when I come into 
 this room." But yet he was not at home here. 
 He only could come for a few hours, and then he 
 had to leave again. 
 
 Something had come up in Rico which set 
 [113]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 the innkeeper's wife often to wondering. 
 When she placed the dirty, broken garbage- 
 basin before him and said: "Here, Rico, take 
 that to the chickens ! " he went a little to one 
 side, placed his hands on his back as a sign 
 that he would not touch the basin and said 
 quietly: "I should prefer that someone else 
 would do that." And when she brought out 
 the old shoes and wanted to put them into 
 Rico's hand, to take them to the shoemaker, 
 Rico did the same thing and said: "I should 
 prefer someone else should go there." 
 
 But the landlady was a wise woman and had 
 her eyes in her head to see what was going on, 
 and it had not escaped her, how Rico had 
 changed, and how he looked. Mrs. Menotti had 
 always dressed him well since she had under 
 taken to do so; but since everything looked well 
 on Rico and he looked always more and more 
 like a gentleman's son, Mrs. Menotti found 
 pleasure in him and dressed him in good mate 
 rial, and Rico took great care with his clothes 
 for he liked everything that was pretty and 
 fine, and he despised dirt and disorder as he did 
 the noise. The landlady saw all this, and 
 added to that, she knew well that Rico, just as 
 he had done the first time, when he returned 
 from the dances in the neighborhood, emptied 
 [114]
 
 THE MINISTER FINDS A WAY 
 
 his pocket and let the money roll on the table 
 without showing that he even wished for any 
 of it. 
 
 And he brought always more, for he was not 
 only a dance-fiddler like the others, but the 
 people wanted always to hear his songs after 
 the dancing, and all kinds of melodies which he 
 knew. Therefore the landlady was anxious to 
 keep Rico in good humor, and she did not 
 trouble him any more with the hens and the old 
 shoes. 
 
 Three years had passed since Rico had arrived 
 at Peschiera. He was now fifteen years old, 
 a tall boy, and whoever looked at him was 
 delighted with him. 
 
 The autumnal golden sun was shining again 
 over the Garda Lake and the blue heavens lay 
 on the peaceful flood. In the garden, the 
 grapes hung like gold from their branches, and 
 the red oleander flowers shone in the bright 
 sunshine. In Silvio's room it was quite still, 
 for the mother had gone into the garden to 
 fetch grapes and figs for the evening. Silvio 
 was listening for Rico's step, for it was the time 
 when he usually came. Now the gate in the 
 fence opened ; Silvio rose on his cord like a shot. 
 A long black coat came wandering up the path. 
 It was the pastor. Silvio did not hide this 
 [115]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 time; he stretched out his hand as far as he 
 could, toward the pastor, long before the latter 
 had reached the house. This reception pleased 
 the old man. He entered the room at once 
 and came to Silvio's bed, although he saw the 
 mother behind in the garden, and he said: "So, 
 it is right, my son, and how is your health?" 
 
 " Good," answered Silvio quickly. He looked 
 with intense eagerness at the old gentleman 
 and then asked in a low voice: "When can 
 Rico go?" 
 
 The old pastor sat down by the bed and said 
 with a solemn voice: "Tomorrow at five, Rico 
 will start on his journey, my little son." 
 
 Mrs. Menotti had just entered, and now there 
 began a questioning and surprise on her part, 
 so that the pastor had trouble in quieting her, 
 in order that he might explain his report with 
 out being interrupted. He succeeded at last, 
 and Silvio held his eyes fixed on him like a little 
 sparrow-hawk, when he told his story. 
 
 The pastor was just coming from Bergamo, 
 where he had spent two days. There he had, 
 with the help of his friends, found a horse- 
 trader, who had come every autumn to Ber 
 gamo for the last thirty years, and knew every 
 road and region from there to far over the 
 mountains, where Rico had to go. He also 
 [116]
 
 THE MINISTER FINDS A WAY 
 
 knew how one could get into the mountains 
 without getting out of the train and to sleep on 
 the way. He himself was making the same 
 tour and would take Rico along, if he could 
 arrive in Bergamo tomorrow morning with the 
 first train. The man knew also every driver 
 and conductor and would surrender and recom 
 mend Rico and his companion to these people, 
 so that they would travel safely. So the pastor 
 thought that Rico could go in peace and he gave 
 his blessing for the journey. 
 
 But when he stood already at the garden 
 gate, Mrs. Menotti, who had accompanied 
 him, turned back once more and asked, full of 
 anxiety: "Oh, reverend friend, are you sure 
 that there is no danger on this journey ; or that 
 Rico could be lost, and then would have to 
 wander about in the wild mountains?" 
 
 The pastor calmed her again, and she now 
 went back and considered all that had to be 
 done for Rico. He was coming into the gar 
 den and the joyous shouts which Silvio sent 
 out to him were so surprising that Rico was 
 beside Silvio's bed in three jumps, to see what 
 had happened. 
 
 "What is it? What is it?" Rico kept on 
 asking, and Silvio in fear that his mother would 
 get ahead of him, kept on shouting: "I will tell 
 [117]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 it! I will tell it!" But the mother let the 
 boys alone with their joy and went after her 
 business for that was now the most important. 
 She brought out a travelling bag and stuffed in 
 the bottom an enormous piece of smoked beef 
 and half a loaf of bread, and a large package of 
 dried plums and figs, a bottle of wine well 
 rolled in a cloth, and then came the clothes : 
 two shirts, two pairs of stockings and a pair of 
 shoes and handkerchiefs, and in doing this Mrs. 
 Menotti felt as if Rico was going to a distant 
 part of the globe, and she now only felt how 
 dear Rico was to her, so that she could hardly 
 live without him. 
 
 Between the packing she had again and 
 again to sit down and think: "If only nothing 
 happens to him!" She came down with the 
 bag, and she told Rico to go at once to the 
 Inn and to explain everything fully to the 
 landlady and ask her to let him go, and he 
 could take the bag along and leave it at the 
 station. 
 
 Rico was greatly surprised at his baggage; 
 but he did obediently as he was told, and then 
 went to the landlady. He told her that he 
 must go up in the mountains to fetch Stineli, 
 and it came from the pastor, that he had to 
 start the very next morning at five o'clock. 
 [118]
 
 THE MINISTER FINDS A WAY 
 
 That the pastor had to do with this journey 
 awoke some respect in the landlady. But she 
 wanted to know who Stineli was, and what she 
 intended to do; she thought at once that this 
 might be something for her. But she only 
 learned, that Stineli was a girl whose name was 
 Stineli and that she was coming to Mrs. 
 Menotti. Then she dropped the subject for 
 she would not interfere with Mrs. Menotti's 
 doings ; she was contented enough that she had 
 let her have Rico so long. She also assumed 
 that Stineli was Rico's sister, only he did not 
 say so, as he never had said anything about his 
 family. 
 
 And so she told all the guests who came to 
 the Inn that evening, that Rico was going to 
 morrow into the mountains to fetch down his 
 sister, for he had learned how good people were 
 here in Peschiera. 
 
 But she wanted to show how good she was to 
 Rico. She fetched a large basket down from 
 the attic and filled it with sausages and cheese, 
 eggs and slices of bread with butter a finger 
 thick between them. 
 
 :< You must not be hungry on your journey, 
 
 and the rest you can use there among the 
 
 mountains, you will not find too much there, 
 
 and you need something for your return jour- 
 
 [119]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 ney. For you are surely coming back, Rico, 
 are you?" 
 
 "Indeed, I am," said Rico, "I shall be back 
 in a week." 
 
 He carried his violin to Mrs. Menotti, for he 
 would not entrust it to anyone else, and now 
 he took leave for eight days, for he could be 
 back in that time, if everything went well. 
 
 [120]
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Back Over the Mountains 
 
 N the morning, long before five o'clock, 
 Rico was at the station, ready for his 
 journey, and could hardly wait until 
 the train took him on. Now he was 
 in the car as he was three years ago, 
 but no longer pressed timidly in the corner of 
 the seat; now he needed a whole seat, for beside 
 him lay his bag and basket. In Bergamo he 
 met, as arranged, the horse-trader, and now 
 they travelled on together undisturbed in the 
 same car, then over the lake. Then they 
 got out and walked toward an inn^ where the 
 horses stood ready harnessed to the large post- 
 chaise. 
 
 Rico remembered distinctly how he had 
 stood here in the night, quite alone, after the 
 students had gone, and on the other side he 
 saw the stable door, where he had seen the 
 lantern hanging and then had again found the 
 sheep-trader. It was already evening and they 
 soon mounted the postchaise, and drove to 
 ward the mountains. This time Rico sat with 
 [121]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 his companion inside the coach, and he had 
 hardly sat down in the corner when his eyes 
 closed, for from excitement he had not slept an 
 hour the night before. Now he made up for it. 
 Without wakening once, Rico slept on until the 
 sun stood high in the heavens and the coach 
 went very slowly, and when he put his head 
 out of the window, Rico saw, to his indescrib 
 able surprise, that the coach was going up the 
 zigzag road which led up the Maloja, which he 
 knew well. 
 
 He could not see much from the window, only 
 now and then a turn of the highway; and he 
 would like to have seen all round about. Now 
 the coach stopped, they had reached the top. 
 There was the inn, there he had sat down near 
 the road and had talked with the coach-driver. 
 All travellers got down for a moment, while the 
 horses were fed. Rico too got out of the coach ; 
 he went to the driver and asked him quite 
 humbly: "May I not sit on the box with you, 
 as far as Sils?" 
 
 "Get up," said the coachman. 
 
 All travellers took their seats again, and now 
 it went downward in a merry trot along the 
 smooth road. Now came the lake. There 
 was the wood-covered peninsula, and on the 
 other side was Sils-Maria. The little church 
 
 1 1 3
 
 BACK OVER THE MOUNTAINS 
 
 shone in the morning sun, and there toward the 
 mountain he saw the two small houses. 
 
 His heart began to beat very strongly. 
 Where could Stineli be ? Only a few more steps 
 and the postchaise stopped. They were in 
 Sils! 
 
 Stineli had experienced many a hard day 
 since Rico's disappearance. The children 
 grew and there was always more to be done, 
 and most of the work fell on Stineli, for she was 
 the oldest of the children. So everyone said: 
 "Stineli can do that, she is old enough," and 
 then at once after: "Stineli can do that, for 
 she is still young." She could not share joy 
 with anyone, since Rico had gone, if she had 
 had a moment's time for joy. 
 
 A year ago, the good grandmother had died, 
 and from then on, there was not a free moment 
 any more for Stineli; for there was so much 
 work from morning until evening that it was 
 never finished, but was always just in the midst 
 of it. 
 
 But Stineli had not lost her good courage, 
 although she had mourned very much for the 
 grandmother, and she thought every day sev 
 eral times, without grandmother and Rico the 
 world was no longer as beautiful as it had been. 
 On a sunny Saturday morning, she was coming 
 [123]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 with a large bundle of straw on her head, from 
 behind the barn; she wanted to make straw 
 whisks to sweep with in the evening. The 
 sun was shining brightly on the dry road to Sils 
 and she stopped and looked across. A young 
 fellow was coming along the road. She did not 
 know him; that was no Silser, she could see 
 that at once. And as he came nearer, he 
 stopped, and looked at Stineli and she looked 
 at him and was much surprised, but all at once 
 Stineli threw down her bundle of straw and 
 ran toward the young fellow, crying: "Rico, 
 oh, Rico, is it you? Are you still living? Is it 
 really you and you have come back? But you 
 have grown, I did not know you at first; but 
 when I looked in your face, I knew you at 
 once! No one has a face like you!" 
 
 And Stineli stood before her friend, red as 
 fire from joy, and Rico was as white as snow 
 from inner excitement and could not speak at 
 first and only looked at Stineli. Then he said : 
 "You too have grown, Stineli, but else you are 
 still as you used to be. The nearer I came to 
 the house, the greater grew my fear that per 
 haps you had changed." 
 
 "Oh, Rico, that you are here again!" re 
 joiced Stineli. "Oh, if Grandmother knew it! 
 But you must come in, Rico, how surprised they 
 [124]
 
 BACK OVER THE MOUNTAINS 
 
 all will be!" Stineli ran ahead and opened 
 the door and Rico went in. The children hid 
 at once always one behind the other, and the 
 mother rose and greeted Rico like a stranger 
 and asked what he would like to have. Neither 
 she nor one of the children had recognized him. 
 
 "Do you not all know him?" Stineli broke 
 forth. "It is Rico!" 
 
 Now the wondering began on all sides, and 
 they were still at it when the father entered, for 
 his midday meal. 
 
 Rico went to meet him and offered his hand. 
 The father took it and looked at the young 
 fellow. "Is it perhaps one of our cousins?" 
 the father asked, for he did not know his rela 
 tives very well. 
 
 "Now father does not know him either," 
 said Stineli, a little aroused. "Don't you 
 know him? It is Rico, father!" 
 
 "Well, well, that is good," remarked the 
 father and looked at him from head to foot, 
 then he added, "you may show yourself, have 
 you learned some kind of a trade? Come sit 
 down with us, then you can tell how things 
 have gone with you." 
 
 Rico did not sit down at once, he kept on 
 looking at the door; at last he asked hesitat 
 ingly: "Where is Grandmother?" The father
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 answered that she was lying in Sils, not far 
 from the old teacher. Rico had hesitated to 
 put the question, because he feared the answer, 
 since he saw the grandmother nowhere. Now 
 he sat down with the rest, but he was very 
 quiet for some time, and he could not eat; he 
 had loved the grandmother. 
 
 But now the father wanted to hear the story, 
 where Rico had gone on that day when they 
 had searched for him in the mountains. Then 
 Rico told all that he had experienced and came 
 to talk of Silvio and Mrs. Menotti and now ex 
 plained clearly why he had come, and that he 
 wanted to return to Peschiera with Stineli as 
 soon as the parents would allow it. Stineli 
 opened her eyes wide while Rico told his story. 
 She had not heard a word of all this. Her 
 heart burned with joy: to go with Rico to his 
 lake and be again together with him every day 
 and with the good lady and Silvio who wanted 
 her. 
 
 The father was silent for some time, for he 
 never was over-hasty. Then he said: "It is 
 right, that one should go among strangers, she 
 learns something, but Stineli cannot go, it can 
 not be thought of. She is necessary at home; 
 another can go, perhaps Trudi." 
 
 "Yes, yes, that is better," said the mother, 
 [126]
 
 BACK OVER THE MOUNTAINS 
 
 "I cannot do without Stineli." Then Trudi 
 lifted up her head and said: "I should like it, 
 for with us there is nothing but screamings of 
 the children." 
 
 Stineli did not say a word; she only looked 
 eagerly at Rico, to see whether he would not say 
 anything more, since father had .refused so de 
 cidedly, and whether now he would take Trudi 
 back with him. But Rico looked fearlessly at 
 the father and said : 
 
 "That will not do. The sick Silvio will have 
 no one else but Stineli, and he knows what he 
 wants. He would just send Trudi back again, 
 and then she would have made the journey for 
 nothing. And Mrs. Menotti has told me that, 
 if Stineli got on well with Silvio she could send 
 every month five florins home, if you should 
 wish it, and that Silvio and Stineli will get on 
 together I am as sure of as if I saw it already 
 with my own eyes." 
 
 When the father was through with eating, 
 he put his plate aside and put on his cap. For 
 hard thinking he liked to have his cap on his 
 head, as if the cap could keep his thoughts 
 together. 
 
 Now he thought within himself, how hard he 
 had to work before he could get one florin, and 
 then he said to himself: "Five florins without 
 [127]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 moving a finger." Then he pushed the cap to 
 the other side of his head, and then back again, 
 and then he said: "She can go, another child 
 can do something, too." 
 
 Stineli's eyes shone, but the mother looked, 
 sighing, at the many heads and plates, for who 
 was to help keep these all clean? And Trudi 
 pushed Peterli with her elbow and said, "Do 
 sit still for once," although he was quietly eat 
 ing his beans. 
 
 But the father once more pushed his cap, 
 something had come into his mind. "But 
 Stineli is not yet confirmed," he said. "She 
 will have to be confirmed." 
 
 "I am going to be confirmed only two years 
 from now," said Stineli eagerly. "I can very 
 well go away for the two years and then come 
 back home again." That was a good way out 
 of the difficulty, and they all were contented. 
 The father and the mother thought, if every 
 thing went wrong without Stineli, then it 
 would be only for a time, and that would pass 
 and afterward she would be there again, and 
 Trudi thought: "As soon as she is back again, 
 then I will go and then they will see who comes 
 back." But Rico and Stineli looked at each 
 other and bright joy shone from their eyes. 
 
 Since the father now looked upon the thing 
 [128]
 
 BACK OVER THE MOUNTAINS 
 
 as decided, he rose from the table and said: 
 "They may go tomorrow, then one knows 
 what one has to do." But the mother began 
 to lament and said that must not be so soon, 
 and she kept on lamenting until the father 
 said: "Then they may go Monday," but he 
 did not wish to delay, because he thought that 
 the lamenting would continue until parting had 
 taken place. 
 
 There was much to be done by Stineli, Rico 
 understood that, and he turned to Sami and 
 said to him that he wanted to see whether 
 things had changed in Sils-Maria ; and then he 
 had to fetch a bag and a basket from Sils, Sami 
 could help him carry them. So they started 
 out. Rico stopped before his former home 
 first and looked at the old house-door; all was 
 the same. He asked Sami whether the aunt 
 was still living there all alone. But the aunt 
 had long since gone away, high up to Silva- 
 plana, and no one had seen her again, for she 
 never came to Sils-Maria. In the house lived 
 people of whom Rico knew nothing. Every 
 where he went with Sami before the old, well- 
 known houses and also before the barns, people 
 stared at him, but not a single person recog 
 nized him. When they went to Sils toward 
 evening, Rico turned into the churchyard; he 
 [129]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 wanted to go to the grandmother's grave, but 
 Sami did not know exactly which it was. 
 
 Loaded with bag and basket, the two re 
 turned when it began to be dark. Stineli stood 
 at the well and was cleaning the feeding pail 
 for the last time, and when Rico stood beside 
 her, she said with beaming eyes: "I cannot 
 yet really believe it, Rico!" 
 
 "But I can," said the latter so firmly that 
 Stineli looked at him, much surprised. "But 
 do you know, Stineli," he added, "you have 
 not had to think of it so long as I." 
 
 Stineli was surprised several times more that 
 Rico could say anything so decidedly ; she had 
 not known that in him formerly. 
 
 A bed had been arranged for Rico in the 
 attic room; up there he took his things, for he 
 did not want to unpack until tomorrow. When 
 now, on the following morning, on the bright, 
 beautiful Sunday, all sat around the table, 
 Rico came and shook such a heap of plums 
 and figs before Urschli and Peterli as they had 
 never seen in their whole life; and they never 
 had tasted figs; and he placed his quantity of 
 meat and sausages and eggs in the middle of 
 the table. And after the great astonishment 
 had passed, there began a great feast in the 
 cottage. 
 
 [130]
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Two Happy Travellers 
 
 HE journey had to begin Monday to 
 ward evening. So the horse-dealer had 
 told Rico and he now knew his road 
 perfectly. So, after the leave-taking 
 was over, Rico and Stineli wandered 
 toward Sils, and at the little house stood the 
 mother and all the little children around her 
 and looked after them. Sami walked beside 
 them and carried the bag on his head, and the 
 basket was carried by Rico on one side and 
 Stineli on the other. Stineli's clothes had just 
 filled it. 
 
 Near the church in Sils, Stineli said: "If 
 Grandmother could only see us. Let us take 
 leave from her, will you, Rico?" He was 
 ready and told Stineli that he had already been 
 there but could not find her; but Stineli knew 
 where the grandmother slept. 
 
 When the postchaise drove up and stopped, 
 the coachman called out: "Are the two here 
 who have to go to the Garda Lake? I have 
 already asked yesterday for them." 
 
 [131] 
 10
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 The horse-dealer had well recommended 
 them, and now the driver called out: "Up 
 here, the others are frozen, the coach is full, 
 you are young." Then he helped them on the 
 seat behind the box, up high on the coach, took 
 a heavy horse-cover and covered and stuffed it 
 around the two, so that they sat there closely 
 enveloped; and then the coach started. 
 
 Rico and Stineli sat alone together for the 
 first time since they had met again, and now 
 they could talk to each other undisturbed of 
 all that they had lived through in the three 
 years. In the morning they came on the lake 
 and just about the same time that Rico had 
 arrived at Peschiera they also arrived, and 
 they came down the road toward the lake. 
 But Rico did not want Stineli to see the lake 
 until they had come to his little spot, so he led 
 her between the trees, until all at once they 
 came out near the narrow bridge and stepped 
 into the open. 
 
 There the lake lay in the evening sunshine 
 and Rico and Stineli sat down on the low hill 
 side and looked across. The lake was as Rico 
 had described it, but much more beautiful, for 
 Stineli had never seen such colors. She looked 
 hither and thither at the violet mountains and 
 on the golden water and, full of delight, she 
 [132]
 
 TWO HAPPY TRAVELLERS 
 
 exclaimed at last: "It is much more beautiful 
 than the Silser Lake." 
 
 But Rico had never seen it so beautiful as it 
 was today, as he sat there with Stineli. Rico 
 had another joy how he would surprise Silvio 
 and his mother ! No one had thought that he 
 could be back so soon. No one expected him 
 back before a week, and now they already sat 
 by the lake. They remained sitting there until 
 the sun went down. Rico had to tell Stineli 
 where his mother stood when she was washing 
 in the lake and he sat there and waited for her, 
 and he had to tell her how they came over the 
 narrow bridge and she was holding his hand. 
 
 "But where did you go then?" Stineli asked. 
 "Have you never found the house into which 
 you went?" 
 
 Rico shook his head. "When I go toward 
 the railroad, then it seems to me all at once, as 
 if I had stood there with mother and I had sat 
 on a step and before us the red flowers; but 
 there is nothing more now, and I do not know 
 the road, I have never seen it." 
 
 At last they got up and went toward the 
 garden. Rico carried the bag and Stineli the 
 basket. When they stepped into the garden, 
 Stineli had to exclaim exultantly: "Oh, how 
 beautiful! Oh, the beautiful flowers!" 
 [133]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Then Silvio lifted himself up like a feather. 
 He shouted with all his might: "Rico is 
 coming with Stineli!" 
 
 The mother thought that he had fever; she 
 threw down her things into the chest in which 
 she was rummaging, and came running in. 
 
 At the same moment the living Rico stepped 
 in the doorway, and the fright and the joy 
 almost knocked the good woman over, for up 
 to this moment she had had the worst secret 
 misgivings that the journey might cost Rico's 
 life. 
 
 From behind Rico a girl came forth with such 
 a friendly face that it at once won the lady's 
 heart, for she was a woman of sudden impulses. 
 But first she had to shake Rico's hands almost 
 from their wrists for joy, and during this Stineli 
 went quickly to Silvio's bed and greeted him, 
 and she put her arm around the little fellow's 
 narrow shoulders and laughed friendly into his 
 face, just as if they had known each other for a 
 long time and had loved each other, and Silvio 
 put his hand around her neck and drew her face 
 down on his. Then Stineli put a present on 
 Silvio's bed which she had put in her pocket to 
 have it handy. It was a work of art, which 
 Peterli had always liked better than any other 
 toy: a fir cone, between the hard projections 
 [134]
 
 TWO HAPPY TRAVELLERS 
 
 little wires were stuck, at the end of each was 
 a little figure cut out of thin wood. All these 
 little figures floundered against each other and 
 bowed to each other, and had such fiery faces, 
 made with red chalk and coal, that Silvio could 
 not stop laughing. 
 
 During this, the mother had heard from Rico 
 all necessary to assure her that he was back 
 again, safe and sound, and now she turned to 
 Stineli and greeted her with the greatest friend 
 liness, and Stineli answered more with her 
 friendly eyes than her mouth, for she knew no 
 Italian, and she had to use the few Italian 
 words she knew, the best she could. But she 
 was bright and knew how to help herself and if 
 she did not know the word then she made all 
 kinds of signs with her fingers, which Silvio 
 found unspeakably amusing, for it was like a 
 game, where something had to be guessed all 
 the time. 
 
 Now Mrs. Menotti went to the chest where 
 everything was ready for a meal: plates and 
 tablecloth, and cold chicken, and the fruit and 
 a bottle of wine. As soon as Stineli noticed 
 this she ran at once after Mrs. Menotti and 
 carried everything to the table, and was so 
 astoundingly quick that Mrs. Menotti had 
 nothing more to do, but to watch in surprise; 
 [135]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 and before she had time to think, Silvio had 
 everything on his tray, cut up and laid ready 
 and quite properly, as it ought to be, and such 
 quick service much pleased our Silvio. 
 
 Then Mrs. Menotti sat down and said: "It 
 is long since things went so well with me, but 
 now come, Stineli, and sit down and eat with 
 us." 
 
 Now all ate joyously together, just as if they 
 had always belonged together and always 
 would stay together. Then Rico began to 
 report of the journey, and the while Stineli got 
 up and cleared everything away again into the 
 chest, where everything had its place. Then 
 she sat down quite close to Silvio's bed and 
 made figures with her nimble fingers, so that 
 the shadow fell upon the wall, and every 
 moment Silvio laughed a clear laugh and called 
 out: "A hare! An animal with horns! A 
 spider with long legs!" 
 
 Thus the evening went by so quickly and 
 happily that when the clock struck ten no one 
 could understand where the time had gone. 
 Rico rose from the table, he knew that now he 
 must go ; but it seemed as if a black cloud had 
 come over his face. He said curtly: "Good 
 night!" and went out. But Stineli followed 
 him, and at the garden gate she took his hand 
 [136]
 
 Then .she . . . made figures with her nimble fingers so that the shadow 
 Jell upon the wall. . . .
 
 TWO HAPPY TRAVELLERS 
 
 and said : " Now, Rico, you must not be sad, it 
 is so beautiful here, I cannot tell you how much 
 I like it, and I am so glad. And for all this I 
 have to thank you. And you will come to 
 morrow and every day. Aren't you glad, 
 Rico?" 
 
 'Yes," he said, and looked at Stineli quite 
 gloomily, "and every evening, when it is most 
 beautiful I have to go away, and I belong to no 
 one." 
 
 "Oh, Rico, you must not think so," encour 
 aged Stineli, "we always belonged together, 
 and I have looked forward, for three years, to 
 when we should again be together, and some 
 times things went on at home when I would 
 rather not be there; then I thought, 'if I could 
 only be once more with Rico, then I would 
 gladly do everything.' And now everything 
 has come so that I could know no greater joy, 
 and you will not be glad with me, Rico?" 
 
 "Yes, I will," said Rico, and looked at Stineli 
 with brighter eyes. He did, after all, belong 
 to someone, Stineli's words had brought back 
 his balance. They shook hands once more, 
 and Rico went out of the garden. 
 
 When Stineli returned to the room and 
 wanted to bid Silvio good night, then a new 
 battle had to be fought; he did not want to let 
 [137]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 her leave him and kept on calling: "Stineli 
 must stay with me and always sit by my bed, 
 she says such funny words and laughs with her 
 eyes." Nothing could be done, until the 
 mother finally said: "All right, hold Stineli by 
 her dress, the whole night, so that she cannot 
 sleep, then she will be ill tomorrow, as you are, 
 and cannot get up, and you will not see her for 
 a very long time." 
 
 Then Silvio let go of Stineli and said: "Go, 
 Stineli, and sleep; but come again tomorrow 
 very early." 
 
 Stineli promised that; and now Mrs. Menotti 
 showed Stineli a nice, clean bedroom, which 
 looked out on the garden, from which a sweet 
 odor of flowers came through the open window. 
 
 From day to day Stineli became more and 
 more indispensable to Silvio; if she went only 
 out of the door, he considered it a misfortune. 
 But then he behaved always properly and well 
 when she was with him, and did everything 
 that she asked him to do, and did not torment 
 his mother any more. It also seemed as if the 
 nervous little boy, since Stineli's arrival, had 
 lost all his pains, for up till now he had not 
 lamented once since she sat by his bed, and yet 
 many a day had passed since the first evening 
 when she had appeared. 
 
 [138]
 
 TWO HAPPY TRAVELLERS 
 
 But Stineli had an inexhaustible fund of en 
 tertainment, and all that she took in her hand, 
 and what she did and said, became a pleasant 
 pastime for Silvio, for Stineli, from a little girl 
 on, had had to look after little children and had 
 to think always, to keep them satisfied with 
 words and hands and looks and in every way 
 and motion. 
 
 So Stineli was, in her existence and whole 
 manner, unconsciously to herself, the most 
 agreeable entertainment which could be found 
 for a sensitive little boy who was confined to his 
 bed. The clever little Stineli had soon learned 
 all Silvio's words, and talked with Silvio undis 
 mayed in Italian, and when she turned her 
 words in the wrong places then Silvio thought 
 that a capital joke, and the whole thing seemed 
 planned to give him pleasure. 
 
 The mother could never see Rico enter the 
 garden without running to meet him, for now 
 she could run wherever she wanted to, and 
 whenever she wanted, and she had to take him 
 aside to tell him what a treasure he had brought 
 into the house, how happy and joyful little Sil 
 vio was, as never before in his life, and how she 
 could not comprehend that such a girl could 
 have been found on earth. For, with Silvio she 
 was like a child, just as though she herself had 
 [139]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 the greatest joy in the things which gave 
 pleasure to the little boy ; and with her she could 
 talk as sensibly, and had such experience in 
 work and in arranging things, as hardly a mar 
 ried woman had. And since she had this Sti- 
 neli in the house, everything was going as of it 
 self, and she had Sunday every day. In short, 
 Mrs. Menotti could not find words enough to 
 admire and praise Stineli in all her character 
 istics, and Rico loved to listen to her praise. 
 When then they all sat together within, and 
 one looked at the other always friendlier, just 
 as though none wanted to leave the other any 
 more, then one would have thought that they 
 were the happiest people far and near. But 
 with every evening the cloud on Rico's face 
 became darker and blacker, the moment the 
 clock struck ten, and although Mrs. Menotti 
 in her happy mood did not notice it, yet Stineli 
 saw it and secretly she was troubled and 
 thought: "It is as if a thunderstorm wants to 
 break forth." 
 
 [140]
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Clouds on the Garda Lake 
 
 HERE came a beautiful autumnal Sun 
 day, and across the lake in Riva was 
 to be a dance ; and Rico was to go over 
 the lake to play there. So he could not 
 spend the Sunday with Stineli and the 
 others ; that had been talked over several times 
 during the week for it was an event in which 
 all were concerned, if Rico did not come, and 
 Stineli tried her best to find a good side in the 
 happening. "You go then in the sunshine 
 over the lake and return under the star-covered 
 sky, and we think of you the whole time," she 
 had told him when first he spoke of the dance 
 Sunday. 
 
 Rico came Saturday evening with his violin, 
 for Stineli's greatest joy was his playing. Rico 
 played beautiful melodies one after the other, 
 but they were all sad, and it seemed that they 
 acted on the player, for he looked at his violin 
 with a gloominess as if it did some harm to him. 
 Suddenly he put away his bow long before it 
 struck ten, and said: "I will go." 
 [141]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Mrs. Menotti wanted to keep him, but she 
 did not understand what he was thinking. 
 But Stineli had watched him closely while he 
 had been playing; now she only said, "I will go 
 a few steps with you." 
 
 "No!" cried Silvio, "do not go away, stay 
 here, Stineli." 
 
 "Yes, yes, Stineli," said Rico, "stay here, 
 and let me go." With these words he looked 
 at Stineli just as he had when he came from the 
 teacher to the woodpile and said : "All is lost." 
 
 Stineli went to Silvio's bed and said softly: 
 "Be good, Silvio; I will tell you the funniest 
 story tomorrow, about Peterli, but you must 
 not make any noise now." 
 
 Silvio really did keep quiet and Stineli went 
 after Rico. When they stood at the garden 
 fence, Rico turned round and pointed to the 
 brightly lighted room, which looked so home 
 like from the garden, and said: "Go back, 
 Stineli; you belong there and are at home 
 there, and I belong on the street, I am only a 
 homeless one, and so it will always be ; therefore 
 let me go!" 
 
 "No, no, I shall not let you go thus; Rico, 
 where are you going now?" 
 
 "To the lake," said Rico, and went toward 
 the bridge. Stineli went with him. When 
 [142]
 
 CLOUDS ON THE GARDA LAKE 
 
 they stood at the hillside, they heard the waves 
 whispering softly below and they listened for a 
 while, then Rico said: 
 
 : 'You see, Stineli, if you were not here, I 
 should go away at once, far away, but I should 
 not know where. I shall have to be a home 
 less wanderer and play in taverns my whole life 
 long, where there is an eternal tumult as if they 
 were crazy, and I must sleep in a room, where 
 I would rather never go in ; and you belong now 
 to them in the beautiful house and I belong 
 nowhere. And do you see, when I look down 
 there, then I think if my mother had only 
 thrown me into the lake, before she had to die, 
 then I would not have become a homeless one." 
 
 Stineli had listened to Rico with a troubled 
 heart, but when he said these last words, she 
 had a great shock and exclaimed: "Oh, Rico, 
 you must not say anything like that. I am 
 afraid you have not prayed your Lord's prayer 
 for a long time, therefore these bad thoughts 
 have come to you." 
 
 "No, I have not prayed it long since, I have 
 forgotten it." 
 
 That was terrible news for Stineli. 
 
 "If Grandmother knew that, Rico," she 
 lamented, "she would be in great trouble on 
 your account. Do you know what she often 
 [143]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 said: 'He who forgets the Lord's prayer, will 
 suffer for it ! ' Oh, come, Rico, you must learn 
 it again, I will teach it to you. You will soon 
 know it again." And Stineli began and said 
 with warm compassion in her heart, twice in 
 succession, the Lord's prayer to Rico. As he 
 now followed the words, in deepest interest, 
 Stineli noticed that there was much comfort in 
 them for Rico, and when she had ended, she 
 said: : 'You see, Rico, because the kingdom 
 belongs to the dear Lord, so He can find a home 
 for you, and to Him belongs also the power, 
 that He can give it to you." 
 
 "Now you can see, Stineli," said Rico, "If 
 God had a home for me in His kingdom, and 
 had the power to give it to me, then He does 
 not want to give me a home." 
 
 "But you have to consider one thing," Sti 
 neli continued, "the dear God may say to 
 Himself: 'If Rico wants to get something 
 from Me, then he can pray for it and tell Me 
 what he wants. ' 
 
 Rico could not say anything against that. 
 He was silent for a long while, then he said: 
 "Say once more the Lord's prayer, I will learn 
 it again." 
 
 Stineli said it once more, then Rico knew it 
 again, and had it well in his mind. Now they 
 [144]
 
 CLOUDS ON THE GARDA LAKE 
 
 went peacefully home, each side by side, and 
 Rico must still think on the Kingdom and the 
 Power. But in the evening, when he was in 
 his quiet room, he prayed with his whole heart 
 very humbly, for he felt that he had done 
 wrong to think that God should give him 
 what he wanted and he had never prayed for it. 
 
 Stineli stepped thoughtfully into the garden. 
 She was considering whether she should talk 
 with Mrs. Menotti; perhaps she might find a 
 different occupation for Rico, than this playing 
 for dances in taverns, which was so distasteful 
 to him. But the thought of troubling Mrs. 
 Menotti with her affairs left her when she 
 entered the room. Silvio lay as red as fire on 
 his pillows, and breathed quickly and irregu 
 larly, and Mrs. Menotti sat by his bed and was 
 weeping bitterly. Silvio had had again one of 
 his attacks and great pain, and a little anger 
 that Stineli was away might have increased the 
 fever. The mother was more downcast than 
 Stineli had ever known her. When finally she 
 cheered up a little, she said: 
 
 "Come, Stineli, sit down here beside me, I 
 should like to tell you something. You see, 
 something lies so heavily on my heart, that I 
 often feel that I cannot bear it any longer. To 
 be sure, you are young, but you are a sensible 
 [145]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 girl and have seen much, and I feel it would 
 ease me if I were to speak with you over my 
 trouble. You see how it is with Silvio, my 
 only son. Now I have not only the sorrow of 
 his illness, which can never get better, but I 
 must often tell myself, it is perhaps a judgment 
 of God, because we have kept unjust possession 
 and are enjoying it, although we did not wish 
 to keep it. But I will tell you all from the 
 beginning. 
 
 "When we married, Menotti and I, he had 
 fetched me across from Riva, where my father 
 is still living, then Menotti had here a friend, 
 who wanted to leave Peschiera because he had 
 learned to dislike the place, for he had lost his 
 wife. He had a cottage and a large piece of 
 land, not especially good land, but a very large 
 stretch. Then he wanted my husband to take 
 care of everything, and said that the land did 
 not bring in much, he should keep it in order 
 and the house also, until he should return in a 
 few years. 
 
 "So the friends arranged it between them and 
 they thought much of each other and they 
 made no arrangement about interest. My 
 husband said : ' You must have your affairs in 
 order when you come back,' for he wanted to 
 look well after his friend's belongings, and he 
 [146]
 
 CLOUDS ON THE GARDA LAKE 
 
 understood farming and his friend knew that 
 and left everything to him. 
 
 "But a year after he went, the railroad was 
 built, the cottage had to go with the garden; 
 and the field was needed, for the railroad ran 
 over it. So my husband received much more 
 money than the estate was worth, and he 
 bought good land farther down, and the garden, 
 and built this house, all from the money which 
 he received for the cottage and the poor land. 
 And the land brought in more than double, so 
 that we have the richest harvest. But I said 
 to my husband, 'It does not belong to us, and 
 we live in plenty out of the estate of someone 
 else; if we only knew, where he is!' But my 
 husband quieted me and said: 'I keep every 
 thing in order for him, and when he returns, 
 then everything is his and of the gain, which I 
 put aside, he must have his share also.' 
 
 "Then Silvio came to us, and when I discov 
 ered that the child was paralyzed, I had to 
 talk more and more to my husband and say: 
 'We are living in wrong possession, it is 
 God's punishment for our wrongdoing.' And 
 many a time it seemed to me such a load, that I 
 almost would have preferred to be poor and 
 without a roof. But my husband comforted 
 me again and said : ' You will see how satisfied 
 [147] 
 
 11
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 he will be with me when he comes/ But he 
 never came. Then my husband died, four 
 years ago; you cannot imagine what I have 
 suffered since then, and I must always think, 
 how can I get rid of the wrong possession with 
 out doing wrong, for I have to keep the estate 
 in order until the friend returns. And then I 
 wonder again, if he is now somewhere in 
 misery, and I live meanwhile so well from his 
 estate and know nothing about him." 
 
 Stineli had felt very sorry for the lady, for 
 she could imagine so well how the woman felt, 
 who accused herself of doing wrong and yet 
 could not change it. And she comforted Mrs- 
 Menotti and said to her, that if one did not 
 wish to do wrong, and would so much like to 
 make good, then one should pray with confi 
 dence to God and ask Him that He would 
 help, for He could make something good out of 
 that which we had made wrong, and He would 
 do it if we were sorry for that, which we had 
 made wrong. She knew all that from the 
 grandmother, for she, Stineli, once had not 
 known how to help herself and had suffered 
 great fear. 
 
 Then Stineli told about the lake which Rico 
 always had had in his mind, and how it was her 
 fault that he had run away, and how she then 
 [148]
 
 CLOUDS ON THE GARDA LAKE 
 
 had feared that he had perished. And she said 
 that she had become happy again after she had 
 prayed and had given all her care to the dear 
 God, and Mrs. Menotti must do the same, then 
 she would have a light heart, and she could then 
 think always joyously: "Now the Lord has 
 taken the thing in His hand." 
 
 Mrs. Menotti now came into a pious mood 
 from Stineli's words. She could go now peace 
 fully to rest, Stineli had made her very happy 
 with her confidence in the Lord. 
 
 [149]
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 Rico Finds his Home 
 
 HEN the golden Sunday morning shone 
 over the garden with the red flowers, 
 Mrs. Menotti stepped out of the house 
 and sat down on the bench near the 
 hedge. She looked all around and had 
 her own thoughts. Here the oleander flowers 
 and the laurel hedge behind them, there the 
 full fig-trees and the golden grapes among them, 
 then she said softly to herself: "God knows 
 I should be glad if the wrong were taken from 
 my conscience, but I should find it nowhere so 
 beautiful as it is here." 
 
 Now Rico came into the garden, he had to 
 go away in the afternoon, and he could not 
 stand it to be away the whole day without com 
 ing at all. Just when he was about going to 
 the room, Mrs. Menotti called to him and 
 said: 
 
 "Sit down for a moment here with me; who 
 knows how long we shall sit here beside each 
 other!" 
 Rico was frightened. 
 
 [150]
 
 RICO FINDS HIS HOME 
 
 "Why, Mrs. Menotti, I hope you are not 
 thinking of leaving?" 
 
 Now Mrs. Menotti had to turn the conver 
 sation, she could not tell her story. There 
 came into her mind what Stineli had said about 
 Rico, but she had been so full of her own affairs 
 that she had not understood it very clearly. 
 Now it began to surprise her, since it came 
 again into her mind. 
 
 "Tell me, Rico," she began, "were you here 
 when you were a child so that you wanted to 
 see the lake again, as Stineli told me yesterday?'* 
 
 : 'Yes, when I was very small," said Rico, 
 "then I left." 
 
 "But how did you come here, when you 
 were little?" 
 
 "I was born here." 
 
 "What, here? What was your father, that 
 he came down here from the mountains?" 
 
 "He was not born in the mountains, only 
 mother." 
 
 "What are you saying, Rico? Your father 
 was not from here?" 
 
 'Yes, he was from here." 
 
 "You never have told that, that is so re 
 markable! You have no name from here; 
 what was your father's name?" 
 
 "Like mine: Henrico Trevillo." 
 [151]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 Mrs. Menotti jumped up from the bench, as 
 though something had struck her. 
 
 "What do you say, Rico," she cried, "what 
 did you say just now?" 
 
 "My father's name," Rico said quietly. 
 
 Mrs. Menotti had not listened any more, she 
 had run to the door. 
 
 "Stineli, give me a shawl," she cried into the 
 house. "I have to go at once to the pastor. 
 I am trembling in every limb." 
 
 Much surprised, Stineli brought the shawl. 
 
 "Come a few steps with me, Rico," said 
 Mrs. Menotti on leaving, "I have to ask you 
 something more." 
 
 Twice more Rico had to tell his father's 
 name, and at the pastor's door she asked him 
 for the third time, whether he was sure of it. 
 Then she stepped into the house. Rico turned 
 back and wondered over Mrs. Menotti's 
 behavior. 
 
 Rico had brought his violin along, as he knew 
 that it gave Stineli pleasure when he came with 
 it. When he now arrived with it in the room, 
 he found Silvio and Stineli in the best of moods, 
 for Stineli, according to her promise, had told 
 him the story of Peterli and by doing this, she 
 had put herself and Silvio in the best of humor. 
 When now the latter espied the violin he cried 
 [152]
 
 RICO FINDS HIS HOME 
 
 out : "Now we will sing the Lambkins together 
 with Stineli." Stineli had never heard her 
 song, since she had made it. Rico now played 
 many beautiful melodies, and for a long time 
 no one had thought of the song. 
 
 But that little Silvio should wish to sing the 
 song was a great surprise to Stineli, for she did 
 not know how many hundred times Rico had 
 sung the song to Silvio. Stineli was delighted 
 that she should hear her song again and was to 
 sing it with Rico. Now they began and 
 Silvio sang along with all his might with 
 out understanding a word ; he had learned 
 the words by their sound and had kept them 
 through the many repetitions. But this time 
 the laughing was from Stineli, for Silvio pro 
 nounced some of the words so peculiarly that 
 she could not sing for laughing, and when now 
 Silvio saw Stineli laugh so with her whole face, 
 he too began and then he sang still louder, so 
 that Stineli had to scream from laughing, and 
 Rico fiddled his "Lambkins come down" with 
 all his might. 
 
 So the singing laughter met Mrs. Menotti's 
 ears at a distance, when she was approaching 
 her garden, and she could not comprehend how 
 that could be in this eventful hour. She came 
 hastily through the garden and stepped into the 
 [153]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 room. She had to sit down on the first chair, 
 for the fright and the joy, and the running and 
 the expectation of all coming things had over 
 whelmed her, and she had first to collect her 
 self. The singers had become silent and looked, 
 surprised, at the mother. Now she had her 
 self under control. 
 
 "Rico," she said, more solemnly than was 
 her wont, "Rico, look around. This house, 
 this garden, the fields, everything that you see 
 here and that you cannot see from above to 
 below, belongs to you. You are the owner, it 
 is your paternal inheritance. Here is your 
 home; your name is in the baptismal book, you 
 are the son of Henrico Trevillo, and he was my 
 husband's dearest friend." 
 
 Stineli had understood everything at the 
 first few words, and inexpressible joy spread 
 over her face. Rico sat there like one turned 
 to stone, and could not utter a sound. But 
 Silvio, foreboding great fun, broke forth in 
 loud rejoicing and called out: 
 
 "Now everything all at once belongs to 
 Rico! Where must he sleep?" 
 
 "Must? Must? Silvio?" said the mother. 
 "In every room, where he will; he can send us 
 all three out of the house today, if he wanted 
 to, and live in the house all alone." 
 [154]
 
 RICO FINDS HIS HOME 
 
 "Then I would rather go out with you," 
 said Rico. 
 
 "Oh, you good Rico!" exclaimed Mrs. Men- 
 otti. "If you want to have us in the house, 
 then we will gladly stay. Already on my way 
 home I have thought out how we could arrange 
 it. I could take half the house and so with the 
 garden and the land, then half of all would 
 belong to you, and the other to Silvio." 
 
 "Then I should give my half to Stineli," 
 cried Silvio. 
 
 "And I my half, too," said Rico. 
 
 "Oho, now everything belongs to Stineli," 
 rejoiced the little fellow from out of his bed, 
 "the garden and the house and everything in 
 it, the chairs and the tables and I and Rico and 
 the violin. Now we will sing again." 
 
 But Rico did not consider the thing so easily 
 settled as Silvio did. Meanwhile he had 
 thought over Mrs. Menotti's words and now 
 asked hesitatingly: "But how could the house 
 of Silvio's father belong to me because he was 
 my father's friend?" 
 
 Then Mrs. Menotti remembered that Rico 
 knew nothing of the whole occurrence, and she 
 began at once to tell the story and more com 
 pletely than she had told Stineli the evening 
 before. And when she had finished, the three 
 [155]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 understood and all three began to rejoice aloud, 
 for there was no reason why Rico should not 
 enter his home at once, and never leave it again. 
 But in the midst of the rejoicing Rico said: 
 
 "Because everything is now as it is, Mrs. 
 Menotti, there need not be any change in the 
 house, I come now also and am at home with 
 you, and we remain together and you are our 
 mother." 
 
 "Oh, Rico, that it is you, that it is you! 
 How beautifully the Lord has arranged every 
 thing! That I have to surrender everything 
 to you and yet may remain with a good con 
 science. And I will be a good mother to you, 
 Rico, you will see, I have loved you long since 
 like my own child. Now you must call me 
 Mother, and Stineli, too, and we shall be the 
 happiest household of all Peschiera!" 
 
 "But now we must finish our song," cried 
 Silvio, who wanted to sing and rejoice, to have 
 an outlet for his feelings, and Stineli and Rico 
 began their song again, for they both were not 
 less happy. But when they had finished, Sti 
 neli said: "I should like to sing a song with 
 you, Rico, do you know which one?" 
 
 "Yes, I know it," answered Rico, "and I 
 will gladly sing it with you, and we will begin 
 with grandmother's verses," and he began and 
 [156]
 
 RICO FINDS HIS HOME 
 
 sang so beautifully deep out of himself as he 
 had never sung before, and Stineli sang with 
 her whole heart with him: 
 
 "He never yet has made mistakes 
 
 In His great government, 
 No, what He does and lets be done 
 For thy own good is meant. 
 
 Then let Him rule, and further do 
 
 Whate'er He may desire, 
 Then thou w T ilt rest in peace on earth 
 
 And joy thy soul acquire." 
 
 But Rico did not go to Riva that day. 
 Mother Menotti had advised him to go at once 
 to the Inn to tell the landlady of his changed 
 position, to order a violin player to Riva and 
 to move this very day into his house. This 
 proposition pleased Rico, and he hastened to 
 the town. The landlady listened to him with 
 greatest surprise when he told her of the change 
 in his fortune; when he was through, she called 
 her husband and expressed great delight, and 
 wished Rico every blessing in his new home, 
 and it came from her heart. Then , too, she had 
 become suspicious that the landlady of the 
 "Three Crowns" was trying to get Rico away 
 from her, and that would have broken her 
 [157]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 heart. That could not now happen, and that 
 Rico had become an estate-owner was a great 
 joy to her, for she had grown very fond of him. 
 
 And her husband had his special joy for he 
 had known Rico's father, and could not under 
 stand that it had never entered his mind, since 
 Rico was the image of his father. So Rico 
 took friendly leave of the people, and as the 
 landlady shook his hand again at the door, she 
 recommended her house in case Rico sometime 
 wanted it for some great feast. 
 
 The same evening everyone in Peschiera 
 knew of the change that had come to Rico, and 
 much more besides, and everyone wished him 
 luck, and one said to the other: "He fits so 
 well as master of his estate, as if he had been 
 born in it." 
 
 But Mother Menotti did not know how she 
 could have everything good enough for the 
 new owner. She made ready the large room 
 upstairs with the two windows over the garden 
 and over the lake; and from the walls pretty 
 marble figures looked down on him, and on the 
 table stood a large bunch of flowers, and the 
 whole room looked so clean and festive that 
 Rico stopped at the door, where Stineli had 
 conducted him, and where he now was received 
 by Mother Menotti. But when the latter took 
 [158]
 
 RICO FINDS HIS HOME 
 
 his hand and led him to the window where he 
 could see the shining lake and the violet moun 
 tains at a distance, then Rico's heart became 
 so over-filled with gratitude and thanks that he 
 could only murmur: "Oh, how beautiful! 
 And now I may be at home!" 
 
 In the room below with the open door into 
 the garden the family spent happy, untroubled 
 days so that they did not know how time 
 passed. 
 
 In the daytime Rico went with his whistling 
 man over his estate, to the fig trees and to the 
 corn, for now he must learn all about these 
 things. And the servant thought: "I know 
 more than my master," and pride rose within 
 him. But when in the evening, he leaned on 
 the gate and listened for hours to the violin 
 playing, then he thought: "My master knows 
 more than I," and had great respect for his 
 master. 
 
 [159]
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 Sunshine on the Beautiful Garda Lake 
 
 WO years had thus passed, always each 
 day more enjoyable than the last. 
 Then Stineli knew that the time of her 
 departure had come, and she had to 
 battle with herself that she did not lose 
 courage, for to go away and perhaps never to 
 come back, was the hardest thought that had 
 ever oppressed her heart. Also Rico knew 
 what now ought to be; and he did not say a 
 word for days and days except what was neces 
 sary. Then it grew uneasy to Mother Menotti, 
 and she tried to find out the unknown cause, 
 for she had long since forgotten that Stineli was 
 to be confirmed. When it now came out what 
 the trouble was, Mother Menotti said quiet- 
 ingly : "One can wait a year longer." And so 
 all lived another year in contentment and joy. 
 But in the third year the message came from 
 Bergamo that someone had come from the 
 mountains, who had the order to take Stineli 
 home with him. Now it had to be. Little 
 Silvio acted like one possessed, but it was of no 
 [160]
 
 use, nothing could be done against fate. 
 Mother Menotti, the last three days, kept on 
 saying: "Be sure you come back, Stineli; 
 promise to your father whatever he wants, if 
 he only will let you go." 
 
 Rico said nothing. So Stineli left, and 
 from that day on, there lay a gray, heavy cloud 
 on the house although the sun might shine as 
 brightly outside as it was possible. So it re 
 mained from November to Easter, when all 
 people rejoice, but in Rico's house all was still. 
 And when the feast was over, and in the gar 
 den everything was blooming, much more 
 beautifully than ever before, then Rico sat one 
 evening at Silvio's bed and played the saddest 
 melodies which he knew, and made little 
 Silvio quite melancholy, but all at once there 
 came a voice from the garden which called out : 
 "Rico, Rico, have you not a merrier reception 
 for me?" 
 
 Silvio screamed aloud like one beside him 
 self. Rico threw his violin on Silvio's bed and 
 rushed out. Mother Menotti rushed in from 
 fright. There stood on the threshold Stineli 
 beside Rico. And as her eyes laughed again 
 into the room there was again the long-lost 
 sunshine ; and there was such a joyous meeting 
 as none of them could have imagined. Now 
 [161]
 
 THE STORY OF RICO 
 
 they sat again around the table by Silvio's bed, 
 and there was a questioning and reporting and 
 telling, and then again a rejoicing over the re 
 turn, that one would have thought that nothing 
 was lacking to these four people, for perfect 
 happiness. But it was different with Rico. 
 In the midst of all this joy he began suddenly 
 to wonder, as he used to do, but it did not last 
 long, he must have found a satisfactory decision, 
 for suddenly the wondering had passed, and with 
 the greatest firmness he said : " Stineli has to be 
 my wife right away, else she will leave us again, 
 and we cannot bear it." 
 
 Silvio was at once full of enthusiasm for this 
 new undertaking, and it did not take long, 
 when all agreed that it must be so and could 
 not be different. On the most beautiful day of 
 May which had ever risen over Peschiera, a 
 procession moved from the church toward the 
 inn "At the Golden Sun." First came tall 
 Rico, walking stately along, at his side the 
 bright-eyed Stineli with a crown of fresh 
 flowers on her head, then came in a softly- 
 bolstered carriage drawn by two joyous boys 
 of Peschiera, little Silvio, beaming happily like 
 a triumvir; then came Mother Menotti, deeply 
 touched, in her rustling wedding splendor. 
 After her came the gardener, with a nosegay 
 [162]
 
 SUNSHINE ON THE GARDA LAKE 
 
 which covered his whole chest, and now came 
 the whole of Peschiera, in noisy enthusiasm, 
 for all wanted to see the handsome couple and 
 celebrate with them. It was a general family 
 festivity of the people of Peschiera, now the 
 lost and returned Peschieran was about to 
 form a firmly-established home in his native 
 town. 
 
 The joy of victory of the landlady of the 
 "Golden Sun" when she saw the procession 
 arrive before her house, cannot be described; 
 whenever afterwards any wedding, high or low, 
 was talked of, she would say with superiority: 
 "That is all nothing in comparison to Rico's 
 wedding in the 'Golden Sun'." 
 
 The sunshine never went away from the 
 house in the flower garden, but Stineli took 
 care that the Lord's Prayer was never forgot 
 ten, and every Sunday evening the hymn of 
 Grandmother resounded in bright chorus out 
 into the open. air. 
 
 [163]
 
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