Moni the Goat-Boy | Page 3

and when, two years before, another goat-boy had to be appointed, Moni was chosen with one accord, since every one was glad for the hard-working Elizabeth that now Moni would be able to earn something. The pious grandmother had never let Moni start away a single morning, without reminding him:
"Moni, never forget how near you are up there to the dear Lord, and that He sees and hears everything, and you can hide nothing from His eyes. But never forget, either, that He is near to help you. So you have nothing to fear, and if you can call upon no human being up there, you have only to call to the dear Lord in your need, and He will hear you immediately and come to your aid."
So from the very first Moni went full of trust up to the lonely mountains and the highest crags, and never had the slightest fear of dread, for he always thought:
"The higher up, the nearer I am to the dear Lord, and so all the safer whatever may happen."
So Moni had neither care nor trouble and could enjoy everything he did from morning till night. It was no wonder that he whistled and sang and yodeled continually, for he had to give vent to his great happiness.
CHAPTER II
MONI'S LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS
The following morning Paula awoke earlier than ever before; a loud singing had awakened her out of sleep.
"That is surely the goat-boy so soon," she said, springing out of bed and running to the window.
Quite right. With fresh, red cheeks there stood Moni below, and he had just brought the old goat and the little kid out of the goat shed. Now he swung his rod in the air, the goats leaped and sprang around him, and then he went along with the whole flock. Suddenly Moni raised his voice again and sang until the mountains echoed:
"Up yonder in the fir trees Sing the birds in a choir, And after the rain comes, Comes the son like a fire."
"To-day he must sing his whole song for me once," said Paula, for Moni had now disappeared and she could no longer understand the words of his distant song.
[Illustration: "Moni climbed with his goats for an hour longer."]
In the sky the rosy morning clouds were disappearing and a cool mountain breeze rustled around Moni's ears, as he climbed up. This he thought just right. He yodeled with satisfaction from the first ledge so lustily down into the valley that many of the sleepers in the Bath House below opened their eyes in amazement, then closed them again at once, for they recognized the sound and knew that they could have an hour longer to sleep, since the goat-boy always came so early. Meanwhile Moni climbed with his goats for an hour longer, farther and farther up to the high cliffs above.
The higher up he mounted, the broader and more beautiful became the view. From time to time he looked around him, then gazed up into the bright sky, which was becoming bluer and bluer, then began to sing with all his might, louder and louder and more merrily the higher he came:
"Up yonder in the fir trees, Sing the birds in a choir, And after the rain comes, Comes the sun like a fire.
"And the sun and the stars And the moon in the night, The dear Lord has made them To give us delight.
"In the spring there are flowers-- They are yellow and gold, And so blue is the sky then My joy can't be told.
"And in summer there are berries, There are plenty if it's fine, And the red ones and black ones, I eat all from the vine.
"If there are nuts in the bushes I know what to do. Where the goats like to nibble, There I can hunt too.
"And in winter I'm happy, For weeping's in vain, And, besides, the glad springtime Will soon come again."
Now the height was reached where he usually stayed, and where he was going to remain for a while to-day. It was a little green table-land, with so broad a projection that one could see from the top all round about and far, far down into the valley. This projection was called the Pulpit-rock, and here Moni could often stay for hours at a time, gazing about him and whistling away, while his little goats quite contentedly sought their feed around him.
As soon as Moni arrived, he took his provision bag from his back, laid it in a little hole in the ground, which he had dug out for this purpose, then went to the Pulpit-rock and threw himself on the grass in order to enjoy himself fully.
The sky had now become a deep blue; above were the high mountains with peaks towering to the