The Swiss Twins | Page 9

it and was offended, or it may be that she
knew that she had no milk to give them so early in the morning.
Anyway, she made up her mind she would not be bothered at that time
of day, so as fast as they came near her, she walked on a few steps, and
by the time they had reached that spot she had moved farther still.
"We mustn't frighten her," said Fritz, "It's bad for the milk."
For some time they patiently followed her about, and at last just as they
were ready to lay hands upon her, she suddenly leaped upon a rock and
from that to a higher one, until she stood far out of reach on a dizzy
overhanging cliff.
"That Nanni!" cried Fritz wrathfully as he prepared to follow her.
"She'll break her pesky neck and mine too some day."
He climbed a tree for a short cut to the cliff and dropped from an
overhanging branch to the narrow shelf of rock in front of the goat.
Bello, meanwhile, ran back and forth below, barking like everything,
but quite unable either to follow Nanni up the steep trail, or to climb
the tree as Fritz had done.
"Come, Nanni," said Fritz, holding out his hand as he stepped carefully
toward her.
Nanni sniffed and backed. Leneli and Seppi watched from below,
breathless with anxiety. If she should back too much she might fall
over the cliff and be killed. If she should dash forward she might knock
Fritz over it instead. But Fritz was a wise goat- boy! He put his hand in
his pocket and drew out a handful of salt, which he kept for just such
times as this. He held it out toward Nanni and carefully and slowly
backed away from the edge of the cliff, coaxing her to follow him. As
she stepped forward, he stepped back, and in this way led her by a
roundabout path down the farther side of the rocks to the place where
the other goats wore still feeding.
"Oh, Fritzi, I never could do that," said Leneli, hugging him when he
was on safe ground once more. "I should be so frightened."
"I could," said Seppi promptly; "I'm not afraid."
"Don't you try it, young man," said Fritz, "unless it's the only thing you
can do. The best goat-boy is the one who keeps his goats from getting
into such places. It's much cleverer to keep out of trouble than to get

out."
They gave up the milking lesson for the time being, but when the long
day was over and they were on their way down the mountain- pass in
the late afternoon, they came to a wide level space. Here they paused,
and, while Seppi stood with his arm about Nanni's neck and fed her
handfuls of green grass, Leneli really did milk enough for a refreshing
drink to sustain her on the long homeward journey.
Singing, playing tunes on the horn, and rousing the ever-ready echoes
with their yodels, they ran down the steep mountain path in a much
shorter time than it had taken to climb it in the morning, and came in
sight of the old farm-house just as the Angelus rang again in the little
white village spire. They paused on the mountain path and bent their
heads, but Nanni was not a religious goat! She remembered the glimpse
she had had the night before of green things growing in the garden and
suddenly bolted down the steep path at a break-neck speed. All the rest
of the flock followed pell-mell after her, and the children were obliged
to cut short their prayers in order to save the carrot-tops from being
eaten up.
The last mile was covered in record-breaking time, and before the
cuckoo clock struck seven the children and goats and dog all came
galloping into the yard together.
III. A MOUNTAIN STORM
A MOUNTAIN STORM
The next day, and the day after that, the same lesson was repeated. The
Twins went away with Fritz in the early morning and stayed all day
long with the goats and came home with him in the sunset glow. But on
the fourth day it was quite, quite different. It was different not only
because they were to go alone with the goats for the first time, but also
because it was the day when the greatest event of the whole year was to
happen.
On that very morning the cattle were to start away to the high alps to be
gone all summer! Every one in the little gray farm- house was up with
the dawn, and while Mother Adolf milked the goats, the Twins took
their breakfast to a high rock beside the mountain path, where they