The Three Comrades | Page 9

wished for years, it will suit me best to tell
it to you. The Lord God gave you more wisdom than me, an old man,
just as Samuel the boy had more than the old priest Eli."
Bacha strode over to his stump where he usually sat. Palko lay beside
him on the grass. He drew the Bible near him, and laid his hand on the
head of Fido who cuddled close beside. Thus he waited patiently.
"Since Petrik told you what kind of a boy I was, I do not have to retell
it again," began the man presently. His whole appearance did not fit
into that beautiful Sunday morning.
"Thus we both grew up, and I can say with a good conscience that
Stephen and I loved each other very much. I could never forget that he
did not tell our parents how I forsook him in his plight. He convinced

me that our parents loved us both. All was well now and might have
remained so always, had not mother after her sister's death brought to
us her niece, Eva. She was a small beautiful girl. From the beginning
she seemed to be afraid of me, but with Stephen she was at once,
friendly, until I once saved him from vicious dogs. From that time she
clung always to me. Thus it was as we grew up together, and after we
were grown up. You cannot understand more now, therefore I can only
tell you this much. When we became young men, there was no more
beautiful girl to us in the whole wide world. It seemed to me that her
black eyes shone brighter than all the stars, and that such lilies and
roses as were on her face did not bloom on any bush. At that time there
was a large immigration to America. Many times I wondered how
people, just for the sake of mammon, could go so far into the world
when in spite of our poverty it was so beautiful and lovely here. To me,
the woods and meadows were like a paradise and in my heart all was
song--like the heavens; but there is no paradise upon this earth and the
heavens are too high. Once when I returned from work--it was already
evening--mother and father sat in front of the house in consultation
about us children, as they often did. I did not want to disturb them,
therefore I sat down not very far away and listened."
"Do you think, then," said mother, "that one of the children will have to
go to America?"
"You see, my wife, there the people achieve something quicker than we
do here. We suffer bravely and yet barely live," sighed father. He was a
good man but already worn out by hard labor.
"'And which one do you think should?' mother asked with a sigh.
"'That we will leave for them to decide. I think thus: Let one stay at
home and take Eva for his wife, so you have some help. Let the other
one go to America for a few years, and after he has made some money
and God granting that he will return safely, then they may live together.
I would not like that after our death they should be separated. It is well
for them to be together.'
"I noticed how mother gave a sigh of relief, but to me it seemed as if

someone stuck a dagger into me. They surely expected me to go.
Stephen would remain at home and take Eva. That night I did not sleep
at home. A similar trouble overtook me as in my childhood, only
stronger and much more terrible. Where I gathered strength to return in
the morning I do not know. Eva ran to meet me, and as soon as I saw
her I told myself that verily, I would never go to America, and Eva
must never belong to anyone else but to me. Since that hour I could
hardly give a kind look to Stephen though he gave me no reason for
anger.
"We had a meadow beyond the swamp. There I went with Eva the next
day to turn over the cut grass, and I asked her to be mine. I did not have
much luck at first, but since I pleaded so much and promised so much,
she finally promised that she would not take anyone else.
"After the affair was settled, Eva bound up a bundle of grass, and
looking around I noticed Stephen departing along the pathway. He had
heard us without us noticing him.
"The following week we had some work in the city and Stephen said
that he would go. Mother tried to prevent him. She had rather I should
go because Stephen did