Toni, the Little Woodcarver | Page 8

stood a bed of hay. In the corner
was a little, round stool and on this a wooden jug.
Toni and the man stepped inside. The latter placed on the floor the big
wooden milk-pail, which he had brought up on his back, took out of it a
round loaf of bread and a huge piece of cheese, laid both on the table
and said: "Of course you have a knife," to which Tony assented.
Then the man took the wooden jug, swung the milk-pail on his back
and went out. Toni followed him. The man lifted a wooden basin out of
the big pail, seated himself on the little round stool which he had

brought out of the hut and began to milk one cow after another. If one
was too far away, he would call out: "Drive her here!" and Toni obeyed.
When the basin was full he poured it into the big pail and silently went
on until all the cows had been milked. At the last the man filled the jug
with milk, handed it to Toni, took the pail on his back, the basin in his
hand and saying "Good night!" went down the mountain.
Then Toni was all alone. He put his jug of milk in the hut and came out
again. He looked around on every side. He looked over to the big
mountain, but between that and his pasture was a wide valley so one
had to descend in order to climb up to the big one. But all around both
pastures great dark masses of mountains looked down, some rocky,
gray and jagged, others covered with snow, all reaching up to the sky,
so high and mighty and with such different peaks and horns and some
with such broad backs, that it almost seemed to Toni as if they were
enormous giants, each one having his own face and looking down at
him. It was a clear evening. The mountain opposite was shining in the
golden evening light, and now a little star came into sight above the
dark mountains, and looked down to Toni in such a friendly way that it
cheered him very much.
He thought of his mother, where she was now and how she was in the
habit of standing with him at this time in front of the little cottage and
talking so pleasantly. Then suddenly there came over him such a
feeling of loneliness that he ran into the hut, threw himself down on the
cot, buried his face in the hay and sobbed softly, until the weariness of
the day overcame him and he fell asleep.
The bright morning lured him out early. The man was already outside.
He milked the cows, spoke not a word and went away.
Now a long, long day followed. It was perfectly still all around. The
cows grazed and lay down around in the sun-bathed pasture. Tom went
into the hut two or three times, drank some milk and ate some bread
and cheese. Then he came out again, sat down on the ground and
carved on a piece of wood he had in his pocket, for although he no
longer dared to cherish the hope of becoming a wood-carver, yet he
could not help carving for himself as well as he could. At last it was

evening again. The man came and went. He said not a word, and Toni
had nothing to say either.
Thus passed one day after another. They were all so long! so long! In
the evening, when it began to grow dark it always seemed terrible to
Toni, for then the high mountains looked so black and threatening, as if
they would suddenly do him some harm. Then he would rush back into
the hut and crawl into his bed of hay.
Many days had passed like this, one exactly the same as the other. The
sun had always shone in a cloudless sky; always at evening the friendly
little star had gleamed above the dark mountain. But one afternoon,
thick, gray clouds began to chase one another across the sky; now and
then blinding lightning flashed, and suddenly frightful thunder-bolts
sounded, which echoed roaring from the mountains, as if there were
twice as many and then a terrible storm broke. It was as dark as night;
the rain beat against the hut, and meanwhile the thunder rolled with
fearful reverberations through the mountains; quivering lightning
lighted up the black, frightful giant-forms, which seemed quite
specter-like to come nearer and look down menacingly. The cattle ran
together in alarm and bellowed loudly, and great birds of prey flapped
around with piercing shrieks.
Toni had long since fled into the hut, but the lightning showed him the
frightful forms and it seemed every minute as