What Sami Sings with the Birds | Page 8

But it was of no use; it was decided that Sami should have a place in
the house. The farmer brought in the bundle and carried it up to the
oldest boy's room, where until now the broad-shouldered Stöffi had
slept in a bed alone. He could take Sami in with him, for he was
smaller than the other two; Michael and Uli could stay together as
before.
Then the woman opened the bundle. She was not a little surprised,
when she found inside not only Sami's clothes, all in the best of order,
but also two good dresses, aprons and neckerchiefs. She called Sami up
to her, and showed him the corner in the chest where she had put his
things. Then she said she would take the woman's clothes for herself,
since he could surely make no use of them. The clothes which his
grandmother had always worn were so dear to Sami, that he looked on
with sad eyes, as they were carried away, but he thought it had to be so.
He had already made the acquaintance of the three boys. They had
shown him below in front of the house how one of them could best
throw down the others, and had demonstrated all sorts of useful tricks.
But as each tried to outdo the others in showing off his knowledge, a
struggle ensued and the tricks were immediately applied; one threw
another over the third, Sami was knocked and thrown around by all
three.
When he now came down from his room a voice from the barn called
out: "Come here and help pull."
Sami ran along. There stood the two younger boys, Michael and Uli,
with great hoes on their shoulders, and Stöffi beside a cart which had to
be taken along. They waited for their father, and then all went out to the
field. Here Stöffi and Sami had to rake together the grass, which the
father cut, and load it on the cart, and bring home to the cows. Michael
and Uli had to hoe the weeds in the next field near by. Now it appeared

that Sami did not know at all how to use the rake, for he had never
done such work.
"He shall weed with Uli, and Michael can do this work," said the
farmer.
But when Sami tried to do this, the hoe was too heavy for him, and he
could do nothing.
"Then kneel on the ground and pull them up with your hands," said the
farmer.
Sami squatted down and pulled at the weeds with all his might. The
ground was hard and the work very tiresome. But Sami did not forget
how his grandmother had impressed it upon him to do all his work well
and willingly.
At noon the two weeders took their hoes on their shoulders and Sami
had to pull the cart, which was now much heavier than on the way there.
The boy had to use all his strength, for Stöffi showed him plainly that
he would not take upon himself the larger part of the work.
Then when they passed by the field the father indicated to each one the
piece he would have to weed that afternoon; for he himself would be
obliged to go to the cattle market. They would find a smaller hoe at
home for Sami to take with him in the afternoon, for pulling up the
weeds was too slow work.
After the boys had worked several hours in the afternoon, they sat
down in the shade of an old apple-tree to eat their luncheon, and the
piece of black bread with pear juice tasted very good after the hot work.
"Have you ever seen a bear?" asked Stöffi of Sami.
He said he had not.
"Then you would be fearfully frightened if you should suddenly see
one," continued Stöffi; "only those who know them are not afraid of

them. This evening there is to be one in the village, and, as I am almost
through with my piece in the field, you can finish it, so I can go early to
see the bear."
Sami agreed. When all four had begun to hoe again, Stöffi soon
exclaimed:
"Well, you won't have much more to do now, Sami, but keep your
promise, or--"
Stöffi doubled up his fist, and Sami understood what that meant.
He had hardly gone when Michael said:
"See, Sami, there isn't much left of mine, you can do that too; I am
going to see the bear."
Whereupon Michael ran off.
"Me, too," cried Uli, throwing down his hoe. "You can finish that also,
Sami."
When the twilight came on and the family put the sour milk and the
steaming potatoes on the table, Sami was missing.
"I suppose he will