“Yes, yes, I saw it, Toni,” replied his mother with a sigh, “but did you hear what the wood-carver said?”

Toni had heard nothing; all his mind had been directed to one point.

“No, I didn’t hear anything; when can I go?” he asked longingly.

“Oh, it is not possible, Toni, but don’t take it so to heart!  See, I can’t do it, although I would like to so much,” declared his mother; “but everything would come to more than I earn in a year, and you know how hard I have to work to manage to make the two ends meet.”

It was a hard blow for Toni.  All his hopes for many years lay destroyed before him; but he knew how his mother worked, how little good she herself had, and how she always tried to give him a little pleasure when she could.  He said not a word and silently swallowed his rising tears, hut he was very much grieved that all his hopes were over, since for the first time he had seen what wonderful things could be made out of a piece of wood.

CHAPTER THIRD

UP IN THE MOUNTAINS

The next morning, the farmer on the Matten farm sent word to Elsbeth, to come up to see him towards evening, as he had something to talk with her about.  At the right time she laid aside her hoe, tied on a clean apron, and said: 

“Finish the hoeing, Toni; then you can milk the goat and give her some fresh straw, so she will have a better bed.  Then I will be back again.”

She went up to the Matten farm.  The farmer was standing in the open barn-door gazing with satisfaction at his beautiful cows, wandering in a long procession to the well.  Elsbeth stepped up to him.

“Well, I am glad you have come,” he said, holding out his hand to her.  “I have been thinking about you on account of the boy’s welfare.  He is now at an age to do some light work and help you a little, at least to take care of himself.”

“I have already been thinking about that,” replied Elsbeth, “and wanted to ask you, if you could give him a little light work in the fields?”

“That is fortunate,” continued the farmer.  “I have a little job for him, healthy and not very hard, that is to say not hard at all.  He can go up to the small mountain with the cows.  The herdsman with his boys is on the big mountain and a man is also there to come every morning and evening for the milking, so the boy will not be entirely alone and will have nothing to do but watch the cows so that none wander off, that they don’t hook each other or do anything out of the way.  While he sits there on the mountain he is master and can have all the milk he wants.  A king couldn’t have anything better.”