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GOING UP TO THE ALM-UNCLE

The little old town of Mayenfeld is charmingly situated. From it a footpath leads through green, well-wooded stretches to the foot of the heights which look down imposingly upon the valley. Where the footpath begins to go steeply and abruptly up the Alps, the heath, with its short grass and pungent herbage, at once  sends out its soft perfume to meet the wayfarer.

One bright sunny morning in June, a tall, vigorous maiden of the mountain region climbed up the narrow path, leading a little girl by the hand. The youngster's cheeks were in such a glow that it showed even through her sun-browned skin. Small wonder though! for in spite of the heat, the little one, who was scarcely five years old, was bundled up as if she had to brave a bitter frost. Her shape was difficult to distinguish, for she wore two dresses, if not three, and around her shoulders a large red cotton shawl. With her feet encased in heavy hob-nailed boots, this hot and shapeless little person toiled up the mountain.

The pair had been climbing for about an hour when they reached a hamlet half-way up the great mountain named the Alm. This hamlet was called "Im Dörfli" or "The Little Village." It was the elder girl's home town, and therefore she was greeted from nearly every house; people called to her from windows and doors, and very often from the road. But, answering questions and calls as she went by, the girl did not loiter on her way and only stood still when she reached the end of the hamlet. There a few cottages lay scattered about, from the furthest of which a voice called out to her through an open door: "Deta, please wait one moment! I am coming with you, if you are going further up."

When the girl stood still to wait, the child instantly let go her hand and promptly sat down on the ground.

"Are you tired, Heidi?" Deta asked the child.

"No, but hot," she replied.

"We shall be up in an hour, if you take big steps and climb with all

your little might!" Thus the elder girl tried to encourage her small

companion.

A stout, pleasant-looking woman stepped out of the house and joined

the two. The child had risen and wandered behind the old

acquaintances, who immediately started gossiping about their friends

in the neighborhood and the people of the hamlet generally.

"Where are you taking the child, Deta?" asked the newcomer. "Is she

the child your sister left?"

"Yes," Deta assured her; "I am taking her up to the Alm-Uncle and

there I want her to remain."

"You can't really mean to take her there Deta. You must have lost your

senses, to go to him. I am sure the old man will show you the door and

won't even listen to what you say."

"Why not? As he's her grandfather, it is high time he should do

something for the child. I have taken care of her until this summer

and now a good place has been offered to me. The child shall not

hinder me from accepting it, I tell you that!"

"It would not be so hard, if he were like other mortals. But you know

him yourself. How could he _look_ after a child, especially such a

little one? She'll never get along with him, I am sure of that!--But

tell me of your prospects."

"I am going to a splendid house in Frankfurt. Last summer some people

went off to the baths and I took care of their rooms. As they got to

like me, they wanted to take me along, but I could not leave. They

have come back now and have persuaded me to go with them."

"I am glad I am not the child!" exclaimed Barbara with a shudder.

"Nobody knows anything about the old man's life up there. He doesn't

speak to a living soul, and from one year's end to the other he keeps

away from church. People get out of his way when he appears once in a

twelve-month down here among us. We all fear him and he is really just

like a heathen or an old Indian, with those thick grey eyebrows and

that huge uncanny beard. When he wanders along the road with his

twisted stick we are all afraid to meet him alone."

"That is not my fault," said Deta stubbornly. "He won't do her any

harm; and if he should, he is responsible, not I."

"I wish I knew what weighs on the old man's conscience. Why are his

eyes so fierce and why does he live up there all alone? Nobody ever

sees him and we hear many strange things about him. Didn't your sister

tell you anything, Deta?"

"Of course she did, but I shall hold my tongue. He would make me pay

for it if I didn't."

Barbara had long been anxious to know something about the old uncle

and why he lived apart from everybody. Nobody had a good word for him,

and when people talked about him, they did not speak openly but as if

they were afraid. She could not even explain to herself why he was

called the Alm-Uncle. He could not possibly be the uncle of all the

people in the village, but since everybody spoke of him so, she did

the same. Barbara, who had only lived in the village since her

marriage, was glad to get some information from her friend. Deta had

been bred there, but since her mother's death had gone away to earn

her livelihood.

She confidentially seized Deta's arm and said: "I wish you would tell

me the truth about him, Deta; you know it all--people only gossip.

Tell me, what has happened to the old man to turn everybody against

him so? Did he always hate his fellow-creatures?"

"I cannot tell you whether he always did, and that for a very good

reason. He being sixty years old, and I only twenty-six, you can't

expect me to give you an account of his early youth. But if you'll

promise to keep it to yourself and not set all the people in Prätiggan

talking, I can tell you a good deal. My mother and he both came from

Domleschg."

"How can you talk like that, Deta?" replied Barbara in an offended

tone. "People do not gossip much in Prätiggan, and I always can keep

things to myself, if I have to. You won't repent of having told me, I

assure you!"

"All right, but keep your word!" said Deta warningly. Then she looked

around to see that the child was not so close to them as to overhear

what might be said; but the little girl was nowhere to be seen. While

the two young women had talked at such a rate, they had not noticed

her absence; quite a while must have elapsed since the little girl had

given up following her companions. Deta, standing still, looked about

her everywhere, but no one was on the path, which--except for a few

curves--was visible as far down as the village.

"There she is! Can't you see her there?" exclaimed Barbara, pointing

to a spot a good distance from the path. "She is climbing up with the

goatherd Peter and his goats. I wonder why he is so late to-day. I

must say, it suits us well enough; he can look after the child while

you tell me everything without being interrupted."

"It will be very easy for Peter to watch her," remarked Deta; "she is

bright for her five years and keeps her eyes wide open. I have often

noticed that and I am glad for her, for it will be useful with the

uncle. He has nothing left in the whole wide world, but his cottage

and two goats!"

"Did he once have more?" asked Barbara.

"I should say so. He was heir to a large farm in Domleschg. But

setting up to play the fine gentleman, he soon lost everything with

drink and play. His parents died with grief and he himself

disappeared from these parts. After many years he came back with a

half-grown boy, his son, Tobias, that was his name, became a carpenter

and turned out to be a quiet, steady fellow. Many strange rumors went

round about the uncle and I think that was why he left Domleschg for

Dörfli. We acknowledged relationship, my mother's grandmother being a

cousin of his. We called him uncle, and because we are related on my

father's side to nearly all the people in the hamlet they too all

called him uncle. He was named 'Alm-Uncle' when he moved up to the

Alm."

"But what happened to Tobias?" asked Barbara eagerly.

"Just wait. How can I tell you everything at once?" exclaimed Deta.

"Tobias was an apprentice in Mels, and when he was made master, he

came home to the village and married my sister Adelheid. They always

had been fond of each other and they lived very happily as man and

wife. But their joy was short. Two years afterwards, when Tobias was

helping to build a house, a beam fell on him and killed him. Adelheid

was thrown into a violent fever with grief and fright, and never

recovered from it. She had never been strong and had often suffered

from queer spells, when we did not know whether she was awake or

asleep. Only a few weeks after Tobias's death they buried poor

Adelheid.

"People said that heaven had punished the uncle for his misdeeds.

After the death of his son he never spoke to a living soul. Suddenly

he moved up to the Alp, to live there at enmity with God and man.

"My mother and I took Adelheid's little year-old baby, Heidi, to live

with us. When I went to Ragatz I took her with me; but in the spring

the family whose work I had done last year came from Frankfurt and

resolved to take me to their town-house. I am very glad to get such a

good position."

"And now you want to hand over the child to this terrible old man. I

really wonder how you can do it, Deta!" said Barbara with reproach in

her voice.

"It seems to me I have really done enough for the child. I do not know

where else to take her, as she is too young to come with me to

Frankfurt. By the way, Barbara, where are you going? We are half-way

up the Alm already."

Title: Heidi

Author: Johanna Spyri

Translator: Elisabeth Stork

Philadelphia and London j.b. Lippincott company 1919