Read Heimatlos: Two stories for children, and for those who love children Page 10

  CHAPTER IX

  A PUZZLING OCCURRENCE

  That evening Rico was later than usual in returning to the house, forthe grandmother's singing lesson had taken some time. The aunt met himat the door.

  "So this is the way you have begun!" she said sharply. "Your supperhas been waiting for you long enough, so you may go to bed without it.I am sure it will not be my fault if you become a tramp. Any drudgerywould be better than taking care of a boy like you."

  Usually Rico made no response to her faultfinding. To-night he met herangry look with an expression of determination that she had never seenin his face before.

  "Very well," he replied quietly, "I will take myself out of your way."He said nothing more, and as he went up to his dark bedroom he heardhis aunt bolt the door.

  The following evening, when the neighboring household had gatheredabout the table for supper, the aunt surprised them by coming to thedoor to inquire for Rico. She had not seen him that day.

  "Don't worry," said Stineli's father, cheerfully; "he'll come whenhe's hungry."

  As soon as the aunt saw that the boy had not taken refuge at theneighbor's, she went on to explain that in the early morning she hadfound the door unbolted. At first she had supposed that her troublewith Rico had made her forget to fasten it, but when she saw that hewas not in his room and that his bed had not been slept in, sheconcluded that he had run away.

  "If that is the case, something has surely happened to him," said thefather. "He may have fallen into a crevasse on the mountain. A boyclimbing about in the dark might easily break his neck. You were wrongnot to speak of it sooner, for how is any one to find him, now thatthe daylight is gone?"

  "Of course everybody will blame _me_ for it," the aunt retorted. "Thatis the way when a person is uncomplaining. No one will believe" (andhere she told the truth) "what a stubborn, malicious, deceitful childhe has been, nor how he has made my life miserable all through theselong, long years. He will never be anything but an idle tramp."

  The grandmother could bear no more in silence. She rose from thetable, her eyes flashing with indignation.

  "Stop, neighbor, for pity's sake!" she protested. "I know Rico verywell. Ever since the father brought him here I have seen him almostconstantly. Instead of saying harsh things about the child rememberwhat danger he may be in this very minute. Don't you suppose that hemay also have some reason to complain?"

  The aunt had been thinking all day of Rico's words, "I will takemyself out of your way," and trying to justify her own position. Nowthe grandmother's rebuke made her ashamed. "I will go back," she said,as she stepped out into the dark field. "Rico may have come home whileI have been standing here." In her heart she knew that she would beglad to find this true, but the little house was empty and still.

  Early the next morning the neighbors set forth to search carefully inthe ravines and along the approaches to the glacier. When Stineli'sfather noticed that she had followed the others he said, "That isright, Stineli; you can get into places where bigger folk could notgo."

  "But, father," said Stineli, "if Rico went up the road he couldn'thave fallen into any such place, could he?"

  "Of course he could!" said the father. "He was such a dreamer that itwould have been easy enough for him to lose his way. He probably paidno attention to where he was going, and wandered off toward themountains."

  A great fear entered Stineli's heart when she heard this. For days shecould scarcely eat or sleep and she went listlessly about her work asif she did not know what she was doing.

  No one could be found who had seen Rico since the night he left home.As time went on he was given up for dead. The neighbors tried toconsole one another by saying: "He is better off as it is. The childhad no one to look after him properly."