CHAPTER III
ANOTHER HOME
While Otto and Miezi Ritter were going home after the coasting, Wiseliwas running down the hill as fast as her little feet could take her;she realized that she was later than usual and was sorry to have kepther mother waiting. The pleasure of her coast gave an added impetus,for she could scarcely wait to tell her mother about it. In her hasteshe would have run against a man coming from the house, had he notquickly stepped to one side. She found her mother reclining in a chairby the window, and she wondered at it because it was so unusual. Shethrew her arms about her neck, saying eagerly, "Are you vexed with me,mother, for not coming sooner?"
"Why, no, child; but I am glad that you are here now."
She hastily told her mother about Otto's kindness, and how she hadenjoyed two long rides on the prettiest sled in school. "But, mother,"she added, "what is the matter? Why haven't you a light?"
"You may get the lamp now and bring me a glass of water. I am sothirsty."
Wiseli went to the kitchen and returned carrying the lamp in one handand a bottle of fruit juice in the other.
"What are you bringing me?" asked the mother.
"I don't know myself. I found it on the kitchen table. See how itsparkles." The mother drew the cork. "It is raspberry juice, asfragrant as the berries fresh from the garden," she said.
Wiseli poured some of the rich juice into a tumbler and diluted itwith water; this the mother drank in long draughts until the tumblerwas emptied. "Leave it near me, Wiseli," she said. "It seems as if Icould drink it all, I am so thirsty and it is so refreshing. I wonderwho was so thoughtful as to bring it to me! It must have come fromMrs. Ritter's and very likely Trina brought it over."
"Trina always comes in when she brings anything. Was she here to-day?"
"No. No one came in."
"Joiner Andreas may have left it when he was here," said Wiseli.
"Wiseli!" exclaimed the mother. "Joiner Andreas has not been hereeither."
"But I saw him, mother. He came out of the house just as I came in. Inearly ran into him in my hurry. Didn't you hear any one? It seemsstrange that he should have been so quiet."
"I do remember that I thought the kitchen door opened, and I listenedfor your footsteps, but you came in a few moments later, so I thoughtI must have been mistaken. Are you sure that it was Andreas whom yousaw?"
Wiseli was certain, but to convince the mother she described him as heinvariably looked. "I shouldn't wonder," she added, "if it were he whobrought that large jar of honey you liked so much, and also the cakesyou found that day. Don't you remember thanking Trina for them whenshe brought you the hot dinner, and she told you that she knew nothingabout them? It must have been Joiner Andreas who did it."
Tears filled the mother's eyes as she said, "I think that probably youare right, Wiseli."
"Surely you are not going to be sorry about it, mother," said Wiseli,as she fondly stroked her mother's hair.
"No, but I want you to thank him for me sometime, Wiseli. I am afraidthat I cannot do it myself. Tell him that it did me good; that I wasglad he was so kind. Give me a little more, please."
Wiseli prepared the fruit juice and brought a pillow from the bed sothat her mother could rest her head on the window seat. She drew afootstool to the window and made her mother comfortable. Then she satdown beside her and said, "It is time for me to say the verses youtaught me.
Commit thou all thy ways And all that grieves thy heart To Him whose endless days Can strength and grace impart.
"He gives to wind and wave The power to be still; For thee He'll surely save A place to work His will."
"Remember that, Wiseli," said the mother, drowsily. "If the time evercomes when it seems as if you were not cared for, take comfort andcourage from the verses you have just repeated."
The mother's regular breathing soon told Wiseli that she was asleep;but the child remained quietly by her side for fear of waking her.Thus it happened that she too fell asleep, and the lamp burned on,growing fainter and fainter until it burned itself out and left thehouse dark in the quiet night.
Early the following morning a neighbor passed the window on her way tothe well, and, glancing in as usual, she saw Wiseli crying beside themother, who had her head pillowed on the window seat. She ran to thechild, saying, "What is it, Wiseli? I hope your mother is not worse."
Wiseli only sobbed. The neighbor bent over the mother in surpriseand alarm. "Go to your uncle quickly, Wiseli," she said; "tell him tocome immediately. I will wait here until you get back."
The uncle's house was about fifteen minutes' walk from the church, andWiseli ran on obediently, although the tears would not be kept back.Her aunt answered the knock at the door; seeing the child in tears shesaid gruffly, "What is the matter with you?"
"I have been sent over to get my uncle; my mother is dead," answeredWiseli, for she had reasoned it out to herself that it must be so orelse the mother would speak to her.
The aunt softened perceptibly. "He is not here just now," she saidalmost kindly. "I will have him come as soon as possible, so youneedn't wait."
It was not long after Wiseli's return that the uncle came. He directedthe neighbor to look after everything so that he might take the childaway at once.
"But where shall we go?" inquired Wiseli.
"You shall go home with me, for I am all that you have left now. Iwill take care of you."
In spite of this assurance a great dread seized Wiseli. To go homewith her uncle meant to live with the aunt of whom she was so afraidthat she had always dreaded even meeting her. Then there were thethree rude cousins, of whom Chappi was the oldest. The thought of howHans and Rudi were always throwing stones at children made hershudder. How could she go there to live, and yet how dared she refuse?
All these thoughts flashed through Wiseli's mind as she stoodhesitating. "You needn't be afraid," said her uncle kindly; "there area good many of us, to be sure, but you will find that all the moreinteresting."
Wiseli tied a few of her things in a bundle, put a shawl over herhead, and joined her uncle who was waiting near the door.
"That is a good girl," said the uncle; "now let us be off. Don't cryany more; that never helps anything."
Wiseli choked back the sobs as best she could and followed the uncle,whose stern nature had never been so touched before. Thus the littlehome where Wiseli had lived, loving and beloved, passed out of herlife forever.
They had a glimpse of Trina, who was crossing a vacant lot with abasket on her arm, and Wiseli knew that she was going to see hermother.
Trina said to the neighbor who met her at the door; "I have somethinggood for the sick one's dinner; I hope I am not too late. We have avisitor, and everything is late when he is there."
"It doesn't matter now, for you would have been too late even if youhad come early this morning; she died in the night," said theneighbor.
"Oh, what will Mrs. Ritter say!" exclaimed Trina in alarm. "She triedso hard to have me come yesterday, but we were all so taken up withthe uncle's arrival that it was put off. I am so sorry to have to tellher of this because I know how she will blame herself for neglectingher friend so long."
"Yes," said the neighbor, "we are all apt to do that. Yesterday I didnot suspect that she was any worse than usual."
Trina sorrowfully returned to the Ritter home.