CHAPTER IV
THE GOTTI HOME
When Wiseli and her uncle arrived at Beechgreen, the three boys rushedin from the barn and stood staring at her. Soon the mother came infrom the kitchen and did the same thing. Wiseli did not know what todo except to stand and hold her bundle.
Presently the father seated himself at the table and said, "I think wehad better have something to eat. I am afraid the little one has nothad much to-day. Put your things down, Wiseli, and sit here with me."
Wiseli obeyed without a word. The aunt brought a large loaf of blackbread and some cheese, after which she went on staring at Wiseli as ifshe had never seen a child before.
The uncle cut a slice of the bread, put a piece of cheese on it, andpushed it over in front of Wiseli. "There, little one," he saidkindly, "eat that. You must be hungry."
The suppressed tears welled up in Wiseli's eyes, and her throat was sochoked that she could scarcely breathe. She knew that she could notswallow a single crumb. "No, thank you," she managed to say; "I amnot hungry."
"But you had better try," urged the uncle. "You mustn't be afraid."
Still Wiseli left the bread untouched, and the boys and their mothercontinued to stare at her. Presently the aunt dropped her hands fromher hips and said, "If it isn't good enough for you, then let italone." Wiseli was glad that she went out after this rebuke.
"You had better put your slice of bread in your pocket, Wiseli, foryou may want it a little later," said the uncle, and then he too wentout to the kitchen, closing the door after him.
Wiseli knew that her uncle meant to be good to her, and she wanted toobey him, so she tried to put the bread in her pocket. Unfortunatelythis was much too small, so she laid the bread back on the table.
At this point Chappi snatched the slice saying, "I will help you." Hewas just in the act of taking a bite when one of the brothers struckhis arm so that the bread dropped to the floor. Then the other brothertried to get it, and a general scuffle ensued.
The father opened the kitchen door to ask what the trouble was. Theboys answered together, "Wiseli didn't want it."
"Unless you want me to come in with a strap you had better stop thatracket," threatened the father.
He had just closed the door again when one of the younger boys seizedthe other by the hair, with the idea of holding him at bay while hegot the bread, but this only made matters worse, and the breaddisappeared bite by bite as each found an opportunity to snatch it.
The aunt was washing potatoes in the kitchen. When her husband came inshe said, "What do you mean by bringing the girl home with you? Ishould like to ask what you intend to do with her."
"The child had to go somewhere," he answered. "I am her uncle and theonly relative she has. She ought to be of some help to you. I am sureshe could do the kind of work you are doing now, and you could takeyour time for something you like better. You have always said that theboys make work, and you can surely find something for her to do."
"Oh, bosh! So far as that is concerned, she will be no better than theboys. You can hear what is going on in there now, and she has scarcelybeen here fifteen minutes."
"Yes," said the uncle; "but I have heard the same thing many timesbefore she came, and I imagine she has little enough to do with it."
"Didn't you hear them all lay it upon her when you opened the door?"she asked angrily.
"They have to blame some one," the husband calmly answered; "theyalways do, I notice. I am of the opinion that you will have littletrouble from the girl; she acts and obeys better than the boys."
"You needn't set her up as a model for the boys already," retorted hiswife. "There isn't a place for her to sleep, anyway."
"Well," said the husband, "one can't plan everything at once. She has,no doubt, had a bed to sleep on, and it can easily be brought overhere. I will talk with the pastor about her to-morrow. She can sleepon the bench behind the stove to-night; it will at least be warm.Later we can partition off a part of our chamber large enough for herlittle bed."
"I never in my life heard of any one bringing a child and a week laterher bed!" sneered the aunt. "I should like to know who is going to paythe bills if we have to go to building on her account."
"If the church agrees to let us have her, they will also pay somethingfor her keeping," explained the husband. "I will take her for lessmoney than any one else would ask, because I am her uncle, and shewill be happier with us than with strangers. I wish you would tellChappi that I want him at the barn."
The aunt called to Chappi, but the boys were still struggling on thefloor and he did not hear. She went into the room and gruffly orderedquiet. Wiseli stood crouching against the wall, scarcely daring tomove.
"I wonder that you stand by and watch such a scene without trying tostop it," scolded the aunt. "Can you knit?"
Wiseli trembled as she answered, "Yes, I can knit stockings."
The aunt handed Wiseli a large brown stocking, at the same timesending Chappi to the barn. The two brothers followed him out."Remember that it is the foot you are knitting on, and don't make ittoo short," cautioned the aunt, and then she returned to the kitchen.
Wiseli was glad to be alone. She sat down on the bench behind thestove so that she might hold her work in her lap, for the stocking wasso heavy that she could not otherwise manage the needles.
She had just begun her knitting when the aunt returned to say, "Youhad better come to the kitchen now, so that you can learn how I do thework, for I want you to do it next time."
Wiseli followed to the kitchen, where she tried to help, but thereseemed to be little that she dared to do. She kept thinking how gladlyshe would have done any number of tasks for her mother, because shewould have been kind. The comparison brought the tears, so shedesperately fought against thinking about herself.
"Now pay attention!" cautioned the aunt, as she walked about doingthe work while Wiseli stood by the stove; "I want you to know how todo it the next time."
They were still there when the father and sons came up the walk fromthe barn, stamping the snow from their heavy boots.
"They are coming; run, Wiseli, and open the door," said the aunt.
Then the woman drained a large kettle of potatoes, which she took fromthe stove, ran to the living room and dumped them in the middle of thewarped dining table. Next she brought a large pan of sour milk, andsaid to Wiseli, "The knives and forks are in the table drawer; you canput them on."
Wiseli found five knives and five forks in the drawer and put them onthe table; then supper was ready. The father and the boys took theirplaces on the bench behind the table next the window. There was achair at one end of the table, and one at the side next the kitchen,which the aunt took. The uncle motioned Wiseli to take the otherchair, saying to his wife, "She can sit there, I suppose?"
"Of course," snapped the aunt, and then went out to the kitchen onpretense of being busy. She kept coming back for only a moment at atime. The uncle, understanding her, said impatiently, "I wish youwould sit still and eat your supper."
"I don't find the time to sit still," she retorted; "I should like toknow who is going to look after things out there if I don't." Just atthat moment she noticed that Wiseli was not eating her supper.
"Why are you sitting with your hands in your lap?" she demanded.
"She hasn't anything to eat with," replied Rudi, who had alreadysolved the problem to his own satisfaction, for he could notunderstand how anybody could help eating so long as there was anythingon the table.
"So that is it," said the aunt. "How was I to know that all of asudden we must have six knives and forks when we have always neededbut five. I suppose we must get an extra spoon, too. Why couldn't youhave said something?" she went on, turning to Wiseli. "You must knowthat one has to have a spoon to eat with."
Wiseli timidly answered, "It didn't matter, because I am not hungry."
"But why not?" snapped the aunt. "Are you used to something better? Ihaven't any notion of making a change on your account."
r /> "I think you had better let the child alone," interrupted the husband."I don't want you to frighten her. She will get along well enoughafter a while."
Wiseli sat quietly while the rest finished their meal. Then the fathersaid that Speck, the goat, was ailing at the barn, so he would goback. He put on his fur cap, took the lantern, and went out.
Wiseli watched her aunt brush the potato peelings from the table intothe empty milk pan with her hands; then she wiped the table, afterwhich the other things were soon washed and put away. When all wasfinished she said, "Now you have seen how I do up the supper work,Wiseli; you can do it hereafter."
When they came into the living room, Chappi was seated at the tablewith his number book and pencil, as if he intended writing his sums onthe table; he now began to stare at Wiseli. She had picked up thestocking on the bench by the stove, but had not dared to go near thelight on the table.
"You ought to be working examples yourself," he said to Wiseli; "youaren't the smartest one in school by any means."
Wiseli did not know what to say. She had not been in school that day,and did not know what examples had been given out. In fact, she seemedto be out of harmony with everything.
"If I have to do sums, you have to," continued Chappi.
Wiseli said nothing, and did not stir.
"All right," said Chappi, "I'll not do one single example more," andhe threw down his pencil.
"Goody!" exclaimed Hans; "then I don't need to either," and he puthis multiplication table back in his book sack. Study was the mostunpleasant thing he ever had to do.
"I shall tell the teacher who is to blame for all this laziness," saidChappi, threateningly; "you will find out what he will do to you."
This might have been carried on indefinitely had not the fatherreturned from the barn. He brought two large mill sacks and askedChappi to take his things from the table; then he spread out thesacks, folded them neatly, and laid them on the bench behind thestove.
"There," he said, "that is all right. Where is your bundle, littleone?"
Wiseli brought it from the corner, where she had put it, and wassurprised to see her uncle place it at one end of the sacks and pressit flat with his hands.
"There!" he repeated as he gave the bundle a last pat. Then turning toWiseli, he added: "You may go to sleep now; the bundle will be yourpillow and the stove will keep you from getting cold. You three boysmust be off to bed!"
He took the lamp and followed the boys out, but he returned presentlyand said: "I hope you will sleep well, Wiseli. Try hard not to thinkabout what has happened to-day. It will all come right later." Then heleft her to herself.
A moment later the aunt came, carrying a small lamp, and wished to seethe bed. "Can you sleep that way?" she asked, almost kindly. "It willbe nice and warm for you. Some people haven't any bed and are coldbesides. It may happen to be the case with you yet, so you better bethankful that you have a roof over your head. Good night."
"Good night," answered Wiseli, but the door closed too quickly for theaunt to hear.
Wiseli was glad to know that she was to be alone for the night. Themoon dimly lighted the room. She had been in such constant dread ofthose about her that she had scarcely dared to think of herself. Nowshe lifted up her heart in prayer, simply saying, "Help me, HeavenlyFather, for I am afraid, and mother is not with me now."
She felt comforted after a time because she had the assurance, fromher mother's teaching, that her prayer would be answered. Sheremembered that it was only the evening before that her mother hadtold her to take comfort and courage from the verses she had repeated.The real meaning came to her now as she said the lines over.
"For thee He'll surely save A place to work His will."
The load she had been carrying all day seemed lifted. A quiet peacefilled her trusting heart, and she resolved in her new-found strengthnever to fear her cousins and the aunt again. She was soon soundasleep.
Wiseli dreamed that she saw a path before her which was beautiful withroses and carnations on either side, and that the sun was shiningpleasantly overhead. She was so happy that she danced for joy. Besideher stood the mother, holding her by the hand. She pointed down thepath and said: "See, Wiseli, God is giving that to you. Didn't I tellyou he would find the place?
For thee He'll surely save A place to work His will."
Wiseli had forgotten all her sorrow and fear, and slept as well withher head on the bundle on the hard bench as if she had been dreamingin the softest bed.