LANDS

MONI THE GOAT BOY

JOHANNA SPYRI

[If you will take a geography and turn to the map of Europe, you will find in the north of Switzerland, not very far from Bern and within about fifteen miles of the border of Germany, the city of Zurich. It lies among the moun5 tains, at the lower end of beautiful Lake Zurich, one of the loveliest of the lakes in all that region. Here lived for many years Johanna Spyri, and here she wrote, in the German language, those stories which have been the delight of all Swiss and German children, and which, 10 translated into many other languages, have been read by many other boys and girls the world over. Her name as a girl was Johanna Heusser, and she was born, in 1829, a few miles from Zurich in a little Swiss mountain village which looked down upon the lake. Her father was a doc15 tor and her mother was a poet. There were many brothers and sisters, and all lived happily together in a simple but beautiful home where scholars and writers often came to

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visit. So the young girl grew up loving books and educated people, but loving more than all else the free life of the mountains, the clear blue sky, and the tinkle of the goat bells in the morning air as the goat boys drove their flocks up to the high pastures. She never forgot these 5 things and her books are full of them.

When she was twenty-three she married Bernhard Spyri, a young man who had been her schoolmate. He became a lawyer and was the town clerk of Zurich, where they lived for more than thirty years. She did not try to write stories 10 until she was more than forty years old, but after that time she wrote many. Probably the one which is best known to American children is "Heidi," the story of a little Swiss girl. Others of her stories are "Moni the Goat Boy," "Without a Friend," "The Little Runaway," 15 and "Heimatlos."

This story is from "Moni the Goat Boy." The mountains where Moni kept his goats were a part of the Alps on the eastern side of Switzerland.

Red morning clouds still hung in the sky, and a fresh 20 mountain breeze was rustling about Moni's ears as he climbed up the mountain. It was just what he liked. He stopped on the first peak, and in his happiness yodeled forth so lustily into the valley that many a sleeper in the hotel opened his eyes in surprise, but quickly closed them 25

again when he recognized the voice; for he then knew that he might have another hour's nap, as the goat boy always came very early. Meanwhile Moni continued climbing for an hour, higher and higher, up to the rocky ledges.

5 The view grew wider and more beautiful the higher he climbed. Sometimes he would stop to look about him, across at the mountains and up to the bright sky, that was growing bluer and bluer, and then he would sing out in a strong, happy voice:

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"Up 'mid the pine trees

The birds join in song.

Though rain clouds may darken,

The sun's out ere long."

Now he had reached the spot where he usually stayed 15 and where he meant to rest for a while to-day. It was a little green plateau standing out from the mountain side, so that one might look out from it in all directions and far down into the valley. This projection was called the Pulpit. Here Moni would often sit for hours, looking out 20 over the surrounding country and whistling to himself, while his goats were contentedly gathering herbs.

As soon as Moni had reached this spot he unstrapped his lunch box from his back, laid it in a little hollow which he had dug for it in the earth, and then went out 25 on the Pulpit, where he stretched out on the ground and gave himself up to the full enjoyment of the hour. The

sky was now dark blue; on the opposite mountains ice fields and sharp peaks had come to view; and far below, the green valley lay sparkling in the morning light. Moni lay there, looking about him, singing and whistling. The wind cooled his hot face, and when his own notes ceased 5 for a moment the birds overhead whistled all the more merrily as they mounted into the blue sky. Moni felt very happy. Now and then little Meggy would come to him and rub her head against his shoulder in her affectionate way, bleat tenderly, and then go to the other side and rub 10 against his other shoulder. The old ones too would come up now and then and show their friendship in their own particular fashion.

Brownie, his own goat, had a way of coming up to him quite anxiously and looking him over very carefully to see 15 whether he was all right. She would stand before him, waiting, until he said: "Yes, yes, Brownie; it's all right. Go back to your grazing now." Swallow, the slender, lively little creature that darted to and fro like a swallow in and out of its nest, always came up with the young white 20 one. The two would charge down upon Moni with a force that would have overthrown him had he not already been stretched flat on the ground. After a brief visit they would dart off again as quickly as they had come.

The shiny black one, little Meggy's mother, who be- 25 longed to the hotel, was rather proud. She would stand

off several feet from the boy, look at him with a lofty air, as if afraid of seeming too familiar, and then pass on her way. Sultan, the big leader of the flock, in the one daily visit that he paid would rudely push aside any other goat 5 that might be near, give several earnest bleats-probably meant for reports on the condition of his family then turn away.

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Little Meggy alone refused to be pushed away from her protector. When Sultan came and tried to thrust her aside, 10 she would slip down as far as she could under Moni's arm, and thus protected she had no fear of the big buck, who was otherwise so terrible to her.

Thus the sunshiny morning passed. Moni had finished his noon lunch and was leaning thoughtfully on the long 15 cane which he always kept at hand for difficult places.

He was thinking about a new way to go up the mountain, for he meant to go higher with the goats this afternoon. The question was, which side should he take, right or left? He chose the left, for there he would come to the three 20 Dragon Rocks, about which grew the tenderest, most delicious plants.

The path was steep and there were dangerous places along the side, but he knew a good road, and the goats were sensible creatures and would not easily run astray. 25 He started, and the goats ran merrily along, now before

him, now behind. Little Meggy was always very close to