he had prayed already, especially that morning, that she
might not be asleep again when he went there, that he also might
welcome her to those woods and mountains. Formerly Ondrejko didn't
think of it, but he did now, when the herdsmen, especially Stephen,
again and again reminded him that these sheepfolds were his father's,
and therefore his also, and that he had a rightful claim to
everything. When they gave him cheese and butter for the lady, they
gave him plenty, saying, "Just take it; it is yours." This thought
seemed to appeal to him--all is ours. If Palko could say "our
cottage," why could not Ondrejko say, "our sheepfolds, our land, and
our woods? Oh, then she came to us though she lived in the cottage of
Palko. When she gets stronger she will come to us to drink whey from
our sheep."

Lost in his meditation, the boy did not realize that he had come to
the parting of the paths, one of which turned above to the "Old Hag's
Rock," and the other, below to the cottage in the valley. The weather
was again so clear that from the green clearings in the woods you
could hear the great bells of the rams and the little ones of the
sheep.

"There is the ringing of the bells of our sheep," smiled the happy
Ondrejko. He ran quickly to the bench, intending to sit upon it and
rest, but he did not do so for it was occupied by someone like one of
the fairies from the woods of which Stephen often told him, that on
St. John's Night came out of the "Old Hag's Rock" and danced on the
meadows. None of them could be more beautiful than the lady sitting
on the bench, with its firm back covered with a flowery blanket; a
similar cushion lay on the arm-rest, and on the cushion rested a white
arm. On the small narrow palm a forehead was resting, and beautiful
dark-gray eyes looked far away above the mountains.

The boy set down the crock and folded his arms.

Thus he looked at the lily-white face, and the lips which seemed as if
the Lord God had made just for song. And again his heart felt as if
someone carried him far, far away, into the land of remembrances. It
is too bad that the lady, covered with a light yellow Cashmere shawl
does not look at the boy. Is he not also good-looking? and how
beautiful! On Saturday the doctor sent him a new suit, almost the same
kind as Palko had, but the shirt was embroidered with flowers, with
broad sleeves, narrow pants, decorated sandals, a round hat with
bands, and a small embroidered bag. Petrik a