retchen and her Granny were
up by daybreak each morning. After their simple breakfast of oatmeal,
Gretchen would run to the little closet and fetch Granny's old woollen
shawl, which seemed almost as old as Granny herself. Gretchen always
claimed the right to put the shawl over her Granny's head, even though
she had to climb onto the wooden bench to do it. After carefully pinning
it under Granny's chin, she gave her a good-bye kiss, and Granny started
out for her morning's work in the forest. This work was nothing more nor
less than the gathering up of the twigs and branches which the autumn
winds and winter frosts had thrown upon the ground. These were carefully
gathered into a large bundle which Granny tied together with a strong
linen band. She then managed to lift the bundle to her shoulder and
trudged off to the village with it. Here she sold the fagots for
kindling wood to the people of the village. Sometimes she would get only
a few pence each day, and sometimes a dozen or more, but on this money
little Gretchen and she managed to live; they had their home, and the
forest kindly furnished the wood for the fire which kept them warm in
cold weather.

In the summer time Granny had a little garden at the back of the hut
where she raised, with little Gretchen's help, a few potatoes and
turnips and onions. These she carefully stored away for winter use. To
this meagre supply, the pennies, gained by selling the twigs from the
forest, added the oatmeal for Gretchen and a little black coffee for
Granny. Meat was a thing they never thought of having. It cost too much
money. Still, Granny and Gretchen were very happy, because they loved
each other dearly. Sometimes Gretchen would be left alone all day long
in the hut, because Granny would have some work to do in the village
after selling her bundle of sticks and twigs. It was during these long
days that little Gretchen had taught herself to sing the song which the
wind sang to the pine branches. In the summer time she learned the chirp
and twitter of the birds, until her voice might almost be mistaken for a
bird's voice; she learned to dance as the swaying shadows did, and even
to talk to the stars which shone through the little square window when
Granny came home too late or too tired to talk.

Sometimes, when the weather was fine, or her Granny had an extra bundle
of newly knitted stockings to take to the village, she would let little
Gretchen go along with her. It chance