or poor children. It is but a short distance from my
home, and every day at noon our Pixy goes to the schoolyard to play with
the children. The matron calls him her black servant, for he is so
helpful in caring for the children. If you will give the five hundred
marks to the school, Pixy shall take it to it, and there will be great
joy over the gift, for we have a hard struggle to keep up supplies for
the home."
"It will be a great pleasure to me to give it to such a worthy cause,
and you can do me no greater service than to accept it."
"I do accept it gratefully, for just at this time there are changes to
be made in the building, and there was no money to buy the materials and
pay for the work. Only assure me that it will not inconvenience you, and
I will accept the generous gift gladly."
"I can give you this assurance truthfully. I do not need it and am glad
to help in a worthy cause."
"It is indeed a worthy cause. At first it appeared to be a hopeless
undertaking to try to establish a home on such slender means as we could
command, but we have struggled along, and now this sum of money is
indeed a Godsend."
Fritz saw an opportunity for him to speak and going to Mr. Heil took his
hand. "Father," he said, "I have often thought since leaving home that I
should not have brought Pixy to Frankfort, and I knew that you all
thought it very foolish in me. You see now that it was after all a good
thing, for through him you have gotten money needed for the home and
school. Had it not been for him, some one might have found it who would
not have given it to the owner."
"Yes, in this instance your foolishness has brought a good result, but,
as a rule, trouble follows when a boy does what he knows that his
parents would disapprove. Give the gentleman your hand and thank him for
the good gift to our Children's Home."
This was done and the stranger thanked him in turn for the good turn
Pixy had done him, and Fritz returned to his place beside Aunt Steiner
prouder than ever of his dog.
"I have great interest in the Odenwald for the reason that my ancestors
belonged to that green mountain region," remarked the Englishman, "but
it has not been in my time that any of them have lived there. My great
grandfather was a German and a native of the Odenwald country. He
married an English lady, and would have lived in England had she not
been willing to come to Odenwald which was, in those early days, a
wilderness. She knew t
|