FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142  
143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   >>   >|  
hild, but--she's a girl worth having!" "Yes, Femke is an excellent girl. I don't have any trouble with her." The father spoke in a business-like manner; and he meant it that way. The spots on Femke's soul were easily removed. He praised Femke as a cook would praise a kitchen-pot. Father Jansen had still more praise for Femke: she had patched his drawers so nicely. Oh, Fancy! The mention of this fact did not touch Walter's aesthetic feelings. With him there were other considerations. Fancy was used to seeing everything nude--fathers, humanity--so there was no difficulty here. Walter was sixteen years old, already a little man--why must Femke patch drawers for this father! "Yes," said the mother. "Femke is clever at patching. If you've got anything else that needs mending, just send it over." Walter was warm. If it had been collars, socks, waistcoats, or--well, if it had to be something questionable--if it had only been trousers! "Just send it over, and if Femke isn't here----" "Where is she going to be?" thought Walter. "Then I will attend to it myself. I can do it neatly." Thank God! Dear, good, magnificent Mrs. Claus! Do it, do it yourself, and leave Femke where she is. But--where was she? Thus Walter's thoughts; but what did he say?--the hypocrite, the budding man. "Yes, indeed, Mrs. Claus, I had almost forgotten to ask where your daughter Femke is." "Femke? She's at my niece's, where the girl is sick. You know we're of good family. Femke is looking after my niece's children." Walter didn't have the courage to ask where this niece lived, so he assumed a look of contentment. After much waiting and twisting and turning on his chair, Walter finally left the house with Father Jansen. He had not yet learned how to end a visit: some people never learn it. "Don't you want to do me a favor?" said the good man. "Then walk on my right side. I'm deaf here"--pointing to his left ear. "I will tell you how it happened. When I was a little boy--are you a good climber?" "No, M'neer!" "Well, I am! In the whole of Vucht there wasn't a boy who could climb as well as I could. Do you know what I did once? I climbed up and slipped a flower-pot from a third-story window. And--my priest wasn't in a good humor at all! He didn't want to accept me till I had returned that flower-pot; and then I had to go and beg the old woman's pardon. And she herself went to the priest to intercede for me. The
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142  
143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Walter
 

drawers

 

flower

 
father
 

priest

 

praise

 

Father

 

Jansen

 

learned

 

finally


children

 
family
 

daughter

 
waiting
 
twisting
 

contentment

 

courage

 

assumed

 

turning

 

window


slipped

 

climbed

 

accept

 

pardon

 

intercede

 
returned
 

pointing

 

people

 

happened

 

forgotten


climber

 

aesthetic

 
feelings
 

mention

 

patched

 

nicely

 

fathers

 

humanity

 

difficulty

 

considerations


kitchen
 
trouble
 

excellent

 

business

 

easily

 
removed
 

praised

 
manner
 
sixteen
 

neatly