g up at the farm-but don't go up there," he
added, holding Elsbeth fast, for she wanted to start off as soon as she
heard the news.

"Not go up?" she said quickly. "I must go to him; I must help him and see
about bringing him home."

"You cannot help him, he is--he is already dead," said the messenger in an
unsteady voice. Then he turned and ran back again, glad to have the
message off his mind.

Elsbeth threw herself down on a stone by the way, unable to stand or to
walk. She held her apron before her face and burst into weeping and
sobbing, so that Toneli was distressed and frightened. He pressed close
to his mother and began to cry too.

It was already dark, when Elsbeth finally came to herself and could think
of her child. The little one was still sitting beside her on the ground,
with both hands pressed to his eyes, and sobbing pitifully. His mother
lifted him up.

"Come, Toneli, we must go home; it is late," she said, taking him by the
hand.

But he resisted.

"No, no, we must wait for Father!" he said and pulled his mother back.

Again she could not keep back the tears. "Oh, Toneli, Father will come no
more," she said, stifling her sobs; "he is already enjoying the blessed
Sunday, we prayed for, for the weary. See, the dear Lord has taken him to
Heaven; it is so beautiful there, he will prefer to stay there."

"Then we will go too," replied Toneli, starting

"Yes, yes, we shall go there too," promised his mother, "but now we must
first go home to the stone hut," and without a word she went with the
little one back to the silent cottage.

The proprietor of the Matten farm sent word to Elsbeth the following day
that he would do everything necessary for her husband, and so she need not
come until it was time for the service, for she would not recognize her
husband. He sent her some money in order that she would not have too much
care in the next few days, and promised to think of her later on.

Elsbeth did as he advised and remained at home until the bells in
Kandergrund rang for the service. Then she went to accompany her husband
to his resting place.

Sad and hard days came for Elsbeth. She missed her good, kind husband
everywhere, and felt quite lost without him. Besides, cares came now which
she had known little about before, for her husband had had his good, daily
work. But now she felt sometimes as if she would almost despair. She had
nothing but her goat and the little potato field behind the