ith regard to
food and clothes, and other material things, his care for them was above
reproach.

At first, the dyer's wife frequently came over to Gschaid, and the young
couple in their turn visited Millsdorf on occasion of country-fairs and
other festivities. But when the children came, circumstances were
altered. If mothers love their children and long for them, this is
frequently, and to a much higher degree, the case with grandmothers;
they occasionally long for their grandchildren with an intensity that
borders on morbidness. The dyer's wife very frequently came over to
Gschaid now, in order to see the children and to bring them presents.
Then she would depart again after giving them kindly advice. But when
her age and health did not any longer permit of these frequent journeys
and the dyer for this reason objected to them, they bethought themselves
of another plan; they changed about, and now the children visited their
grandmother. Frequently, the mother herself took them over in their
carriage; at other times, they were bundled up warmly and driven over
the "neck" under the care of a servant girl. But when they were a little
older, they went to Millsdorf on foot, either in the company of their
mother or of some servant; indeed, when the boy had become strong,
clever, and self-reliant, they let him travel the well-known road over
the "neck" by himself; and, when the weather was specially beautiful and
he begged them, they permitted his little sister to accompany him. This
is customary in Gschaid as the people are hardy pedestrians, and because
parents--especially a man like the shoemaker--like to see their children
able to take care of themselves.

Thus it happened that the two children made the way over the pass more
frequently than all the other villagers together; and inasmuch as their
mother had always been treated as half a stranger in Gschaid, the
children, by this circumstance, grew up to be strangers' children to the
village folks; they hardly were Gschaid children, but belonged half to
Millsdorf.

The boy, Conrad, had already something of the earnest ways of his
father, and the girl, Susanna, named so after her mother, or Sanna for
brevity, had great faith in his knowledge, understanding, and strength,
and unquestioningly followed where he led, just as her mother absolutely
trusted her husband whom she credited with all possible insight and
ability.

On beautiful mornings, one could see the children