t an old board in the house that isn't
rattling."

"Hark! Don't you hear? Someone's calling! Listen!"

His mother sat up; the raging of the storm subsided a moment. Knocking
on the shutters, was distinctly audible, and several voices called:
"Margaret!. Mistress Margaret! Hey there! Open the door!" Margaret
ejaculated violently, "There, they're again bringing the swine home to
me!"

The rosary flew clattering down on the wooden chair; hastily she
snatched her clothes; she rushed to the hearth, and soon Frederick heard
her walk across the hall with defiant steps. Margaret did not return;
but in the kitchen there was a loud murmuring of strange voices. Twice a
strange man came into the bedroom and seemed to be nervously searching
for something. Suddenly a lamp was brought in; two men were supporting
his mother. She was white as chalk and her eyes were closed; Frederick
thought she was dead. He emitted a fearful scream, whereupon some one
boxed his ear. That silenced him; and now he gradually gleaned from the
remarks of the bystanders that his father had been found dead in the
woods by his Uncle Franz Semmler and by Huelsmeyer, and was now lying in
the kitchen.

As soon as Margaret regained consciousness she tried to get rid of the
strangers. Her brother remained with her, and Frederick, who was
threatened with severe punishment if he got out of bed, heard the fire
crackling in the kitchen all night and a noise like stroking something
back and forth, and brushing it. There was little spoken and that
quietly, but now and then sobs broke out that went through and through
the child, young as he was. Once he understood his uncle to say,
"Margaret, don't take it so badly; we will all have three masses read,
and at Eastertide we'll make together a pilgrimage to the Holy Virgin of
Werl."

When the body was carried away two days later, Margaret sat on the
hearth and covered her face with her apron. After a few minutes, when
everything had become quiet, she mumbled, "Ten years, ten crosses! But
we carried them together, after all, and now I am alone!" Then louder,
"Fritzy, come here!"

Frederick approached her timidly; his mother had become quite uncanny to
him with her black ribbons and her haggard, troubled face. "Fritzy," she
said, "will you now really be good and make me happy, or will you be
naughty and lie, or drink and steal?"

"Mother, Huelsmeyer steals."

"Huelsmeyer? God forbid! Must I spank you? Who tells you