everything would come to more than I earn in a year, and you know how hard
I have to work to manage to make the two ends meet."

It was a hard blow for Toni. All his hopes for many years lay destroyed
before him; but he knew how his mother worked, how little good she
herself had, and how she always tried to give him a little pleasure when
she could. He said not a word and silently swallowed his rising tears, hut
he was very much grieved that all his hopes were over, since for the first
time he had seen what wonderful things could be made out of a piece of
wood.




CHAPTER THIRD

UP IN THE MOUNTAINS


The next morning, the farmer on the Matten farm sent word to Elsbeth, to
come up to see him towards evening, as he had something to talk with her
about. At the right time she laid aside her hoe, tied on a clean apron,
and said:

"Finish the hoeing, Toni; then you can milk the goat and give her some
fresh straw, so she will have a better bed. Then I will be back again."

She went up to the Matten farm. The farmer was standing in the open
barn-door gazing with satisfaction at his beautiful cows, wandering in a
long procession to the well. Elsbeth stepped up to him.