"Has all gone well, Moni?" she asked pleasantly, and then led the brown
goat to her shed, and immediately began to milk her. The grandmother was
still a robust woman and cared for everything herself in the house and
in the shed and everywhere kept order. Moni stood in the doorway of the
shed and watched his grandmother. When the milking was ended, she went
into the little house and said: "Come, Moni, you must be hungry."

She had everything already prepared. Moni had only to sit down at the
table; she seated herself next him, and although nothing stood on the
table but the bowl of corn-meal mush cooked with the brown goat's milk,
Moni hugely enjoyed his supper. Then he told his grandmother what he had
done through the day, and as soon as the meal was ended he went to bed,
for in the early dawn he would have to start forth again with the flock.

In this way Moni had already spent two summers. He had been goat-boy so
long and become so accustomed to this life and grown up together with
his little charges that he could think of nothing else. Moni had lived
with his grandmother ever since he could remember. His mother had died
when he was still very little; his father soon after went with others to
military service in Naples, in order to earn something, as he said, for
he thought he could get more pay there.

His wife's mother was also poor, but she took her daughter's deserted
baby boy, little Solomon, home at once and shared what she had with him.
He brought a blessing to her cottage and she had never suffered want.

Good old Elizabeth was very popular with every one in the whole village,
and when, two years before, another goat-boy had to be appointed, Moni
was chosen with one accord, since every one was glad for the