TYROL.
"SUPPOSE and suppose I could see where that dear little black chamois
horn came from! But Mother Bunch can't tell me about that I'm afraid,
for she always went by sea, and here's the Tyrol without one bit of sea
near it. It's just one of the strings to the great knot of mountains
that tie Europe up in the middle. Oh! what is a mountain like?"
Then suddenly came on Lucy's ears a loud blast like a trumpet; another
answered it farther off, another fainter still, and as she started up
she found she was standing on a little shelf of green grass with steep
slopes of stones and rock above, below, and around her; and rising up
all round huge, tall hills, their smooth slopes green and grassy, but in
the steep places, all steep, stern cliff and precipice, and as they were
seen further away they were of a beautiful purple, like a thunder-cloud.
Close to Lucy grew blue gentians like those in Mamma's garden, and
Alpine roses, and black orchises; but she did not know how to come down,
and was getting rather frightened when a clear little voice said,
"Little lady, have you lost your way? Wait till the evening hymn is
over, and I'll come and help you;" and then Lucy stood and listened,
while from all the peaks whence the horns had been blown there came the
strong sweet sound of an evening hymn, all joining together, while there
arose distant echoes of others farther away. When it was over, one shout
of "Jodel" echoed from each point, and then all was still except for the
tinkling of a little cow-bell. "That's the way we wish each other good
night," said the little girl, as the shadows mounted high on the tops of
the mountains, leaving them only peaks of rosy light. "Now come to the
chalet, and sister Rose will give you some milk."
[Illustration: "Help me, I'm afraid," said Lucy.
_Page 52._]
"Help me. I'm afraid," said Lucy.
"That is nothing," said the mountain maiden springing up to her like a
kid, in spite of her great heavy shoes; "you should see the places
Father and Seppel climb when they hunt the chamois."
"What is your name?" asked Lucy, who much liked the looks of her little
companion in her broad straw hat, with a bunch of Alpine roses in it,
her thick striped frock, and white body and sleeves, braced with black
ribbon; it was such a pleasant, fresh, open face, with such rosy cheeks
and kindly blue eyes, that Lucy felt quite at home.
"I am little Katherl. This is the first time I have come up with Rose to
the chalet, for I am big enough to milk the cows now. Ah! do you see
Ilse, the black one with a white tuft? She is our leading cow, and she
knows it, the darling. She never lets the others get into dangerous
places they cannot come off; she leads them home, at a sound of the
horn; and when we go back to the village, she will lead the herd with a
nosegay on the point of each horn, and a wreath round her neck. The men
will come up and fetch us, Seppel and all; and may be Seppel will bring
the medal for shooting with the rifle."
"But what do you do up here?"
"We girls go up for the summer with the cows to the pastures, the grass
is so rich and good on the mountains, and we make butter and cheese.
Wait, and you shall taste. Sit down on that stone."
Lucy was glad to hear this promise, for the fresh mountain air had made
her hungry. Katherl skipped away towards a house with a projecting
wooden balcony, and deep eaves, beautifully carved, and came back with a
slice of bread and delicious butter, and a good piece of cheese, all on
a wooden platter, and a little bowl of new milk. Lucy thought she had
never tasted anything so nice.
"And now the gracious little lady will rest a little while," said
Katherl, "whilst I go and help Rosel to strain the milk."
So Lucy waited, but she felt so tired with her scramble that she could
not help nodding off to sleep, though she would have liked very much to
have stayed longer with the dear little Tyrolese. But we know by this
time where she always found herself when she awoke.