BERTHA
Our Little German Cousin
By
MARY HAZELTON WADE
Illustrated by L. J. Bridgman
Boston
1904
THE LITTLE COUSIN SERIES
Preface
When the word Germany comes to our minds, we think at once of ruined
castles, fairies, music, and soldiers. Why is it?
First, as to the castles. Here and there along the banks of the
River Rhine, as well as elsewhere throughout the country, the
traveller is constantly finding himself near some massive stone ruin.
It seems ever ready to tell stories of long ago,--of brave knights
who defended its walls, of beautiful princesses saved from harm, of
sturdy boys and sweet-faced girls who once played in its gardens.
For Germany is the home of an ancient and brave people, who have
often been called upon to face powerful enemies.
Next, as to the fairies. It seems as though the dark forests of
Germany, the quiet valleys, and the banks of the beautiful rivers,
were the natural homes of the fairy-folk, the gnomes and the elves,
the water-sprites and the sylphs. Our German cousins listen with
wonder and delight to the legends of fearful giants and enchanted
castles, and many of the stories they know so well have been
translated into other languages for their cousins of distant lands,
who are as fond of them as the blue-eyed children of Germany.
As to the music, it seems as though every boy and girl in the whole
country drew in the spirit of song with the air they breathe. They
sing with a love of what they are singing, they play as though the
tune were a part of their very selves. Some of the finest musicians
have been Germans, and their gifts to the world have been bountiful.
As for soldiers, we know that every man in Germany must stand ready
to defend his country. He must serve his time in drilling and
training for war. He is a necessary part of that Fatherland he loves
so dearly.
Our fair-haired German cousins are busy workers and hard students.
They must learn quite early in life that they have duties as well as
pleasures, and the duties cannot be set aside or forgotten. But they
love games and holidays as dearly as the children of our own land.
Contents
CHAPTER
I. CHRISTMAS
II. TOY-MAKING
III. THE WICKED BISHOP
IV. THE COFFEE-PARTY
V. THE BEAUTIFUL CASTLE
VI. THE GREAT FREDERICK
VII. THE BRAVE PRINCESS
VIII. WHAT THE WAVES BRING
IX. THE MAGIC SWORD
List of Illustrations
BERTHA
BERTHA'S FATHER AND MOTHER
THE RATS' TOWER
COURTYARD OF HEIDELBERG CASTLE
STATUE OF FREDERICK THE GREAT
BERTHA'S HOME
CHAPTER I.
CHRISTMAS
"Don't look! There, now it's done!" cried Bertha.
It was two nights before Christmas. Bertha was in the big
living-room with her mother and older sister. Each sat as close as
possible to the candle-light, and was busily working on something in
her lap.
But, strange to say, they did not face each other. They were sitting
back to back.
"What an unsociable way to work," we think. "Is that the way Germans
spend the evenings together?"
No, indeed. But Christmas was near at hand, and the air was brimful
of secrets.
Bertha would not let her mother discover what she was working for
her, for all the world. And the little girl's mother was preparing
surprises for each of the children. All together, the greatest fun
of the year was getting ready for Christmas.
"Mother, you will make some of those lovely cakes this year, won't
you?" asked Bertha's sister Gretchen.
"Certainly, my child. It would not be Christmas without them. Early
to-morrow morning, you and Bertha must shell and chop the nuts. I
will use the freshest eggs and will beat the dough as long as my arms
will let me."
"Did you always know how to make those cakes, mamma?" asked Bertha.
"My good mother taught me when I was about your age, my dear. You
may watch me to-morrow, and perhaps you will learn how to make them.
It is never too early to begin to learn to cook."
"When the city girls get through school, they go away from home and
study housekeeping, don't they?" asked Gretchen.
"Yes, and many girls who don't live in cities. But I hardly think
you will ever be sent away. We are busy people here in our little
village, and you will have to be contented with learning what your
mother can teach you."
"I shall be satisfied with that, I know. But listen! I can hear
father and Hans coming."
"Then put up your work, children, and set the supper-table."
The girls jumped up and hurriedly put the presents away. It did not
take long to set the supper-table, for the meals in this little home
were very simple, and supper was the simplest of all. A large plate
of black bread and a pitcher of sour milk were brought by the mother,
and the family gathered around the table.
The bread wasn't really black, of course. It was dark brown and very
coarse. It was made of rye meal. Bertha and Gretchen had never seen
any white bread in their lives, for they had never yet been far away
from their own little village. Neither had their brother Hans.
They were happy, healthy children. They all had blue eyes, rosy
cheeks, and fair hair, like their father and mother.
"You don't know what I've got for you, Hans," said Bertha, laughing
and showing a sweet little dimple in her chin.
Hans bent down and kissed her. He never could resist that dimple,
and Bertha was his favourite sister.
"I don't know what it is, but I do know that it must be something
nice," said her brother.
When the supper-table had been cleared, the mother and girls took out
their sewing again, while Hans worked at some wood-carving. The
father took an old violin from its case and began to play some of the
beautiful airs of Germany.
When he came to the "Watch on the Rhine," the mother's work dropped
from her hands as she and the children joined in the song that stirs
every German heart.
"Oh, dear! it seems as though Christmas Eve never would come," sighed
Bertha, as she settled herself for sleep beside her sister.
It was quite a cold night, but they were cosy and warm. Why
shouldn't they be? They were covered with a down feather bed. Their
mother had the same kind of cover on her own bed, and so had Hans.
But Christmas Eve did come at last, although it seemed so far off to
Bertha the night before. Hans and his father brought in the bough of
a yew-tree, and it was set up in the living-room.
The decorating came next. Tiny candles were fastened on all the
twigs. Sweetmeats and nuts were hung from the branches.
"How beautiful! How beautiful!" exclaimed the children when it was
all trimmed, and they walked around it with admiring eyes.
None of the presents were placed on the tree, for that is not the
fashion in Germany. Each little gift had been tied up in paper and
marked with the name of the one for whom it was intended.
When everything was ready, there was a moment of quiet while the
candles were being lighted. Then Bertha's father began to give out
the presents, and there was a great deal of laughing and joking as
the bundles were opened.
There was a new red skirt for Bertha. Her mother had made it, for
she knew the child was fond of pretty dresses. Besides this, she had
a pair of warm woollen mittens which Gretchen had knit for her. Hans
had made and carved a doll's cradle for each of the girls.
Everybody was happy and contented. They sang songs and cracked nuts
and ate the Christmas cakes to their hearts' content.
"I think I like the ones shaped like gnomes the best," said Hans.
"They have such comical little faces. Do you know, every time I go
out in the forest, it seems as though I might meet a party of gnomes
hunting for gold."
"I like the animal cakes best," said Bertha. "The deer are such
graceful creatures, and I like to bite off the horns and legs, one at
a time."
"A long time ago," said their father, "they used to celebrate
Christmas a little different from the way we now do. The presents
were all carried to a man in the village who dressed himself in a
white robe, and a big wig made of flax. He covered his face with a
mask, and then went from house to house. The grown people received
him with great honours. He called for the children and gave them the
presents their parents had brought to him.
"But these presents were all given according to the way the children
had behaved during the year. If they had been good and tried hard,
they had the gifts they deserved. But if they had been naughty and
disobedient, it was not a happy time for them."
"I don't believe the children were very fond of him," cried Hans.
"They must have been too much afraid of him."
"That is true," said his father. "But now, let us play some games.
Christmas comes but once a year, and you have all been good children."
The room soon rang with the shouts of Hans and his sisters. They
played "Blind Man's Buff" and other games. Their father took part in
all of them as though he were a boy again. The good mother looked on
with pleasant smiles.
Bedtime came only too soon. But just before the children said good
night, the father took Hans one side and talked seriously yet
lovingly with him. He told the boy of the faults he must still fight
against. He spoke also of the improvement he had made during the
year.
At the same time the mother gave words of kind advice to her little
daughters. She told them to keep up good courage; to be busy and
patient in the year to come.
"My dear little girls," she whispered, as she kissed them, "I love to
see you happy in your play. But the good Lord who cares for us has
given us all some work to do in this world. Be faithful in doing
yours."