Chapter I: Introduction

Outside of the province of the Märchen, which constitutes so rich a field in German literature, there is no writer better known or better loved in the young German-speaking world than Johanna Spyri. Her stories, written "for children and those who love children," are read and reread as something that never grows old. The secret of this charm lies, above all, in the author's genuine love of children, as shown in her sympathetic insight into the joys, the hopes, and the longings of childhood, and in her skillful selection of characteristic details, which creates an atmosphere of reality that is rare in books written for children.

Johanna Heusser Spyri was born in the little Swiss town of Hirzel, canton of Zürich, in 1827, and died in Zürich in 1901. She wrote especially for young people, her writings dealing mostly with Swiss mountain life and portraying the thrifty, industrious nature of the people. The stories are sometimes sad,--for the peasant's life is full of hardships,--but through them all a fresh mountain breeze is blowing and a play of sunlight illumines the high Alps.

CONTENTS

MONI THE GOAT BOY

Chapter Page

I. MONI IS HAPPY 3

II. MONI'S LIFE ON THE MOUNTAIN 10

III. A VISIT 21

IV. MONI CANNOT SING 31

V. MONI SINGS ONCE MORE 41

WITHOUT A FRIEND

I. HE IS GOOD FOR NOTHING 49

II. IN THE UPPER PASTURE 61

III. A MINISTERING ANGEL 75

IV. AS THE MOTHER WISHES IT 85

THE LITTLE RUNAWAY

I. UNDER THE ALDERS 103

II. THE TWO FARMS 119

III. GOING ASTRAY 139

IV. WHAT GRETCHEN LEARNED AT SUNDAY SCHOOL 159

V. HOW RENTI LEARNS A MOTTO 175

VI. ALL BUSCHWEIL IS AMAZED 186

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Running along in their midst came the goat boy _Frontispiece_

PAGE

"Hold fast, Meggy!... I'm coming down to get you" 17

He drew her close to him and held her fast 25

He thought over what he had promised Jordie 33

With happy song and yodel Moni returned in the evening 45

He would hunt up a hedge or a bush and hide behind it 57

"Come out, child! You need not be afraid" 69

He greedily drank the cool water 83

Never in his life had Rudi seen so many good things
together on a table 97

He charged down upon the steer 109

There he stayed for hours without stirring 136

"Why are you standing out here?... And why are you
crying?" 150

"I'd like to chop down all his trees!" 168

"The dog will understand instantly, you may depend
upon it" 179

"Brindle, dear Brindle, do you know me?" 203

MONI THE GOAT BOY

MONI THE GOAT BOY