and devoutly, “Saperli wants to send a letter to Jesus Christ, to pray Him to
let Saperli die, and not the master of the house here.”
Rudy pressed his hand, and replied, “A letter would not reach Him up
above; it would not give him back whom we have lost.”
It was not, however, easy for Rudy to convince Saperli of the
impossibility of doing what he wished.
“Now you must work for us,” said his foster-mother; and Rudy very soon
became the entire support of the house.
IV. Babette
Who was the best marksman in the canton Valais? The chamois knew
well. “Save yourselves from Rudy,” they might well say. And who is the
handsomest marksman? “Oh, it is Rudy,” said the maidens; but they did not
say, “Save yourselves from Rudy.” Neither did anxious mothers say so; for
he bowed to them as pleasantly as to the young girls. He was so brave and
cheerful. His cheeks were brown, his teeth white, and his eyes dark and
sparkling. He was now a handsome young man of twenty years. The most
icy water could not deter him from swimming; he could twist and turn like a
fish. None could climb like he, and he clung as firmly to the edges of the
rocks as a limpet. He had strong muscular power, as could be seen when he
leapt from rock to rock. He had learnt this first from the cat, and more lately
from the chamois. Rudy was considered the best guide over the mountains;
every one had great confidence in him. He might have made a great deal of
money as guide. His uncle had also taught him the trade of a cooper; but he
had no inclination for either; his delight was in chamois-hunting, which also
brought him plenty of money. Rudy would be a very good match, as people
said, if he would not look above his own station. He was also such a famous
partner in dancing, that the girls often dreamt about him, and one and
another thought of him even when awake.
“He kissed me in the dance,” said Annette, the schoolmaster’s daughter,
to her dearest friend; but she ought not to have told this, even to her dearest
friend. It is not easy to keep such secrets; they are like sand in a sieve; they
