not far from the summit of the gemmi pass a narrow path enters the woods and soon leads to the place where the traveler cannot look without a shudder over the steep walls of rock down into the deep precipice.
one beautiful summer evening a young boy was coming along this wood-path. in his hand he held a large red flower which he had found deep within the woods and looked at it wonderingly from time to time.
then he came out of the woods into an open place and gazed around, but appeared to find nothing in particular to look at further, and continued his way. then he stepped into a narrow field-path, leading to the left up a green slope. there stood two cottages not far apart, each with a small out-building behind it, evidently to shelter the animals. one of these sheds was larger than the other, and the cottage also with its brand new door looked more roomy and better kept. this belonged to the guide kaspar, who lived in it together with his wife and two boys and every year was able to improve something about it, because he earned a good deal of money as guide to travelers. in his shed stood not only two goats, like all the neighbors, but for the last two years a fine cow also, which furnished him with wonderful milk and butter.
the smaller cottage beyond with its old worm-eaten door and tumble-down shingle roof belonged to the porter, martin, the big man, who, on account of his powerful build, was called "strong martin." he lived there with his wife and four little children, and behind in his small shed stood his two goats, whose milk had to feed the whole family.
all through the summer, especially in fine weather, strong martin really had a good income; then he carried travelers' luggage over the gemmi, but he didn't earn nearly so much as his neighbor kaspar, who was often away many days at a time with the mountain climbers.
in front of the new house door kaspar's two boys were now standing and were evidently discussing something very important. they were examining, handling and comparing, with great eagerness, two objects, which they held in their hands, and when at last they seemed to come to an agreement they began all over again. the little fellow, who had just come out of the woods to the cottage, now stood still and looked full of astonishment at what was going on in front of the house-door.
"seppli, come, look! look!" called one of the two boys to him.
seppli drew near; his eyes gazed in motionless amazement at what was shown him.
"see what father brought us from the fair in berne," called the larger of the boys again to seppli, and each one of them held up his present. what a wonderful sight was offered to seppli's eyes! chappi and georgie each held in his hand a large whip, in this country called a geissel or lash. the strong and yet pliable handle was wound round with little bands of red leather. the long white lash was of solid braided leather thongs; on the end hung a firmly twisted round cord of yellow silk with a little tassel at the end. this end, which could make a wonderful crack, was called the whip-lash. seppli looked speechless at the whips. never in his life had he seen anything so splendid!
"now, just listen," said chappi, beginning to swing his whip, and georgie did the same, and then it cracked and thundered up and down the valley and resounded from all the mountains, so that it appeared to seppli as if there was nothing grander and more wonderful in the whole world.
"if i only had a whip with a yellow lash too!" said he, taking a deep breath, when the two had finally stopped cracking theirs.
"yes, you will have to wait for it," replied chappi haughtily, and with one last tremendous crack he ran away; he had to show his whip to other people. georgie ran behind him; but seppli gazed after the two boys and remained motionless. a heavy weight had fallen on his untroubled heart. he had seen something which he yearned and longed for more than he had ever done before in all his life, and chappi had said discouragingly: "yes, you will have to wait!" it seemed to seppli exactly as if everything which could make him happy was lost for his whole life. he seized the red flower firmly and threw it away, for to have only a red flower and never, never to own a whip with a yellow lash turned seppli against the flower; it flew far away into the field and seppli looked after it in silent rage. no one knows how long he would have remained standing there if the door had not opened behind him and a woman stepped out with a big broom in her hand.
"where are the boys, seppli?" she asked curtly.
"gone off with the whips," was the answer, for they were still before his eyes.
"run and call them home, and be quick," commanded the woman. "to-morrow early they will have to go to the mountain, and this evening the gentleman is coming, and there is still much to be done. run and tell them, seppli!"
the youngster then ran with all his might in the direction where the two boys had disappeared. the woman began to work her broom into every corner and to sweep. she was kaspar's wife and the mother of the two boys, chappi and georgie.
that morning a letter had come from herr feland announcing that he and his family would arrive the following evening,—hence the great preparation with the broom, which was not unnecessary, for chappi and georgie brought a great deal of dirt, with their big shoes, into the house. now the two boys came running along with a frightful cracking of whips, neighbor seppli still behind them, for the sight of the whips drew him irresistibly along. but when their mother called the boys in, because they had to help with all sorts of work, seppli finally turned and went over to his house, but very slowly, like one who bore a great trouble. and seppli was bearing one, for the whips with the yellow lash hovered perpetually before his eyes, and besides he heard chappi's crushing words:
"yes, you will have to wait!"
over in front of the old house-door on the spot where the earth had been trodden down firmly for a threshing-floor, stood father martin striving with a heavy axe to split big knotty logs of wood into small pieces for the mother to lay on the hearth. in a row in front of their father stood martheli, friedli, and betheli, with big, eager eyes, watching his work.
seppli, the oldest, now came along, placed himself in the row, and opened his eyes wide, for wherever there was something to be seen he was always there. but soon his father pointed to the little pieces on the ground and said in a more gentle, friendly voice than one would have expected from such a big, strong man:
"well, seppli, take two at a time in your arms and carry them in to mother in the kitchen, so she can cook our potatoes for us."
seppli did immediately as he was told, and the work helped him a little to forget his trouble. but later, when he lay beside friedli in their little bed, he could not go to sleep at once, as usual, the great hurt rose again before his eyes, and he had to sigh:
"oh, if i only had a whip with a yellow lash!"
