HEIDI

by Johanna Spyri

Illustrated by Alice Carsey

Whitman Publishing Co.
Racine · Chicago

Copyright 1916 by Whitman Publishing Co.

INTRODUCTION

This book is a careful translation of "Heidi," one of the most popular books by the great Swiss author Johanna Spyri. It is hard to find many details about her life, but here is what we know: Johanna Heusser was born in Zurich on June 12, 1827. She did not write anything when she was young. She married a lawyer named Mr. Spyri. Later, a war between France and Germany inspired her to write a book to raise money for people in need. That book was so successful that it showed her she could be a writer, and she kept writing after that. She died at her home in Zurich in 1891. Today, people all over the world know and love her books. Children enjoy them, and so do grown-ups who care about children.

"Heidi" is loved wherever people know or read about mountains. It tells the simple story of a Swiss child's early life, surrounded by the beautiful home she loves so much. It has become a favorite for young readers and for anyone looking for a good story.

Johanna Spyri lived among the very mountains she wrote about so beautifully. In all her stories, she tries to protect young readers from being misunderstood. She also warns against being "too kind" in ways that actually get in the way of children's happiness and growth.

Some of her other books include: "Arthur and His Squirrel," "On Sunday," "From the Swiss Mountains," "A Scion of the House of Lesa," "The Great and the Small All May Aid," "From Near and Far," "Cornelius," "Lost but Not Forgotten," "Gritli's Children" (two books), "Without a Country," "What Shall Then Become of Her?," "Sina," "From Our Own Country," "Ten Stories" (two books), "In Leuchtensa," "Uncle Titus," "A Golden Saying," "The Castle Wildenstein," "What Really Happened to Her," "In the Valley of the Tilonne," and "The Hauffer Mill."

— M. H. M.

CONTENTS

1. Heidi's First Mountain Climb — 13
2. A New Home with Grandfather — 22
3. Little Bear and Little Swan — 29
4. Shooting Down the Mountain Side — 40
5. A Railroad Journey — 52
6. Clara, the Patient Little Invalid (sick girl) — 60
7. The Unfriendly Housekeeper — 67
8. Surprises for the Children — 79
9. Mr. Sesemann Takes Heidi's Part — 87
10. Clara's Lovable Grandmother — 91
11. Home-Sickness — 98
12. "My House Is Haunted" — 102
13. At Home Again on the Mountain — 112
14. The Coat with the Silver Buttons — 126
15. A Great Disappointment — 135
16. The Doctor Comes with Presents — 140
17. Excursions Over the Mountains — 149
18. A New Home for the Winter — 157
19. Heidi Teaches Obstinate (stubborn) Peter — 167
20. A Strange Looking Procession — 176
21. Happy Days for the Little Visitor — 191
22. Wicked Peter and the Unlucky Chair — 199
23. Good-Bye to the Beautiful Mountain — 217

ILLUSTRATIONS

• Up the Mountain to Grandfather (in color) — Frontispiece
• Heidi Tenderly Stroked the Two Goats in Turn — 27
• Heidi Drank in the Golden Sunlight, the Fresh Air, and the Sweet Smell of the Flowers (in color) — 33
• Heidi Now Began to Give a Lively Description of Her Life with the Grandfather (in color) — 48
• "Why, There Is Nothing Outside but the Stony Streets" — 72
• Miss Rottermeyer Jumped Higher Than She Had for Many Long Years (in color) — 80
• Grandmother's Kind Advice Brings Comfort to Heidi (in color) — 96
• Heidi Learns to Make Doll Clothes — 99
• The Doctor Discovers Heidi's Home-Sickness — 109
• "Our Milk Tastes Nicer Than Anything Else in the World, Grandfather" — 123
• It Was Not Long Before the Fir Trees Began Their Old Song (in color) — 144
• A Strange-Looking Procession Was Making Its Way Up the Mountain (in color) — 192
• The Little Invalid Finds That She Is Able to Walk — 208
• "We Must Not Overdo It," He Said, Taking Clara Up in His Arms — 212
• Peter Went Rolling and Bumping Down the Slope — 222
• "Are You Really My Little Clara?" (in color) — 232

HEIDI

CHAPTER I: HEIDI'S FIRST MOUNTAIN CLIMB

On a sunny June morning, two people were climbing a narrow mountain path. One was a tall girl, and the other was a small child. The path wound up from the pretty village of Mayenfeld to the high peaks of the Alm mountain. Even though it was hot, the child was dressed as if she needed to stay warm in freezing weather. She looked about five years old, though it was hard to tell her real size. She seemed to be wearing two dresses, one over the other, plus a thick red wool shawl. Her small feet were in heavy, nailed mountain boots.

When the travelers reached the small village called Doerfli, halfway up the mountain, people greeted them from every side. This was the older girl's home village. As they were leaving, a voice called out, "Wait a moment, Dete! If you're heading up the mountain, I'll come with you."

The girl who had been called—Dete—stopped walking. The child let go of her hand right away and sat down on the ground.

"Are you tired, Heidi?" Dete asked.

"No, I'm hot," the child answered.

"We'll be at the top soon," said Dete. "Just keep walking bravely a little longer, and take good, long steps. In another hour we'll be there."

A cheerful, heavyset woman joined them and walked alongside Dete.

"Where are you taking the child?" the woman, named Barbel, asked. "I suppose this is the little girl your sister left behind?"

"Yes," Dete answered. "I'm taking her up to Uncle's house. She has to stay there."

"This child, stay up there with Alm-Uncle? Dete, you must be out of your mind! How could you even think of it! That old man will probably send you both straight back down!"

"He can't really do that," Dete said, "since he's her grandfather. He needs to do something for her. I've taken care of her until now, but I'm not going to give up a wonderful new job just for her sake."

"That would be fine if he were like other people," said Barbel. "But you know how he is! What can he possibly do with a child, especially one so young? She can't live with him. But where are you headed?"

"To Frankfurt. I have a very good job waiting for me there," Dete answered.

"I'm glad I'm not that child," Barbel said. "Nobody up there knows a thing about the old man. He won't talk to anyone, and he never sets foot in church, not once a year. When he does come down the mountain, everyone gets out of his way. Just the sight of him—with his bushy gray eyebrows and huge beard—is scary enough. People say all sorts of things about him. Surely you must have heard plenty from your sister, Dete."

"Yes, but I won't repeat what I heard. What if it got back to him? I'd be in so much trouble."

Barbel linked her arm through Dete's like they were sharing a secret. "Just tell me what's wrong with the old man. Was he always avoided like this? Was he always so grumpy? I promise I won't tell a soul."

"Fine, I'll tell you—but wait a second," Dete said, looking around for Heidi, who had wandered off without anyone noticing.

"There she is!" Barbel said, pointing far off the path. "She's climbing that slope with Peter and his goats. Now, tell me—did the old man ever have more than his two goats and his hut?"

"Oh, much more!" Dete said eagerly. "He used to own one of the biggest farms in Domleschg, where my mother lived. But he drank and gambled away everything he had. When his parents found out, they died of sadness, one right after the other. Uncle had nothing left but a bad reputation, so he left town. People heard he became a soldier in Naples. About twelve or fifteen years later, he came back to Domleschg with a young son. He tried to leave the boy with relatives, but every door was shut in his face—nobody wanted anything to do with him. Hurt and angry, he swore he'd never set foot in Domleschg again. He moved to Doerfli instead, and lived there with his little boy. His wife had died shortly after the baby was born. He must have saved some money while he was away, because he paid for his son Tobias to learn carpentry as an apprentice—someone who works and learns a trade from a skilled worker. Tobias turned out to be a steady, good young man, and everyone in Doerfli liked him. But people still didn't trust his father. Some even whispered that Uncle had killed a man in a fight back in Naples."

"But why does everyone call him 'Uncle'? He can't really be everyone's uncle," Barbel asked.

"Our grandmothers were related, so we always called him Uncle. And since my father knew so many people in Doerfli, everyone else just started calling him that too," Dete explained.

"So what happened to Tobias?" Barbel asked, listening closely.

"Tobias learned his trade in the town of Mels. When he finished his training, he came back to Doerfli and married my sister, Adelaide. But their happiness didn't last. Two years after they married, Tobias died in an accident. His wife was so heartbroken that she got sick with a fever and never got better. She had always been a bit weak, and sometimes had strange spells where no one could tell if she was awake or asleep. Two months after Tobias was buried, she died too. Everyone talked about their sad story, and most people said it was punishment for the wild, godless life Uncle had lived. Our minister tried to reach his conscience, but the old man only grew angrier and more stubborn, and he stopped speaking to anyone. Then one day we heard he had moved up to the Alm mountain for good. He's lived alone up there ever since, and now everyone just calls him Alm-Uncle. My mother and I took care of Adelaide's baby girl, who was only a year old at the time. When my mother died last year, I went to work at the Baths and paid old Ursel to look after the child. So you see, I've done my part. Now it's Uncle's turn. But where are you headed, Barbel? We're already halfway up the mountain."

"This is exactly where I needed to stop," Barbel answered. "I have to see Peter's mother—she's been spinning wool for me. Good-bye, Dete