Page 56 - HSLChristmasAnthology

HSL Christmas Anthology Page 56
AND THE POOR CHILDREN. . 33
never scold at us, but if we do wrong, they
seem very sad."
All this sounded very strange to poor
Heinrich, who had seen so much fighting
and quarrelling. It made him happy to
hear his mother say that the good gentle
man would try to persuade his father to
leave off drinking, and come and live there
too. It was several months before the
drunkard could be persuaded to come. He
thought it was all a trick to get work out ot
him for nothing. But he was very lonesome,
and he had not the heart to take his children
away from a place where they seemed so
happy. When the summer came, he went
out often to see his family ; and when he
looked at Heinrich with his wheelbarrow,
weeding the garden, and Gertrude feeding
the chickens, he could not help feeling thank
ful that they were removed from his dirty,
stifled room in the city. One day his beau
tiful little daughter leaned on his knee, and
looked up in his face with those large eyes,
,so plaintive and loving in their expression,
and said, " Dear father, do come and stay
with us always. It is so pleasant living
here." The unhappy father caught her in
his arms, and bursting into tears, said, " I
will never get drunk again; 1 will never
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