Year: 1877

Cnristen, the father of Rubi, was a
guide; II you ascended the Mettenberg
some years since, you may have seen him.
lie had two sons. Joseph, a handsome
young fellow, who was guide like his
father, and poor, deformed little Rubi.
Poor lad," his father would say, "he
will always be burden to us, he is so
lame and misshapen. | wish ne was like
our Joseph, but alas he is so ugly and so
helpless" Rubi cried when his father
spoke so roughly of him. but his mother
wiped his eyes with her coarse apron and
said; Never mind, poor boy. / will buy
you something nice the next time l go to
sell my lace, for she used to make lace,
and sell It to the fine ladies who went by
IN the diligence. SO one day she bought
him wooden toy representing a goat,
carved by Pete, who lived along the
Black Lutschine, and who made his living
by doing such work.


Rubi thought the goat was not as natu-
raj as it might be; its head seemed too
small. and its legs too long, but be did not
say SO to his mother, for although he was
only deformed little Swiss boy, be had
finer feelings than some other better folk,
and he was very thankful to his mother
Tor her kindness. although he did not
think much of his present as q work of
art. He kept constantly looking at the i'll
shaped goat and wondering if he could
not carve if he should try.


lie was so persistent in asking that
finally his mother got the necessary tools
lor him, and he not only succeeded, but
ne soon became very expert. He worked
daily in his fathers absence. He would
often say. Dear mother, if / can be as
good wood carver as some have been,
then should not be a burden to YOU"


You are not burden to me, Rubi,"
she would reply; ''you are the comfort of
my life; then his mother would kiss him;
and thus these two seemed dearer to each
other. Tor the very helplessness of poor
Rubl and his dependence upon her love.


One cold autumn day Christen and Jose
were near the deep gorges between the
Jungfrau and the Wengernalp, and they
were caught by the severe storm. Oh!
what storms those Oberland giants can get
up among themselves. Christen was
brought home with broken leg, trying to
save Jose who fell. There will be no
one to support you now" groaned the
father; "that poor, helpless Rubi will be
more OF burden than ever. and you, the
mother, will get blind over your lace work
IT you have to support us all"
Not so, father" cried Rubi; II have
little money here have saved up. Take
Ii. use it, it is yours" The father did not
know how the boy earned the money: he
thought it had been the gift of some tray-
eler who had taken compassion upon the
poor detormed lad. The money which
had been paid from time to time at the
wayslde by those who purchased Rubi's
carvings was soon exhausted, because it
was only pedestrians who used that noun
tain path, and Rubi had little chance of
selling his work. Then how hard the poor
mother had to toll. and Rub cried every
night TO think that he was only burden,
aud he could not support his mother as he
hoped.


One day there were footsteps heard with
out, and in came Haitinger, the rich deal
er in carved work In his hand he held a
delicate carving of chamois climbing
over the rocks. ''Does the boy who
carved this live hereP he asked.


NO." said the father from his bed in
the corner, mo one lives here but nv
wife and |, and that poor. helpless Great
ure yonder. If only my handsome Joseph
had been spared he could have showed
you, sir, the road over to Meiringer; il is
there suppose the man lives who carved
yonder piece"


mo. father, no." cried poor Rubi; ''It
is who carved yonder piece"


You, exclaimed the father; "sir, the
boy must have gone crazy. He never
carved IA thing in his life. Alas is that TO
be added TO my misiortunesp Is the boy
to be an idiot ike Jose Horner's children
over at Brienz p and he looked at his
broken leg and groaned, while the tears
ran down his cheeks.


at is very strange" said Hottinger,
''for the man OF whom bought this told
me that the boy who lived here carved il,
and have come to order some work of
him.


The mother was not at home but had
gone out to sell her lace, and the father
would not listen to his son. He thought
Rubi was getting crazed, or idiotic, as SO
many OF the Swiss are, and he would not
allow any orders for copies of the carv-
ing to be left with them, for as he hon.
esty said, he would not cheat the mer-
chant into thinking that the orders would
be filled.


As you see Christen was a very honest,
straightforward fellow, but very stupid
aud very obstinate one. Hottenger left
TO look elsewhere for the artist Rubi
hobbled out OF The chalet alter him.


''Oh, sir, please, | am not an idiot.
Father tires Of me because | am ugly
and mishapen. am not like handsome
Jose, my brother, but l did, sir, | did
carve the piece IN your hand;" and then
Rubi cried from very exctment and
eagerness. to make the merchant believe
him. But his tears and his twitchings and
trembling occasoned by his earnestness
did not make his appearance more pre-
possessing, and the man was only the
more convinced that the father was right
and the child was out OF his mind. He
thought that the beautiful chamois could
never have been the work oi that miser-
able. deiormed boy.


While sllll the child sat on the roadside
crying as il his heart would break from
disappointment, he saw his mother COM
ing up the mountain path in the distance.
Then his eagerness to keep the merchant
until she could come, made his manner
more crazy than before, for he knew that