by JOHANNA SPYRI
I Up the Mountain to Alm-Uncle
II At Home with Grandfather
III Out with the Goats
IV The Visit to Grandmother
V Two Visits and What Came of Them
VI A New Chapter about New Things
VII Fraulein Rottenmeier Spends an Uncomfortable Day
VIII There is Great Commotion in the Large House
IX Herr Sesemann Hears of Things that are New to Him
X Another Grandmother
XI Heidi Gains in One Way and Loses in Another
XII A Ghost in the House
XIII A Summer Evening on the Mountain
XIV Sunday Bells
XV Preparations for a journey
XVI A Visitor
XVII A Compensation
XVIII Winter in Dorfli
XIX The Winter Continues
XX News from Distant Friends
XXI How Life went on at Grandfather's
XXII Something Unexpected Happens
XXIII "Good-bye Till We Meet Again"
"Heidi" is a delightful story for children of life in the Alps,one of many tales written by the Swiss authoress, Johanna Spyri,who died in her home at Zurich in 1891. She had been well knownto the younger readers of her own country since 1880, when shepublished her story, Heimathlos, which ran into three or moreeditions, and which, like her other books, as she states on thetitle page, was written for those who love children, as well asfor the youngsters themselves. Her own sympathy with theinstincts and longings of the child's heart is shown in herpicture of Heidi. The record of the early life of this Swisschild amid the beauties of her passionately loved mountain-homeand during her exile in the great town has been for many years afavorite book of younger readers in Germany and America.
Madame Spyri, like Hans Andersen, had by temperament a peculiarskill in writing the simple histories of an innocent world. Inall her stories she shows an underlying desire to preservechildren alike from misunderstanding and the mistaken kindnessthat frequently hinder the happiness and natural development oftheir lives and characters. The authoress, as we feel in readingher tales, lived among the scenes and people she describes, andthe setting of her stories has the charm of the mountain sceneryamid which she places her small actors.
Her chief works, besides Heidi, were:— Am Sonntag; Arthur und
Squirrel; Aus dem Leben; Aus den Schweizer Bergen; Aus Nah und
Fern; Aus unserem, Lande; Cornelli wird erzogen; Einer vom Hause
Lesa; 10 Geschichten fur Yung und Alt; Kurze Geschichten, 2
vols.; Gritli's Kinder, 2 vols.; Heimathlos; Im Tilonethal; In
Leuchtensa; Keiner zu Klein Helfer zu sein; Onkel Titus; Schloss
Wildenstein; Sina; Ein Goldener Spruch; Die Hauffer Muhle;
Verschollen, nicht vergessen; Was soll deim aus ihr werden; Was
aus ihr Geworden ist. M.E.
From the old and pleasantly situated village of Mayenfeld, afootpath winds through green and shady meadows to the foot ofthe mountains, which on this side look down from their stern andlofty heights upon the valley below. The land grows graduallywilder as the path ascends, and the climber has not gone farbefore he begins to inhale the fragrance of the short grass andsturdy mountain-plants, for the way is steep and leads directlyup to the summits above.
On a clear sunny morning in June two figures mi