Madeline Brandeis

“ That night Philippe asked his parents if he might go traveling with Tom and Zelie.
"This is a strange man," said Papa Pomme. "How do you know that he may not be a wicked man? Besides, a wandering life is a hard one, and Baby Rose is too young." ”

“ Still, instead of being jealous of Philippe, the stranger kept smiling at his neighbor. When the crowd had gone and it was time to start for home, the man came over to Philippe's booth.
"Did my Zelie tell you of her travels?" he asked Philippe.
"Oh, yes," replied the boy eagerly. "What great fortune to be able to wander about the country as you do, sir!"
The man looked at Philippe with those flashing eyes.
Then he said, "You could do so, too. You and the singing bird could earn great sums of money wandering about and singing. Why not go?" ”

“ How could any boy do that?
Belgian food is tempting to everyone. It is as dainty as the French food. It is as wholesome as the Dutch. And it has something about it that is neither French nor Dutch, but purely Belgian.
Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that [37] Belgium is so small. It is a matter of only a few hours for vegetables and fruits to travel from a distant farm to a Brussels table. Therefore, all food is fresh.
Papa Pomme ordered "potage," the famous thick soup, dear to all the French and Belgians. ”

“ Philippe traveled comfortably to Bruges. Thanks to his friend, the sister, he rode in a train. He left the glass-roofed station of Ghent, and soon the train was speeding through flat, fertile country. It was not long before the old city of Bruges loomed into sight.
The word "Bruges" means "Bridges," and it is no wonder that the city bears that name. For everywhere one looks, one sees a bridge.
Bruges is a very old city. Once, long years ago, it was a famous port. Fabrics of many kinds came into Bruges. Famous Belgian laces and linens were shipped from there to other countries. ”

“ Thinking that he had been mistaken in the direction, Philippe turned around quickly and started down another street. Oh, he must find Zelie and Tom. He had missed them so. He wanted to talk with them again.
Frantically he turned, and once more he ran down the alleyway. There was a group of children playing on the curb.
"Have you seen a man and a girl with an organ?" asked Philippe in French.
The children did not understand. They giggled. Philippe realized that in Antwerp most of the people speak Flemish. ”

“ Belgian strawberries and gingerbread are very famous and are said to be the best in the world.
While they ate, they did not talk. Eating was a serious matter with Papa Pomme and Philippe.
So absorbed did Philippe become that he forgot his manners. He reached across the table and pulled toward him the long loaf of French bread.
"Ho, ho!" cried Papa Pomme. "Not so fast! Come! Do you not use your tongue [38] when you want something which is beyond your reach?"
Philippe blushed. Then he replied stoutly, "Yes, Papa Pomme; but my arm is much longer than my tongue!" ”

“ But somehow he knew that he was going to keep right on until he found Tom and Zelie. He could not give up now.
The train pulled into the station and stopped. The boy started out in search of the fair. To the market place he went. Crowds were there. It was a gay sight. Booths were everywhere. There were merry-go-rounds and swinging boats and shooting galleries and candy stands.
Children were all about, laughing, singing, eating. Philippe's eye was trained, and he knew market places. He had spent most of his life in one. So he found a spot for himself and began to dress the dog, Trompke. ”

“ Philippe wondered what Tom meant.
"You know you are a big boy now," Tom [68] continued. "It is a shame for you to waste your time sitting in a market place selling vegetables."
He winked at Philippe slyly, and then started to whistle. Oh, how lucky was this Tom, thought Philippe; and the little girl, Zelie, too! But still Philippe noticed that Zelie's eyes were sad. ”

“ They passed busy farmers. Everybody works in Belgium. It is an industrious little country.
They were soon in Antwerp. It is a short drive. They found the city less beautiful than Brussels. It seemed bristling with excitement [99]
[100] and business. Some of the streets were picturesque and charming. Others were dirty and filled with rough people.
Philippe told his friend travelers that the most interesting place to see was the water front.
"It was there that the supplies, sent from your country during the World War, arrived," said the boy, looking at his American companion. ”

“ He began to talk with Mother Yvelle. Philippe listened.
"They say that this thief has stolen from several farms about here," said Papa Pomme. "You had better warn Emile to watch."
"A thief, Papa?" asked Philippe, whose eyes were very big.
"Yes, my boy," Papa Pomme replied. "A man who goes about at night stealing vege [57] tables from people's farms—a vegetable thief. I wish they could catch him. It is very hard for the poor farmers to have their produce stolen. This thief is a wicked man."
Philippe suddenly thought of his dark neighbor in the market place. ”

“ So the two foreign gentlemen and the little Belgian boy sat down to lunch. Philippe [77] showed them how a Belgian orders a meal. They were amused at the child's knowledge of all these fine dishes. They asked him how he knew so much. Philippe then told them about Papa Pomme.
"Aha!" exclaimed the gentleman who spoke French. "It is a fine thing for a boy to have a papa who is a chef. Is it not?"
Philippe laughed and agreed. Then the same gentleman told about himself. He said, "My friend and I are touring through Belgium. My friend is an American. ”

“ Mother Yvelle was thin and pale and sad-looking.
You see, she and her husband had lived through the terrible World War.
There are, however, people whose dispositions are so jolly that they forget sadness. Philippe's father was one of these people. Though Papa Paul wore a wooden leg, it did not seem to affect his sunny smile. When he was in the war he had been shot in the [23] leg, and now he wore a leg of wood. He had been a chef only since the war.
Before the war Philippe's parents had farmed and raised vegetables together. They had been happy farmers. ”

“ This was the vegetable thief—the man who had stolen his own [156] father's vegetables! Tom! Oh, what a foolish boy he had been! Why hadn't he listened to his parents? He was traveling with a thief!
Tom said in an irritable voice, "Come on, boy! Don't stare at me like that! Wake up, and we shall teach you!"
But Philippe had jumped up quickly and [157] stood before Tom. His fists were clenched and his cheeks burned.
"No, no! I won't steal," he cried. "It is wicked to steal! I will not help you!" ”

“ These machines are little houses on wheels, in which people dress and undress. Horses are hitched to the houses. They pull them to the water's edge, where the bathers jump into the sea for their swim. ”

“ While armies were fighting in France and destroying French property, Belgian farms and factories were being well run by the Germans. That is why our travelers, wandering over the country of Belgium, saw few ruins.
[154]
They trudged along black roads and passed great chimney stacks.
Several times Philippe had sent money home to his parents.
But one day Tom said, "I must ask you to give me all the money you make. It is I who feed and clothe you. And now you belong to me."
Philippe had a strange feeling then.
He answered, "But I must send my parents some of what I make. It is only fair." ”

“ Though his legs ached, never once did the boy give in. Trompke's tongue swept the ground. He was too tired to bark even at birds and chickens.
They passed fields of flax. This flax is sent to the factories of Ghent where it is made into fine linen.
The word "Ghent" is taken from the French word "gant," meaning "glove." Ghent was once famous for glove making. But today the lace and linen trades are more popular.
At last Philippe could see the outline of houses in the distance. It was bright sunlight now. There was smoke curling up from chimneys. People were cooking breakfast in Ghent. ”

“ The letter he had written to his father would reach Brussels today. His father would send some one to the cave tonight. Then he and Zelie would be free, and Tom captured.
[172]
What had Papa Pomme said? Oh, yes! The thief must go to prison!
Suddenly Tom spoke. "No," he said. "I think we shall move on. It might be dangerous to stay in that cave."
"What!" cried Philippe. "Are you afraid of the crying of crows?"
"No," replied the man, "It is not that. I prefer to spend my nights in cities." ”

“ He must find his friends before they left. He must join them at the fair in Ghent.
Philippe rose and went down into the barn. The men had locked the door; but there was a tiny window above the horse's stall. Through this, the boy first pushed Trompke. Then he started to climb through it himself.
"Come, Trompke," he called. "We must [115] walk to Ghent. There is no time to lose. We must get there before the fair moves on."
HE STARTED THROUGH THE WINDOW
Dawn was in the sky as the boy and his dog trudged wearily along the road. They were in the famous flax-growing district of Belgium. ”

“ The Englishman asked Philippe this question.
The boy answered, "Oh, I should like to go to Antwerp (ănt ́-w [~e] rp) and Ghent (gĕnt) and see the sights of Belgium, because I know so many stories about everything."
He then told them about his wandering friends, Tom and Zelie.
[90]
MODERN BRUSSELS IS WELL LAID OUT WITH MANY WIDE AVENUES
[91]
The Englishman remarked, "That is a hard life. It is much better to travel in a motor car." Then he smiled pleasantly and continued, "That is the way we travel. We are leaving for Antwerp tomorrow in our car." ”

“ Several years have gone by since we started our work together and Marie is a bigger girl—but Ref hasn't changed one bit. Ref hasn't changed any more than my interest in writing these books for you. And I hope that you hope that I'll never change, because I want to keep on writing until we'll have no more countries to write about—unless, of course, some one discovers a new country.
Even if a new country isn't discovered, we'll find foreign children to talk about—maybe the children in Mars! Who knows? Nobody. Not even Marie—and Marie usually knows about most things. ”

“ The boy was too amazed to refuse. Together the two marched out of the theater.
On the sidewalk Philippe seized the boy's [143] arm and said to him, "I must find those people. Do you understand? Now, you've got to think which way you saw them go!"
After Philippe had told his story and explained about Tom and Zelie, the other boy remarked, "Well, my friends and I followed [144] the organ man to a narrow little street where the poorest people live. The place was very dark, even in the daytime. It frightened some of the little children; so we left. We did not stay to see where the organ man went." ”

“ Philippe could see that he was very angry.
"Make ready to leave," he commanded Zelie.
Morning was in the sky now. Tom stood before Philippe, and his eyes flashed. But Philippe's eyes were steady.
[180]
"You are brave, eh?" sneered Tom. "Only brave men will spend a night in the cave. Well, my hero, where is the gold?"
BACK TO THE CAVE HE BROUGHT THEM
Philippe answered, "I do not know, sir."
"Tricks!" roared Tom.
Then he took a stick.
Meanwhile a big touring car was driving [181] along the road toward the cave. It was the car belonging to the two gentlemen who had taken Philippe to Antwerp. ”

“ But all he could think of was finding Tom and Zelie and joining them.
[120]
Chapter IX
THE CITY OF SISTERS
Philippe approached the great Convent of Ghent. This convent is different from most convents. It is like a little village where each sister has her own cosy house. These sisters have given up the life of the world. They live their own lives in this City of Sisters. They spend their time making beautiful laces, doing charity work and going to church.
Philippe had heard of the convent in Ghent. He had seen some of the sisters in Brussels at times. ”

“ Philippe stole softly to his little friend's side.
"Quiet, quiet, Zelie! Not a sound! Come with me," he whispered.
[177]
Softly, silently they tiptoed toward the entrance of the cave.
THEY TIPTOED TOWARD THE ENTRANCE OF THE CAVE
But Philippe had forgotten one thing. He had forgotten Trompke. And Trompke was not to be forgotten! The little dog lay chained to a rock.
Tom always took care to keep him tied. [178] Trompke was an important member of that little group.
As the boy and girl neared the door, Trompke awoke. Dogs do not sleep as soundly as people. Trompke's brow wrinkled. ”

“ Today as he walked along beside the sturdy [34] dogs, he sang gayly. He was happier than usual. Today an exciting thing was to happen. Papa Pomme had told him that he would call at the market place and take him to lunch. ”