Gretel

“ To her mind, the poor peasant girl Gretel was not a human being, a God-created creature like herself—she was only something that meant poverty, rags, and dirt. Such as Gretel had no right to feel, to hope; above all, they should never cross the paths of their betters—that is, not in a disagreeable way. ”

“ Gretel’s sister-in-law answered, with so much decision that Geraldine’s face brightened perceptibly.
“I knew you didn’t,” she said in a tone of relief, “but it’s ever so comforting to hear you say it.”
“It is all a great mystery,” said Mrs. Douaine, sadly, “but of one thing Percy and I are absolutely certain, and that is that Gretel was not to blame in any way. She is as true as steel, and devoted to us all. Something terrible must have happened, but it was through no fault of hers.” ”

“ With a sharp cry, Gretel started up. They must not think dreadful things about her. They must learn the truth. It was only a wicked newspaper story, of course, but how had people learned of her meeting with Fritz? Some one she knew must have seen them talking together, but she could not remember meeting any one that afternoon until she rejoined Mrs. Chester, and then there was Jimmy Fairfax. Could Jimmy have seen her talking with Fritz? Fritz certainly did look like a German, but if Jimmy had seen them together, why had he not questioned her about it? ”

“ Hurrah, it is Gretel! She too waves her hand, but toward no gay pavilion. The crowd is cheering; but she hears only her father's voice, "Well done, little Gretel!" Soon Katrinka, with a quick merry laugh, shoots past Hilda. The girl in yellow is gaining now. She passes them all,—all except Gretel. The judges lean forward without seeming to lift their eyes from their watches. Cheer after cheer fills the air; the very columns seem rocking. Gretel has passed them. She has won. ”

“ My mother was an American, and I was born in New York.”
Fräulein began to cry again.
“You need not fly at me,” she sobbed. “Your father was a German.”
“I know he was,” said Gretel, unsteadily, “and he was one of the best men who ever lived. If he were alive now, I know he would not approve of the dreadful things the Germans have done. He was always kind and good to everybody.”
“So was my cousin Rudolph,” murmured Fräulein, “but when war comes what can one do? One must obey one’s superiors.” ”

“ We must not keep anything back that may prove a possible clue. Of course, it is possible that Gretel might have met some old German friend of her father’s, and not mentioned the fact to any one, but I don’t for a moment believe it had the slightest connection with what has happened.”
“I suppose we shall have to tell everything,” sighed Geraldine, “but I can’t bear to have people saying and thinking horrid things about Gretel.”
“My dear,” said Mrs. Douaine, gently, “when we know a thing to be untrue ourselves, why should we mind what foolish people may say? ”

“ I have a message from my niece, Anna Sieling.”
Gretel gave a little gasp of relief. It was only Fräulein, after all, not Fritz.
“Is Fräulein there?” she asked. “Does she want to speak to me?”
“She is here, but she cannot come to the telephone. She is very ill.”
“Very ill!” repeated Gretel, in a tone of real distress. “Oh, I am so sorry! Is there anything I can do for her?”
“If you could come to see her this afternoon? She is most anxious to see you. She is to undergo a serious operation, and fears she may never recover.”
“I’ll come, of course; I’ll come right away,” cried Gretel. ”

“ For had not Barbara gone to the station to meet Jerry and Geraldine, who were coming for their long promised visit to Washington?
It was all so quiet and peaceful; it seemed impossible to realize that only a few miles away the fate of nations was being discussed,311 and that in France guns were booming, and men dying by thousands every day. The American boys were fighting for their country, and to save civilization, and at that moment Gretel’s heart swelled with pride. She knew now, more than ever before in her life, what it meant to love one’s country. ”

“ Gretel and Geraldine looked rather grave, and Gretel said gently:
“It isn’t all just excitement and adventure, Jerry. Peter Grubb has been wounded. He has lost his left arm. His family only heard it this week, and poor Dora is so upset.”
A shadow crossed Jerry’s bright face.
“Poor chap,” he said, regretfully; “it’s pretty tough to lose an arm, but to lose a leg would be worse. Anyhow, he’s fought for his country, and that’s something.”
“Yes, it is something,” Gretel agreed, “and Peter is such a clever boy I am sure he will get on. But it is all very sad. I wish this dreadful war would end.” ”

“ Gretel.
Cuckoo, cuckoo, where are you? (Takes a strawberry from the basket and pokes it into Hänsel's mouth; he sucks it up as though he were drinking an egg.)
Hänsel (jumping up) .
Oho, I can do that just like you! (Takes some strawberries and lets them fall into Gretel's mouth.)
Let us do like the cuckoo too,
who takes what doesn't belong to him! (It begins to grow dark.)
Hänsel (helping himself again) .
Cuckoo, how are you? Gretel.
Cuckoo, where are you? Hänsel.
In your neighbour's nest you go. Gretel (helping herself) .
Cuckoo, cuckoo! Hänsel. ”

“ She stuck good things into his mouth, as if she were fattening a Strasburg goose, and after that she disenchanted Gretel with a juniper branch.
"Now, then, you go and set the table," she ordered, then turning again to Hänsel she found him apparently asleep.
"That's good! It is a way to grow fat," she grinned. "I'll just begin my supper with Gretel. She looks quite plump enough as she is. Here, my love," she cried, opening the oven door, and sniffing some gingerbread fig-149-ures within, "just look into the oven and tell me if it is hot enough to bake in," she called. ”

“ And after that although the storm continued, and the little steamer pitched and plunged as much as ever, things did not seem quite so terrible as they had before. Gretel seemed so certain that God would take care of them, and somehow the twins had come to have a great deal of faith in Gretel.
“God always takes care of people when they ask Him to,” said Gretel, confidently. “Father asked Him to take care of me when he was ill, and He did. First Mrs. Marsh let me go and live with her, and afterwards Percy came home. Father said I must always ask God to take care of me every day.” ”

“ Chester; “I am afraid she is painfully sensitive. Some of the women at the Red Cross meeting to-day were telling stories of those horrible atrocities—you know the sort of thing I mean—and Gretel evidently took them very much to heart. It really is unfortunate that she should have such an unmistakably German name.”
“Come and listen to the music,” said Molly, as Gretel stepped out on to the cool piazza.131 “The men on the battle-ship are singing war songs, and we can hear them quite plainly; it’s so still to-night. ”

“ Gretel had already disappeared.
In one corner of the cottage was a small closet where her rough, boxlike bed was fastened against the wall. None would think of the trembling little creature crouching there in the dark. ”

“ We only reached Washington this morning, but we couldn’t wait any longer without seeing Gretel.”
“Well, here she is,” said Gretel’s sister-in-law, smiling, and leading the way to the big apple-tree. “She isn’t quite as fat as we would like, but she is improving every day. The Barlow twins are here, too; they have come to make us a visit.”
The three girls greeted each other heartily, and Ada kissed Gretel with more affection than she had ever shown before. Jerry nodded to Archie in a friendly manner, as though to imply that bygones were bygones, but Archie Davenport did not return the greeting. ”

“ Gretel's home was a pretty, brown chalet, whose roof was covered with large stones to keep it from being blown away
"They are feeding farther up on the higher alps," said Gretel. "Father takes them up early every summer, and they don't come down until fall."
"Do you think we shall see them on our way over the mountains?" asked Joe.
"Yes, I am sure you will," said Gretel. "Your path goes right across the alp where father's little cabin is. My two brothers, Franz and Sep, are up there with father now. [113] They take care of the goats, and help to milk the cows and make the cheese. ”

“ Lean upon me, Gretel. There, keep moving, you will soon be warm enough to go by the fire. Now let me take you into the cottage."
"Oh, no! no! no! jufvrouw, not in there! The meester is there. He sent me away!"
Hilda was puzzled, but she wisely forebore to ask at present for an explanation. "Very well, Gretel, try to walk faster. I saw you upon the mound, some time ago, but I thought you were playing. That is right, keep moving." ”

“ Oh, Gretel, Gretel, it’s too dreadful!” And poor Geraldine broke down completely, and sobbed on Molly’s shoulder.
Mrs. Cranston left her sister and her son and put a protecting arm round the trembling girl.
“Don’t, dear,” she said, soothingly. “Things may not be as bad as you think; Gretel may soon be found. We must all try to have a little patience. Mr. Douaine and Mr. Chester are doing all they can.”
“Does any one know what happened?” Jimmy Fairfax asked Stephen, in a low voice.
“Nothing beyond the fact that Gretel went out alone early in the afternoon, and has not come home since. ”

“ As if it were your fault that your father happened to be a German! I’d just like to kill the people who say unkind things to you.”
“Oh, hush, hush, Geraldine,” soothed Gretel, smiling through her tears. “You mustn’t get so excited about nothing. No one has said anything unkind. That isn’t why I’m crying. It’s because—oh, I can’t talk about it, but war is so terrible! It makes even good people do things they would be ashamed of at any other153 time. I’m frightened, Geraldine; I suppose it’s foolish, but I can’t help being frightened.” Gretel laid her head on her friend’s shoulder with a sob. ”

“ Gretel was forced to admit that she had not, but she assured her brother that her winter jacket was very warm indeed, and, moreover, that she never felt cold. Mr. Douane smiled a rather peculiar smile, but made no further remarks, and ten minutes later Gretel found herself leaning back in a comfortable touring-car, while her brother and the chauffeur wrapped a warm fur robe about her, tucking her in so snugly that she felt sure she could not possibly feel cold even if it should begin to snow. ”

“ Douaine said heartily; “I only wish we had more like him. I met him this afternoon, by the way, and he has promised to come to dinner to-morrow, and bring his violin.”
Gretel’s face was radiant.
“I love to hear Fritz play,” she said. “It314 always makes me think of Father, and the old days in the studio. If I shut my eyes I can almost see it all as it used to be.”
“You are a loyal little soul, Gretel,” her brother said, giving her hand an affectionate pat. “You never forget the old friends or the old times. But hark! isn’t that the motor? I shouldn’t be surprised if the twins had arrived.” ”

“ Otherwise, nothing will persuade me to believe the daughter of a German patriot would turn her back on the Fatherland in her hour of need. Listen, and I will try to explain the truth to you. Germany is fighting for her existence. She has been cheated, deceived—do you understand?”
Mr. Becker talked on steadily for the next ten minutes, but Gretel scarcely heard a word he said. Her eyes were on the clock, and her sole thought was of making her escape. Oh, why had she ever come here, even for Fräulein’s sake? Would that dreadful man never stop talking, and let her go home? ”

“ Rudolph is not a wicked man. He is so worried that he cannot sleep at night. You have brought awful trouble upon us.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” said Gretel, wearily, pressing her hot hand to her aching forehead. “I couldn’t swear not to tell. It would have290 been disloyal to my country. I am an American.”
“You are a fool, that is what you are!” burst out Mrs. Becker angrily. “We are all in terrible trouble. If you are found here what will be done to us? And yet how can we let you go? You are to blame for everything, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
Gretel said nothing. ”

“ The young lady was seen talking with a Boche—I mean a German—one day about a week before she was lost. It was in New London. Those Germans will stop at nothing that is wicked.”
Geraldine stamped her foot impatiently.
“That little wretch Archie Davenport made up the story,” she said, indignantly. “There isn’t a word of truth in it. Gretel didn’t know any Germans, and if one had spoken to her, she would have told me about it. We always tell each other everything. ”

“ An hour and a half later, Gretel was standing at the hall window, watching the station bus, with Fräulein and her belongings inside, disappearing from sight in the gathering dusk.47 In spite of herself, she could not help a little sigh of relief.
“Poor Fräulein,” she said to herself, “I’m terribly sorry for her, of course, but I can’t help feeling rather glad she’s gone. I am sure she’ll be much happier with her own people, even if she does think she won’t.”
She was turning to go up-stairs when she encountered Miss Laura, coming out of Miss Minton’s private sitting-room. ”

“ Gretel. Then, Hans, if we've been good children, I 'most know St. Nicholas will come.
Hans [dancing to look out of door] . Oh, he will! He will! Mother, give me something to do so I won't keep thinking about it.
Gretel. Oh, Hans, let's have a story!
Hans. Oh, yes, Mother, please tell us a story.
Mother. Bring your little stools, then I will tell you a Christmas story.
Gretel [coaxingly] . Mother, don't you think it is too dark to spin? Let me sit in your lap.
Mother. You funny little fairy! [Takes her on her lap. Hans brings a stool and sits at his Mother's feet nursing his knee.] ”