Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/135

 routs in the earth and wallows in filth. At one side sneaked and lurked the cat, on the look out to see whether she could not arrest one of those impudent sparrows. Then came the geese and paraded like ladies in long dresses, and after them the little golden goslings, fresh and lively, but the geese so took them in hand with drill and schooling, that they turned out nothing but geese after all. Out of their holes the rabbits crept, and licked their lips and showed their teeth, but hearing the sparrows gasconade, they got frightened and crept back again into their holes. Even the poetical butterfly also hovered here. But, of course, no one gave him a thought, for who could eat a butterfly?

Like a true sage, dog Danube behaved himself. He constantly had for his aim an objective standpoint, frisked and sported in the sun like a Diogenes, and stretched himself idly like a very Sultan; but he had the intellect of a Doctor of Letters, only that he kept it all to himself.

And above it all shone the old sun, and the heaven smiled like the face of Betuska.

Betuska spent many a happy hour with her poultry, and, as it were, they completely understood each other.

She understood housewifery, too, excellently, but the poultry seemed to grow dear to her very heart. So whenever she came to the farmyard all hurried after her as if in procession. The sparrows gave notice on the eaves that Betuska was coming, and from time to time a cackling hen would exhort the rest to renewed efforts that they might at least approach their mistress.

The men might improve their master’s fields and meadows as they liked; to that Betuska did not oppose a single word; but also it never occurred to any one’s mind to meddle with Betuska’s occupation. And the poultry would have stared with astonishment had any one dared to say that Betuska did not take care of them, or if at any time he had wished to effect some reform in the farmyard.

Betuska had known Uncle John ever since the time when they first went to school. Even then the one tried to please the other as it might. If one child learnt its lessons well at school, it chiefly congratulated itself, because the other knew about it, and if Betuska was “mentioned” for good, Uncle John also tried his best to be mentioned that day also. If after school the boys played in a different place from the girls, Uncle John purposely let his ball roll to where the girls were playing, and he might be sure that Betuska would separate herself from her companions in order Rh