Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 26, October, 1880Various
History
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 26, October, 1880
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
He got out upon a long gray wooden bridge, and looked up and down the
reaches of the river, and thought to himself maybe this was not Sprugg
but Jerusalem, so beautiful it looked with its domes shining golden in
the sun, and the snow of the Patscher Kofl and the Brandjoch behind
them. For little Findelkind had never come so far before.
As he stood on the bridge so dreaming a hand clutched him and a voice
said, "A whole kreutzer, or you do not pass."
Findelkind started and trembled. A kreutzer? He had never owned such a
treasure in all his life. "I have no money," he murmured timidly: "I
came to see if I could get money for the poor."
The keeper of the bridge laughed: "You are a little beggar, you mean?
Oh, very well: then over my bridge you do not go."
"But it is the city on the other side."
"To be sure it is the city, but over nobody goes without a kreutzer."
"I never have such a thing of my own--never, never," said Findelkind,
ready to cry.
"Then you were a little fool to come away from your home, wherever that
may be," said the man at the bridge-head. "Well, I will let you go, for
you look a baby. But do not beg: that is bad."
"Findelkind did it."
"Then Findelkind was a rogue and a vagabond," said the taker of tolls.
"Oh, no, no, no!"
"Oh, yes, yes, yes, little saucebox! and take that," said the man,
giving him a box on the ear, being angry at contradiction.
Findelkind's head drooped, and he went slowly over the bridge,
forgetting that he ought to have thanked the toll-taker for a free
passage. The world seemed to him very difficult. How had Findelkind done
when he had come to bridges? and oh, how had Findelkind done when he had
been hungry? For this poor little Findelkind was getting very hungry,
and his stomach was as empty as was his wallet.
A few steps brought him to the Goldenes Dachl. He forgot his hunger and
his pain, seeing the sun shine on all that gold and the curious painted
galleries under it. He thought it was real, solid gold. Real gold laid
out on a house-roof, and the people all so poor! Findelkind began to
muse, and wonder why everybody did not climb up there and take a tile
off and be rich. But perhaps it would be wicked. Perhaps God put the
roof there with all that gold to prove people. Findelkind got
bewildered. If God did such a thing, was it kind?
His head seemed to swim, and the sunshine went round and round with him.
There went by him just then a very venerable-looking old man with silver
hair: he was wrapped in a long cloak.
Findelkind pulled at the cloak gently, and the old man looked down.
"What is it, my boy?" he asked.
Findelkind answered, "I came out to get gold: may I take it off that
roof?"
"It is not gold, child: it is gilding."
"What is gilding?"
"It is a thing made to look like gold: that is all."
"It is a lie, then!"
The old man smiled: "Well, nobody thinks so. If you like to put it so,
perhaps it is. What do you want gold for, you wee thing?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account