Latest / The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners / Belgian Twins - Lucy Fitch Perkins

Transcript

Belgian Twins - Lucy Fitch Perkins · The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Preface of The Belgian Twins. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins Preface. In this sad
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: hour of the world's history, when so many homes have
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: been broken up and so many hearts burdened with heavy sorrows,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: tis comforting to think of the many heroic souls who,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: throughout the struggle have gone about their daily tasks with
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: unfailing courage and cheerfulness, and by doing so have helped
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: to carry the burdens of the world and to sustain
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: other hearts as heavy as their own. Tis comforting also
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: to know that there are many instances of happy reunions
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: after long and unspeakable anxieties, adventures, and trials. This story
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: of two little Belgian refugees is based upon the actual
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: experience of two Belgian children. An incident of the locket
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: is quite true. The characters of the e old woman
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: and the mother of the twins have also their living originals,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: from whose courage and devotion the author has received much inspiration.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: End of preface.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Chapter one of The Belgian Twins. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: by lenak Geisel. The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins,
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: Chapter one, The harvest Field. It was late in the
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: afternoon of a long summer's day in Belgium. Father van
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Hove was still at work in the harvest field, though
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: the sun hung so low in the west that his shadows,
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: stretching far across the level green plain, reached almost to
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: the little red roofed house on the edge of the village,
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: which was its home. Other shadow, not so long and
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: quite a little broader, stretched itself beside his for Mother
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: van Hove was also in the field, helping her husband
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: to load the green sheaves upon an old blue farm
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: cart which stood near by. There was also two short,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: fat shadows, which bobbed briskly about over the green meadow
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: as their owners danced among the wheat sheaves or carried
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: handfuls of fresh glass to Pierre, the patient white farm
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: horse hitched to the cart. These gay shadows belonged to
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: Jan and Marie, sometimes called by their parents by Yonka
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: and Me for short. Jan and Marie were the twin
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: son and daughter of father and mother van Hove, and
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: though they were but eight years old, they were already
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: quite used to helping their father and mother with the
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: work of their little farm. They knew how to feed
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: the chickens and hunt the eggs, and lead Pierre to
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: water and pull weeds in the garden. In the spring,
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: they had even helped sow the wheat, and and now
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: in the late summer they were helping to harvest the grain.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: The children had been in the field since sunrise, but
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: not all of the long bright day had been given
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: to labor. Early in the morning, their father's pitchfork had
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: uncovered a nest of field mice, and the twins had
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: made another nest as much like the first as possible,
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: to put the homeless field babies in, hoping that their
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: mother would find them again and resume her interrupted housekeeping.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: Then they had played for a long time in a
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: tiny canal which separated the wheat field from the meadow
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: where Bell, their black and white cow, was pastured. There
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: was also Fidel the dog, their faithful companion and friend,
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: the children had followed him on many excursions among the
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: willows along the river bank, for Fidel might at any
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: moment come upon the rabbit or water rat that he
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: was always seeking, And what a pity it would be
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: for Jan and Marie to miss a sight like that.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: When the sun was high overhead the whole family Fidel
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: also had rested under a tree by the little river,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: and Jan and Marie had shared with their father and
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: mother the bread and cheese which had been brought from
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: home for their noon meal. Then they had taken a
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: nap in the shade, for it is a long day
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: that begins and ends with the midsummer sun. The bees
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: hummed so drowsily in the clover that Mother van Hove
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: also took forty winks, while Father van Hove led Pierre
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: to the river for a drink and tied him where
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: he could enjoy the rich meadow grass for a while.
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: And now the long day was nearly over. The last
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: level rays of the disappearing sun glistened on the red
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: roofs of the village, and the windows of the little
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: houses gave back an answering flash of light. On the
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: steeple of the tiny church. The gilded cross shone like
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: fire against the gray of the eastern sky. The village
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: clock struck seven, and was answered faintly by the sound
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: the distant chimes from the cathedral of Maline, miles away
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: across the plain. For some time, Father van Hove had
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: been standing on top of the load, catching the sheaths
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: which Mother van Hove tossed up to him, and stowing
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: them away in the farm wagon, which was already heaped
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: high with the golden grain. As the clock struck, he
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: paused in his labor, took off his hat, and wiped
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: his brow. He listened for a moment to the music
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: of the bells, glanced at the western sky, already rosy
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: with promise of the sunset, and at the weather cock
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: above the cross on the church steeple. Then he looked
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: down at the sheaths of wheat, still standing like tiny
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: tents across the field. It's no use, mother, he said,
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: at last. We cannot pull it all in tonight, But
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: the sky gives promise to a fair day tomorrow, and
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: the weather cock also points east. We can finish in
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: one more load. Let us go home now. The clock
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: struck seven, said Yan I counted the strokes what a
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: scholar is our yandka, laughed his mother, as she lifted
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: the last sheath of wheat on her fork and tossed
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: it at Father van Hove's feet. He can count to
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: seven when it is supper time. As for me, I
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: do not need a clock. I can tell the time
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: of day by the ache of my bones. And besides that,
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: there is bell in the pasture, bars waiting to be
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: milked and bellowing to call me. I don't need a
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: clock either, chimed in Marie, patting her apron tenderly. I
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: can tell time by my stomach. It is a hundred
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: years since we ate our lunch. I know it is
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: come then, my starvelings, said Mother van Hove, pinching Marie's
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: fat cheek. And you shall save your strength by riding
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: home on the load. Come, mommy, up, you go. She
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: swung Marie into the air as she spoke. Father van Hove,
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: reaching down from his perch on top of the load,
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: caught her in his arms and enthroned her upon the
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: fragrant grain. And now it is your turn, Mayanka, cried
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Mother van Hove. And you shall ride on the back
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: of old Pierre like a soldier. Going up to the wars.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: She lifted Jan to the horse's back, while Father van
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: Hove climbed down to earth once more and took up
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: the reins. Fidel came back, dripping wet from the river,
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: shook himself and fell in behind the wagon. U U,
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: cried Father van Hove to Old Pierre, and the little
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: procession moved slowly up the cart path toward the shining
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: windows of the red roofed house. The home of the
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: van Hoves lay on the very outskirts of the little
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: hamlet of Mayor. Beside it ran a yellow ribbon of
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: road which stretched across the green plain near the city
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: of Maline. As they turned from the cart path into
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: the road, the old blue cart became part of a
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: little profession of similar wagons, for the other men of
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: Mayor were also late in coming home to the village
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: from their outlying farms. Good evening neighbor, cried Father van
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: Hove to Father Moss, whose home lay beyond his in
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: the village. How are your crops coming in? Never better?
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: Answered Father Moss. I have more wheat to the acre
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: than ever before, so have I. Thanks be to the
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: good God, answered Father van Hove. The winter will find
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: our barns full this year, yes, replied Father Moss, A
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: little sadly, that is, if we have no bad luck.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: But Jules van Drauss was in the city yesterday and
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: heard rumors of a German army on our borders. It
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: is very likely only an idle tale to frighten the
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: women and children. But Jols says there are men also
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: who believe it. I shall believe nothing of the sort,
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: said Father van Hove, stoutly. Are we not safe under
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: the protection of our treaty? No, no, neighbor, there's nothing
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: to fear. Belgium is neutral ground. I hope you may
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: be right, answered Father Mos, cracking his whip, and the
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: cart moved on. Mother van Hove, meanwhile, had hastened ahead
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: of the cart to stir up the kitchen fire and
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: put the kettle on before the others should reach home.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: And when Father van Hove at last drove into the farmyard,
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: she was already on the way to the pasture barns,
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: with her milk pail on her arm. Set the table
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: for supper. Mummy, she called back, and do not let
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: the pot boil over, Yan, you may shut up the fowls.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: They have already gone to roost, and what shall I do?
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: Mother laughed Father van Hove, you, she called back, You
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: may unharness Pierre and turn him out to the pasture
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: for the night, and I'll wager I shall be back
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: with a full milk pail before you've even so much
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: as fed the pig let alone. The other chores men
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: are so slow. She waved her hand gaily and disappeared
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: behind the pasture bars as she spoke, Hurry now, my man,
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: said Father van Hove to Yan. We must not let
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: mother beat us. We will let the cart stand right
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: there near the barn, and tomorrow we can store the
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: grain away to make room for a new load. I
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: will let you lead Pierre to the pasture while I
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: feed the pig myself. By her squeals, she is hungry
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: enough to eat you up in one mouthful. End of
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Chapter one. Recording by Lynete Gaisel. Chapter two, The Belgian Twins.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Lynette Gaisel. The Belgian
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins chapter two, the Rumors. When
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: Mother van Hove returned from the pasture fifteen minutes later,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: her orders had all been carried out. Pierre was in
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: the pasture, the hens were shut up for the night,
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: and the pig, which had been squealing with hunger, was
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: rogue grunting with satisfaction over her evening meal. Fidel was
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: not on a bone, and Father van Hove was already
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: washing his hands at the pump beside the kitchen door.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: You are all good children, said the mother, as she
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: set down her brimming pail and took her turn at
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: the wash basin and the soap. Yan, and Marie, have
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: you washed your hands? I have called Marie from the kitchen,
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: and supper is ready and the table set. I washed
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: my hands in the canal this morning, pleaded Yan. Won't
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: that do? You ate your lunch this noon too, answered
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: his mother promptly, won't that do? Why do you need
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: to eat again when you have already eaten twice today?
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: Because I am hungry again, answered Jan. Well, you are
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: also dirty again, said his mother, as she put the
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: soap in his hands and wiped her own on the
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: clean towel which Marie handed her from the door. She
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: cleaned her wooden shoes in the bundle of straw, which
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: lay for the purpose beside the kitchen door. Then she
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: went inside and took her place opposite Father van Hove
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: at the little round oaken table by the window. Marie
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: was already in her chair, and in a moment Yan
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: joined them with a beaming smile and a face which,
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: though clean in the middle, showed a gray border from
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: ear to ear. If you don't believe I'm clean, look
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: at the towel, he said, holding it up. Oh my heart,
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: cried his mother, throwing up her hands, I declare there's
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: but one creature in all God's world that cares nothing
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: for cleanliness. Even a pig has some manners if given
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: half a chance. But boys, she seized the grimy towel
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: and held it up despairingly for Father van Hove to see.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: He's just wet his face and wiped all the dirt
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: off on the towel. The devil himself is not more
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: afraid of holy water than Yon van Hove is to
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: water of any kind, she cried, Go and wash yourself properly. Yanka,
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: said his father sternly, and Yon disappeared through the kitchen door.
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: Sounds of vigorous pumping and splashing about were heard in
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: the kitchen, and when Yon appeared once more, he was
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: allowed to take his place at the supper table with
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: the family. Father van Hove bowed his head, and the
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: twins and their mother made the sign of the Cross
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: with him as they began their grace before meat. In
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: the name of the Father and of the Son and
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: of the Holy Ghost, Amen, prayed Father van Hove. Hail Mary,
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: full of grace. Then, as the prayer continued, the mother
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: and children, with folded hands and bowed heads, joined in
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: the petition, Holy Mother, Mary of God, pray for us
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: sinners now and in the hour of our death. Amen.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: A clatter of spoons followed the grace, and Mother van
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: Hove's good buttermilk pap was not long in disappearing down
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: their four hungry throats. The long day in the open
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: air had made the children so sleepy that they scarcely
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: kept their eyes open through the meal. Come, my children,
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: said their mother, burst glya, as she rose from the table.
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: Pop into bed, both of you as fast as you
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: can go. You are already half asleep. Father. You help
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: them with their buttons, and hear them say their prayers
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: while I wash up these dishes and take care of
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: the milk. She took a candle from the chimney piece
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: as she spoke, and started down the cellar with the skimmer.
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: When she came back into the kitchen once more, the
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: children were safely tucked in bed, and her husband was
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: seated by the kitchen door with his chair tipped back
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: against the wall, smoking his evening pipe. Mother van Hove
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: cleared the table, washed the dishes, and brushed the crumbs
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: from the tiled floor. Then she spread the white sand
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: once more under the table and in a wide border
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: around the edge of the room, and hung the brush
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: outside the kitchen door. Father van Hove smoked in silence
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: as she moved about the room. At last he said
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: to her, Lonnie, did you hear what our neighbor Moss
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: said to night as we were talking on the road. No,
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: said his wife. I was hurrying home to get supper.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: Moss says there are rumors of a German army on
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: her frontier, said father van Hove. His wife paused in
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: front of him with her hands on her hips. Who
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: brought that story to town? She demanded, jouls vol rolst
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: answered her husband. Jouls Vohlrolst sniffed Mother van Hove with disdain.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: He knows more things that aren't so than any man
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: in this village. I wouldn't believe anything on his say.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: So.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: Besides, the whole world knows that all the powers have
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: agreed that Belgian shall be neutral ground and have bound
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: themselves solemnly to protect that neutrality. I learned that in school,
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: and so did you, yes, sighed Father van Hove. I
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: learned it too, and surely no nation can have anything
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: against us. We have given no one cause for complaint
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: that I know of. It's nonsense, said his wife with decision.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: Belgium is safe enough as far as that goes. But
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: one certainly has to work hard here just to make
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: ends meet and get food for all the hungry mouths.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: They say it is different in America. There you work
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: less and get more, and are further away from meddlesome
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: neighboring countries. Besides, I sometimes wish we had gone there
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: with my sister. She and her husband started with no
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: more than we have, and now they are rich, at
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: least they were when I last heard from them, but
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: that was a long time ago. She finished, well, said
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: Father van Hove, as he stood up and knocked the
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: ashes from his pipe. It may be that they have
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: more money and less work. But I've lived here in
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: this spot ever since I was born, and my father
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: before me. Somehow I feel I could never take root
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: in any other soil. I'm content with things as they are,
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: so am I for the matter of that, said Mother
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: van Hove cheerfully, as she put Fidel outside and shut
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: the door for the night. Then, taking the candle from
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: the chimney piece once more, she led the way to
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: the inner room, where the twins were already soundly sleeping.
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: End of chapter two. Recording by leneik Isil.
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: Chapter three of The Belgian Twins. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: information nor to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: by Phil Schinever. The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins.
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: Chapter three the Alarm. For some time, the little village
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: of Mere slept quietly in the moonlight. There was not
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: a sound to break the stillness, except once when Mother
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: van Hove's old rooster caught a glimpse of the waning
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: moon through the window of the chicken house and crowed lustily,
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: thinking it was the sun. The other roosters of the village,
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: wiser than he, made no response to his call, and
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: in a moment he too returned to his interrupted slumbers.
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: But though there was as yet no sound to tell
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: their approach, the moon looked down upon three horsemen galloping
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: over the yellow Ribbon road from Molinez toward the little village. Soon,
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: the sound of the horse's hoofs beating upon the hardened
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: earth throbbed through the village itself, and sat up on
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: the kitchen doorstep, pricked up his ears and listened. He
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: heard the hoof beats and awakened the echoes with a
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: sharp bark. Mother van Hove sat up in bed and listened.
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: Another dog barked, and another, and now she too heard
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: the hoof beats. Nearer they came, and nearer, and now
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: she could hear a voice shouting. She shook her husband.
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: Wake up, she whispered in his ear. Something is wrong.
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: Fidel barks, and I hear strange noises about. Wake up.
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: Fidel is crazy, said Father van Hove sleepily. He thinks
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: some weasel is after the chickens. Very likely Fidel will
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: attend to it. Go to sleep. He sank back again
• 18:43
  Speaker 3: upon his pillows, but his wife seized his arm and
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: pulled him up. Listen, she said, oh, listen, weasels do
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: not ride on horseback. There are hoof beats on the road.
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: Some neighbor returning lay from Molinez, said Father vanjroove yawning,
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: it does not concern us. But his wife was already
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: out of bed and at the window. The horsemen were
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: now plainly visible, riding like the wind, and as they
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: whirred by the houses, their shout thrilled through the quiet
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: streets of the village. Burghers awake, awake, awake, wide awake.
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: At last, Father von hoves sprang out of bed and
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: hastily began putting down his clothes. His wife was already
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: nearly dressed and had lighted a candle. Other lights sparkled
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: from the windows of other houses. Suddenly the bell and
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: the church steeple began to ring wildly, as though it
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: too were shaken with a sudden terror, and must be
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: a fire, said Fala von Hovey, still fastening her clothing.
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: His wife ran out of the door and looked about
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: in every direction. I see no fire, she said, But
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: the village street is full of people running to the square. Hurry, hurry,
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: We must take the children with us. They must not
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: be left here alone. She ran to wake the children
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: as she spoke, and helped by her trembling fingers, they
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: too were soon dressed, and the four ran together up
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: the road toward the village church. The bell still clanged
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: madly from the steeple, and the vibrations seemed to shake
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: the very flesh of the trembling children. As they clung
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: to their mother's hands and tried to keep up with
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: their father's rapid strides. They found all the village gathered
• 20:25
  Speaker 3: in front of a little town hall. On its steps
• 20:29
  Speaker 3: stood the Bergermeister and the village priest. And near them,
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: still sitting astride his foam flecked steed, was one of
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: the soldiers who had brought the alarm. His two companions
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: were already far beyond Mere, flying over the road to
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: arouse the villages which lay farther to the east. The
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: church bell suddenly seized its metallic clatter, and, while its
• 20:52
  Speaker 3: deep tones still throbbed through the night air, the wondering
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: and frightened people crowded about the steps in breathless smiths.
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: The Bergermeister raised his hand. Even in the moonlight, it
• 21:05
  Speaker 3: could be seen that he was pale. He spoke quickly, neighbors,
• 21:10
  Speaker 3: He said, there is bad news. The German army is
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: on our borders. It is necessary for every man of
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: military age and training to join the colors at once,
• 21:21
  Speaker 3: in case the army is needed for defense. There is
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: not a moment to lose. This messenger is from headquarters.
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: He will tell you what you are to do. The
• 21:30
  Speaker 3: soldier now spoke for the first time. Men of Belgium.
• 21:34
  Speaker 3: He cried, your services are needed for your country and
• 21:38
  Speaker 3: your king. The men of mir are to report at
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: once to the army headquarters at Melinez. Do not stop
• 21:45
  Speaker 3: even to change your clothing. We are not yet at war,
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: and our good King Albert still hopes to avert it
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: by an armed peace. But the neutrality of Belgium is
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: at stake. We must be ready to protect it at
• 21:59
  Speaker 3: any cause and at an instant's notice. Go at once
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: to the Brussels gate of Molnez. An officer will meet
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: you there and tell you what to do. I must
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: ride on to carry the alarm to Bitta. He wheeled
• 22:12
  Speaker 3: his horse as he spoke, and, turning in his saddle,
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: lifted his sword and cried, vive ble Roi, vive le roi,
• 22:21
  Speaker 3: vive bl bljique. Came in an answering shout from the
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: people of mir, and he was gone. There was a
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: moment of stunned silence as he rode away, then a
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: sound of women weeping. The Burghrimistera came down from the
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: steps of the town hall, said farewell to his wife
• 22:38
  Speaker 3: and children, and took his place at the head of
• 22:41
  Speaker 3: the little group of men, which was already beginning to
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: form in marching order. The priest moved about among his
• 22:47
  Speaker 3: people with words of comfort. Father van Hove turned to
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: his wife and said, to Jan and Marie, who were
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: clinging to her skirts, it is only a bad dream,
• 22:58
  Speaker 3: my little ones, he said, patting their heads tenderly. We
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: shall wake up some day, and you, my wife, do
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: not despair. I shall soon return. No doubt, our good
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: King will yet save us from war. You must finish
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: the harvest alone. But fallen, cried the voice of the Burgermeister,
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: and Father von Hoffe kissed his wife and children and
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: stepped forward. Mother van Hove bravely checked her rising sobs.
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: We shall go with you to Molinez at any rate,
• 23:30
  Speaker 3: she said firmly, And as the little group of men
• 23:33
  Speaker 3: started forward along the yellow road, she and many more
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: women and children of the village marched away with them.
• 23:40
  Speaker 3: In the gray twilight which preceded the coming of the dawn.
• 23:44
  Speaker 3: The priest went with his people, praying for them as
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: he walked in a voice that shook with feeling. The
• 23:50
  Speaker 3: sky was red in the east, and the larks were
• 23:52
  Speaker 3: already singing over the quiet fields. When the men of mer,
• 23:57
  Speaker 3: followed by their wives and children, presented themselves at the
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: Brussels gate of the city into chapter three, Chapter four
• 24:11
  Speaker 3: of The Belgian Twins. This is a LibriVox recording. All
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
• 24:23
  Speaker 3: Phil Shinnebet The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins, Chapter
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: four for King, for law and Liberty. At the gate,
• 24:34
  Speaker 3: they were met by an officer who at once took
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: command of the company. There was only a moment for
• 24:40
  Speaker 3: hasty goodbyes before the order to march was given, and
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: the women and the children watched the little columns strive
• 24:47
  Speaker 3: bravely away up the street toward the armory, where the
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: uniforms and arms were kept. They followed at a little
• 24:55
  Speaker 3: distance and took up their station across the street from
• 24:57
  Speaker 3: the great doors through which the men had disa appeared.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: There was little talking among them. Only the voice of
• 25:04
  Speaker 3: the priests could be heard now and then, as he
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: said a few words to one and another of the
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: waiting women. It was still so early in the morning
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: that the streets of the city were not yet filled
• 25:13
  Speaker 3: with people going to work. Only those like themselves, concerned
• 25:18
  Speaker 3: with the sad business of war were abroad. To Yan
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: and Marie, the long wait seemed endless, but at last
• 25:26
  Speaker 3: the doors of the armory sprang open. There was a
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: burst of martial music, and a band playing the national
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: hymn appeared for King, for law and liberty thrilled the bugles,
• 25:36
  Speaker 3: and amid the waving of flags and the cheers of
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: the people who had now begun to fill the streets,
• 25:43
  Speaker 3: a regiment of soldiers marched away toward the north. Yan
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: and Marie stood with their mother on the edge of
• 25:50
  Speaker 3: the sidewalk, eagerly scanning every face as the soldiers passed,
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: and at last Yan shouted, I see father, I see father.
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: Mother van hove lifted her two children high in her
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: arms for him to see, but Father van Hovey could
• 26:07
  Speaker 3: only smile a brave good bye as he marched swiftly past.
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: No DearS, my children, cried the priest. Let them see
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: no tears, Send them away with a smile, and standing
• 26:20
  Speaker 3: on the edge of the sidewalk, he made the sign
• 26:22
  Speaker 3: of the Cross and raised his hand in blessing as
• 26:25
  Speaker 3: the troops went by. For a time, Mother van hove
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: and the children ran along the sidewalk, trying to keep
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: pace with the soldiers, but their quick strides were too
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: much for the twins, and it was not long before
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: Marie said, breathlessly, my legs are too short. I can't
• 26:42
  Speaker 3: run so fast. I can't too gasped yond. Mother van
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: Hovey stopped short at once, and the three stood still,
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: hand in hand, and watched the soldiers until they turned
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: a corner and disappeared from sight through the Antwerp gate
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: of the city. They were quite alone, for the other
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: women and children had gone no farther than the armory
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: and were already on their homeward way to mir Now
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: for the first time, Mother van hovec gave way to grief,
• 27:12
  Speaker 3: and Jan and Marie wept with her, but it was
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: only for a moment. Then she wiped her eyes and
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: the twins too, on her apron and said, firmly, come,
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: my lambs. Tears will not bring him back. We must
• 27:27
  Speaker 3: go home now as fast as we can. There is
• 27:30
  Speaker 3: need there for all that we can do. You must
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: be the man of the house now, my junker, and
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: help me take your father's place on the farm. And
• 27:40
  Speaker 3: Marie must be our little house mother. We must be
• 27:43
  Speaker 3: as brave as soldiers, even though we cannot fight. I
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: think I could be braver if I had some breakfast.
• 27:51
  Speaker 3: Sobbed yankin. Mother van hove struck her hands together in dismay.
• 27:56
  Speaker 3: I never once thought of food, she cried, And I
• 27:59
  Speaker 3: have a red scent with me. We cannot buy breakfast.
• 28:03
  Speaker 3: We must just go hungry until we get home. But
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: soldiers must often go hungry. My little ones, we must
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: be as brave as they come. Now I will be
• 28:13
  Speaker 3: the captain forward march. Jan and Marie stiffened their little
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: backs as she gave the word of command and shouldered
• 28:22
  Speaker 3: the shoulder. They marched down the street toward the city gate,
• 28:25
  Speaker 3: till the marshal refrained the rois la lois la libertai,
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: which Mother van hove hummed for them under her breath.
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: It was a long way back to the little farmhouse,
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: and when at last the three weary pilgrims reached it,
• 28:39
  Speaker 3: they were met by an indignant chorus of protests from
• 28:43
  Speaker 3: all the creatures which had been left behind. Belle was
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: lowing at the pasture bars, the pig was squealing angrily
• 28:52
  Speaker 3: in her pen, The rooster had crowed himself hoarse, and
• 28:55
  Speaker 3: Fidel patient Fidel, was sitting on guard at the back door.
• 29:00
  Speaker 3: Mother van Hovey flew into the kitchen the moment she
• 29:03
  Speaker 3: reached the house, and in two minutes Jan and Marie
• 29:07
  Speaker 3: were seated before a breakfast of bread and milk. Then
• 29:10
  Speaker 3: she fed the pig, let out the hens, and gave
• 29:13
  Speaker 3: Fidel a bone which she had saved for him from
• 29:15
  Speaker 3: the soup. Last of all, she milked the cow. And
• 29:19
  Speaker 3: when this was done, and she had a cup of
• 29:21
  Speaker 3: coffee herself, the clock in the steeple struck twelve. Even
• 29:26
  Speaker 3: Mother van Hovey's strength was not equal to work in
• 29:29
  Speaker 3: the harvest field that day, but she stowed the load
• 29:33
  Speaker 3: of wheat which had been brought home the night before
• 29:35
  Speaker 3: in the barn, and after the chores were done at night,
• 29:39
  Speaker 3: she and the twins went straight to bed and slept
• 29:42
  Speaker 3: as only the very weary can, until the sun streamed
• 29:46
  Speaker 3: into their windows in the morning. End of chapter four,
• 29:55
  Speaker 3: Chapter five of The Belgian Twins. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 30:00
  Speaker 3: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 30:03
  Speaker 3: information not a volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 30:08
  Speaker 3: by Phil Schinever. The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins,
• 30:13
  Speaker 3: Chapter five, Doing a man's Work. When Jan and Marie awoke,
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: their mother's bed was empty. She's gone to milk the cow,
• 30:23
  Speaker 3: cried Marie. Come yon, We will surprise her when she
• 30:26
  Speaker 3: comes back from the pasture. We will have breakfast all ready.
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: You can, said Jan, as he struggled into his clothes
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: and twisted himself nearly in two, trying to do up
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: the buttons in the back. You can, but I must
• 30:40
  Speaker 3: do a man's work. I will go out and feed
• 30:43
  Speaker 3: the pig, and catch old Pierre and hitch him to
• 30:45
  Speaker 3: the court. He said importantly. I must finish the wheat
• 30:49
  Speaker 3: harvest to day. Oh, said Marie, you will spill the
• 30:53
  Speaker 3: pig feet all over yourself. You are such a messy boy.
• 30:57
  Speaker 3: I guess I can do it just as well as
• 31:00
  Speaker 3: you can make coffee, said Jan with spirit. You've never
• 31:03
  Speaker 3: made coffee in your life. I've watched mother do it
• 31:07
  Speaker 3: lots of times, said Marie. I'm sure I can do
• 31:10
  Speaker 3: it just the same way. All right, Let's see you
• 31:13
  Speaker 3: do it, then, said Jan, and he strode out of
• 31:16
  Speaker 3: the room with his hands in his pockets, taking as
• 31:20
  Speaker 3: long steps as his short legs would permit. When she
• 31:24
  Speaker 3: was dressed and washed, Marie ran to the pump and
• 31:27
  Speaker 3: filled the kettle. Then she stirred the embers of the
• 31:30
  Speaker 3: fire in the kitchen and put on fresh coal. She
• 31:34
  Speaker 3: set the kettle on to boil, and only slopped a
• 31:36
  Speaker 3: little water on her apron in doing so. Then she
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: put the dishes on the table. Meanwhile, she heard no
• 31:44
  Speaker 3: sound from Yan. She went to the kitchen door and
• 31:47
  Speaker 3: looked out. Yan had already let out the fowls and
• 31:51
  Speaker 3: was just in the act of feeding the pig. He
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: had climbed up on the fence around the pig pen,
• 31:57
  Speaker 3: and by dint of great effort, had succeeded in lifting
• 32:01
  Speaker 3: the heavy pail of feed to the top of it.
• 32:04
  Speaker 3: He was now trying to let it down on the
• 32:07
  Speaker 3: other side and poured the contents into the trough. But
• 32:11
  Speaker 3: the pig was greedy, and the moment the pail came
• 32:14
  Speaker 3: within reach, she stuck her nose and her fore feet
• 32:17
  Speaker 3: into it. This added weight was too much for poor Jan.
• 32:21
  Speaker 3: Down went the pail with a crash into the trough,
• 32:25
  Speaker 3: and Yan himself tumbled suddenly forward. His feet flew out
• 32:29
  Speaker 3: behind him, and he was left hanging head down like
• 32:32
  Speaker 3: a jack knife over the fence. It was just at
• 32:36
  Speaker 3: this moment that Marie came to the door, and when
• 32:39
  Speaker 3: she saw Yan balancing on the fence and kicking out
• 32:42
  Speaker 3: wildly with his feet, she screamed with laughter. Yan was
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: screaming too, but with pain and indignation. Come here and
• 32:51
  Speaker 3: pick me off this fence, he roared, It's cutting me
• 32:54
  Speaker 3: in two oh mother. Mother. Marie ran to the pig
• 32:58
  Speaker 3: pen as fast as she could. She snatched an old
• 33:02
  Speaker 3: box by the stable as she ran, and placing it
• 33:05
  Speaker 3: against the fence, seized one of Yan's feet, which were
• 33:09
  Speaker 3: still waving wildly in the air, and planted it firmly
• 33:13
  Speaker 3: on the box. Oh, laughed Marie as Jan reached the
• 33:18
  Speaker 3: ground once more. If you could only have seen yourself, Yan,
• 33:22
  Speaker 3: you would have laughed too. Instead of pouring the pig
• 33:25
  Speaker 3: feet onto yourself, you poured yourself on to the pig feed.
• 33:30
  Speaker 3: I don't see anything to laugh at, said Jan with dignity.
• 33:34
  Speaker 3: It might have happened to any man. Anyway. You'll have
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: to get the pail again, said Marie, wiping her eyes.
• 33:40
  Speaker 3: That greedy pig will bang it all to pieces if
• 33:43
  Speaker 3: you leave it in the pin. I can't reach it,
• 33:46
  Speaker 3: said Yan. Yes you can, said Marie. I'll hold your
• 33:50
  Speaker 3: legs so you won't fall in, and you can fish
• 33:53
  Speaker 3: for it with a stick. She ran for a stick
• 33:57
  Speaker 3: to poke with, while Yan bravely mounted the box again
• 34:01
  Speaker 3: and firmly anchored by Marie's grasp upon his legs, he
• 34:05
  Speaker 3: soon succeeded in rescuing the pail. Anyway, I guess I've
• 34:10
  Speaker 3: fed the pig just as well as you have made
• 34:12
  Speaker 3: the coffee, he said, as he handed it over to Marie.
• 34:15
  Speaker 3: Oh my sakes, cried Marie. I forgot all about the
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: coffee and She ran back to the kitchen to find
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: that the kettle had boiled over and put the fire out.
• 34:26
  Speaker 3: Jan stuck his head in the door just as she
• 34:29
  Speaker 3: got the bellows to start the fire again. What did
• 34:32
  Speaker 3: I tell you, he shouted, running out his tongue derisively. Scat,
• 34:36
  Speaker 3: said Marie, shaking the bellows at him, and Yan sauntered
• 34:40
  Speaker 3: away toward the pasture with Peterre's halter over his arm.
• 34:45
  Speaker 3: Pierre had been eating grass for two nights and a
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: day without doing any work, and it took Yan some
• 34:51
  Speaker 3: time to catch him and put the halter over his head.
• 34:55
  Speaker 3: When at last he returned from the pasture, red and tired,
• 34:59
  Speaker 3: but triumphant, leading Pierre. Marie and her mother had already
• 35:03
  Speaker 3: finished their breakfast. Look what a man we have, cried mother.
• 35:08
  Speaker 3: Von Hava as Yan appeared. He has caught Pierre all
• 35:11
  Speaker 3: by himself. He lifted me clear off my feet when
• 35:16
  Speaker 3: I put his halter on, said Yan proudly. But I
• 35:19
  Speaker 3: hung on and he hacked. Come, Marie cried her mother.
• 35:23
  Speaker 3: Our Yan has earned a good breakfast. Cook an egg
• 35:26
  Speaker 3: for him while I hit Pierre to the cart. Then
• 35:30
  Speaker 3: while he and I work in the field, you can
• 35:32
  Speaker 3: put the house in order. There is only one more
• 35:35
  Speaker 3: load to bring in, and we can do that by ourselves.
• 35:39
  Speaker 3: By noon the last of the wheat had been garnered,
• 35:41
  Speaker 3: and this time Yan drove Pierre home while his mother
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: sat on the load. In the afternoon, the three unloaded
• 35:49
  Speaker 3: the wagon and stowed the grain away in the barn
• 35:51
  Speaker 3: to be threshed. And when the long day's work was
• 35:55
  Speaker 3: over and they had eaten their simple supper of bread
• 35:58
  Speaker 3: and milk, Mother von Halva and the children went together
• 36:01
  Speaker 3: down the village street to see their neighbors and hear
• 36:04
  Speaker 3: the news, if there should be any. There were no
• 36:08
  Speaker 3: deally papers in Meer, and now there were no young
• 36:11
  Speaker 3: men to go to the city and bring back the
• 36:13
  Speaker 3: gossip of the day as there had used to be.
• 36:16
  Speaker 3: The women, with their babies on their arms, stood about
• 36:19
  Speaker 3: in the street, talking quietly and sadly among themselves. On
• 36:25
  Speaker 3: the doorsteps, a few old men lingered together over their pipes.
• 36:29
  Speaker 3: Already the bigger boys were playing soldier with paper caps
• 36:33
  Speaker 3: on their heads and sticks for guns. These smaller children
• 36:37
  Speaker 3: were shouting and chasing each other through the little street
• 36:40
  Speaker 3: of the village. Jan and Marie joined in a game
• 36:43
  Speaker 3: of blind Man's buff while Mother van Hova stopped with
• 36:47
  Speaker 3: the group of women. If we only knew what to expect,
• 36:51
  Speaker 3: sighed bigger Master's wife as she shifted her baby from
• 36:55
  Speaker 3: one arm to the other. It seems as if we
• 36:58
  Speaker 3: should know better what to do. In a day or two,
• 37:01
  Speaker 3: I shall send my big boy Leon to the city
• 37:03
  Speaker 3: for a paper. It's hard to wait quietly and know nothing.
• 37:08
  Speaker 3: Our good King and Queen doubtless know everything, said the
• 37:11
  Speaker 3: wife of beau Maize. They will do better for us
• 37:14
  Speaker 3: than we could do for ourselves, even if we knew
• 37:17
  Speaker 3: all that they do. And there are our brave men besides,
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: added Mother von Hava. We must not forget them. We
• 37:25
  Speaker 3: are not yet at war. I pray god we may
• 37:28
  Speaker 3: not be, and that we shall soon see them come
• 37:31
  Speaker 3: marching home again to tell us that the trouble, whatever
• 37:34
  Speaker 3: it is, is over, and that we may go on
• 37:37
  Speaker 3: living in peace as we did before. It seems like
• 37:41
  Speaker 3: a year since yesterday, said the burgermeister's wife. Work makes
• 37:46
  Speaker 3: the time pass quickly, said Mother von Hava, cheerfully. Yon
• 37:51
  Speaker 3: and I got in the last of our week to day.
• 37:53
  Speaker 3: He helped me like a man who will thresh it
• 37:56
  Speaker 3: for you? Asked the wife of the Bomaise. I will
• 38:00
  Speaker 3: threshen myself if need be, said Mother van HOVEA with spirit.
• 38:04
  Speaker 3: My good man shall not come home and find the
• 38:07
  Speaker 3: form work behind if I can help it. And with
• 38:11
  Speaker 3: these brave words, she said good night to the other women,
• 38:15
  Speaker 3: called Yan and Marie, and turned once more down the
• 38:19
  Speaker 3: street toward the little house on the edge of the village.
• 38:23
  Speaker 3: Far across the peaceful twilight fields, came the sound of
• 38:27
  Speaker 3: distant bells. Hark, said Mother van Hove to the twins,
• 38:32
  Speaker 3: the cathedral bells of Malinez, and they are playing the
• 38:36
  Speaker 3: line of Flanders. The Line of Flanders, sang the bells,
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: and standing upon the threshold of her little home, with
• 38:45
  Speaker 3: head held proudly erect, Mother van Hoove lifted her voice
• 38:49
  Speaker 3: and joined the words to the melody. They will never
• 38:53
  Speaker 3: conquer him, the old line of Flanders, so long as
• 38:57
  Speaker 3: he has claws, she sang, and the twins, looking up
• 39:01
  Speaker 3: into her brave and inspired face, saying too.
• 39:07
  Speaker 4: End of chapter five, Chapter six of the Belgian Twins.
• 39:17
  Speaker 4: This is a Liberfox according or Liberfox according are in
• 39:21
  Speaker 4: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 39:25
  Speaker 4: visit librifox dot org. Recording by Usually Formilliam. The Belgian
• 39:33
  Speaker 4: Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins, Chapter six. At the Church,
• 39:41
  Speaker 4: Several days passed quietly by in the little village of Mere.
• 39:45
  Speaker 4: The sun shone, and the wind blew, and the rains
• 39:48
  Speaker 4: fell upon the peaceful fields, just as if nothing whatever
• 39:52
  Speaker 4: had happened. Each day was filled to the brim with
• 39:56
  Speaker 4: hard work. With the help of the twins, Mother van
• 40:00
  Speaker 4: Horver kept the garden free of weeds and took care
• 40:03
  Speaker 4: of the stock. She even freshed to wheat herself with
• 40:07
  Speaker 4: her husband's flail, and stored the grain away in sects
• 40:10
  Speaker 4: ready for the mill. Each evening, when the work was done,
• 40:15
  Speaker 4: the three went down the village street together one evening,
• 40:20
  Speaker 4: just at dusk, when they found nearly the whole village
• 40:23
  Speaker 4: gathered in front of the priest's house next to the church.
• 40:27
  Speaker 4: Leon de Bergamistu's oldest boy, had been to Malinette that
• 40:32
  Speaker 4: day and had brought back a paper. The priest was
• 40:35
  Speaker 4: reading from it to the anxious group gathered about him. Oh,
• 40:40
  Speaker 4: my children, here, saying, as Mother van Hawwer and the
• 40:43
  Speaker 4: twins joined the group, there is no doubt need for courage.
• 40:49
  Speaker 4: But where as if there are Belgian lacking in that.
• 40:52
  Speaker 4: Even Julius Caesar two thousand years ago found that out
• 40:56
  Speaker 4: the bravest of all are the Belgians. He said then,
• 41:00
  Speaker 4: and it is nonetheless true to day. The Germans have
• 41:04
  Speaker 4: crossed our eastern frontier. It is reported that they are
• 41:08
  Speaker 4: already burning towns in killing the inhabitants. If they resist,
• 41:12
  Speaker 4: God knows what may before us. Our good King Albert
• 41:17
  Speaker 4: had asked Parliament to refuse the demands of the Germans
• 41:22
  Speaker 4: in spite of their solemn treaty with us. They demand
• 41:26
  Speaker 4: that we permit them to cross Belgium to attack France.
• 41:31
  Speaker 4: To this, our brave King and Parliament will never consent.
• 41:35
  Speaker 4: No true Belgium would wish them to. There is then
• 41:40
  Speaker 4: this choice either to submit absolutely to the invasion of
• 41:44
  Speaker 4: our country or to defend it. The army is already
• 41:49
  Speaker 4: in the field. There was a moment of heavy silence
• 41:54
  Speaker 4: as he finished speaking. Then the voice of the Bourghemsto's
• 41:58
  Speaker 4: wife was heard him the still.
• 42:01
  Speaker 5: Oh many a pastor.
• 42:03
  Speaker 4: She said to the priest, what shall we do? There
• 42:06
  Speaker 4: is no place to go to. We have no refuge.
• 42:11
  Speaker 4: God is our refuge and strength my children, said the priest,
• 42:15
  Speaker 4: lifting his eyes to Heaven.
• 42:17
  Speaker 5: We have no other.
• 42:19
  Speaker 4: You must stay here, and if the terrible Germans come,
• 42:22
  Speaker 4: hide yourselves away as best as you can until they
• 42:25
  Speaker 4: have passed by.
• 42:27
  Speaker 5: Do not anger them by resisting.
• 42:30
  Speaker 4: Bow your heads to the storm, and have faith in
• 42:33
  Speaker 4: God that it may soon pass over. He turned and
• 42:38
  Speaker 4: led the way toward the little church. As he spoke, come,
• 42:42
  Speaker 4: he said, let us pray before God's holy altar, and
• 42:46
  Speaker 4: if the enemy comes, seek refuge in the church itself.
• 42:50
  Speaker 4: Surely even the Germans will respect the sanctuary solemnly. The
• 42:56
  Speaker 4: people filed into the little church, lighted only by the
• 43:00
  Speaker 4: cannels on the altar, and knelt upon the hard floor.
• 43:04
  Speaker 4: The priest left them there, praying silently while he went
• 43:08
  Speaker 4: to put on the ropes of his offices. Then once
• 43:12
  Speaker 4: more he appeared before the altar and leapt the kneeling
• 43:15
  Speaker 4: congregation in the litany from war and pestilence and sudden death.
• 43:22
  Speaker 4: Good Lord deliver us, he prayed at last, and all
• 43:26
  Speaker 4: the people responded with the fervent amen. That night, when
• 43:33
  Speaker 4: she put her children to bed, mother van Horve fastened
• 43:37
  Speaker 4: a chain with the locket upon it about Marie's neck. Listen, Mammy,
• 43:43
  Speaker 4: she said, and you too, my little young. God only
• 43:46
  Speaker 4: knows what may be before us, and this locket contains
• 43:50
  Speaker 4: my picture. You must wear it always about your neck,
• 43:53
  Speaker 4: and remember that your mother's name is leon Ivan Horve,
• 43:57
  Speaker 4: and your father's name is joche Van Houve. If by
• 44:01
  Speaker 4: any chance, which God forbid, we should become separated from
• 44:06
  Speaker 4: one another, keep the locket on your neck and our
• 44:09
  Speaker 4: names in your memory until we meet again. For if
• 44:12
  Speaker 4: such a thing should happen, do not doubt that I
• 44:14
  Speaker 4: should find you, though I had to swim deceit to
• 44:17
  Speaker 4: do it. For you, my young, I have no locket,
• 44:22
  Speaker 4: but you are a man, a brave man. Now you
• 44:26
  Speaker 4: must take care of yourself and your sister too, if
• 44:29
  Speaker 4: need should arise. And above all, remember this, only the
• 44:33
  Speaker 4: brave are save. Whatever happens. You must remember that you
• 44:37
  Speaker 4: are Belgians and be brave. The children clung to her,
• 44:43
  Speaker 4: weeping as she finished. There there she said soothingly, I
• 44:49
  Speaker 4: had to tell you this so you would be ready
• 44:51
  Speaker 4: to do your best and not despair whatever might happen.
• 44:55
  Speaker 4: But be sure, my lambs, nothing shall harm you if
• 44:58
  Speaker 4: I can help it, and nothing shall separate us from
• 45:02
  Speaker 4: one another if God so wills. Now go to sleep.
• 45:08
  Speaker 4: She kissed them tenderly and quite comforted. They nestled down
• 45:12
  Speaker 4: in their beds and soon were asleep. She herself slept
• 45:16
  Speaker 4: but little that night. Long after the children were quiet,
• 45:21
  Speaker 4: she sat alone on the kitchen step in the darkness,
• 45:24
  Speaker 4: with Fidel by his side, and listened to the faint
• 45:28
  Speaker 4: sound of distant guns, and watched the red lights in
• 45:32
  Speaker 4: the sky, which told her of the burning of Louverin
• 45:38
  Speaker 4: end of chapter six.
• 45:45
  Speaker 5: Chapter seven of The Belgian Twins. This is a libery
• 45:49
  Speaker 5: Fox recording. All liberrivox recordings are in the public domain.
• 45:54
  Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit liberyfox dot org.
• 46:00
  Speaker 5: Recording by cut a click The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitzperkins,
• 46:07
  Speaker 5: Chapter seven, the tidal Wave of Germans. The next morning
• 46:13
  Speaker 5: dawned bright and clear, and Mother Vanjova and the twins
• 46:18
  Speaker 5: went about their work as usual. The sunshine was so bright,
• 46:22
  Speaker 5: and the whole countryside looked so peaceful and fair. It
• 46:26
  Speaker 5: was impossible to believe that the terrors of the night
• 46:29
  Speaker 5: could be true to day. We must begin to gather
• 46:32
  Speaker 5: the potatoes, said Mother Vanjova. After breakfast, Jun you get
• 46:37
  Speaker 5: the fork and hoe and put them in the wagon
• 46:40
  Speaker 5: while I mailed the cow, and Marie puts up some
• 46:43
  Speaker 5: bread and cheese for us to take to the field.
• 46:46
  Speaker 5: She started across the road to the posture, with Fidel
• 46:50
  Speaker 5: at her heels as she spoke. In an instant she
• 46:54
  Speaker 5: was back again, her eyes white with horror. Look look,
• 46:59
  Speaker 5: she cried. The dazed children looked toward the east as
• 47:03
  Speaker 5: she pointed. There in the distance, advancing like a great
• 47:08
  Speaker 5: tidal wave, was a long gray line of soldiers on horseback.
• 47:13
  Speaker 5: Already they could hear the sound of music and the
• 47:16
  Speaker 5: throb of drums. Already the sun glistened upon the shining
• 47:20
  Speaker 5: helmets and the cruel points of bayonets. The host stretched
• 47:24
  Speaker 5: away across the plain as far as the eye could reach,
• 47:28
  Speaker 5: and behind them the sky was thick with the smoke
• 47:31
  Speaker 5: of fires. The church, the church, cried Molo van hoova, No,
• 47:37
  Speaker 5: there is no time. Hide in here, my darlings. Quickly, quickly,
• 47:43
  Speaker 5: she tore open the door of the earth covered vegetable
• 47:46
  Speaker 5: cellar as she spoke, and thrust Jan and Marie inside.
• 47:50
  Speaker 5: Fidel bolted in after them. Do not move or make
• 47:54
  Speaker 5: a sound until all is quiet again, she cried. As
• 47:57
  Speaker 5: she closed the door. There was not room for her
• 48:01
  Speaker 5: too in the cellar, and if there had been, Mother
• 48:04
  Speaker 5: van Hove would not have taken it, for it was
• 48:07
  Speaker 5: necessary to close the door from the outside. This he
• 48:11
  Speaker 5: did hastily, throwing some straw before it. Then she rushed
• 48:15
  Speaker 5: into the house, and, snatching up her shining milk pans,
• 48:20
  Speaker 5: flung them unto the straw, as if they were placed
• 48:23
  Speaker 5: there to be sweetened by the sun. No one would
• 48:26
  Speaker 5: think to look under a pile of pants for hidden Belgians,
• 48:29
  Speaker 5: she felt sure. Nearer and nearer came the hosts, and
• 48:34
  Speaker 5: now she could hear the sound of singing as from
• 48:36
  Speaker 5: ten thousand brazen throats. Deutch landouich Lande bel Ahliz roared
• 48:45
  Speaker 5: the mighty chorus, and in another moment, the little village
• 48:49
  Speaker 5: of Mer was submerged in the terrible gray flood. At last,
• 48:54
  Speaker 5: afterward seemed to the imprisoned children like a year of
• 48:57
  Speaker 5: darkness and dread, and of strange, terrifying noise of all kinds.
• 49:01
  Speaker 5: The sound of horses hoofs and marching feet died away
• 49:05
  Speaker 5: in the distance, and Yan ventured to push open the
• 49:08
  Speaker 5: door of the cavern a crack, just intending to peep out.
• 49:13
  Speaker 5: Immediately there was a crash of falling tin ware. Jan
• 49:16
  Speaker 5: quickly drew back again into the safe darkness and waited.
• 49:21
  Speaker 5: As nothing further happened, he peeped out again, this time Fidel,
• 49:26
  Speaker 5: springing forward, flung the doors wide open, and dashed out
• 49:30
  Speaker 5: into the sunshine with a joyous bark. In a moment more,
• 49:34
  Speaker 5: Jan and Marie also crawled out of their hiding place
• 49:37
  Speaker 5: after him. For an instant as they came out into
• 49:41
  Speaker 5: the daylight, it seemed to the children as if they
• 49:44
  Speaker 5: had awakened from a dreadful dream. There stood the farmhouse
• 49:48
  Speaker 5: just as before, with the kitchen door wide open and
• 49:52
  Speaker 5: the sun streaming in upon the sanded floor. There were
• 49:56
  Speaker 5: only the marks of many feet in the soft earth
• 49:58
  Speaker 5: of the farm yard, an empty pig ben and a
• 50:02
  Speaker 5: few chicken feathers blowing about the hen house to show
• 50:05
  Speaker 5: where the invaders had been and what they had carried
• 50:08
  Speaker 5: away with them. Jan and Marie, followed by Fidel, ran
• 50:13
  Speaker 5: to the house from the front door, which opened on
• 50:17
  Speaker 5: the road. They could see the long gray line sweeping
• 50:20
  Speaker 5: across the fields toward Maline. The storm has passed, cried Marie,
• 50:25
  Speaker 5: sobbing re grief, just as Maneer pastle said it would mother, Mother,
• 50:32
  Speaker 5: Where are you? They ran from kitchen to bedroom and
• 50:35
  Speaker 5: back again, their terror increasing at every step as no
• 50:40
  Speaker 5: voice answered their call. They searched the cellar and aloft.
• 50:44
  Speaker 5: They looked in the stable and barn, and even in
• 50:47
  Speaker 5: the dog house. Their mother was nowhere to be found.
• 50:52
  Speaker 5: I know where she must be, cried Jan. At last,
• 50:55
  Speaker 5: you know, manneer Pastole said, if anything happened, we would
• 50:58
  Speaker 5: hide in the church. Led by this hope, the two
• 51:02
  Speaker 5: children sped hand in hand toward the village. Bells gone,
• 51:07
  Speaker 5: gasped Jean as they passed the pasture bars pier too,
• 51:11
  Speaker 5: sobbed Mari. Down the whole length of the deserted village street,
• 51:16
  Speaker 5: they flew, with Fidel following, clothes at their heels. When
• 51:20
  Speaker 5: they came to the little church, they burst open the
• 51:23
  Speaker 5: door and looked in. The cheerful sun streamed through the windows,
• 51:27
  Speaker 5: falling in brilliant patches of light upon the floor, but
• 51:31
  Speaker 5: the church was silent and empty. It was some time
• 51:35
  Speaker 5: before they could realize that there was not a human
• 51:37
  Speaker 5: being but themselves in the entire village. All the others
• 51:41
  Speaker 5: had been driven away like sheep before the invading army.
• 51:45
  Speaker 5: When at last, the terrible truths dawned upon them. The
• 51:48
  Speaker 5: two frightened children sat down upon the church steps in
• 51:51
  Speaker 5: the silence, and clung weeping to each other. Fidel whined
• 51:56
  Speaker 5: and licked their hands as though he too, and as
• 52:00
  Speaker 5: stood and felt their loneliness. What shall we do? What
• 52:04
  Speaker 5: shall we do? Moaned Marie. There's nobody to tell us
• 52:09
  Speaker 5: what to do, sobbed Jean. We must just do the
• 52:12
  Speaker 5: best we can by ourselves. We can't stay here alone,
• 52:17
  Speaker 5: said Marie. But where can we go, cried Jan, There's
• 52:21
  Speaker 5: no place for us to go. For a few minutes,
• 52:25
  Speaker 5: the two children wept their hearts out in utter despair.
• 52:28
  Speaker 5: But hope always comes when it's most needed. And soon
• 52:31
  Speaker 5: Marie raised her head and wiped her eyes. Don't you
• 52:35
  Speaker 5: remember what mother said when she put the locket on
• 52:38
  Speaker 5: my neck? Yon, she asked. She said that she would
• 52:42
  Speaker 5: find us even if she had to swim the sea.
• 52:45
  Speaker 5: She said, no matter what happened, we should never despair,
• 52:49
  Speaker 5: and here we are despairing as hard as ever we can.
• 52:53
  Speaker 5: Jan threw up his chin and straightened his back. Yes,
• 52:57
  Speaker 5: he said, swallowing his sobs. And she said I was
• 53:00
  Speaker 5: now a man and must take care of myself and you.
• 53:04
  Speaker 5: What shall we do, then, asked Marie. Jan thought hard
• 53:08
  Speaker 5: for a moment, then he said, eat. It must be late,
• 53:12
  Speaker 5: and we have not had a mouthful to day. Marie
• 53:16
  Speaker 5: stood up yes, said she we must eat. Let us
• 53:20
  Speaker 5: go back home. The clock in the steeple struck eleven.
• 53:24
  Speaker 5: As the two children ran once more through the deserted
• 53:27
  Speaker 5: street and began a search for food in their empty house,
• 53:31
  Speaker 5: they found that the invaders had been as thorough within
• 53:34
  Speaker 5: the house as without. Not only had they carried away
• 53:37
  Speaker 5: the grain which their mother had worked so hard to thresh,
• 53:41
  Speaker 5: but they had cleaned the cupboard as well. The hungry
• 53:44
  Speaker 5: children found nothing but a few crusts of bread, a
• 53:47
  Speaker 5: bit of cheese, and some milk in the cellar. But
• 53:50
  Speaker 5: with these and two eggs which yan knew where to
• 53:53
  Speaker 5: look for in the straw in the barn, they made
• 53:55
  Speaker 5: an excellent breakfast. They gave Fidel the last of the milk,
• 54:00
  Speaker 5: and then, much refreshed, made ready to start upon a
• 54:04
  Speaker 5: strange and lonely journey, the end of which they did
• 54:07
  Speaker 5: not know. They tied their best clothes in a bundle
• 54:10
  Speaker 5: which Jan hung upon a stick over his shoulder, and
• 54:14
  Speaker 5: were just about to leave the house when Marie cried out,
• 54:17
  Speaker 5: suppose mother would come back and find us gone. We
• 54:21
  Speaker 5: must leave word where we have gone, so she will
• 54:24
  Speaker 5: know where to look for us. Of course, Jan answered
• 54:26
  Speaker 5: capably yes, But how persisted Marie, there's no one to
• 54:31
  Speaker 5: leave word with. This was a hard puzzle, but Jan
• 54:35
  Speaker 5: soon found a way out. We must write a note
• 54:38
  Speaker 5: and pin it up where she would be sure to
• 54:41
  Speaker 5: find it, he said, the very thing, said Marie. They
• 54:46
  Speaker 5: found a bit of charcoal and a piece of wrapping paper,
• 54:49
  Speaker 5: and Jan was all ready to write when a new
• 54:51
  Speaker 5: difficulty presented itself. What shall I say? He said to Marie.
• 54:57
  Speaker 5: We don't know where we are going. We don't know
• 55:00
  Speaker 5: the way to any place, but ma'line, said Marie, So
• 55:03
  Speaker 5: we'll have to go there. I suppose how do you
• 55:06
  Speaker 5: spell ma'line, asked Jan. Charcoal in hand. Oh, you stupid boy,
• 55:13
  Speaker 5: cried Marie.
• 55:15
  Speaker 2: M A L I N E S.
• 55:18
  Speaker 5: Of course, Jan put the paper down on the kitchen
• 55:21
  Speaker 5: floor and got down before it on his hands and knees.
• 55:26
  Speaker 5: He had not yet learned to write, but he managed
• 55:28
  Speaker 5: to print upon it in great staggering letters, Dear mother,
• 55:33
  Speaker 5: we have gone to ma'line to find you. Jan and Marie.
• 55:38
  Speaker 5: This note they pinned upon the inside of the kitchen door.
• 55:41
  Speaker 5: Now we are ready to start, said Jan, and calling Fidel,
• 55:46
  Speaker 5: the two children set forth. They took a short cut
• 55:49
  Speaker 5: from the house across the pasture to the potato field.
• 55:52
  Speaker 5: Here they dug a few potatoes, which they put in
• 55:55
  Speaker 5: a bundle, and then, avoiding the road, slipped down to
• 55:59
  Speaker 5: the river, and following the stream, made their way toward Malin.
• 56:04
  Speaker 5: It was fortunate for them that, screened by the bushes
• 56:06
  Speaker 5: and trees which fringed the bank of the river, they
• 56:10
  Speaker 5: saw but little of the ruin and devastation left in
• 56:12
  Speaker 5: the wake of the German hosts. There were farmers who
• 56:16
  Speaker 5: had tried to defend their families and homes from the invaders,
• 56:20
  Speaker 5: Burning houses and barns marked the places where they had
• 56:23
  Speaker 5: lived and died. But the children, thinking only of their
• 56:27
  Speaker 5: lost mother and of keeping themselves as much out of
• 56:30
  Speaker 5: sight as possible in their search for her, were spared
• 56:33
  Speaker 5: most of these horrors. Their progress was slow, for the
• 56:37
  Speaker 5: bundle was heavy and the river path less direct than
• 56:41
  Speaker 5: the road, and it was nightfall before the two little waves,
• 56:44
  Speaker 5: which Fidel at their heels reached the well remembered Brussels Gate,
• 56:49
  Speaker 5: their hearts almost stopped beating when they found it guarded
• 56:52
  Speaker 5: by a German soldier. Who goes there, demanded the guard gruffly,
• 56:58
  Speaker 5: as he caught sight of the little figures. If you please, sir,
• 57:02
  Speaker 5: it's Jan and Marie, said Jan, shaking in his boots.
• 57:06
  Speaker 5: And Fidel too, said Marie. The soldier bent down and
• 57:10
  Speaker 5: looked closely at the two tear stained little faces. It
• 57:14
  Speaker 5: may be that some remembrance of other little faces stirred
• 57:17
  Speaker 5: within him, for he only said stiffly, boss, Jan and Marie,
• 57:22
  Speaker 5: and you too. Fidel and the two children and the
• 57:25
  Speaker 5: dog hurried through the gate and up the first street
• 57:28
  Speaker 5: they came to, their bundle, bumping along behind them. As
• 57:31
  Speaker 5: they ran. The city seemed strangely silent and deserted, except
• 57:36
  Speaker 5: for the gray clad soldiers and armed guards blocked aways
• 57:40
  Speaker 5: at intervals. Taught by fear, Jan and Marie soon learned
• 57:45
  Speaker 5: to slip quietly along under cover of the gathering darkness,
• 57:49
  Speaker 5: and to dodge into a doorway around the corner when
• 57:52
  Speaker 5: they came too near one of the stiff helmeted figures.
• 57:56
  Speaker 5: At last, after an hour of aimless wandering, they found
• 58:00
  Speaker 5: themselves in a large open square, looking up at the
• 58:03
  Speaker 5: tall cathedral spires. A German soldier came suddenly out of
• 58:08
  Speaker 5: the shadows, and frightened children, scarcely knowing what they did,
• 58:12
  Speaker 5: ran over the cathedral steps and flung themselves against the door.
• 58:17
  Speaker 5: When the soldier had passed by, they reached cautiously up,
• 58:20
  Speaker 5: and by dint of pulling with their united strength, succeeded
• 58:23
  Speaker 5: at last in getting the door open. They thrust their
• 58:27
  Speaker 5: bundle inside, pushed Fidel in after it, and then slipped
• 58:31
  Speaker 5: through themselves. The great door closed behind them on silent hinges,
• 58:36
  Speaker 5: and they were alone in the vast stillness of the cathedral.
• 58:40
  Speaker 5: Timidly they crept toward the lights of the altar, and,
• 58:44
  Speaker 5: utterly exhausted, slept that night on the floor near the
• 58:47
  Speaker 5: statue of the Madonna, with their heads pillowed on Fidel's
• 58:51
  Speaker 5: shaggy side. End of chapter seven. Recording by cut A Clique.
• 59:02
  Speaker 5: Chapter eight of the Belgian Twins. This is a librifox recording.
• 59:08
  Speaker 5: All libry Fox recordings are in the public domain. For
• 59:11
  Speaker 5: more information or to volunteer, please visit libreyfox dot org.
• 59:17
  Speaker 5: Recording by Cuth Clique The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitzperkins,
• 59:23
  Speaker 5: Chapter eight, Grannie and the Eels. When the cathedral bells
• 59:29
  Speaker 5: rang the next morning for early Mass, the children were
• 59:32
  Speaker 5: still sleeping, the sleep of utter exhaustion. It was not
• 59:36
  Speaker 5: until the bells had ceased to ring, and the door
• 59:39
  Speaker 5: opening from the sacristine near their resting place, creaked upon
• 59:43
  Speaker 5: its hinges, that even Fidel was aroused. True to his
• 59:48
  Speaker 5: watchdog instincts, he started to his feet with a low growl,
• 59:52
  Speaker 5: letting the heads of jan and Marie down upon the
• 59:55
  Speaker 5: floor with a sudden bump. For an instant the awakened
• 59:59
  Speaker 5: chill could not remember where they were or what had
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 5: happened to them. They sat up and rubbed their heads,
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 5: but the habit of fear was already so strong upon
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 5: them that they made no sound, and instantly quieted Fidel again.
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 5: The door creaked, and through it there appeared a tall
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 5: figure dressed in priestly robes. The children were so near
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 5: that had they thrust their hands through the railing of
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 5: the communion bank behind which they were concealed, they might
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 5: have touched him. As he passed before the altar of
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 5: the Virgin and presented himself in front of the high
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 5: altar to conduct the mass. His head as he passed
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 5: them was bowed. His face was pale and thin, and
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 5: marked with lines of deep sorrow. Oh, whispered Marie Toollan.
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 5: It must be the Cardinal himself, mother told me about him.
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 5: The whisper made such a loud sound in the silence
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 5: of the great cathedral isles that Jan was afraid to reply.
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 5: For answer, he only let his finger upon his lips
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 5: and crept still farther back into the shadow. Fidel seemed
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 5: to know that dogs were not allowed in church, and
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 5: that it was necessary for him to be quiet, too,
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 5: for he crawled back with the children into the sheltering darkness.
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 5: There were only a few persons in the cathedral, and
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 5: those few were near the door, so no one saw
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 5: the children as they knelt with folded hands and bowed
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 5: heads in their corner, reverently following the service as the
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 5: cardinal ate the sacred wafer and drank the communion wine
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 5: before the altar. Later, they were to know his face
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 5: as the bravest and best beloved in all Belgium, next
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 5: to those of the King and Queen themselves. When again
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 5: he passed the kneeling little figures on his return to
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 5: the sacristy, Their lonely heart so ached for care and protection,
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 5: and his face looked so kind and pitiful that they
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 5: almost dared to make their presence known and to ask
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 5: for the help they sorely needed. Marie bolder then Jan
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 5: half rose as he passed, but Jan pulled her back,
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 5: and in another instant the door had closed behind him,
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 5: and he was gone. Oh, sobbed Marie under her breath.
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 5: He looked so kind, he might have helped us. Why
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 5: did you pull me back? How could we let him
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 5: see Fidel and tell him that our dog had slept
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 5: all night before? The altar answered Jan, I shouldn't dare.
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 5: He is a great prince of the church. The sound
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 5: of scraping chairs told them that the little congregation had
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 5: risen from its knees and was passing out of the church.
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 5: They waited until every one had disappeared through the great door,
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 5: and then made a swift flight down the echoing aisle
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 5: and out into the sunlight. For a moment, they stood
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 5: in hand upon the cathedral steps, clasping their bundle and
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 5: waiting for the next turn of fortune's wheel. The bright
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 5: sunlight of the summer day shining on the open square
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 5: almost blinded them, and what they saw in the square
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 5: when their eyes had become used to it did not
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 5: comfort them. Everywhere there were German soldiers with their terrible
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 5: bayonets and pointed helmets and their terrible songs. Everywhere there
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 5: were pale and desperate Belgians fleeing before the arrogant German invader. Oh, Jan,
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 5: whispered Marie, clinging to him. There are so many people.
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 5: How shall we ever find mother? I didn't know there
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 5: were so many people in the whole world. It isn't
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 5: likely that we'll find her. But you're standing here anyway,
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 5: answered Jan. We've got to keep going till we get somewhere.
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 5: He slung the bundle on his shoulder and whistled to Fidel,
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 5: who had gone down the steps to bark at a
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 5: homeless cat. Come along, he said to Marie, and once
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 5: more the little pilgrims took up that journey. At the
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 5: first corner, they paused, not knowing whether to go to
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 5: the right or to the left, which way, said Marie.
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 5: Jan stood still and looked first in one direction and
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 5: then in the other. Here gutter snipes, What are you
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 5: standing here for make way for your betters, said a
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 5: gruff voice behind them, and turning, the children found themselves
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 5: face to face with the German officer, dressed in a
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 5: resplendent uniform and accompanied by a group of swaggering young soldiers.
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 5: Too frightened to move, the children only looked up at
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 5: him and did not stir got out of the way,
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 5: I tell you, roar the officer, turning purple with rage. Orderly,
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 5: one of the young men sprang forward. He seized Jan
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 5: by the arm and deftly kicked him into the gutter.
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 5: Another at the same moment, led his hands on Marie,
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 5: but he reckoned without Fidel faithful Fidel, who knew no
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 5: difference between German and Belgian, but knew only that no
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 5: cruel hand should touch his beloved Marie while he was
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 5: there to defend her. With a fierce growl, he sprang
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 5: at the young orderly and buried his teeth in his leg.
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 5: Howling with pain, the orderly dropped Marie, while another soldier
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 5: drew his sword with an oath and made a thrust
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 5: at Fidel. Fortunately, Fidel was too quick for him. He
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 5: let go his hold upon the leg of the orderly,
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 5: tearing a large hole in his uniform as he did so,
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 5: and flung himself directly between the legs of the other soldier,
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 5: who was lunging at him with the sword. The next instant,
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 5: the surprised German found himself sprawling upon the sidewalk and
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 5: saw Fidel, who had escaped without a scratch, dashing wildly
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 5: up the street after Jan and Marie. Beside himself. With rage,
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 5: the soldier drew a revolver and fired a shot which
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 5: barely missed Fidel and buried itself in the doorstep of
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 5: the house past which he was running. If Jan and
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 5: Marie had not turned the corner just at that moment,
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 5: and if Fidel had not followed them, there is no
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 5: telling what might have happened next. For the young soldier
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 5: was very angry. Indeed, perhaps he considered it beneath his
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 5: dignity to run after them, and perhaps he saw that
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 5: Jan and Marie could both run like the wind, and
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 5: he would not be likely to catch them if he did.
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 5: At any rate, he did not follow. He picked himself
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 5: up and dusted its clothes, using very bad language as
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 5: he did so, and followed the officer and his companions
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 5: up the street. Meanwhile, the tired children ran on and on,
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 5: fear lending speed to their weary legs. Round behind the
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 5: Great Cathedral they sped, hoping to find some way of
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 5: escape from the terrors of the town. But their way
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 5: was blocked by the smoking ruins of a section of
• 1:06:57
  Speaker 5: the city which the Germans had in the night, and
• 1:07:01
  Speaker 5: there was no way to get out in that direction.
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 5: Terrified and faint with hunger, they turned once more, and,
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 5: not knowing where they were going, stumbled at last upon
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 5: the street which led to the Antwerp Gate. I remember
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 5: this place, cried Jan, with something like joy in his voice.
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 5: Don't you remember, Marie. It's where we stood towards the soldiers,
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 5: and mother sang for us to march because we were
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 5: so tired and hungry. I'm tired and hungry now too,
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 5: said poor Marie. Let's march again, said Jan. Where to,
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 5: said Marie. That's the way father went when he marched
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 5: away with the soldiers, said Jan, pointing to the Antwerp Gate.
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 5: Anything is better than staying here. Let's go that way.
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 5: He started bravely forward once more, Marie and Fidel following,
• 1:07:54
  Speaker 5: They found themselves only two wretched atoms in one of
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 5: the saddest processions in history, for there were many other
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 5: people as unhappy as themselves who were also trying to
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 5: escape from the city. Some had lived in the section
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 5: which was now burning, Others had been turned out of
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 5: their homes by the Germans, and all were hastening along,
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 5: carrying babies in bundles and followed by groups of older children.
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 5: Jan and Marie were swept along with the hurrying crowd
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 5: through the city gate and beyond along the river road
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 5: which led to Antwerp. No one spoke to them. Doubtless,
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 5: they were supposed to belong to some of the fleeing families,
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 5: and it was at least comforting to the children to
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 5: be near people of whom they were not afraid. But
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 5: Jan and Marie could not keep pace with the swift
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 5: moving crowd of refugees. They trudged along the highway at
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 5: their best speed, only to find themselves struggling farther and
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 5: farther behind. They were half a mile or more beyond
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 5: the city gate when they overtook a queer, little old
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 5: woman who was plodding steadily along, wheeling a wheelbarrow in
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 5: front of her. She evidently did not belong among the refugees,
• 1:09:08
  Speaker 5: for she was making no effort to keep up with them.
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 5: She had bright, twinkling black eyes and snow white hair
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 5: tugged under a snow white cap. Her face was as
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 5: brown as a nut and full of wrinkles, but it
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 5: shone with such kindness and good will that when Jan
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 5: and Marie had taken one look at her, they could
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 5: not help walking along by her side. Maybe she has
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 5: seen mother, whispered Marie too. Jan, let's ask her. The
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 5: little old woman smiled down at them as they joined her.
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 5: You'll have to hurry, my DearS, or you won't keep
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 5: up with your folks, she said kindly. They aren't our folks,
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 5: said Jan. They aren't, said the little old woman, stopping short.
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 5: Then where are your folks? We haven't any, not just now,
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 5: said Jan. You see our father is a soldier, and
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 5: our mother, Oh have you seen our mother? She's lost.
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 5: The little old woman gave them a quick pitying glance.
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 5: Lost is she? She said? Well? Now, I can't just
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 5: be sure whether I've seen her or not, not knowing
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 5: what she looks like. But I wouldn't say I haven't.
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 5: Lots of folks have passed this way. How did she
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 5: get lost? She sat down on the edge of the
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 5: barrow and drew the children to her side. Come now,
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 5: she said, tell Grannie all about it. I've seen more
• 1:10:37
  Speaker 5: trouble than any one of you ever saw in all
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 5: your life before, and I'm not a mite afraid of
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 5: it either. Comforted already, the children poured forth their story.
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 5: You poor little lambs, she cried when they had finished.
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 5: And you haven't had a bite to eat since yesterday.
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 5: Mercy on us. You can never find your mother on
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 5: an empty stomach. She rose from the wheelbarrow as she spoke,
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 5: and trundled it swiftly from the road to the bank
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 5: of the river a short distance away. Here in a
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 5: sheltered nuke, hidden from the highway by a group of willows,
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 5: she stopped. We'll camp right here, and I'll get you
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 5: a dinner fit for a king or a duke at
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 5: the very least, she said, cheerily. Look what I have
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 5: in my wheelbarrow. She took a basket from the top
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 5: of it as she spoke. Fidel was already looking in,
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 5: with his steel standing straight out behind, his ears pointed forward,
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 5: and the hairs bristling on the back of his neck.
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 5: There on some clean white sand in the bottom of
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 5: the wheelbarrow wringled a fine fat eel. Now I know
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 5: why I didn't sell that eel, cried Grannie. There's always
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 5: a reason for everything, you see, my darlings. She seized
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 5: the eel with a firm, well sended hand as she spoke,
• 1:11:59
  Speaker 5: and before spell your name backwards. She had skinned and dressed,
• 1:12:03
  Speaker 5: and had given the remnants to poor hungry Fidel. Now,
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 5: my boy, she said gaily to young as she worked.
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 5: You'll get together some twigs and dead leaves, and you
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 5: big eyes, she added to Marie, find some stones by
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 5: the river, and we'll soon have such a stove as
• 1:12:21
  Speaker 5: you never saw before, and a fire in it, and
• 1:12:24
  Speaker 5: a bit of fried eel to fill your hungry stomachs
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 5: immensely cheered the children flew on these errands. Then Marie
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 5: had a bright thought. We have some potatoes in our bundle.
• 1:12:37
  Speaker 5: She said, Well, now, cried the little old woman. Wouldn't
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 5: you think they had just followed up that eel on purpose?
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 5: We'll put them to roast in the ashes. I always
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 5: carry a pen and a bit of fat and some
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 5: matches about with me when I take my eels to market,
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 5: she explained, and she whisked these things out of the basket.
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 5: And it often happens that I cook myself a bite
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 5: to eat on my way home, especially if I'm late.
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 5: You see, I live a long way from here, just
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 5: across the river from Boum, and I'm getting lazy in
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 5: my old age. Early every morning I walked to Malin
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 5: with my barrow full of fine eels, and seldom to
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 5: the people of the town. That's how I happen to
• 1:13:22
  Speaker 5: be so rich? Are you rich? Asked Marie, wonderingly. She
• 1:13:27
  Speaker 5: had brought the stones from the river, and now she
• 1:13:30
  Speaker 5: untied her bundle and took out the potatoes. Jan had
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 5: already heaped a little mound of sticks and twigs near by,
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 5: and soon the potatoes were cooking in the ashes, and
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 5: the most appetizing smell of frying eel filled the air.
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 5: Am I rich, repeated the old woman. She looked, surprised
• 1:13:49
  Speaker 5: that any one could ask such a question. Of course,
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 5: I'm rich, haven't I got two eyes in my head
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 5: and a tongue too. And it's lucky, indeed that it's
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 5: that way about. For if I had but one eye
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 5: and two tongues. You see for yourself how much less
• 1:14:08
  Speaker 5: handy that would be. And I've two legs as good
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 5: as any one's, and two hands to help myself with.
• 1:14:16
  Speaker 5: The Kaiser himself has no more legs and arms than I,
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 5: and I doubt if he can use em half as well.
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 5: Neither has he a stomach the more. And as for
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 5: his heart, she looked cautiously around as he spoke, his heart,
• 1:14:31
  Speaker 5: i'll be bound, is not half so good as mine.
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 5: If it were, he couldnt find it in it to
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 5: do all the cruel things he's doing here. I'm sure
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 5: of that. For a moment, the cheerfulness of her face
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 5: clouded over, but she saw the shadow reflected in the
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 5: faces of Jan and Marie, and at once spoke more gaily,
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 5: bless you. Yes, I'm rich, she went on, and so
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 5: are you. You've got all the things that I have,
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 5: and more too for you. Her legs and arms are young,
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 5: and you have a mother to look for. Not every
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 5: one has that. You may depend and one of these
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 5: days you'll find her, Make no doubt of that. If
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 5: we don't, she'll surely find us anyway, said Jan. She
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 5: said she would, indeed, and she will, said the old woman.
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 5: Even the Germans couldn't stop her. So what matter is
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 5: it if you both have to look a bit first,
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 5: It will only make it the better when you find
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 5: each other again. When the potatoes were done, the little
• 1:15:35
  Speaker 5: old woman raked them out of the ashes with a stick,
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 5: broke them open, sprinkled a bit of salt on them
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 5: from the wonderful basket, and then handed one to each
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 5: of the children. Wept in a plant and leave so
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 5: they should not burn their fingers. A piece of the
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 5: eel was served to them in the same way, and
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 5: Grannie beamed with satisfaction as she watched her feminist guests.
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 5: Aren't you going to eat too, asked Marie with a
• 1:16:02
  Speaker 5: mouthful bless you, yes, said Grannie. Every chance I get,
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 5: you'd just watch me. She made a great show of
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 5: taking a piece of the eel as she spoke, but
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 5: if any one had been watching carefully, they would have
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 5: her slyly put it back again into the pen, and
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 5: the children never knew that they ate her share and
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 5: their own too. When they had eaten every scrap of
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 5: the eel and Fidel had finished the bones, the little
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 5: old woman rose briskly from the bank, washed her pen
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 5: in the river, packed it in her basket again, and
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 5: led the way up the path to the highway once more.
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 5: Although they found the road still filled with the flying refugees,
• 1:16:43
  Speaker 5: the world had grown suddenly brighter to Jan and Marie.
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 5: They had found a friend and they were fed. Now
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 5: you come along home with your Grannie, said the little
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 5: old woman as they reached the Antwerp road and turned northward.
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 5: For I live in a little house by the river,
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 5: right on the way to wherever you want to go.
• 1:17:04
  Speaker 5: End of chapter eight. Recording by Kotta Click Chapter nine
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 5: of The Belgian Twins. This is a LibriVox recording. All
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 5: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 5: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 5: Kutta click The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitzperkins, Chapter nine.
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 5: Off for Antwerp. For several days, the children stayed with
• 1:17:40
  Speaker 5: the little old woman in her tiny cottage on the
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 5: edge of the river. Each morning they crossed the bridge
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 5: and stationed themselves by the Antwerp road towards the swarm
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 5: of sad faced Belgians As they hurried through Boom on
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 5: their way to the frontier. And to safety in Holland.
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 5: Each day they hoped that before the sun went down
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 5: they should see their mother among the hurrying multitudes. But
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 5: each day brought a fresh disappointment, and each night the
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 5: little old woman comforted them with fresh hopes for the morrow.
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 5: You see, my darlings, said she. It might take a
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 5: long time, and you may have to go a long
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 5: way first, but I feel in my bones that you
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 5: will find her at last, And of course if you do,
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 5: every step you take is a step toward her, no
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 5: matter how far round you go. Jan and Marie believed
• 1:18:35
  Speaker 5: every word that Grannie said. How could they help it
• 1:18:38
  Speaker 5: when she had been so good for them, Her courage
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 5: and faith seemed to make an isle of safety around her,
• 1:18:45
  Speaker 5: where the children rested in perfect trust. They saw that
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 5: neither guns, nor Germans, nor any other terror could frighten Grannie.
• 1:18:54
  Speaker 5: In the midst of a thousand alarms, she calmly went
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 5: her accustomed way, and every one who met her was
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 5: the better for a glimpse of the brave little brown
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 5: face under its snowy cap. Early each morning she rose
• 1:19:07
  Speaker 5: with the logs, covered the bottom of a barrow with
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 5: clean white sand, and placed in it. The live eels
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 5: which had been caught for her and brought to the
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 5: door by small boys who lived in the neighborhood. Then,
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 5: when she had wakened the twins and the three had
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 5: had their breakfast together, away she would trudge over the
• 1:19:27
  Speaker 5: long dusty roads to Moline, wheeling the barrow with its
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 5: squirming freight in front of her. Jan and Marie helped
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 5: her all they could. They washed the dishes and swept
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 5: the floor of the tiny cottage and made everything tidy
• 1:19:41
  Speaker 5: and clean before they went to take up their stand
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 5: beside the Antwerp road. When the shadows grew long in
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 5: the afternoon, how glad they were to see the sturdy
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 5: little figure come trudging home again. Then they would run
• 1:19:55
  Speaker 5: to meet her, and Jan would take the wheelbarrow from
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 5: her tired hands and wheel it for her over the
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 5: bridge to the little cottage under the willow trees on
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 5: the other side of the river. Then Marie's work was
• 1:20:07
  Speaker 5: to clean the barrow, while Jon pulled weeds in the
• 1:20:10
  Speaker 5: tiny garden back of the house, and Grannie got supper ready.
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 5: Supper time was the best of all, for every pleasant
• 1:20:17
  Speaker 5: evening they ate at a little table out of doors
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 5: under the willow trees. On every evening, when supper had
• 1:20:24
  Speaker 5: been cleared away, they sat there together with Fidel beside them,
• 1:20:28
  Speaker 5: while Grannie told a wonderful tale about the King of
• 1:20:31
  Speaker 5: the eels who lived in a crystal palace at the
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 5: bottom of the river. You can't quite see the palace,
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 5: she said, because when you look right down into it,
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 5: the water seems muddy. But sometimes when it is still,
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 5: you can see the upside down country where the King
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 5: of the eels lives. There, the trees all grow with
• 1:20:52
  Speaker 5: their heads down, and the sky is way away below
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 5: the trees. You see, the sky might as well be
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 5: down as up. For the e they aren't like us,
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 5: just obliged to crawl around on the floor, even without
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 5: being able to go up or down at all. The
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 5: upper above sky belongs to the birds, and the down
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 5: below skies belongs to the fishes and eels. And I
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 5: am not sure, but one is just as nice as
• 1:21:19
  Speaker 5: the other. Marie Agnjan went to the river, and, getting
• 1:21:23
  Speaker 5: down on their hands and knees, looked into the water.
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 5: We can't see a thing, they cried to Grannie. You
• 1:21:30
  Speaker 5: aren't looking the right way, she answered, Look across it,
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 5: toward the sunset. Oh oh, cried Marie, clasping her hands.
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: I see it.
• 1:21:41
  Speaker 5: I see the down below sky, and it is all
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 5: red and gold. I told you so, replied Grannie triumphantly.
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 5: Lots of folks can't see a thing in the river
• 1:21:52
  Speaker 5: but the mud, when if you look at it the
• 1:21:54
  Speaker 5: right way, there is a whole lovely world in it. Now,
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 5: the palace of the King of the ears is right
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 5: over in that direction where the color is the reddest
• 1:22:04
  Speaker 5: He is very fond of red, is the King of
• 1:22:07
  Speaker 5: the eels. His throne is all made of rubies, and
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 5: he makes the queen tie red bows over the tails
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 5: of all the little eels. Jan and Marie were still
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 5: looking with all their eyes across the still water toward
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 5: the sunset, and trying to see the crystal palace of
• 1:22:24
  Speaker 5: the eels, when suddenly, from behind them there came aloud,
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 5: he are, he are? They jumped, and Grannie jumped too,
• 1:22:33
  Speaker 5: as they all looked around to see where the sound
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 5: came from. There, coming slowly toward them along the tow
• 1:22:40
  Speaker 5: path of the river bank was an old brown mule.
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 5: She was pulling a low green river boat by a
• 1:22:46
  Speaker 5: tow line, and a small boy not much bigger than
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 5: young was driving her. On the deck of the boat,
• 1:22:53
  Speaker 5: there was a little cabin with white curtains in the
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 5: tiny windows, and two red geraniums in pots standing on
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 5: the sills from a clothes line hitched to the rigging
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 5: that flooded a row of little shirts and seated on
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 5: a box. Near By, there was a fat, friendly looking
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 5: woman with two small children playing by her side. The
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 5: father of the family was busy with the tiller. There
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 5: comes to the Smets, as sure as you live, cried Grannie,
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 5: rising from the wheelbarrow which she had been sitting. I
• 1:23:27
  Speaker 5: certainly am glad to see them, and she started at
• 1:23:30
  Speaker 5: once down the river to meet the boat, with Jan
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 5: and Marie and Fidel all following ship. Ahoy, she cried gaily.
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 5: As the boat drew near, the boy who was driving
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 5: the mule grinned shyly. The woman on deck lifted her
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 5: eyes from her sewing, smiled and waved her hand at Grannie,
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 5: while the two little children ran to the edge of
• 1:23:52
  Speaker 5: the boat and held out their arms to her. Here
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 5: we are again, war or no war, cried mother de Smet,
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 5: as the boat came alongside. Father de Smet left the
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 5: tiller and threw a rope ashore. Whah, cried the boy
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 5: driving the mule. The mule stopped with the greatest willingness.
• 1:24:12
  Speaker 5: The boy caught the rope and lifted the great loop
• 1:24:15
  Speaker 5: over a strong post on a river bank, and the
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 5: old woman, for that was the name of the boat,
• 1:24:21
  Speaker 5: was in port. Soon a gangplank was slipped from the
• 1:24:25
  Speaker 5: boat to the little wooden steps on the bank, and
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 5: Mother de Smet, with a quirming baby under each arm,
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 5: came ashore, I do like to get out on dry
• 1:24:34
  Speaker 5: land and shake my legs a bit now. And then
• 1:24:38
  Speaker 5: she said cheerfully as she greeted Grannie on the boat.
• 1:24:41
  Speaker 5: I just sit still and drow fat. I shake my
• 1:24:44
  Speaker 5: legs for a matter of ten miles every day, laughed Grannie.
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 5: That's how I keep my figure. Mother de Smet set
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 5: the babies down on the grass, where they immediately began
• 1:24:55
  Speaker 5: to tumble about like a pair of puppies, and she
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 5: and Grannie talked together while the twins went to watch
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 5: the work of Father de Smet and the boy, whose
• 1:25:04
  Speaker 5: name was Joseph. I don't know whatever the country is
• 1:25:08
  Speaker 5: coming to, said Mother de Smet to Grannie. The Germans
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 5: are everywhere, and They are taking everything that they can
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 5: lay their hands on. I doubt if we ever get
• 1:25:18
  Speaker 5: our cargo safe to Antwerp this time. We've come for
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 5: a load of potatoes, but I'm very much afraid it's
• 1:25:25
  Speaker 5: going to be our last trip for some time. The
• 1:25:28
  Speaker 5: country looks quiet enough as you see it from the boat,
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 5: but the things that are happening in it would chill
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 5: your blood, yes, sighed Grannie. If I would let it,
• 1:25:38
  Speaker 5: my old heart would break over the size that I
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 5: see every day on my way to Maline. But a
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 5: broken heart won't get you anywhere. Maybe a stout heart will.
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 5: Who are the children you have with you, asked Mother
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 5: de Smet. Then Grannie told her how she had found
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 5: jan and Marie and all the rest of the sad story.
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 5: Mother de Smet wiped her eyes and blew her nose
• 1:26:02
  Speaker 5: very hard as she listened. I wouldn't let them wait
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 5: any longer by the Antwerp road anyway, she said, when
• 1:26:09
  Speaker 5: Grannie had finished. There's no use in the world in
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 5: looking for their mother to come that way. She was
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 5: probably driven over the border long ago. You'd just leave
• 1:26:18
  Speaker 5: them with me to morrow while you go to town.
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 5: Twill cheer them up a bit to play with Joseph
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 5: and the babies. Well, now, said Grannie, if that isn't
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 5: just like your good heart, And that is how it
• 1:26:32
  Speaker 5: happened that when she trudged off with her bearer the
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 5: next morning, the twins ran down to the boat and
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 5: spend the day rolling on the grass with the babies
• 1:26:40
  Speaker 5: and helping Father De Smet and Joseph to load the
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 5: boats with bags of potatoes which had been brought to
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 5: the dock in the night by neighboring farmers. When Grannie
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 5: came trundling her barrow home in the late afternoon, she
• 1:26:54
  Speaker 5: found the children and her new friends already on the
• 1:26:56
  Speaker 5: best of terms, and that night, after the twins were
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 5: in bed, she went aboard the old woman and talked
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 5: for a long time with father and mother de Smet.
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 5: No one will ever know just what they said to
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 5: each other, but it must be that they talked about
• 1:27:11
  Speaker 5: the twins, for when the children awoke the next morning,
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 5: they found Grannie standing beside their bed with their clothes
• 1:27:18
  Speaker 5: all nicely washed and ironed in her hands. I'm not
• 1:27:22
  Speaker 5: going to town this morning with my eels, she said,
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 5: as she popped them out of bed. I'm going to
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 5: stay at home and see you off on your journey.
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 5: She did not tell them that things had grown so terrible, Emmeline,
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 5: that even she felt it wise to stay away. Our journey,
• 1:27:39
  Speaker 5: cried the twins in astonishment. What journey to Antwerp, cried Grannie.
• 1:27:45
  Speaker 5: Now you never thought a chance like that would come
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 5: to you, I'm sure, But some people are born lucky.
• 1:27:51
  Speaker 5: You see that De Smets start back to day and
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 5: they are willing to take you along with them. But
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 5: we don't want to leave you, dear, dear Grannie, cried
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 5: the twins, throwing their arms about her neck. And I
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 5: don't want you to go either, my lambs, said Grannie.
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 5: But you see, there are lots of things to think
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 5: of in the first place. Of course, you want to
• 1:28:15
  Speaker 5: go on hunting for your mother. It may be she
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 5: has gone over the border. For the Germans are already
• 1:28:20
  Speaker 5: in trenches near Antwerp, and our army is nearer still
• 1:28:24
  Speaker 5: to Antwerp, and in trenches too there they stay. Father
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 5: de Smet says for all the world like two tigers
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 5: lying ready to spring at each other's throats. He says,
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 5: Antwerp is so strongly fortified that the Germans can never
• 1:28:39
  Speaker 5: take it, and so it is a better place to
• 1:28:42
  Speaker 5: be in than here. That de Smets will see that
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 5: you are left in safe hands, and I am sure
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 5: your mother would want you to go. The children considered
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 5: this for a moment in silence. At last, Jan said,
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 5: do you think father de Smet would help me drive
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 5: the mule? I have the doubt of it, said Grannie.
• 1:29:02
  Speaker 5: But what about Fidel, our dear Fidel, cried Marie. I
• 1:29:06
  Speaker 5: tell you what I'll do, said Grannie. I'll take care
• 1:29:09
  Speaker 5: of Fidel for you. You shall leave him here with
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 5: me until you come back again. You see, I really
• 1:29:16
  Speaker 5: need good company, and since I can't have you, I
• 1:29:20
  Speaker 5: know you would be glad to have Fidel stay here
• 1:29:22
  Speaker 5: to protect me. Then you'll always know just where he is.
• 1:29:28
  Speaker 5: She hurried the children into their clothes as she talked,
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 5: gave them a good breakfast, and before they had time
• 1:29:34
  Speaker 5: to think much about what was happening to them, they
• 1:29:37
  Speaker 5: had said good bye to Fidel, who had to be
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 5: shot in the cottage to keep him from following the boat,
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 5: and were safely aboard the old Woman and slowly moving
• 1:29:47
  Speaker 5: away down the river. They stood in the stern of
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 5: the boat, listening to Fidel's wild barbes and waving their
• 1:29:54
  Speaker 5: hands until Grannie's kind face was a mere roundspeck in
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 5: the distance and of chapter nine. Recording by Cotta click
• 1:30:10
  Speaker 5: Chapter ten of The Belgian Twins. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 5: All libryvox recordings are in a public domain. For more
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 5: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 1:30:24
  Speaker 5: by Kottaklik The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitzperkins, Chapter ten.
• 1:30:31
  Speaker 5: On the tow path, when they could no longer see
• 1:30:34
  Speaker 5: Granny nor hear Fidel, the children sat down on a
• 1:30:38
  Speaker 5: coil of rope behind the cabin and felt very miserable. Indeed,
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 5: Marie was just turning up the corner of her apron
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 5: to wipe her eyes, and Jan was looking at nothing
• 1:30:49
  Speaker 5: at all and winking very hard. When good mother de
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 5: Smet came by with the baby waddling along on each
• 1:30:55
  Speaker 5: side of her, she gave the two dismal little faces
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 5: a quick glows and then said, kindly, Jan, you run
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 5: and see if you can't help father with a tiller.
• 1:31:07
  Speaker 5: And Marie, would you mind playing with the babies while
• 1:31:10
  Speaker 5: I put on the soup kettle and fix the greens
• 1:31:12
  Speaker 5: for dinner. They are beginning to climb everywhere now, and
• 1:31:16
  Speaker 5: I'm afraid they will fall overboard if somebody doesn't watch
• 1:31:19
  Speaker 5: them every minute. Jan clattered at once across the deck
• 1:31:23
  Speaker 5: to Father de Smet, and Marie gladly followed his wife
• 1:31:27
  Speaker 5: to the open space in front of the cabin, where
• 1:31:29
  Speaker 5: the babies had room to roll. About half an hour later,
• 1:31:33
  Speaker 5: when Mother de Smet went back to get some potatoes
• 1:31:36
  Speaker 5: for the soup, she found Jan proudly steering the boat
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 5: by himself. Oh my soul, she cried in astonishment. What
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 5: a clever boy you must be to learn so quickly
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 5: to handle the tiller. Where is Father de Smet? Here?
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 5: Boomed a loud voice behind her, and Father de Smet's
• 1:31:55
  Speaker 5: head appeared above a barrel on the other side of
• 1:31:58
  Speaker 5: the deck. I'm trying to make the old woman look
• 1:32:01
  Speaker 5: as if she has no cargo board. If the Germans
• 1:32:04
  Speaker 5: see these potatoes, they'll never let us get them to Antwerp,
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 5: he shouted. Sh you mustn't talk so loud, whispered Mother
• 1:32:13
  Speaker 5: de Smet. You roar like a foghorn on the dark night.
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 5: The Germans won't have any trouble in finding out about
• 1:32:19
  Speaker 5: the potatoes, if you shout the news all over the landscape.
• 1:32:24
  Speaker 5: Father de Smet looked out over the quiet Belgian fields.
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 5: There's nobody about it I can see, he said, but
• 1:32:31
  Speaker 5: I'll roar more gently next time. There was a bend
• 1:32:35
  Speaker 5: in the river just at this point, and Jan, looking
• 1:32:38
  Speaker 5: fearfully about to see if he could see any Germans,
• 1:32:41
  Speaker 5: for an instant, forgot all about the tiller. There was
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 5: a jerk on the tow rope and a bump as
• 1:32:46
  Speaker 5: the nose of the old woman ran into the river bank. Netteke.
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 5: The mule came to a sudden stop, and Mother de
• 1:32:54
  Speaker 5: Smet sat down equally suddenly on a coil of rope.
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 5: Her potatoes spilled over the deck, while a wail from
• 1:33:00
  Speaker 5: the front of the boat announced that one of the
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 5: babies had bumped too. Mother de Smet picked herself up
• 1:33:06
  Speaker 5: and ran to see what was the matter with the baby,
• 1:33:09
  Speaker 5: while Father de Smet seized a long pole and hurried forward.
• 1:33:13
  Speaker 5: Joseph left the mule to browse upon the grass beside
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 5: the tow path and ran back to the boat. His
• 1:33:19
  Speaker 5: father threw him a pole which was kept for such emergencies,
• 1:33:23
  Speaker 5: and they both pushed Joseph pushed on the boat and
• 1:33:27
  Speaker 5: his father pushed against the river bank. Meanwhile, poor Yan
• 1:33:31
  Speaker 5: stood wretchedly by the tiller, knowing that his carelessness had
• 1:33:34
  Speaker 5: caused the trouble, yet not knowing what to do to help.
• 1:33:38
  Speaker 5: Never mind, Son said Mother de Smet kindly when she
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 5: came back for her potatoes and saw his downcast face.
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 5: It isn't the first time the old woman has stuck
• 1:33:48
  Speaker 5: her nose in the mud, and with all the people
• 1:33:50
  Speaker 5: they knew at the tiller too, we'll soon have her
• 1:33:53
  Speaker 5: off again, and no harm done. The boat gave a
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 5: little lurch toward the middle of the stream. Look alive there, mate,
• 1:34:01
  Speaker 5: sang out. Father de Smet hard a port with the
• 1:34:05
  Speaker 5: tiller head her out into the stream. Joseph flung his
• 1:34:09
  Speaker 5: poll to his father and rushed back to Netteke pulled
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 5: her patient nose out of a delicious bunch of thistles
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 5: and started her up the tow path. Jan sprang to
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 5: the tiller, and soon the old woman was once more
• 1:34:22
  Speaker 5: gliding smoothly over the quiet water toward Antwerp. When Father
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 5: de Smet came back to the stern of the boat,
• 1:34:29
  Speaker 5: Jan expected a scolding, but perhaps it seemed to the
• 1:34:32
  Speaker 5: good natured skipper that Jan had troubles enough already, for
• 1:34:36
  Speaker 5: he only said mildly, stick to your job, son, whatever
• 1:34:40
  Speaker 5: it is, and went on covering his potatoes with empty
• 1:34:43
  Speaker 5: boxes and pieces of sail cloth. Jan paid such strict
• 1:34:47
  Speaker 5: attention to the tiller after that that he did not
• 1:34:50
  Speaker 5: even forget when Father de Smet pointed out a burning
• 1:34:53
  Speaker 5: farmhouse a mile or so from the river and said, grimly,
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 5: the Germans arm using themselves again. For the most part, however,
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 5: the countryside seemed so quiet and peaceful that it was
• 1:35:06
  Speaker 5: hard to believe that such dreadful things were going on
• 1:35:09
  Speaker 5: all about them. While Father de Smet's eyes, under their
• 1:35:12
  Speaker 5: bushy brows, kept close watch in every direction, he said
• 1:35:16
  Speaker 5: little about his fears and went on his way, exactly
• 1:35:20
  Speaker 5: as he had done before the invasion. It was quite
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 5: early in the morning when they left Boom, and by
• 1:35:26
  Speaker 5: ten o'clock Joseph was tired of trudging along beside Netteke.
• 1:35:30
  Speaker 5: He healed his father, May I come aboard now, he shouted.
• 1:35:35
  Speaker 5: Father de Smet looked at Jan. Would you like to
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 5: drive the mule? Well? He asked, Oh, wouldn't I cried Jan,
• 1:35:44
  Speaker 5: Have you ever driven a mule before. Father de Smet
• 1:35:47
  Speaker 5: asked again, Not a mule exactly, Jan replied, But I
• 1:35:52
  Speaker 5: drove old peer up from the field with a load
• 1:35:54
  Speaker 5: of wheat, all by myself. Mother sat on the load.
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 5: Come along, guarded Father de Smet to Joseph, and in
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 5: a moment the gangplank was out and Yon and Joseph
• 1:36:05
  Speaker 5: had changed places. May I go too, asked Marie timidly
• 1:36:09
  Speaker 5: of Father de Smet, as he was about to draw
• 1:36:12
  Speaker 5: in the plank. The babies are bout to sleep, and
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 5: I have nothing to do. Father de Smet took a
• 1:36:18
  Speaker 5: careful look in every direction. It was level, open country
• 1:36:22
  Speaker 5: all about them, dotted here and there with farmhouses, and
• 1:36:26
  Speaker 5: in the distance the spire of a village church rose
• 1:36:29
  Speaker 5: above the clustering houses and pointed to the sky. Yes, yes, child,
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 5: go ahead, said Father de Smet. Only don't get too
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 5: near Netteke's hind legs. She doesn't know you very well,
• 1:36:41
  Speaker 5: and sometimes she forgets her manners. Marie skipped over the
• 1:36:45
  Speaker 5: gangplank and ran along the towpath, too Young, who already
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 5: had taken up Netteke's reins and was waiting for the
• 1:36:51
  Speaker 5: signal to start. Joseph took his place at the tiller,
• 1:36:55
  Speaker 5: and again the old woman moved slowly down the stream.
• 1:36:59
  Speaker 5: For some time, Jan and Marie plodded along with netteke.
• 1:37:03
  Speaker 5: At first they thought it good fun. But by and by,
• 1:37:06
  Speaker 5: as the sun grew hot, driving a mule on a
• 1:37:09
  Speaker 5: tow path did not seem quite so pleasant a task
• 1:37:12
  Speaker 5: as they had thought it would be. I'm tired of this,
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 5: said Jan at last to Marie. That mule is so
• 1:37:19
  Speaker 5: slow that I have to sight her by something to
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 5: be sure that she's moving at all. I've been measuring
• 1:37:25
  Speaker 5: by that farmhouse across the river for a long time,
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 5: and she hasn't crawled up to it yet. I shouldn't
• 1:37:31
  Speaker 5: wonder if she'd go to sleep some day and fall
• 1:37:34
  Speaker 5: into the river and never wake up. Why, I am
• 1:37:37
  Speaker 5: almost asleep myself. She'll wake up fast enough when it's
• 1:37:41
  Speaker 5: time to eat, and so will you, said Marie with
• 1:37:44
  Speaker 5: profound wisdom. Let's see if we can't make her go
• 1:37:48
  Speaker 5: a little faster anyway, said Jan, ignoring Marie's remark. I
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 5: know what I'll do, he went on, chuckling. I'll get
• 1:37:56
  Speaker 5: some burrs and stick em in her tail, and then
• 1:37:59
  Speaker 5: every time she slaps the flies off she'll make herself
• 1:38:02
  Speaker 5: go faster. Marie seized Jan's arm. You'll do nothing of
• 1:38:07
  Speaker 5: the kind, she cried. Father de Smet told me especially
• 1:38:10
  Speaker 5: to keep away from Netteke's hind legs. Pooh, said John.
• 1:38:15
  Speaker 5: He didn't tell me that I'm not afraid of any
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 5: mule alive. I guess if I can harness a horse
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 5: and drive home a load of grain from the field,
• 1:38:24
  Speaker 5: there isn't much I can't do with a mule. To
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 5: prove his words, he shouted u u at Netteke and
• 1:38:32
  Speaker 5: slapped her flank with a long branch of willow. Now
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 5: Netteke was a proud mule, and she wasn't used to
• 1:38:38
  Speaker 5: being slapped. Father de Smet knew her ways, and knew
• 1:38:42
  Speaker 5: also that her steady, even slow pace was better in
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 5: the long run than to attempt to force a livelier gait,
• 1:38:49
  Speaker 5: and Netteke was well aware of what was expected of her.
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 5: She resented being interfered with. Instead of going forward at
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 5: greater speed, she put her four feet together, led back
• 1:39:01
  Speaker 5: her ears, gave a loud ah, and stopped. Stuck. Still you, you,
• 1:39:07
  Speaker 5: shouted Jan in vain. Netteke would not move. Marie held
• 1:39:13
  Speaker 5: a handful of fresh grass just out of reach of
• 1:39:15
  Speaker 5: her mouth. But Netteke was really offended. She made no
• 1:39:19
  Speaker 5: effort to get it. She simply stayed where she was.
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 5: Father de Smet stuck his head over the side of
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 5: the boat. What is the matter, he shouted. Oh dear,
• 1:39:31
  Speaker 5: said jan to Marie. I hoped he wouldn't notice that
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 5: the boat wasn't moving. Netteke has stopped. She won't go
• 1:39:38
  Speaker 5: at all. I think she's run down, Marie called back.
• 1:39:42
  Speaker 5: Try coaxing her, cried the skipper. Give her something to eat,
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 5: hold it in front of her nose, I have answered, Marie,
• 1:39:52
  Speaker 5: but she won't even look at it. Then it's no use,
• 1:39:56
  Speaker 5: said Father de Smet mournfully. She's balked and there is
• 1:40:00
  Speaker 5: all there is to it. We'll just have to wait
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 5: until she is ready to go again, when she has
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 5: made up her mind. She is as difficult to persuade
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 5: as a setting hen. Mother de Smet's head appeared beside
• 1:40:13
  Speaker 5: her husband's over the boat rail. Oh dear, said she.
• 1:40:17
  Speaker 5: I hoped we should get to the other side of
• 1:40:19
  Speaker 5: the line before dark. But if Netteke's set, she's set,
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 5: and we must just make the best of it. It's
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 5: lucky it's dinner time. We'll eat and maybe by the
• 1:40:29
  Speaker 5: time we are through she'll be willing to start. Father
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 5: de Smet tossed the bucket on to the grass. Give
• 1:40:36
  Speaker 5: her a good drink, he said, and come aboard yourselves.
• 1:40:40
  Speaker 5: Jan filled the bucket from the river and set it
• 1:40:43
  Speaker 5: down before Netteke. But she was in no mood for blandishments.
• 1:40:48
  Speaker 5: She kept her ears back and would not touch the water.
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 5: All right, then, cross Patch, said John, leaving the pail
• 1:40:55
  Speaker 5: in front of her. He went back to the boat.
• 1:40:58
  Speaker 5: The gangplank was put up, and he and Marie went
• 1:41:01
  Speaker 5: on board. They found dinner ready in the tiny cabin,
• 1:41:05
  Speaker 5: and because it was so small and stuffy, and there
• 1:41:07
  Speaker 5: were too many of them anyway to get into it comfortably,
• 1:41:11
  Speaker 5: they eats took a bowl of soup as Mother de
• 1:41:13
  Speaker 5: Smet handed it to them, and sat down on the
• 1:41:16
  Speaker 5: deck in front of the cabin to eat it. It
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 5: was not until the middle of the afternoon that Netteke
• 1:41:22
  Speaker 5: forgot her injuries, consented to eat and drink, and indicated
• 1:41:26
  Speaker 5: her willingness to move on toward Antwerp. End of chapter ten.
• 1:41:32
  Speaker 5: Recording by Cutta Clique. Chapter eleven of the Belgian Twins.
• 1:41:42
  Speaker 5: This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:41:46
  Speaker 5: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 5: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Cotta Clique. The Belgian
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 5: Twins by Doucy Fitzperkins eleven the attack, Joseph and his
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 5: father were both on the tow path when at last
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 5: Netteke decided to move. As she set her ears forward
• 1:42:10
  Speaker 5: and took the first step, father de smet heaved a
• 1:42:13
  Speaker 5: sigh of relief. Now why couldn't you have done that
• 1:42:17
  Speaker 5: long ago? Your adel paid it? Old fool, he said
• 1:42:20
  Speaker 5: mildly to Netteke, you have made no end of trouble
• 1:42:24
  Speaker 5: for us and gained nothing for yourself. Now I'm afraid
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 5: we sha'n't get beyond the German lines before dark. We
• 1:42:31
  Speaker 5: may even have to spend the night in dangerous territory,
• 1:42:35
  Speaker 5: and all because you're just as moolish as as a mule,
• 1:42:39
  Speaker 5: he finished helplessly. Joseph laughed. Can't you think of anything
• 1:42:44
  Speaker 5: mulisher than a mule? He said? There isn't a thing,
• 1:42:48
  Speaker 5: answered his father. Well, answered Joseph, there are a whole
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 5: lot of other things beside bulky mules in this world
• 1:42:57
  Speaker 5: that I wish had never been made there are spiders
• 1:43:01
  Speaker 5: and rats and Germans. They are all pests. I don't
• 1:43:05
  Speaker 5: see why they were ever born. Father de Smet became
• 1:43:08
  Speaker 5: serious at once, Son. He said, sternly, don't ever let
• 1:43:13
  Speaker 5: me hear you say such a thing again. There are
• 1:43:16
  Speaker 5: spiders and rats and balky mules and Germans. And it
• 1:43:20
  Speaker 5: doesn't do a bit of good to waste words fussing
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 5: because they are here. The thing to do is to
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 5: deal with them. Father de Smet was so much in
• 1:43:29
  Speaker 5: earnest that he boomed these words out in quite a
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 5: loud voice. Joseph seized his hand sh he whispered. Father
• 1:43:38
  Speaker 5: de Smet looked up. There standing right in front of
• 1:43:41
  Speaker 5: them in the tow path was a German soldier. Halt
• 1:43:45
  Speaker 5: shouted the soldier, but Netteke was now just as much
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 5: bent upon going as she had been before upon standing still.
• 1:43:53
  Speaker 5: She paid no attention whatever to the command, but walked
• 1:43:57
  Speaker 5: stolidly along the tow path, directly toward the soldier. Halt
• 1:44:01
  Speaker 5: cried the soldier again, but Netteke had had no military training,
• 1:44:06
  Speaker 5: and she simply kept on. In one more step, she
• 1:44:10
  Speaker 5: would have come down upon the soldier's toes if he
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 5: had not moved aside just in time. He was very angry.
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 5: Why didn't you stop your miserable old mule when I
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 5: told you to, he said to Father de Smet. It's
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 5: a baulky mule, replied Father de Smet, mildly and very obstinate. Indeed,
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 5: sneered the soldier. Then I suppose you have named him Albert,
• 1:44:35
  Speaker 5: after your pig headed king. No, answered Father de Smet.
• 1:44:40
  Speaker 5: I think too much of my king to name my
• 1:44:42
  Speaker 5: mule after him. Oh ho, said the German. Then perhaps
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 5: you have named him for the Kaiser. Netteke had marched
• 1:44:50
  Speaker 5: steadily along during this conversation, and they were now past
• 1:44:53
  Speaker 5: the soldier.
• 1:44:55
  Speaker 1: No.
• 1:44:55
  Speaker 5: Father de Smet called back, I didn't name her after
• 1:44:58
  Speaker 5: the Kaiser. I think too much of my mule. The
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 5: soldiers shook his fist after them. I'll make you pay
• 1:45:05
  Speaker 5: well for your impudence, he shouted, You and I will
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 5: meet again, very likely, muttered Father de Smet under his breath.
• 1:45:14
  Speaker 5: He was now more than ever anxious to get beyond
• 1:45:16
  Speaker 5: the German lines before dark. But as the afternoon passed
• 1:45:20
  Speaker 5: it became certain that they would not be able to
• 1:45:22
  Speaker 5: do it. The shadows grew longer and longer, and Netteke
• 1:45:26
  Speaker 5: plodded slowly along, and at last Mother de Smet called
• 1:45:29
  Speaker 5: to her husband over the boatside. I think we shall
• 1:45:33
  Speaker 5: have to stop soon and feed the mule, or she
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 5: will be too tired to get us across the line
• 1:45:38
  Speaker 5: at all. I believe we should save time by stopping
• 1:45:41
  Speaker 5: for supper. Besides, I want to send over there. She
• 1:45:45
  Speaker 5: pointed to a farmhouse not a great distance from the river,
• 1:45:48
  Speaker 5: and get some milk and eggs. Very well, said her husband.
• 1:45:53
  Speaker 5: We'll stop under that bunch of willows. The bunch of
• 1:45:56
  Speaker 5: willows beside the river, which he pointed out, proved to
• 1:45:59
  Speaker 5: be a pleasant sheltered spot, with grassy banks sloping down
• 1:46:03
  Speaker 5: to the water. A turn in the river enabled them
• 1:46:06
  Speaker 5: to draw the old woman up into their shadows. And
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 5: because the trees were green and the boat was green,
• 1:46:12
  Speaker 5: the reflections in the water were also green, and for
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 5: this reason the boat seemed very well hidden from view.
• 1:46:19
  Speaker 5: I don't believe we shall be noticed here, said father
• 1:46:21
  Speaker 5: de Smet. It's hot on the boat. It would be
• 1:46:25
  Speaker 5: nice to take the babies ashore while we eat, said
• 1:46:28
  Speaker 5: Mother de Smet, running out the gangplank. I believe we'll
• 1:46:31
  Speaker 5: have supper on the grass. You hurry along and get
• 1:46:34
  Speaker 5: the milk and eggs, and I'll cook some onions while
• 1:46:37
  Speaker 5: you are gone. Jan and Marie ran over the plank
• 1:46:40
  Speaker 5: at once, and Mother de Smet soon followed with the babies. Then,
• 1:46:44
  Speaker 5: while Marie watched them, she and Jan brought out the
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 5: onions and a pan, and soon the air was heavy
• 1:46:50
  Speaker 5: with the smell of frying onions. Joseph and Jan slipped
• 1:46:54
  Speaker 5: the bridle over Netteke's collar and allowed her to eat
• 1:46:57
  Speaker 5: the rich green grass at the river's edge. When Father
• 1:47:00
  Speaker 5: de Smet returned, supper was nearly ready. He sniffed appreciatively
• 1:47:06
  Speaker 5: as he appeared under the trees. Smells good, he said,
• 1:47:10
  Speaker 5: and he held out the milk and eggs toward his wife.
• 1:47:13
  Speaker 5: The heaven wreched. You are right, said a loud voice
• 1:47:17
  Speaker 5: right behind him. Father de Smet was so startled that
• 1:47:21
  Speaker 5: he dropped the eggs. He whirled about, and there stood
• 1:47:24
  Speaker 5: the German soldier who had told Netteke to halt. With
• 1:47:28
  Speaker 5: him were six other men. Ha I told you we
• 1:47:32
  Speaker 5: should meet again, shouted the soldier to Father de Smet.
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 5: And it was certainly thoughtful of you to provide for
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 5: our entertainment. Comrades full two. The onions were still cooking
• 1:47:44
  Speaker 5: over a little blaze of twigs and dry leaves, but
• 1:47:47
  Speaker 5: Mother de Smet was no longer tending them. The instant
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 5: she heard the gruff voice, she had dropped her spoon, and,
• 1:47:53
  Speaker 5: seizing a baby under each arm, had fled up the
• 1:47:56
  Speaker 5: gangplank on to the boat. Marie followed at top speed.
• 1:48:00
  Speaker 5: Father de Smet faced the intruders. What do you want here?
• 1:48:04
  Speaker 5: He said? Some supper first, said the soldier, gaily helping
• 1:48:09
  Speaker 5: himself to some onions and passing the pan to his friends.
• 1:48:13
  Speaker 5: Then perhaps a few supplies for our brave army. There
• 1:48:16
  Speaker 5: is no hurry after supper will do, But first we'll
• 1:48:20
  Speaker 5: drink her health to the kaiser, and since you are
• 1:48:23
  Speaker 5: host here, you shall propose it. He pointed to the
• 1:48:26
  Speaker 5: pail of milk, which Father de Smet still held. Now
• 1:48:30
  Speaker 5: he shouted, lift your stein and say ho de kaiser.
• 1:48:35
  Speaker 5: Father de Smet looked them in the face and said
• 1:48:38
  Speaker 5: not a word. Meanwhile, jan and Joseph, to Mother de
• 1:48:41
  Speaker 5: Smet's great alarm, had not followed her on to the boat. Instead,
• 1:48:46
  Speaker 5: they had flown to Netteke, who was partly hidden from
• 1:48:49
  Speaker 5: the group by a bunch of young willows near the
• 1:48:51
  Speaker 5: water's edge, and with great speed and presence of mind,
• 1:48:55
  Speaker 5: had slipped her bridle over her head and gently started
• 1:48:58
  Speaker 5: her up the tow path. Oh, murmured Joseph. Suppose she
• 1:49:03
  Speaker 5: should balk, but Netteke had done her balking for the day,
• 1:49:07
  Speaker 5: and having been refreshed by her luncheon of green grass,
• 1:49:10
  Speaker 5: she was ready to move on. The river had now
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 5: quite a current, which helped them, and while the soldiers
• 1:49:16
  Speaker 5: were still having their joke with Father de Smet, the
• 1:49:19
  Speaker 5: boat moved quietly out of sight. As she felt it move,
• 1:49:23
  Speaker 5: Mother de Smet lifted her head over the boat's rail,
• 1:49:25
  Speaker 5: behind which she and the children were hiding, and raised
• 1:49:29
  Speaker 5: the end of the gangplank so that it would make
• 1:49:31
  Speaker 5: no noise by scraping along the ground. She was beside
• 1:49:34
  Speaker 5: herself with anxiety. If she screamed or said anything to
• 1:49:38
  Speaker 5: the boys, the attention of the soldiers would immediately be
• 1:49:41
  Speaker 5: directed toward them. Yet if they should, by any miracle,
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 5: succeed in getting away, there was her husband left alone
• 1:49:49
  Speaker 5: to face seven enemies. She wrung her hands. Maybe they
• 1:49:53
  Speaker 5: will stop to eat the onions, she groaned to herself.
• 1:49:57
  Speaker 5: She held to the gangplank and murmured prayers to all
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 5: the Saints she knew. While Young and Joseph trotted briskly
• 1:50:03
  Speaker 5: along the tow path, and Netteke, assisted by the current,
• 1:50:06
  Speaker 5: made better speed than she had at any time during
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 5: the day. Meanwhile, his captors were busy with Father de Smet.
• 1:50:14
  Speaker 5: Come drink to the kaiser, shouted the first soldier, or
• 1:50:18
  Speaker 5: we'll feed you to the fishes. We run our supper,
• 1:50:21
  Speaker 5: and you delay us still, Father de Smet said nothing.
• 1:50:25
  Speaker 5: We'll give you just until I count ten, said the soldier,
• 1:50:28
  Speaker 5: pointing his gun at him, and if by that time
• 1:50:31
  Speaker 5: you have not found your tongue. But he did not
• 1:50:33
  Speaker 5: finish the sentence. From an unexpected quarter, a shot rang out.
• 1:50:38
  Speaker 5: It struck the pail of milk and dashed it over
• 1:50:40
  Speaker 5: the German and over Father de Smet too. Another shot followed,
• 1:50:45
  Speaker 5: and the right arm of the soldier fell helpless to
• 1:50:47
  Speaker 5: his side. One of his companions gave a howl and
• 1:50:50
  Speaker 5: fell to the ground. Still, no one appeared at whom
• 1:50:54
  Speaker 5: the Germans could direct their fire. Snipers shouted the soldiers,
• 1:50:58
  Speaker 5: instantly lowering their guns, but before they could even fire
• 1:51:03
  Speaker 5: in the direction of the unseen enemy, there was such
• 1:51:05
  Speaker 5: a patter of bullets about them that they turned and fled.
• 1:51:09
  Speaker 5: Father de Smet fled too. He leaped over the frying
• 1:51:12
  Speaker 5: pan and tore down the river bank after the boat.
• 1:51:16
  Speaker 5: As he overtook it, Mother de Smet ran out the gangplank.
• 1:51:20
  Speaker 5: Boys shouted Father de Smet, get aboard, Get aboard. Joseph
• 1:51:24
  Speaker 5: and Jan instantly stopped the mule, and, dropping the reins,
• 1:51:28
  Speaker 5: raced up the gangplank, almost before the end of it
• 1:51:31
  Speaker 5: rested safely on the ground. Father de Smet snatched up
• 1:51:34
  Speaker 5: the reins on went the boat at Netteke's best speed,
• 1:51:38
  Speaker 5: which seemed no better than a snail's pace to the
• 1:51:41
  Speaker 5: fleeing family. Sounds of the skirmish continued to reach their
• 1:51:44
  Speaker 5: ears even when they had gone some distance down the river,
• 1:51:48
  Speaker 5: and it was not until twilight had deepened into dusk
• 1:51:51
  Speaker 5: and they were hidden in its shadows that they dared
• 1:51:54
  Speaker 5: hope the danger was passed. It was after ten o'clock
• 1:51:57
  Speaker 5: at night when the old woman at last approached the
• 1:52:00
  Speaker 5: twinkling lights of Antwerp, and they knew that for the
• 1:52:03
  Speaker 5: time being, at least they were safe. They were now
• 1:52:06
  Speaker 5: beyond the German lines, in country still held by the Belgians.
• 1:52:11
  Speaker 5: Here in a suburb of the city, Father de Smet
• 1:52:14
  Speaker 5: decided to dock for the night. A distant clock struck
• 1:52:17
  Speaker 5: eleven as the hungry but thankful family gathered upon the
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 5: deck of the Old Woman to eat a meager supper
• 1:52:24
  Speaker 5: of bread and cheese, with only the moon to light
• 1:52:27
  Speaker 5: their repast. Not until they had finished did Father de
• 1:52:31
  Speaker 5: Smet tell them all that had happened to him during
• 1:52:34
  Speaker 5: the few terrible moments when he was in the hands
• 1:52:36
  Speaker 5: of the enemy. They overreached themselves, he said. They meant
• 1:52:41
  Speaker 5: to amuse themselves by prolonging my misery, and they lingered
• 1:52:44
  Speaker 5: just a bit too long. He turned to young aunt Joseph.
• 1:52:48
  Speaker 5: You were brave boys. If you had not started the
• 1:52:51
  Speaker 5: boat when you did, it is quite likely they might
• 1:52:54
  Speaker 5: have got me after all, and the potatoes too. I
• 1:52:57
  Speaker 5: am proud of you. But father cried Joseph, who could
• 1:53:02
  Speaker 5: have fired those shots? We didn't see his soul. Neither
• 1:53:05
  Speaker 5: did I answered his father, and neither did the Germans.
• 1:53:09
  Speaker 5: For that matter. There was no one in sight, Oh,
• 1:53:13
  Speaker 5: cried Mother de Smet. It was as if the Good
• 1:53:15
  Speaker 5: God himself intervened to save you. As I figure it out,
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 5: said Father de Smet, we must have stopped very near
• 1:53:23
  Speaker 5: the trenches, and our own men must have seen the
• 1:53:25
  Speaker 5: Germans attack us. My German friend had evidently been following
• 1:53:30
  Speaker 5: us up, meaning to get everything we had, and me too,
• 1:53:33
  Speaker 5: But the smell of the onions was too much for him.
• 1:53:36
  Speaker 5: If he hadn't been greedy, he might have carried out
• 1:53:39
  Speaker 5: his plan. But he wanted our potatoes and our supper too,
• 1:53:42
  Speaker 5: and so he got neither. He chuckled, and neither did
• 1:53:46
  Speaker 5: the Kaiser get a toast from me. Instead he got
• 1:53:49
  Speaker 5: a salute from the Belgians. He crossed himself reverently. Thank
• 1:53:54
  Speaker 5: God for our soldiers, he said, and mother de smet,
• 1:53:57
  Speaker 5: weeping softly, murmured a devout ahmen in little did Jan
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 5: and Marie dream as they listened that this blessing rested
• 1:54:05
  Speaker 5: upon their own father, and that he had been one
• 1:54:07
  Speaker 5: of the Belgian soldiers who, firing from the trenches, had
• 1:54:11
  Speaker 5: delivered them from the hands of their enemies. Their father
• 1:54:15
  Speaker 5: hidden away in the earth like a fox, as little
• 1:54:18
  Speaker 5: dreamed that he had helped to save his own children
• 1:54:21
  Speaker 5: from a terrible fate.
• 1:54:23
  Speaker 1: End of chapter eleven, Chapter twelve of The Belgian Twins.
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:54:36
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:54:40
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Ashley Jane. The Belgian
• 1:54:45
  Speaker 1: Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins, Chapter twelve, the Zeppelin Raid.
• 1:54:51
  Speaker 1: When the twins awoke carly the next morning, they found
• 1:54:55
  Speaker 1: that father and mother de Smet had been stirring much
• 1:54:58
  Speaker 1: earlier still, and that the old woman was already slipping
• 1:55:01
  Speaker 1: quietly along among the docks of Antwerp. To their immense surprise,
• 1:55:06
  Speaker 1: they were being towed not by the tech but by
• 1:55:10
  Speaker 1: a very small and puffy steam tug. They were further
• 1:55:13
  Speaker 1: astonished to find that the Tech herself was on board
• 1:55:16
  Speaker 1: the old woman. How in a while did you get
• 1:55:19
  Speaker 1: the mule onto the boat? Gasped beyond when he saw
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 1: her let her write at the gangplank, just like folks,
• 1:55:26
  Speaker 1: answered Father de Smet. I couldn't leave her behind, and
• 1:55:29
  Speaker 1: I wanted to get to the Antwerp docks as soon
• 1:55:32
  Speaker 1: as possible. This was the quickest way, you see, He
• 1:55:35
  Speaker 1: went on. I don't know where I shall be going next,
• 1:55:38
  Speaker 1: but I know it won't be up the dial, so
• 1:55:40
  Speaker 1: I'm going to keep the tech right here where I
• 1:55:42
  Speaker 1: can use her any minute. There was no time for
• 1:55:45
  Speaker 1: further questions, for Father de Smet had to devote his
• 1:55:48
  Speaker 1: attention to the tiller. Soon they were safely in the dock,
• 1:55:52
  Speaker 1: and Father de Smet was unloading his potatoes and selling
• 1:55:55
  Speaker 1: them to the marketman, who swarmed about the boats to
• 1:55:58
  Speaker 1: buy the produce which had been brought in from the country. There,
• 1:56:02
  Speaker 1: he said, with a sigh of relief, as he delivered
• 1:56:04
  Speaker 1: the last of his cargoes were purchaser late in the afternoon.
• 1:56:08
  Speaker 1: That load is safe from the Germans anyway, How did
• 1:56:11
  Speaker 1: you find things up the dial, asked the merchant who
• 1:56:14
  Speaker 1: had brought the potatoes. Father de Smet shook his head.
• 1:56:18
  Speaker 1: Couldn't well be worse, he said, I'm not going to
• 1:56:20
  Speaker 1: risk another trip. The Germans are taking everything they can
• 1:56:23
  Speaker 1: lay their hands on, and are destroying what they can't seize.
• 1:56:26
  Speaker 1: I nearly lost this load and my life into the
• 1:56:29
  Speaker 1: bargain if it hadn't been that, without knowing it, we
• 1:56:32
  Speaker 1: stopped so near the Belgian line of trenches that they
• 1:56:34
  Speaker 1: could fire on a German foragers who tried to take
• 1:56:37
  Speaker 1: her cargo. I shouldn't have been here to tell this tale.
• 1:56:41
  Speaker 1: God only knows what would become of Belgium. If this
• 1:56:43
  Speaker 1: state of things continues, groaned the merchant, food must come
• 1:56:47
  Speaker 1: from somewhere. The people will starve. True enough, answered Father
• 1:56:51
  Speaker 1: de Smet. I believe I'll try a trip north through
• 1:56:54
  Speaker 1: the back channels of the Shelt and see what I
• 1:56:58
  Speaker 1: can pick up. Don't up anyway, urged the merchant. If
• 1:57:02
  Speaker 1: you fellows go back on us, I don't know what
• 1:57:04
  Speaker 1: we shall do. We depend on you to bring supplies
• 1:57:06
  Speaker 1: from somewhere, and if you can't get them in Belgium,
• 1:57:08
  Speaker 1: we'll have to go into Holland. Mother de Smet leaned
• 1:57:12
  Speaker 1: over the boat trail and spoke to the two men
• 1:57:14
  Speaker 1: who were standing on the dock. You'd better believe we'll
• 1:57:17
  Speaker 1: not give up, she said. We don't know the meaning
• 1:57:20
  Speaker 1: of the word well, said the merchant. Sadly, maybe you don't,
• 1:57:24
  Speaker 1: but there are others who do. It takes a stout
• 1:57:27
  Speaker 1: heart to have faith that God hasn't forgotten Belgium these days.
• 1:57:30
  Speaker 1: It's easy enough to have faith when things are going right,
• 1:57:33
  Speaker 1: said Mother de Smet, But to have faith when things
• 1:57:36
  Speaker 1: are going wrong isn't so easy. Then, she remembered, Grannie
• 1:57:39
  Speaker 1: to sick heart won't get you anywhere, And maybe a
• 1:57:42
  Speaker 1: stout one will, she finished. That's a good word, said
• 1:57:45
  Speaker 1: the merchant. It is said by as good a woman
• 1:57:49
  Speaker 1: as tread shoe leather, answered Mother de Smet. You was
• 1:57:53
  Speaker 1: safe while you stay in antwer Up anyway, said the merchant,
• 1:57:56
  Speaker 1: as he turned to say good bye. Our thoughts are
• 1:57:59
  Speaker 1: the strongest in the world, and the Germans will never
• 1:58:01
  Speaker 1: be able to take them. There's comfort in that for us.
• 1:58:04
  Speaker 1: Then he spoke to his horses and turned away with
• 1:58:06
  Speaker 1: his load. Let us stay right here to night, said
• 1:58:09
  Speaker 1: Mother de Smet to her husband as he came on
• 1:58:12
  Speaker 1: board the boat. We're all in need of rest after yesterday,
• 1:58:15
  Speaker 1: and in Antwerp we can get a good night's sleep. Besides,
• 1:58:18
  Speaker 1: it's so late in the day that we couldn't get
• 1:58:20
  Speaker 1: out of town before dark if we tried. Following this plan,
• 1:58:24
  Speaker 1: the whole family went to bed at dusk, but they
• 1:58:26
  Speaker 1: were not destined to enjoy the quiet sleep they longed for.
• 1:58:29
  Speaker 1: The night was warm and the cabin small, so Father
• 1:58:32
  Speaker 1: de Smet and Joseph, as well as the twins, spread
• 1:58:35
  Speaker 1: bedding on the deck and went to sleep, looking up
• 1:58:38
  Speaker 1: at the stars. They had slept for some hours when
• 1:58:41
  Speaker 1: they were suddenly aroused by the sound of a terrific explosion.
• 1:58:45
  Speaker 1: Instantly they sprang to their feet, wide awake, and Mother
• 1:58:48
  Speaker 1: de Smet came rushing from the cabin with the babies
• 1:58:51
  Speaker 1: screaming in her arms. What is it now?
• 1:58:54
  Speaker 2: What is it?
• 1:58:55
  Speaker 1: She cried? Look, Look, cried Yan. He pointed to this. There,
• 1:59:01
  Speaker 1: blazing with light like a great misshape and moon, was
• 1:59:03
  Speaker 1: a giant airship moving swiftly over the city. As it
• 1:59:08
  Speaker 1: sailed along, streams of fire fell from it, and immediately
• 1:59:12
  Speaker 1: there followed the terrible thunder of bursting bombs when it
• 1:59:16
  Speaker 1: passed out of sight. It seems as if the voice
• 1:59:18
  Speaker 1: of the city itself must rise in anguish at the
• 1:59:20
  Speaker 1: terrible destruction left in its wake. Just what that destruction was?
• 1:59:25
  Speaker 1: Father de Smet did not wish to see. This is
• 1:59:27
  Speaker 1: a good place to get away from, he said to
• 1:59:30
  Speaker 1: the frightened group carrying on the deck of the old woman.
• 1:59:33
  Speaker 1: After the bright terror had disappeared, when morning came, he
• 1:59:37
  Speaker 1: lost no time in making the best speed he called
• 1:59:39
  Speaker 1: away from the doomed city of Antwerp, which they had
• 1:59:42
  Speaker 1: thought so safe when they had left the city behind them,
• 1:59:46
  Speaker 1: and the boats were slowly making its way through the
• 1:59:48
  Speaker 1: quiet back channels of the schlet. The world once more
• 1:59:51
  Speaker 1: seemed really peaceful to the wandering children. Their way lay
• 1:59:55
  Speaker 1: over still waters and beside green pastures, and as they
• 1:59:58
  Speaker 1: had no communication with the the stricken ragions of Belgium,
• 2:00:02
  Speaker 1: they had no news on the progress of the war
• 2:00:04
  Speaker 1: until some days later the boat docked at Rotterdam and
• 2:00:07
  Speaker 1: it became necessary to decide what should be done next.
• 2:00:11
  Speaker 1: There they learned that they had barely escaped the stiege
• 2:00:14
  Speaker 1: of Antwerp, which had begun with the zeppelin raid. Father
• 2:00:18
  Speaker 1: de Smet was now obliged to confront the problem of
• 2:00:21
  Speaker 1: what to do with his own family, for since Antwerp
• 2:00:24
  Speaker 1: was now in the hands of the enemy, he could
• 2:00:26
  Speaker 1: no longer earn his living in the old way. Under
• 2:00:29
  Speaker 1: these changed conditions, he could not take care of Jan
• 2:00:31
  Speaker 1: and Marie. So one sad day they said good bye
• 2:00:34
  Speaker 1: to good mother de Smet, to Joseph and the babies,
• 2:00:37
  Speaker 1: and went with Father de Smet into the city of Rotterdam.
• 2:00:41
  Speaker 1: They found that these streets were also full of Belgian refugees,
• 2:00:44
  Speaker 1: and here too they watched for their mother. In order
• 2:00:47
  Speaker 1: to keep up her courage. Marie had often feel of
• 2:00:50
  Speaker 1: the locket and say to herself, she will find us,
• 2:00:54
  Speaker 1: she will find us. And Yon Yon had many times
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 1: to say to himself, I am now a man and
• 2:01:00
  Speaker 1: must be brave, or he would have cried in despair.
• 2:01:04
  Speaker 1: But it was nearer the native post. Already England had
• 2:01:07
  Speaker 1: begun to organize for the relief of the Belgian refugees,
• 2:01:10
  Speaker 1: and it was in the office of the British consul
• 2:01:12
  Speaker 1: at Rotterdam that Father de Smet finally took leave of
• 2:01:15
  Speaker 1: Jan and Marie. The council took them that night to
• 2:01:18
  Speaker 1: his own home, and after a careful record had been
• 2:01:21
  Speaker 1: made of their names, and their parents' names, and all
• 2:01:23
  Speaker 1: the facts about them, they were next day placed upon
• 2:01:26
  Speaker 1: a ship in company with many of the homeless Belgians,
• 2:01:29
  Speaker 1: and sent across the North Sea to England. End of
• 2:01:33
  Speaker 1: chapter twelve. Recording by Ashley Jane.
• 2:01:44
  Speaker 3: Chapter thirteen of The Belgian Twins. This is the LibriVox recording.
• 2:01:49
  Speaker 3: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 2:01:52
  Speaker 3: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 2:01:56
  Speaker 3: by Phil Schinevere. The Belgian Twins by Lucy F. Perkins,
• 2:02:01
  Speaker 3: Chapter thirteen, Refugees. If I were to tell you all
• 2:02:06
  Speaker 3: the strange new sights that Yan and Marie saw, and
• 2:02:09
  Speaker 3: all the things they did in England, it would make
• 2:02:12
  Speaker 3: this book so big you could not hold it up
• 2:02:14
  Speaker 3: to read it. So I must skip all about the
• 2:02:17
  Speaker 3: great house in the southern part of England, where they
• 2:02:19
  Speaker 3: next found themselves. This house was the great country place
• 2:02:23
  Speaker 3: of a very rich man, and when the war broke
• 2:02:26
  Speaker 3: out he had given it to be used as a
• 2:02:28
  Speaker 3: shelter for homeless Belgians. There were the most wonderful woods
• 2:02:32
  Speaker 3: and parks on the estate, and miles of beautiful drives.
• 2:02:36
  Speaker 3: There were great gardens and stables and hot houses, and
• 2:02:40
  Speaker 3: the house was much bigger and finer than any Yan
• 2:02:43
  Speaker 3: and Marie had ever seen in all their lives. It
• 2:02:46
  Speaker 3: seemed to them as if they had suddenly been changed
• 2:02:49
  Speaker 3: into a prince and princess by some fairy Wand they
• 2:02:53
  Speaker 3: were not alone in all this splendor. Other lost little
• 2:02:56
  Speaker 3: Belgian children were there, and there were lost parents too,
• 2:03:00
  Speaker 3: and it seemed such a pity that the lost parents
• 2:03:03
  Speaker 3: and the lost children should not be the very ones
• 2:03:05
  Speaker 3: that belonged together, so that everyone could be happy once more.
• 2:03:09
  Speaker 3: However bad as it was, it was so much better
• 2:03:12
  Speaker 3: than anything they had known since the dreadful first night
• 2:03:16
  Speaker 3: of the alarm, that jan and Marie became almost happy again.
• 2:03:21
  Speaker 3: At night, they and the other homeless children slept in
• 2:03:23
  Speaker 3: little white cots set all in a row in a
• 2:03:26
  Speaker 3: great picture gallery. They were given new clothes, for by
• 2:03:30
  Speaker 3: this time even their best ones were quite worn out,
• 2:03:33
  Speaker 3: and every day they had plenty of good, plain food
• 2:03:36
  Speaker 3: to eat. Every day more Belgians came, and still more,
• 2:03:40
  Speaker 3: until not only the big house, but the stable and
• 2:03:43
  Speaker 3: outbuildings were all running over full of homeless people. One day,
• 2:03:48
  Speaker 3: after they had been in this place for two or
• 2:03:50
  Speaker 3: three weeks, Jan and Marie were called into the room
• 2:03:54
  Speaker 3: where sat the sweet faced lady whose home they were in.
• 2:03:57
  Speaker 3: It was like an office, and there were other persons
• 2:04:00
  Speaker 3: there with her. The sweet faced lady spoke to them
• 2:04:04
  Speaker 3: Jan and Marie. She said, how would you like to
• 2:04:06
  Speaker 3: go to live with a dear lady in America who
• 2:04:09
  Speaker 3: would love you and take care of you, so you
• 2:04:12
  Speaker 3: need never be lonely and sad again? But our mother,
• 2:04:15
  Speaker 3: gasped Marie, bursting into tears. We have not found her.
• 2:04:19
  Speaker 3: You will not lose her any more by going to America,
• 2:04:22
  Speaker 3: said the lady. For you see We shall know all
• 2:04:25
  Speaker 3: about you here, and if your mother comes, we shall
• 2:04:28
  Speaker 3: be able to tell her just where to find you. Meanwhile,
• 2:04:32
  Speaker 3: you will be safe and well cared for, far away
• 2:04:35
  Speaker 3: from all the dreadful things that are happening here. It's
• 2:04:38
  Speaker 3: so far away, sobbed Marie. Yan said nothing. He was
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 3: busy swallowing lumps in his own throat. You see, DearS,
• 2:04:47
  Speaker 3: the lady said gently, you can be together there, for
• 2:04:50
  Speaker 3: this woman has no children of her own and is
• 2:04:53
  Speaker 3: willing to take both of you. That does not often happen.
• 2:04:56
  Speaker 3: And besides, she is a Belgian. I know you will
• 2:04:59
  Speaker 3: find a good You're sure we could be together, asked Yan, Yes,
• 2:05:04
  Speaker 3: said the lady, because, said Yan, mother and I must
• 2:05:08
  Speaker 3: take care of Marie. And she said she'd find us
• 2:05:11
  Speaker 3: again if she had to swim the sea, said Marie,
• 2:05:15
  Speaker 3: feeling of her locket and smiling through her tears. She
• 2:05:18
  Speaker 3: won't have to swim, said the lady. We'll see to that.
• 2:05:21
  Speaker 3: If she comes here, she shall go for you in
• 2:05:24
  Speaker 3: a fine big ship. And so that's all settled. She
• 2:05:28
  Speaker 3: kissed their woe bigarn little faces. You are going to
• 2:05:31
  Speaker 3: start tomorrow, she said. The good captain of the ship
• 2:05:34
  Speaker 3: has promised to take care of you so you will
• 2:05:37
  Speaker 3: not be afraid, and I know you will be good children.
• 2:05:40
  Speaker 3: It seemed like a month to Yan and Marie, but
• 2:05:43
  Speaker 3: it was really only seven days later that they stood
• 2:05:47
  Speaker 3: on the deck of a good ship Caspian, as it
• 2:05:49
  Speaker 3: steemed proudly into the wonderful harbor of New York. It
• 2:05:53
  Speaker 3: was dusk, and already the lights of the city sparkled
• 2:05:56
  Speaker 3: like a sky full of stars dropped down to earth.
• 2:06:00
  Speaker 3: High above the other stars shone the great charge of
• 2:06:03
  Speaker 3: liberty and lightening the world. Oh, gasped Marie as she gazed,
• 2:06:08
  Speaker 3: New York must be as big as heaven. Do you
• 2:06:11
  Speaker 3: suppose that is an angel holding a candle to light
• 2:06:14
  Speaker 3: us in? Just then the captain came to find them,
• 2:06:18
  Speaker 3: and a few minutes later they walked with him down
• 2:06:20
  Speaker 3: the gangplank right into a pair of outstretched arms. The
• 2:06:25
  Speaker 3: arms belonged to Madame de Gardains, their new mother. I
• 2:06:30
  Speaker 3: should have known them the moment I looked at them,
• 2:06:32
  Speaker 3: even if they hadn't been with the captain, she cried
• 2:06:35
  Speaker 3: to her husband, who stood smiling by her side. Poor darlings,
• 2:06:39
  Speaker 3: your troubles are all over now, Just as soon as
• 2:06:42
  Speaker 3: Captain Nicholls says, you may, you shall come with us,
• 2:06:45
  Speaker 3: and oh, I have so many things to show you
• 2:06:49
  Speaker 3: in your new home. She drew them with her to
• 2:06:51
  Speaker 3: a quieter part of the dock while her husband talked
• 2:06:54
  Speaker 3: with the captain, and then, when they had bidden him
• 2:06:57
  Speaker 3: good bye, they were bundled into a waiting motor car
• 2:07:01
  Speaker 3: and whirled away through miles of brilliantly lighted streets, and
• 2:07:05
  Speaker 3: over a wonderful bridge, and on and on until they
• 2:07:09
  Speaker 3: came to green lawns and houses set among trees and shrubs,
• 2:07:13
  Speaker 3: and it seemed to the children as if they must
• 2:07:16
  Speaker 3: have reached the very end of the world. At last,
• 2:07:20
  Speaker 3: the car stopped before a house standing some distance back
• 2:07:23
  Speaker 3: from the street in a large yard, and the children
• 2:07:27
  Speaker 3: followed their new friends through the bright doorway of their house.
• 2:07:31
  Speaker 3: Madame du Jardains helped them take off their things in
• 2:07:35
  Speaker 3: the pleasant hallway, where an open fire was burning in Later,
• 2:07:38
  Speaker 3: when they were washed and ready, she led the way
• 2:07:41
  Speaker 3: to a cheerful dining room, where there was a pretty
• 2:07:44
  Speaker 3: table set for four. There were flowers on the table,
• 2:07:47
  Speaker 3: and they had chicken for supper, and after that ice cream.
• 2:07:51
  Speaker 3: Jan and Marie had never tasted ice cream before in
• 2:07:55
  Speaker 3: their whole lives, they thought they should like America very much.
• 2:08:00
  Speaker 3: After supper, their new mother took them upstairs and showed
• 2:08:03
  Speaker 3: them two little rooms with a bath room between. One
• 2:08:07
  Speaker 3: room was all pink and white, with a dear little
• 2:08:10
  Speaker 3: white bed in it, and she said to Marie, this
• 2:08:12
  Speaker 3: is your room, my dear. The other room was all
• 2:08:16
  Speaker 3: in blue and white, with another dear little white bed
• 2:08:18
  Speaker 3: in it, and she said to Yan, this is your room,
• 2:08:21
  Speaker 3: my dear. And there were clean white nightgowns on the bed,
• 2:08:25
  Speaker 3: and little wrappers with gay flowered slippers, just waiting for
• 2:08:29
  Speaker 3: Yon and Marie to put them on. Oh, I believe
• 2:08:33
  Speaker 3: it has happened, cried Marie as she looked about the
• 2:08:36
  Speaker 3: pretty room. Then she touched Madame Doujardin's sleeve timidly. Is
• 2:08:41
  Speaker 3: it all true? She said? Shan't we wake up and
• 2:08:44
  Speaker 3: have to go somewhere else pretty soon? No, dear, said
• 2:08:47
  Speaker 3: Madame Dujardan gently, you are going to stay right here
• 2:08:51
  Speaker 3: now and be happy. It will be a very nice
• 2:08:54
  Speaker 3: place for mother to find us in, said Yan. She
• 2:08:57
  Speaker 3: will come pretty soon now. I should think I hope
• 2:09:00
  Speaker 3: she may, said Madame de Jardin tears twinkling in her eyes.
• 2:09:06
  Speaker 3: I'm sure she will, said Marie. You see, everybody is
• 2:09:09
  Speaker 3: looking for her. There's Granny and mother and father, De
• 2:09:13
  Speaker 3: Smet and Joseph, and the people in Rotterdam and the
• 2:09:16
  Speaker 3: people in England too, And then besides mother is looking
• 2:09:19
  Speaker 3: for herself. Of course, she said, she would surely find us,
• 2:09:24
  Speaker 3: even if she had to swim the sea. Added jan
• 2:09:27
  Speaker 3: end of chapter thirteen. Chapter fourteen of The Belgian Twins.
• 2:09:37
  Speaker 3: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 2:09:40
  Speaker 3: the public domain. For more information nor to volunteer, please
• 2:09:43
  Speaker 3: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Phil Chenevert. The Belgian
• 2:09:48
  Speaker 3: Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins. Chapter fourteen the most wonderful part,
• 2:09:54
  Speaker 3: and now comes the most wonderful part of the story.
• 2:09:58
  Speaker 3: Madame Dojardain prepared to bath and said to Marie, you
• 2:10:01
  Speaker 3: may have the first turn in the tub, because you're
• 2:10:04
  Speaker 3: a girl. In America, the girls have the best of everything.
• 2:10:08
  Speaker 3: She laughed at Yan as she spoke, I will help
• 2:10:10
  Speaker 3: you on dress. Yan, you may get ready and wait
• 2:10:13
  Speaker 3: for your turn in your own room. She unbuttoned Marie's dress,
• 2:10:17
  Speaker 3: slipped off her clothes and held up the gay little
• 2:10:20
  Speaker 3: wrapper for her to put her arms into, and just
• 2:10:23
  Speaker 3: then she noticed the locket on her neck. We'll take
• 2:10:27
  Speaker 3: this off too, she said, beginning to unclasp it, but
• 2:10:30
  Speaker 3: Marie clung to it with both hands. No, no, she cried.
• 2:10:34
  Speaker 3: Mother said, I was never never to take it off.
• 2:10:37
  Speaker 3: It has her picture in it. May I see it, dear,
• 2:10:40
  Speaker 3: asked Madame de Gardin, I should like to know what
• 2:10:43
  Speaker 3: your mother looks like. Marie nestled close to her, and
• 2:10:47
  Speaker 3: Madame de Gardin opened the locket. For a moment, she
• 2:10:50
  Speaker 3: gazed at the picture in complete silence, her eyes staring
• 2:10:54
  Speaker 3: at it like two blue lights. Then she burst into
• 2:10:58
  Speaker 3: a wild fit of weeping and cried, Leoni, Leoni, it
• 2:11:03
  Speaker 3: is not possible, my own sister's children. She clasped the
• 2:11:08
  Speaker 3: bewildered Marie in her arms and kissed her over and
• 2:11:11
  Speaker 3: over again. She ran to the door and brought in
• 2:11:14
  Speaker 3: Yarn and kissed him, and then she called her husband.
• 2:11:16
  Speaker 3: When he came in and saw her with her arms
• 2:11:19
  Speaker 3: around both children at once, holding the locket in her hands,
• 2:11:22
  Speaker 3: and laughing and crying both together, he too was bewildered.
• 2:11:26
  Speaker 3: What in the world is the matter, Julie, he cried.
• 2:11:29
  Speaker 3: For answer, she pointed to the face in the locket,
• 2:11:32
  Speaker 3: Leonie Leoni, She cried, they are my own sister's children.
• 2:11:38
  Speaker 3: Surely the hand of God is in this. Her husband
• 2:11:41
  Speaker 3: looked at the locket. So it is, so it is,
• 2:11:45
  Speaker 3: he said, in astonishment. I thought at first you had
• 2:11:48
  Speaker 3: gone crazy. See, cried his wife. It's her wedding gown.
• 2:11:52
  Speaker 3: And afterwards she gave me those very beads she has
• 2:11:56
  Speaker 3: around her neck. I have them yet she rushed from
• 2:11:59
  Speaker 3: the room and returned in a moment with the beads
• 2:12:01
  Speaker 3: in her hand. Meanwhile, jan and Marie had stood still,
• 2:12:05
  Speaker 3: too astonished to do more than stare from one amazed
• 2:12:08
  Speaker 3: and excited face to the other, as their new father
• 2:12:12
  Speaker 3: and mother gazed first at them, and then at the locket,
• 2:12:15
  Speaker 3: and last at the beads. Scarcely daring to believe the
• 2:12:18
  Speaker 3: testimony of their own eyes to think, cried Madame Dujardin
• 2:12:23
  Speaker 3: at last, that I should not have known. But there
• 2:12:27
  Speaker 3: are many van Hoves in Belgium, and it never occurred
• 2:12:30
  Speaker 3: to me that they could be my own flesh and blood.
• 2:12:33
  Speaker 3: It is years since I have heard from Leone. In fact,
• 2:12:37
  Speaker 3: I hardly knew she had any children. Our lives have
• 2:12:40
  Speaker 3: been so different. Oh, it is all my fault, she cried,
• 2:12:44
  Speaker 3: weeping again. But if I have neglected her, I will
• 2:12:47
  Speaker 3: make it up to her children. It may be, Oh,
• 2:12:49
  Speaker 3: it is just possible that she is still alive, and
• 2:12:53
  Speaker 3: that she may yet write to me after all these years.
• 2:12:56
  Speaker 3: Sorrow sometimes bridges wide streams. Then she turned and more
• 2:13:00
  Speaker 3: quietly to the children. You see, DearS, I left Belgium
• 2:13:03
  Speaker 3: many years ago and came with your uncle to this country.
• 2:13:07
  Speaker 3: We were poor when we came, but your uncle has
• 2:13:09
  Speaker 3: prospered as one can in America. At first, Leonie and
• 2:13:13
  Speaker 3: I wrote regularly to each other. Then she grew more
• 2:13:16
  Speaker 3: and more busy, and we seemed to have no ties
• 2:13:19
  Speaker 3: in common, so that at last we lost sight of
• 2:13:22
  Speaker 3: each other altogether. She opened her arms to Marie and
• 2:13:26
  Speaker 3: Yan as she spoke, and held them for some time
• 2:13:29
  Speaker 3: in a close embrace. Finally she lifted her head and laughed.
• 2:13:32
  Speaker 3: This will never do, she exclaimed. You must have your baths,
• 2:13:36
  Speaker 3: even if you are my own dear niece and nephew.
• 2:13:40
  Speaker 3: The water must be perfectly cold. By this time, she
• 2:13:43
  Speaker 3: went into the bathroom, turned on more hot water, and
• 2:13:46
  Speaker 3: popped Marie into the tub. In half an hour, both
• 2:13:50
  Speaker 3: children had said their prayers and were tucked away for
• 2:13:53
  Speaker 3: the night in their clean white beds. Wonderful days followed
• 2:13:56
  Speaker 3: for Yan and Marie. They began to go to school,
• 2:13:59
  Speaker 3: they had pre be clothes and many toys, and began
• 2:14:02
  Speaker 3: to make friends among the little American children of the neighborhood.
• 2:14:06
  Speaker 3: But in the midst of these new joys, they did
• 2:14:08
  Speaker 3: not forget their mother still looking for them, or their father,
• 2:14:12
  Speaker 3: now fighting as they supposed, in the cruel trenches in Belgium.
• 2:14:16
  Speaker 3: But at last there came a day when Aunt Julie
• 2:14:19
  Speaker 3: received a letter with a foreign postmark. She opened it
• 2:14:22
  Speaker 3: with trembling fingers, and when she saw that it began
• 2:14:26
  Speaker 3: my dear sister Julie, she wept so for joy that
• 2:14:30
  Speaker 3: she could not see to read it, and her husband
• 2:14:32
  Speaker 3: had to read it for her. This was the letter
• 2:14:36
  Speaker 3: you will perhaps wonder at hearing from me after the
• 2:14:39
  Speaker 3: long years of silence that have passed. But I have
• 2:14:42
  Speaker 3: never doubted the goodness of your heart, my Julie, nor
• 2:14:45
  Speaker 3: your love for your poor Leoni, even though our pasts
• 2:14:48
  Speaker 3: in life have led such different ways. And now I
• 2:14:51
  Speaker 3: must tell you of the sorrows which have broken my heart.
• 2:14:55
  Speaker 3: Georges was obliged to go into the army at a
• 2:14:57
  Speaker 3: moment's notice. When the war broke out a few days later,
• 2:15:01
  Speaker 3: the Germans swept through mir, driving the people before them
• 2:15:04
  Speaker 3: like chaff before the wind. As our house was on
• 2:15:07
  Speaker 3: the edge of the village, I was the first to
• 2:15:09
  Speaker 3: see them coming. I hid the children in the vegetable cellar,
• 2:15:13
  Speaker 3: but before I could get to a hiding place for myself,
• 2:15:16
  Speaker 3: they swept over the town, driving every man, woman and
• 2:15:19
  Speaker 3: child before them. To turn back then was impossible, and
• 2:15:24
  Speaker 3: it was only after weeks of hardship and danger that
• 2:15:26
  Speaker 3: I at last succeeded in struggling through the territory occupied
• 2:15:31
  Speaker 3: by the Germans to the empty city of Marinez and
• 2:15:34
  Speaker 3: the deserted village where we had been so happy. On
• 2:15:37
  Speaker 3: the kitchen door of our home I found a paper
• 2:15:40
  Speaker 3: pin on it was printed, dear mother, we have gone
• 2:15:43
  Speaker 3: to Marinez to find you Jan and Marie. Since then
• 2:15:47
  Speaker 3: I have searched every place where there seemed any possibility
• 2:15:50
  Speaker 3: of finding my dear children, but no trace of them.
• 2:15:53
  Speaker 3: Can I find? Then? Through friends at Antwerp, I learned
• 2:15:57
  Speaker 3: that Georges had been wounded and was in a hot
• 2:16:00
  Speaker 3: hospital there, and I went at once to find him.
• 2:16:03
  Speaker 3: He had lost an arm in the fighting before Antwerp
• 2:16:06
  Speaker 3: and was removed to Holland after the siege began. Here
• 2:16:10
  Speaker 3: we have remained since, still hoping God would hear our
• 2:16:13
  Speaker 3: prayers and give us news of our dear children. It
• 2:16:16
  Speaker 3: would even be a comfort to know surely of their death.
• 2:16:19
  Speaker 3: And if I could know that they were alive and well,
• 2:16:22
  Speaker 3: I think I should die of joy. Georges can fight
• 2:16:25
  Speaker 3: no more. Our home is lost. We are beggars until
• 2:16:29
  Speaker 3: this war is over and our country once more restored
• 2:16:32
  Speaker 3: to us. I am now at work in a factory,
• 2:16:35
  Speaker 3: earning what keeps body and soul together. Georges must soon
• 2:16:38
  Speaker 3: leave the hospital. Then God knows what may befall us.
• 2:16:43
  Speaker 3: How I wish we had been wise like you, my
• 2:16:46
  Speaker 3: Julie and your Paul, that we had gone with you
• 2:16:49
  Speaker 3: to America years ago. I might then have my children
• 2:16:52
  Speaker 3: with me in comfort. If you get this letter, write
• 2:16:57
  Speaker 3: to your heart broken Leoni. It was not a letter
• 2:17:00
  Speaker 3: that went back that very day. It was a cablegram,
• 2:17:03
  Speaker 3: and it said jan and Marie are safe with me.
• 2:17:07
  Speaker 3: Am sending money with this to the bank of Holland.
• 2:17:10
  Speaker 3: For your passage to America come at once, Julie. People
• 2:17:14
  Speaker 3: do not die of joy, or I am sure that
• 2:17:18
  Speaker 3: father and Mother van Hove would never have survived the
• 2:17:21
  Speaker 3: reading of that message. Instead, it put such new strength
• 2:17:24
  Speaker 3: and energy into their weary souls and bodies that two
• 2:17:28
  Speaker 3: days later they were on their way to England. And
• 2:17:31
  Speaker 3: a week later still they stood on the deck of
• 2:17:33
  Speaker 3: the Arabia as it steamed into New York Harbor. Yan
• 2:17:37
  Speaker 3: and Marie, with Uncle Paul and Aunt Julie met them
• 2:17:40
  Speaker 3: at the dock. And there are very few meetings this
• 2:17:44
  Speaker 3: side of Heaven like the reunion of those six persons
• 2:17:47
  Speaker 3: on that day. The story of that first evening together
• 2:17:51
  Speaker 3: can hardly be told. First, father and Mother van Hove
• 2:17:54
  Speaker 3: listened to Jan and Marie as they told of their
• 2:17:56
  Speaker 3: wanderings with Fidel, of the little old ill woman, of
• 2:18:01
  Speaker 3: father and mother de Smet, of the attack of the Germans,
• 2:18:04
  Speaker 3: and of the friends they found in Holland and in England.
• 2:18:07
  Speaker 3: And when everybody had cried a good deal about that,
• 2:18:10
  Speaker 3: Father van Hove told what had happened to him. Then
• 2:18:13
  Speaker 3: Mother van Hove told of her long and perilous search
• 2:18:16
  Speaker 3: for her children. And there were more tears of thankfulness
• 2:18:20
  Speaker 3: and joy, until it seemed as if their hearts were
• 2:18:22
  Speaker 3: filled to the brim and running over. But when last
• 2:18:26
  Speaker 3: of all, Uncle Paul told of the plans which he
• 2:18:29
  Speaker 3: and Aunt Julie had made for the family, they found
• 2:18:32
  Speaker 3: there was room in their hearts for still more joy.
• 2:18:36
  Speaker 3: I have a farm in the country, said Uncle Paul.
• 2:18:39
  Speaker 3: It is not very far from New York. There is
• 2:18:41
  Speaker 3: a good house on it. It is already stocked. I
• 2:18:44
  Speaker 3: need a farmer to take care of the place for me,
• 2:18:47
  Speaker 3: and trustworthy help is hard to get here. If you
• 2:18:51
  Speaker 3: will manage it for me, Brother George's, I shall have
• 2:18:54
  Speaker 3: no further anxiety about it, and shall expect to enjoy
• 2:18:58
  Speaker 3: the fruits of it, as I have never yet been
• 2:19:00
  Speaker 3: able to Leoni shall make some of her good butter
• 2:19:04
  Speaker 3: for our city table and the children here here. He
• 2:19:07
  Speaker 3: pinched Marie's cheek, now round and rosy once more. The
• 2:19:12
  Speaker 3: children shall pick berries and help on the form all summer.
• 2:19:16
  Speaker 3: In winter they can come back to Uncle Paul and
• 2:19:19
  Speaker 3: Aunt Julie and go to school here. For they are
• 2:19:22
  Speaker 3: our children now as well as yours. Father van hove
• 2:19:26
  Speaker 3: Rose stretched out his one hand and grasping Uncle Paul's
• 2:19:30
  Speaker 3: tried to thank him, but his voice failed. Don't say
• 2:19:33
  Speaker 3: a word, old man, said Uncle Paul, clasping father of
• 2:19:36
  Speaker 3: van Hoove's hand with both of his. All the world
• 2:19:40
  Speaker 3: owes adept to Belgium, which it can never pay. Her
• 2:19:43
  Speaker 3: courage and devotion have saved the rest of us from
• 2:19:46
  Speaker 3: the miseries she has borne so bravely. If you got
• 2:19:49
  Speaker 3: your just desserts, you'd get much more than I can
• 2:19:52
  Speaker 3: ever give you. In the end, it all came about
• 2:19:56
  Speaker 3: just as Uncle Paul had said, and the Van Hoves
• 2:19:59
  Speaker 3: are living in comfort and happiness on that farm this
• 2:20:03
  Speaker 3: very day. End of chapter fourteen into The Belgian Twins
• 2:20:08
  Speaker 3: by Lucy Fitch Perkins