Her father soon returned and as her mother was working among her vegetables, he met all three in the garden. He approached Jos, behind whom Stefeli stood for she was eager to see and to hear what would happen.
"It seems to me you find real pleasure in the cows. Will you take over their pasturing, Jos?" he asked. "On the pasture you shall be your own master. I will give you entire charge of them, for you know what is necessary. The child will go with you. She knows the work pretty well and is acquainted with all the roads and paths. How does that suit you?"
"Oh, there is nothing I would love better than that!" exclaimed Jos while Stefeli leaped with joy and dashed off to make hurried preparations for the day.
Stefeli had never imagined matters could come around so happily. How fine to be outdoors again, to follow her good friends the cows out to the pasture and to sit once more in the shade of the ash tree! But even if she had not been filled with happiness on her own account, Stefeli would have been glad because Jos was so delighted with everything he saw. All her old friends were there, and four splendid red-and-white cows had been added to the herd; her father had brought them from Freiburg himself. A new Schwarzeli was also there, and even if it was not the same one as last year, it galloped from one end of the pasture to the other with the same friskiness, and over bridges and fences too, if they did not catch her in time.
Jos must learn to know them all as well as she did, so she enumerated the characteristics of each; and they would learn about the four new cows together.
Jos showed the greatest zeal to learn everything and remembered it all after one telling. Stefeli was amazed at the way he anticipated what a cow would do. He would go over to an animal before it started off on a run and would stroke and pacify it. He would catch Schwarzeli by the tail just as she was going to make a first bound to rush down the pasture like the wind. It was as though he could always tell just when they had it in mind to tear off. So it was not necessary to do much running after them and Jos kept saying, "Sit down under the tree, Stefeli; I can easily manage them."
And that was the truth. He learned the ways of them all so quickly, even of the newcomers, that they opened their great eyes in astonishment when their attempts to gallop off were frustrated. But with all his sharp watching, Jos found time to leap for sheer joy and to yodel so that the song reechoed from the hills. His voice was so strong and melodious that Stefeli was charmed with it and kept pleading, "Sing again, Jos; sing once more!"
The mornings always passed so quickly that the two looked at one another in doubt when they heard the bell sound from the distance. Could it be midday? Then Stefeli spread out their lunch in the good old way under the ash tree and after a searching look at the herd which had settled down peacefully to rest in the sunshine, Jos seated himself by Stefeli, quite willing to eat.
"I am sure no one can arrange a table out in the pasture like you do, Stefeli," said he with admiration, and ate with keen relish.
The afternoons passed as rapidly as the mornings and as they strolled homeward in the bright evening, Stefeli said, "It was so lovely today! I wish every day could be just like it."