THE SHINY BLACK COW WAS GOING IN BIG LEAPS TOWARD THE RUSHING STREAM
The fresh morning wind was soughing through the branches and blowing over the pasture far and wide till its roaring was finally lost in the distance. Suddenly Stefeli bounded up and shot away like an arrow. With tail raised high the shiny black cow was going in big leaps towards the rushing stream. “Schwärzeli, Schwärzeli,” the child called repeatedly, “Schwärzeli, please wait for me!” But the high-spirited animal only jumped higher and had nearly reached the stream. “She will drown if she jumps in,” thought Stefeli, terribly frightened. By that time they had come to the dangerous place of which the mother had warned her. “Schwärzeli!” the child called once more with so much authority in her excited voice that far and wide her echo repeated, “Schwärzeli, Schwärzeli!”
Suddenly the fugitive stood still and turned around, while Stefeli rushed breathlessly towards the young heifer, who was quietly awaiting the arrival of her mistress.
“You are a bad Schwärzeli to scare me so,” Stefeli exclaimed, firmly grasping the rope about Schwärzeli’s neck, on which a little bell was fastened. “Just wait! If you go on like this I certainly won’t bring you any more salt to lick. You know you love it as if it were good sugar!” Schwärzeli was tenderly rubbing her head on Stefeli’s shoulder now as if to say, “I meant no harm, but it is such fun to caper across the meadow.”
“Yes, yes,” Stefeli answered, as if she had understood everything Schwärzeli had been trying to express, “you want me to forgive you now, but stop running towards the stream. You can run towards the other side all you want. Oh, I see, you think it more fun to run downhill than uphill. I know. Come along with me.”
As the two wandered peacefully back to the place which was meant to be the pasture of the day, Vinzi met them half way. Quite surprised, he asked, “But Stefeli, why did you run away? It was so nice under the tree. I was hearing the most beautiful music. I was just going to ask you if you heard it too, when I found you were gone. Only then I saw you coming back with Schwärzeli.”
Despite being used to her brother’s ways, Stefeli could not help being astonished that he had not been aware of what was going on. She told him about the chase and her great fear that Schwärzeli might gallop straight towards the stream, fall down the banks and drown. It was lucky that the little beast had suddenly become manageable. Stefeli was eager to know what Vinzi had heard in the meanwhile.
“Oh, it is such a shame you did not hear it,” he said, “for one can hardly describe such music. A chorus of deep, strong voices was rising from the tree above me and floating far across the meadow. Then high, clear voices joined in and were lost in the distance till they resembled the sounds of waters far away. Oh, it was so beautiful. Come, we might still hear it if we go back.”
“Go now, Schwärzeli, and behave yourself,” said Stefeli, letting go of the rope by which she had held the heifer. Then she followed Vinzi.