LITTLE GRETA
OF
DENMARK

COPYRIGHT, 1939, BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Skarum Molle,
Vemb, Denmark

Dear Mrs. Bailey:

Thank you very much for the privilege of reading the manuscript of LITTLE GRETA OF DENMARK. You have given a very faithful and realistic picture of my country.

I am extremely happy to know that the children in America will have a chance to learn about Denmark through such a book as yours. It will help to unite America and Denmark in even stronger bonds of mutual understanding and friendship.

Sincerely yours,

Laurids Villemoes

February 1, 1939

CONTENTS

LITTLE GRETA OF DENMARK

CHAPTER I
A SEARCH BEGINS

Greta opened very sleepy eyes and stretched a long, long stretch. Every single morning, before she got out of bed, she put her arms above her head and stretched as far as she could reach. Greta wanted to grow tall, and she thought that maybe if she pulled her arms 'way up and her feet 'way down, she would grow tall more quickly. Greta had been named after the most famous queen of Denmark, and so she wanted to be tall and graceful, just as that queen had been.

In about two minutes she jumped out of bed and started to dress. If she dressed very fast, she would have time to run out to the barn and see the kittens before breakfast. The kittens were only a week old, and Greta loved them every bit as much as their own mother did. Greta lived on a very large farm, and on the farm was a very large barn. In fact, the barn was about three times as large as the house Greta lived in. The barn was built of red brick and it formed three sides of a square. The house itself made the other side of the square. It was also built of brick, but it was painted white.

The horses were kept in one part of the barn, the cows in another part, and the pigs in still another part. Then there was one large section where the hay was kept. When the kittens were born, Greta made a nice soft bed of straw for them in the farthest corner of the barn, where the pigs and cows and horses could not possibly reach them. Every morning she ran out to see the kittens to be sure that they were all right. She picked up each of the four soft, furry little animals and gave it a special hug before she went off to school. And when she came home from school she played with the kittens until it was time for dinner.

Of course Chouse didn't like this one little bit. Chouse was the wire-haired terrier, and he had always been Greta's special pet. In the summer he played with her every minute of the day. But things were very different now, since the kittens had come. Greta didn't pay much attention to Chouse. The kittens took every minute of her time. Just the same, Chouse was waiting for her this morning outside her bedroom door. Breakfast would be ready in five minutes, so Greta ran quickly, with Chouse barking at her heels. All out of breath, she reached the farthest corner of the barn, where the kittens had their bed of straw.

Then Greta stopped very still. She rubbed her eyes. Surely this was just a bad dream. The soft bed of straw was empty. No one would have taken her kittens, and none of the horses or cows or pigs could reach them. Where in the world could they be? She began to look all over that end of the barn, poking about the straw that covered the floor. There wasn't a sign of the soft balls of fur. Two large tears rolled down Greta's face. Just then she heard her brother Hans calling.

"Greta, where are you? Breakfast is all ready and we are waiting for you."

There was such a big lump in the little girl's throat that she could hardly answer. Finally she said, "Here I am, Hans, but my kittens are gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?" Hans had found her by now and he put his arm around her shoulder. "Don't cry, Greta. We'll find them all right. Come on to breakfast now."

"I don't think I can eat anything, Hans. I wish I didn't have to go to school today. I want to look for my kittens."

"I'll help you look for them as soon as we get home from school. Come on, now. Mother and Father are waiting."

So Greta wiped the tears from her face and went into the house with Hans. She sat down at the table, but the lump just wouldn't go out of her throat, and she could hardly swallow.

"Remember, Greta, there are only two more days of school, and then you will have all summer to play with the kittens." Hans tried his best to cheer up his little sister. Hans was fifteen years old, so of course he couldn't possibly be upset over a little thing like the loss of four small kittens.

"Maybe Chouse has hidden your kittens, Greta," suggested her father. "Day before yesterday I saw him chasing the baby pigs. I punished him for that, but he didn't seem to learn, for yesterday he was chasing the baby chickens and he killed two of them. Now you know we can't have that sort of thing going on. I think we had better send Chouse away to some other farm."

Greta could hardly believe her ears. "You don't really mean that you would send Chouse away?"

"Yes, I mean just that, Greta. We can't have a dog that is destructive. And if he has hurt your kittens, I don't think you would want to keep him, either."

Greta didn't say a word, but a choking feeling came into her throat.

"Finish your breakfast, Greta, or you will be late for school," reminded her mother.

Greta went to school in the village, a mile away. When the weather was good, she rode her bicycle. But whether she walked or rode, Chouse always went with her to the door of the school. And he was always waiting for her when school was out in the afternoon.

Greta didn't know her lessons very well that day. Her mind was on Chouse and the kittens. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her playmate, and yet, if he had hurt the kittens, maybe he ought to be sent away. Suddenly she heard the teacher call her name.

"Greta, what was the Union of Kalmar?"

Greta's thoughts were far away from Danish history, and it was hard to bring them back. Everyone in the room was looking at her. Slowly she rose to her feet.

"The Union of Kalmar took place in 1397, when Norway and Sweden came under the rule of Denmark." Gradually it was coming back to her.

"And who was the ruler of Denmark then?" asked the teacher. "You should know that, Greta, better than anyone else in the class."

Greta's cheeks flushed a bright pink. How could she have forgotten?

"Queen Margrete brought about the Union of Kalmar," explained Greta. "That is why she was the greatest queen Denmark has ever had." The other children smiled when Greta said this. They all knew that her name was really Margrete and that she had been named for this famous queen of long ago.

Greta thought it was the longest day of her life, but school was finally over. Chouse was waiting for her at the door when she came out of the building. He was such a faithful little playmate, how could she bear to send him away? Well, maybe she wouldn't have to.

She got on her bicycle and rode home just as fast as her legs could pedal. Before she went into the house she looked again in the barn to see if the kittens had, in some wonderful way, come back to their bed of straw. But the bed was still empty.

Hans helped her search every part of the large barn—where the horses were kept, where the cows were kept, where the pigs were kept, and where the hay was kept. They took sticks and poked around in the hay. At last the children decided that the kittens simply were not in the barn at all.

"Let's go look in the chicken house, Greta," suggested Hans.

So they looked all through the chicken house just as carefully as they had looked in the barn. But still there was no sign of the dear little kittens.

"Oh, Hans, what am I going to do?" Greta was crying now as if her heart would break. "Do you think that Chouse has taken them away some place?"

"No, I don't think so, Greta. But maybe one of the Nisser has carried them off."

"Oh, Hans, why would a Nisse take my darling kittens?"

"Well, if you do something to make a Nisse angry at you, he is bound to punish you in some way."

The Nisser are the little fairy folk, or brownies, that live in every home in Denmark. If you are kind to them, they will do something nice for you; but if you hurt them or make them angry, they will punish you.

When Greta went to bed that night she pulled the warm feather cover tightly around her shoulders. She wasn't exactly afraid of the Nisser, but she felt much better when she was all covered up. It was late in June, but the nights were quite cool. Greta was glad that her mother had left the feather cover on her bed. It was a large, thick cover, but it was light and warm, for it was filled with duck feathers.

Soon Greta fell asleep, and all night long she dreamed that a little Nisse was sitting on the foot of her bed, saying, "Greta, do you really want your kittens back again?"

CHAPTER II
THE SEARCH CONTINUES

Greta was up earlier than ever the next morning. Maybe the Nisser had decided not to punish her after all. Maybe the mysterious little creatures would bring her kittens back. So Greta dashed out to the barn to look. But the bed of straw was still empty.

All day long there was sadness in her heart. The other children at school were very gay, for this was the last day of school. There was much singing and there were many games. There was more singing and games and laughter than there were lessons. But Greta was not gay. She kept thinking of her lost kittens, and every now and then there was the awful fear that she might lose Chouse, too.

She hurried home from school even faster than the day before. Chouse had to run, run, run to keep up with her bicycle. He barked and barked, as if he wanted to say, "Greta, don't go so fast." But Greta kept right on going. Nothing could stop her. She rode right up to the barn door and ran inside. Maybe the kittens had come back. But no, the bed of straw was empty.

Then Greta remembered that she had not looked in the garden. Maybe the kittens were out there playing, and the Nisser hadn't taken them at all. Joyously she ran across the courtyard, with Chouse close at her heels. Chouse thought his little mistress was going to play with him again, as she used to do, so he ran on ahead of her and hid under a peony bush. He lay there without making a sound, waiting for Greta to find him. But Greta paid no attention to the little wire-haired terrier.

She walked slowly up and down the garden paths, looking carefully to the right and left. Then she began to look under the rose bushes and the peony bushes and the big clumps of iris. After a while Chouse came out from his hiding place and followed his young mistress all around the garden. It was no use trying to get her to play with him.

It took a long time for Greta to search the entire garden. Every home in Denmark has a flower garden, and this was one of the largest and prettiest for miles around. Greta looked under every inch of the thick hedge that surrounded the garden. She looked all through the bed of marigolds and the bed of poppies and the bed of tulips. By this time Chouse seemed to know that she was searching for something and he tried to help her. He began poking into all the flower beds himself. While they were in the midst of their search, old Peter, the gardener, came along and stopped to watch them.

"Chouse, you naughty dog, get out of the flower beds!" Old Peter was angry. He had worked very hard all spring to make the garden beautiful. For many hours he had raked and hoed and watered the flower beds. And now, in ten minutes, this naughty Chouse had undone all his work.

"Oh, Peter, I've lost my kittens and Chouse is helping me look for them. Please don't scold him." If Peter complained about Chouse, then her pet surely would be sent away, thought Greta.

"Lost your kittens, Greta? Well, now, that's too bad. Maybe I can help you find them."

So old Peter took his hoe and he started poking among the flower beds, too. He poked and he poked, but not a kitten did he find. Greta got down on her hands and knees and looked and looked, but not a kitten did she find. And Chouse poked and scratched and dug up the earth, but not a kitten did he find. The kittens just weren't there.

Every evening, between nine and ten o'clock, the family gathered in the living room for coffee. This was an old, old custom in Denmark, where the people like coffee better than any other drink. Greta was usually in bed by nine o'clock, but since there was no school the next day, her mother let her stay up with the rest of the family. Instead of coffee, Greta had a bowl of strawberries and cream. They were large, sweet berries, fresh from the strawberry patch on the farm. June was the strawberry month in Denmark. They seemed to grow everywhere, and everyone ate them, three or four times a day.

Greta said hardly a word all evening. She was afraid to ask her father what he was going to do with Chouse. Maybe he would forget the whole matter if nothing were said about it. And she didn't mention the kittens, for that would bring up the subject of Chouse.

Greta's mother noticed that the little girl was unusually quiet.

"Greta, how would you like to have Anna come and visit you this summer?" her mother asked.

"Oh, Mother, that would be wonderful." Greta's face was one big smile. Anna was her cousin, and she lived in Copenhagen. Four years ago she had spent the summer on the farm with Greta and Hans, and the three children had had fun together all summer long.

"You can write her in the morning and invite her to visit you."

Greta ran across the room to her mother and gave her a big hug. "Oh, Mother, you are so sweet!"

Greta's mother smiled. She understood little girls. She knew that Greta had been sad, and she wanted to make her happy.

"I guess Anna is quite a big girl by now, Greta. Let's see. She must be thirteen years old."

"Do you suppose she will act like a young lady? Or will she want to play with me?"

"Her mother says she is quite a tomboy, so I'm sure she will want to play with you."

"Shall I ask her to bring her bicycle?" After her family and her dog and her kittens, Greta liked her bicycle better than anything else in the world. She knew that she wouldn't want to leave her bicycle at home if she went away for the summer. So surely Anna would like to bring hers along.

"She doesn't need to bring her bicycle, Greta," said Hans. "She can use mine."

"Yes, I think that will be best, Greta," said her mother.

"And I'll let her use my new boat, too," added the boy.

"Why, Hans, you won't let me use your boat."

"But you are only ten, and Anna is thirteen," argued Hans.

"Even if I am only ten, I can paddle a boat."

"Time for bed now, Greta," reminded her mother. She didn't want the day to end in a quarrel.

"I'll get up early, Mother, and write Anna the very first thing."

Greta kissed her mother and father good night and started to bed. Her own little room was just across the hall from the living room. The dining room, the living room, and three of the bedrooms were on the second floor of the house. On the first floor there was the kitchen, the maids' rooms, and the large office for Greta's father. Greta liked her little room, and she especially liked the balcony that was just outside her room. It was a small balcony looking out over the courtyard. It was fun to play on this balcony and to pretend that she was an actress bowing to a large crowd of people.

Just as she was ready to jump into bed, Greta heard a scratching sound on her door. It was Chouse, who felt very much neglected because Greta had forgotten to pat him good night. This was the first time she had forgotten it, but Chouse hadn't forgotten. So there he was.

Greta hugged him tight. "Oh, Chouse, I can't let Father send you away. Whatever would I do without you? Even if you did hide my kittens, I don't want to lose you. And you will be a good dog, won't you?"

Chouse barked once, which meant "Yes," and Greta hugged him again, just for luck.

CHAPTER III
A RIDE DOWN THE RIVER

Greta read her letter over carefully to see if all the words were spelled right. This is what she had written to Anna:

"Dear Anna:

I would like to have you come and visit me this summer. I know we can have lots of fun. Hans says you may use his bicycle and also his boat. That is a real honor, for he won't let me use his boat. He says I am too small.

I had four darling little kittens, but now they are gone and I can't find them anywhere. Do you suppose a Nisse took them away?

Chouse, my dog, has been very naughty and Father says he may have to send him away. I hope he won't, because I like to play with Chouse.

Come as soon as you can. Mother and Father and Hans all send their love. So do I.

Your cousin

Greta."

She addressed the envelope, writing "Copenhagen" in very large letters. Just as she was going out of the door, her mother called to her.

"When you are in the village, Greta, please stop at the bakery and bring back some bread. I told Marie to bake an extra loaf today, but she forgot it. And we have company coming tonight."

"All right, Mother. I won't forget."

As Greta rode into the village she thought of all the things that she and Anna could do that summer. She didn't have to pay much attention to cars coming down the gravel road, for there were many more bicycles than automobiles. Chouse ran right along beside her bicycle, but once in a while, when he saw a rabbit, he would suddenly dart away into the field. In a short time he would come tearing back and soon catch up with Greta.

The fields were especially beautiful right now. The hay was yellow and almost ready to cut. Greta could see for several miles in every direction, for the land was flat and there were not many trees. In this part of Denmark the trees do not grow very large because of the wind that blows all the time, summer and winter. This wind from the North Sea never seems to stop blowing, and it blows so hard that the trees all lean to one side, away from the wind. There are scarcely any branches on the side that the wind comes from.

The farmers are thankful for this wind from the sea, because it keeps their windmills turning. And from the windmills they get electric power to light their houses.

Greta mailed her letter and started back home. She didn't stop to visit with any of her friends in the village, because she was eager to get home and look for her kittens again. She hadn't given up the hope of finding them, though she really didn't know where to look. When more than halfway home, she suddenly remembered the loaf of bread.

"Come, Chouse. We must go back to the village." Chouse had run to the side of the road, looking for rabbits again.

From away down the road, Greta could see the sign of the bakery. Shaped like a large pretzel, it hung 'way out in front of the store. Every bakery had a sign like this, and many of the other shops had their own special signs. Each barber shop had a large metal plate hanging out in front. The plate was cut in a deep curve on one side, where it was supposed to fit around a man's neck when he had his hair cut. Of course barbers didn't use plates like this any more, but these signs were still used to mark a barber shop.

When Greta got home, Hans was just getting ready to start out in his new boat.

"Want to come along, Greta?"

"Sure I do. Where are you going?"

"Oh, just down the river." The little river which ran in front of the house and wound around through the fields seemed like the nicest part of the farm to Hans and Greta. They fished in the river in the summer and skated on it in the winter. Hans was proud of his new boat, which was a birthday present from his father. Although he never let Greta go out in it alone, he often asked her to go with him.

"Wait just a minute, Hans. I must take this bread in the house and then I'll go with you."

Chouse was already in the boat when Greta came out. The minute that Hans started toward the boat, Chouse always jumped in ahead of him. He never sat still in it long. He would dash back and forth from the front to the back, and every now and then he tried to jump out, when he saw a rabbit running across the field.

"Are you going to let me paddle, Hans?" asked Greta.

"Maybe I will, after while."

Greta had to be content with this sort of a promise. She was very happy just to be out in this beautiful new boat. By the time they had gone around the first bend of the river, Greta began to think of her kittens again.

"Hans, do you think that a Nisse really did take my kittens away?"

"Well, of course, I don't know, Greta. But it looks like it."

"I thought you didn't believe in the Nisser, Hans."

"Why, one has to believe in the Nisser. There is just no other way to explain some of the things that happen."

"Do you remember the time my doll disappeared and I couldn't find her for months and months?"

"Sure I do. And then all of a sudden she appeared again."

"And you know, Hans, how I had looked simply everywhere for that doll."

"Yes. And then you found her under the bed in your room. That is why I say that you have to believe in the Nisser. There is no other way to explain things like that."

While they were talking, Chouse had been running back and forth in the boat. Suddenly he put his front feet up on the side and started barking. He barked and barked and wagged his tail. He was trying so hard to tell them something.

"I guess Chouse sees a rabbit. He wants to get out of the boat."

"Let's let him out, Hans, and see what he does."

Hans quickly turned the boat and paddled over to the shore. Chouse jumped out before the boat had even touched the bank. In fact, he almost fell into the river, he was in such a hurry to get out. Then he ran across the field and was soon out of sight, swallowed up in the field of hay.

"Hans, please let me paddle now."

"Wait until we get around the next bend in the river."

Hans's boat was still so new that he liked to paddle it himself.

"Well, all right." Greta was disappointed, but she had to be content.

Hans pushed the boat away from the shore and paddled down the middle of the river. The river was quite straight here. Greta thought that the next bend was very far away indeed. And it seemed that Hans was purposely going just as slowly as he could. Oh, why did he want to tease her this way? Greta hoped that her father would get her a boat when she was fifteen years old. But that was a long time off—five whole years.

"I wonder where Chouse has gone, Hans."

"Oh, he's chasing rabbits all over the field."

Just then they heard Chouse bark, but it was a very faint bark, as if he were far away. The children looked and looked, but they couldn't see him anywhere. He barked again, and this time it sounded a little bit louder, but he was still out of sight. As Greta and Hans went on down the river, the barking got louder and louder.

"Oh, Hans, I see Chouse," cried Greta in great excitement.

"Where is he, Greta?"

"He's way down there in front of us, right down by the water near that group of trees. Hurry, Hans. Let's see why he is barking."

Hans pushed the boat forward with strong, swift strokes. He knew exactly how to handle his boat, and in no time at all they had reached the group of trees that was growing by the edge of the water.

"Oh, Hans, the kittens! There are the kittens!" Greta stood right up in the boat. "Hurry, Hans. One of the kittens is in the river."

"You'd better sit down, Greta, or you'll be in the river yourself."

With one strong stroke of his paddle, Hans drove the boat against the grassy bank. Both children jumped out and ran over to Chouse and the kittens. One kitten was lying on the grass, but it looked more like a rat than a kitten. Its soft fur was soaking wet. Chouse was working hard to pull the other kitten out of the river. Finally he got it up on the bank just as Hans rushed up to help with the rescue.

"Oh, Hans, the poor little things are almost drowned." Greta picked up the two mewing kittens and held them close to her, trying to make them dry and warm and comfortable.

"It certainly is lucky that we came along when we did," said Hans. "Or rather, it's lucky that Chouse was hunting rabbits along here."

"But where are the other two kittens, Hans?"

Hans didn't answer right away. He walked along the shore for a little distance, stopping now and then to look carefully in the water. At one place he got down on his knees and looked. Then he walked back quickly to Greta.

"I'm afraid we shall never find them, Greta. Come on. Let's go home so that we can get these kittens really dry and warm. We must give them some warm milk, for I know they are hungry."

All the way home Greta was very quiet. She took off her sweater and wrapped it around the kittens, holding them in her lap. Suddenly she looked up at Hans with a smile.

"Hans, this certainly proves that Chouse didn't try to do away with the kittens, for he was the one who rescued them. Surely Father won't send him away now."

"I don't know, Greta. I saw Chouse chasing the chickens again yesterday."

"Did Father see him?" asked Greta with a worried look.

Hans was in a teasing mood and he didn't answer Greta right away. Finally he said, with an annoying smile on his face, "I think I'd better not tell you, Greta."

CHAPTER IV
EXCITEMENT IN THE FOREST

"Oh, Father, I'm afraid to go any higher." Greta clung to her father's arm in terror. This was the first time she had climbed up the lookout tower in the forest, and even now she was only halfway up. It seemed such a fearfully long way to the top.

"I just can't go on," the little girl pleaded.

"Why, Greta, for months you've begged to climb up here."

"But I didn't know it was so high."

"You won't be scared if you don't look down at the ground. Just hold tightly to my hand and you will be all right. Remember, Greta, a girl who is named after a queen must not be afraid of anything."

"All right, Father, I'll go on."

In no time at all they reached the very top of the tower, which stood in the middle of the forest.

"Why, Father, I can see all of Denmark from here."

Her father laughed. "Not quite all of it, Greta. But you can see all of our farm and a good many other farms, too. By the way, Greta, just how large is Denmark?"

"I thought school was over for the summer," laughed Greta. "But I'll tell you anyway. Denmark covers exactly 16,574 square miles. Besides that, Denmark owns Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Any more questions, teacher?"

"Not right away. I'll try to think up a really hard one next time."

Greta's father began looking closely at the forest. He was very proud of the rows and rows of sturdy evergreens that covered a hundred acres of his farm. Each year a certain number of trees was cut. Some of them were sold, and some of them were used for fuel. But always, every year, new trees were planted to take the place of those that were cut.

Greta was gazing off into the distance, but suddenly her attention was caught by Chouse, who was running along the road that led to the tower. If only her father didn't see him, thought Greta. Not a word had been said about Chouse for the last two days, and Greta hoped that the whole matter had been forgotten.

When Chouse reached the foot of the tower he began barking loudly. He had never climbed the tower and he wasn't as brave as Greta, for he didn't even try. He just kept on barking and barking and barking. Greta called to him, but he paid no attention. He merely barked more loudly than before. Of course her father heard him.

"What's that dog up to now, Greta? I guess you'll have to go down and see what he wants. Are you afraid to go down the tower alone?"

"No, of course I'm not afraid." Greta was glad of the chance to show how brave she really was.

But when she got down and patted him, Chouse still kept on barking. Something was the matter, but Greta couldn't imagine what it was. Soon her father came down, and Greta could see that he was annoyed. Chouse rushed up to him and barked, trying so hard to tell him something. The dog dashed down the road a short distance and then ran back, barking furiously all the time.

"I guess we shall have to follow, Greta."

When Chouse saw that they were following, he stopped barking and was quite content. Once in a while he would run on ahead in a great hurry. Then he would run back to Greta and her father and bark again.

"There must be something wrong in the forest," said Greta's father. "I have never seen Chouse so upset."

"You were just up in the tower, Father. If there had been a fire, you would surely have seen it."

"Maybe not, because I was watching the men cutting the trees, trying to decide how many we should cut this year. I hadn't looked over the rest of the forest yet."

A forest fire is a dreadful thing in this part of the country, where the wind from the North Sea blows all day long. It can blow a fire in front of it until all the trees are gone. That is why the forests are always watched so carefully.

Suddenly Chouse darted off the main road into a narrow path. Greta and her father followed right at his heels, for they knew that the dog was leading them somewhere. This was his only way of telling them something that he thought they should know. Soon he turned off to still another path. Never for a moment did he hesitate. Chouse knew exactly where he was going.

When they came to the very edge of the forest, Chouse dashed around and jumped up and down in great excitement. At last they had reached the place to which he had been leading them. And no wonder that Chouse was so excited, for right in front of them, just a few feet from the line of trees, there was a fire!

"Oh, Father, will the whole forest burn down?" asked Greta, as she watched the flames which crackled through the pile of twigs and underbrush.

"No, Greta. Thanks to Chouse, we got here in time. But if the wind should change suddenly, the whole forest could very easily burn down."

"How did such a fire ever get started?"

"I told old Peter to clear out some of the twigs and underbrush," explained her father, "but I also told him that he must never go away when these piles were burning. He must stay with them every minute."

"I wonder where he is now?"

"I don't know. But he should be right here, watching this fire."

"If the wind did change, how would he put out the fire?"

"By throwing earth on it, Greta."

While they were talking, Chouse was standing near by, wagging his tail and looking very proud of himself.

"Chouse, you are the best dog in the whole wide world," said the happy little girl. "First you rescued my kittens and now you have saved the whole forest from burning. We couldn't possibly send Chouse away. Could we, Father?"

Her father didn't answer right away. Finally he said, "By the way, Greta, have you named the kittens yet?"

"No, I haven't. I've been trying to think of some very special sort of names, but I just can't think of any."

"Maybe Anna can help you find the right names," her father suggested.

"Of course she can. But I wonder when Anna is coming? I haven't heard from her yet."

"Why don't you run home and see if you got a letter this morning? I must stay here and watch this fire until old Peter comes."

"All right, Father."

It didn't take Greta long to get home. Even Chouse could hardly keep up with her. She hadn't been away from her kittens for this long a time since the day Chouse had rescued them. You would never know now that they had been almost drowned. Their fur was just as soft and fluffy as it had ever been.

"Oh, there you are, Greta. I've been looking everywhere for you." Her mother greeted her at the door of the house. "Here is a letter for you from Anna."

Greta read the letter eagerly.

"Dear Greta:

Thank you for your nice invitation. I shall be very happy to come. Can you meet me at the train at Holstebro? I shall arrive next Monday at half past two.

Lovingly yours,

Anna"

"Another letter came this morning, Greta, and I have a real surprise for you."

"Oh, Mother, what is it?" Greta's eyes were already dancing with happiness.

"We are invited to Vosborg for dinner next week."

"You mean the beautiful castle up on the hill," asked Greta, "the one that I have always wanted to visit?"

"Yes, dear, that very castle."

"But I thought that Mr. Christianson didn't live there any more?"

"He has been away for many years, but now he has come back to live in Vosborg."

"And you mean that I can go, and Hans, and Anna, too?"

"Yes, Greta."

"Oh, Mother!" Greta threw her arms around her mother's neck. "I must tell Hans right away." And off she dashed, with Chouse at her heels.

CHAPTER V
THE STORKS

"Greta, I didn't know that you had storks on your farm," said Anna.

"Of course we do," said Greta. "Every farm has a nest of storks."

Hans and Greta had been showing Anna the garden and the river and all the animals on the farm. Greta herself had almost forgotten about the storks, because she was so used to them. And anyway, they weren't animals you could play with, like the kittens and the dog.

"They bring us good luck," explained Hans. "Every farmer puts up an old wheel, or something else that is round, so the storks can build their nest on it. Sometimes he puts it on the roof of the barn and sometimes on the house."

"Don't you have storks at home, Anna?" asked Greta.

"Goodness, no! I don't think there's a stork in all Copenhagen, except maybe in the zoo." Anna couldn't take her eyes from the large round nest on the roof of the barn. "Do they stay here all the year round?" she asked.

"It's too cold for them here in the winter. When cold weather comes, they all fly south. Father says that some of them go as far as Africa. But early in the spring they always come back."

"Does the same family of storks come back every year?" asked Anna.

"We think it's the same family," answered Greta, "but we're never really sure, for you can't ever get very near the storks."

While the children had been talking, one of the storks was standing on one leg on the edge of the nest.

"That's the papa stork that you see now," explained Hans. "He's away most of the day, gathering food, but every now and then he comes back to the nest to rest. He always stands on one leg, just like that, when he rests."

"The mama stork has to stay on the nest all the time until the eggs hatch," said Greta. "Sometimes she stands up for a little while, but she never flies away."

"I wonder how many eggs there are." Anna was more interested in the storks than in anything else on the farm.

"Only four this year," said Hans. "I climbed up on the roof yesterday to find out. Some years there are five, and sometimes only three."

"My, but you are brave, Hans!" Anna looked at Hans in admiration. "That roof is terribly steep. I know I'd be afraid to climb it."

"But you are only a girl, Anna," teased Hans.

"Just the same, I can climb as well as a boy. I'll show you." And before Hans could argue, Anna ran over to the house and climbed up the tree to Greta's balcony.

"I'll take it all back, Anna. You really can climb." Hans hadn't expected this cousin from the city to be such a tomboy. He would have to find some other way to tease her.

"When will the baby storks hatch out, Greta?" Anna couldn't get her mind off this fascinating subject.

"In another week or two, I expect."

"If the Nisser don't take the eggs first," said Hans.

"Oh, Hans, you don't really think they would?" Greta was upset at the very thought.

"You know how the kittens disappeared, Greta. The same thing might happen to the baby storks." Hans told Anna about the lost kittens and how only two of them were found. "Greta and I decided that the Nisser took them," he finished.

"Why, Hans, how very silly!" said Anna. "Of course the Nisser wouldn't do a thing like that. In fact, I don't believe there is such a thing as a Nisse anyway."

Greta didn't know whether to be shocked or not. There were times when she herself had her doubts about the Nisser, but right now she felt sure that they were the ones who had carried off the kittens.

"The Nisser don't play pranks all the time, Anna. They do lots of nice things for us, too. Do you see that castle on the hill over there, with the trees all around it?"

Greta pointed to Vosborg Castle, about a mile away. "Let me tell you what the Nisser did there one winter. There was snow five feet deep and it lasted for more than a week. No one could get outdoors at all. The cows were in the barn, where they had plenty of food, but there were six new calves in a shed out in the field. Everyone was afraid that they would starve to death, but no one could get out and feed them. When the snow finally melted and the men went out to see the calves, they found them fat and healthy! The Nisser had taken care of them and fed them during the snowstorm."

"So you see there really are Nisser," said Hans.

Anna wasn't at all convinced, but she didn't know how to argue against proof like this. Finally she asked, "When did this happen, Hans?"

"Oh, a long time ago. A hundred years ago, I guess."

"Then no one can really prove it," argued Anna. "It's just a story that has been told over and over again, like a fairy tale." Anna believed in the things she could see, not in the things that people imagined they saw.

"We're going to this castle for dinner on Wednesday evening," said Hans. "Then you can ask Mr. Christianson himself. He will certainly know whether or not this really happened."

"We're going to a real castle for dinner?" asked Anna. "That will be lots of fun. Do you know how many rooms there are in the castle?"

"At least fifty," answered Hans. "Greta and I have never been in Vosborg, for Mr. Christianson has been living in England for a long time. But now he has come back here to live."

While they were talking about the castle, Greta's mother called to Anna. "Wouldn't you like to write your mother, Anna, and tell her that you arrived safely?"

"Oh, yes, Tante [Aunt] Agnes. And I'll tell her that we are going to a real castle for dinner." Anna ran into the house in great excitement.

"Hans, I wonder why Anna doesn't believe in the Nisser," said Greta. "You believe in them, don't you?"

"Of course I do, Greta." Hans was quiet and thoughtful for a minute, and then a merry twinkle came into his eyes. "Before Anna goes back to Copenhagen, she will believe in the Nisser, too."

"What do you mean, Hans?" Greta knew that her brother had some kind of mischief in mind.

"I mean just that. She will believe in the Nisser just as strongly as you and I believe in them."

"I don't see how you're going to convince her, Hans."

"I'm not going to convince her, Greta. The Nisser themselves will do that." Greta begged and begged, but Hans would not explain. "Just wait and you'll find out, Greta." And Hans started off toward his boat, whistling to Chouse to come along.

CHAPTER VI
DINNER AT VOSBORG CASTLE

"The carriage should be here any minute now." Greta ran to the window again to look down the road.