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THE OVERALL BOYS IN SWITZERLAND




_The_ OVERALL BOYS IN SWITZERLAND

    _By EULALIE OSGOOD GROVER_

    _Author of "The Sunbonnet Babies' Primer," "The Overall Boys,"
    The "Outdoor Primer," "The Sunbonnet Babies in Holland"_

    ILLUSTRATED BY
    BERTHA CORBETT MELCHER

    _The "Mother of the Sunbonnet Babies and the Overall Boys"_

[Illustration]

    RAND McNALLY & COMPANY
    NEW YORK      CHICAGO      SAN FRANCISCO
    Printed in U. S. A.




    _Copyright, 1916, by_
    EULALIE OSGOOD GROVER
    All rights reserved
    _Entered at Stationers' Hall_

[Illustration]

[Illustration: Made in U. S. A.]




[Illustration: To

Graham Grover

A Real Little Overall Boy]




[Illustration: THE CONTENTS.]


                                       PAGE
    THREE CHEERS FOR EUROPE               9
    ON THE RIVER RHINE                   14
    THE BEAR CITY                        22
    ABOVE THE CLOUDS                     34
    ON MOUNT RIGI                        40
    SHOPPING IN LUCERNE                  50
    SATURDAY EVENING ON LAKE LUCERNE     58
    THE BIRTHDAY PARTY                   66
    WILLIAM TELL AND HIS LITTLE SON      78
    A VISIT TO TELL'S COUNTRY            88
    OVER AND THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS      100
    REAL TRAMPERS                       108
    ON THE TRAIL                        118
    THE HERDSMAN'S CABIN                126
    A SUMMER BLIZZARD                   136
    EXPLORING A GLACIER                 144
    AUF WIEDERSEHEN                     150
    _A Letter_                          156
    _A List of Difficult Words_         159




[Illustration: THREE CHEERS FOR EUROPE.]




[Illustration: _A map showing the places the Overall Boys visited in
Switzerland_]




[Illustration]




THE OVERALL BOYS IN SWITZERLAND




THREE CHEERS FOR EUROPE


It was the first day of summer, and it was the last day of the ocean
trip.

Jack and Joe, two Overall Boys, had crossed the big Atlantic. They were
now sailing into a strange city, in a strange country, with a strange
language.

The city was Antwerp. The country was Belgium, and the language
was--well, almost anything one cared to speak, French or German or
Dutch or English.

Jack said he should try English first. Then, if people did not
understand him, he should use the Dutch words which the Sunbonnet
Babies had taught him. But if people did not understand him then, he
should have to keep still, or talk with his hands.

"Oh! I shall not keep still," said Joe. "I shall speak everything all
at once, French and German and Dutch and English. You just watch me!"

"Ho! ho!" laughed Jack. "We _will_ watch you, and so will all the
people in Antwerp. But now watch that great houseboat. I believe it is
like the boat Molly and May's Uncle Dirk owns. A family is living on
it. They have a canary bird and a dog and a cat and flowers, just as
they have on Uncle Dirk's boat."

"I should rather go to Holland than to Switzerland," said Joe. "Let's
ask the people on that houseboat to take us up to their Water Land."

"No, sir! I want to go to Switzerland," said Jack. "I want to see the
great mountains all covered with snowbanks and forests and flowers.
There is not a mountain in the whole of Holland."

"Look!" shouted Joe. "I see the first castle! We are sailing right up
beside it. I wonder if a really, truly King and Queen are living in it."

"Of course," said Jack, "unless they have been killed and their castle
turned into a prison or a museum."

"Do you suppose it has a dark dungeon under it?" asked Joe. "How I
should like to see a real dungeon!"

"Come on, father is calling us," said Jack. "Our boat has stopped. It
is time to get off."

"Oh! Perhaps father will take us into that old castle, Jack. Then we
can see if it really has a dungeon under it," cried Joe.

So the Overall Boys said good-by to their friends on the ocean steamer.
They said good-by to the Captain. They said good-by to the Cook.
The Cook and the Captain were their _special_ friends and they were
_specially_ sorry to leave them.

But the boys had something very important in their minds.

When the heavy plank was pulled over from the dock to the steamer, the
two Overall Boys were the first to step on it. They ran as fast as they
could run down the steep plank.

Everybody wondered why those two boys were running so hard. There was
plenty of time. No one needed to run. But in a second everybody knew,
for Joe was throwing his cap high into the air and shouting, "Hurrah
for Europe! Three cheers for Antwerp!" And in half a second more Jack
was throwing his cap high into the air and shouting three cheers for
Europe, too.

Yes, the Overall Boys were the first in their party to step foot on
Europe, and they were the first to give it three cheers.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: ON THE RIVER RHINE.]




[Illustration]




ON THE RIVER RHINE


The next few days were exciting ones for the Overall Boys.

Joe said he knew that he was dreaming, and his dreams were all about
castles and kings and queens and strange languages.

Jack had to tell him very often that he was sailing up the beautiful
river Rhine toward Switzerland, that the castles and the kings and the
queens and the strange languages were really true.

"I know that the castles are really here," said Joe, "for I am counting
them. Look at that great fort on the hill!"

"Yes," said Jack, "the Captain says if we were their enemies, the
soldiers in that fort would not let our boat pass up the river."

"Well, I am glad we are not their enemies," said Joe. "I don't like the
looks of the big guns peeping through those holes in the fort walls. I
like the old castles better."

[Illustration: _A high rock above the river_]

And so the Overall Boys sailed by castles and still more castles, which
were built high on the banks above the river. Most of them were very
old, so old they were falling to pieces.

Lower down on the river banks there were large vineyards, where the
finest grapes were growing.

Their father told the boys strange stories about the people who once
lived in these old castles. He told them about a beautiful sea maiden
who used to sit on a high rock above the river combing her long, golden
hair and singing sweet songs. He told how brave young men sailed their
boats into the dangerous waters to listen to her songs, and were
drowned.

Fortunately the maiden did not sing while the Overall Boys were
passing her rock, so they went safely on their journey.

A little later Jack cried, "Come, Joe, the Captain is going to tell us
a story."

"Is he going to tell it in some dreadful, strange language?" asked Joe.

"No, sir!" said Jack. "This Captain knows how to speak English."

"Hello!" called the Captain. "Do you boys like mice? Both of you do!
Well, that is brave. I am going to tell you about a man who did not
like mice.

"Do you see that large, round tower just ahead of us? It is built on a
rock in the middle of the river. It is called the _Mouse Tower_. This
is the reason why.

"Once upon a time--I cannot tell you just how long ago, but once upon
a time--there lived a rich Bishop. He lived in a great castle up there
on the river bank. He had fine farms, and he made much money. He filled
many barns with his grain, and he kept his gold in strong boxes.

[Illustration: _The Bishop's Mouse Tower built on a rock in the river_]

"A great many poor people lived near the rich Bishop. He should have
taught them how to work and how to pray, but he did not. He did not
even give them grain when they needed it, or gold that they might buy
bread.

"One year when the people were very hungry, they begged the Bishop so
hard for bread that he could not sleep. He said they were like a pack
of hungry mice.

"At last the Bishop told the beggars to go to an empty barn near by,
and he would soon satisfy their wants. So the people hurried into the
barn, and waited for the Bishop to come. He came, but he did not bring
them food or gold.

"Oh, no! The selfish Bishop told his servants to set fire to the old
barn, and the poor people who were inside soon stopped crying for food.

"That night while the Bishop was asleep in his castle, he dreamed a
strange dream. He dreamed that some hungry mice were eating a fine
picture of himself which hung on his bedroom wall. He watched them
until they had torn it all to pieces.

"Just then a servant ran into his room and wakened him.

"'O Bishop Hatto! Bishop Hatto!' cried the servant. 'The mice are
coming. They are coming out of the hot ashes of the old barn which we
burned last night. They have followed me up to your castle. You must
run for your life.'

"So the Bishop jumped on his horse and rode down the hill as fast as he
could ride, and the mice ran after him. When he came to the river the
mice were almost upon him.

"The Bishop left his horse and jumped into a small boat. He rowed very
hard until he came to that stone tower in the middle of the river.

"'Now,' said he, 'I am safely away from those miserable mice.'

"But he was not safely away from them, for the mice could swim.

"The Bishop shut himself into the tower and closed the doors and
windows. But the mice could gnaw. They ran up the stone walls and
gnawed through the wooden doors. Then they ran down the doors on the
inside and found the wicked Bishop.

"How the Bishop wished that he had been kind to the poor, starving
people. How he wished that he had given them food and gold when they
needed it so much. Now it was too late. The hungry people had sent
their spirits back in these hungry mice to punish him as he had
punished them.

"And so the old stone tower has been called the _Mouse Tower_, or
_Bishop Hatto's Tower_, ever since. Now, what do you think of that for
a story?" asked the Captain.

"I tell you, I hope I never shall be such a mean old Bishop as he was!"
said Joe.

"And I am glad he is not living now!" said Jack.

Soon the Overall Boys had sailed as far up the beautiful river Rhine
as their big boat would take them. They had seen so many old castles,
and they had heard so many strange stories about them, the boys felt as
if they had just passed through a really, truly Fairyland--and perhaps
they had.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: THE BEAR CITY.]




[Illustration]




THE BEAR CITY


"Hello, Jack! Hello, Joe!" called the boys' father very early one
morning. "Wake up! Wake up and give the bears their breakfast."

"Oh, dear! Where are we?" cried Joe. "I'm so sleepy! Where are the
bears? I don't see any."

"I know where we are," said Jack. "We are in the city of Bern, where
the bear cave is."

"Good! We are in Switzerland at last," cried Joe, running to the
window. "But where is the snow? I thought the mountains in Switzerland
were _all_ covered with snow! These mountains are covered with green
trees."

"These are not the _real_ mountains, Joe," said Jack. "The great
snow-covered mountains are farther away. I guess we shall see them
before long. I heard some one say that, on a clear day, the view of
the snow-covered Alps from this city is one of the finest in all
Switzerland, and that the sunsets here are wonderful. But let's have
our breakfast now."

"All right," said Joe. "Then let's be off to hunt for the bears. But
why do the people keep bears right in the middle of their city?"

"Father says it is because a bear was killed on this spot just before
the city was built," said Jack. "So the people named the city Bern.
They have kept a few bears in a large pit here ever since, and that is
more than four hundred years."

"Do let's hurry and find their cave!" cried Joe.

So the Overall Boys were soon hurrying through the busy streets of the
Bear City. In the middle of many of the streets they saw fine, large
fountains. Above the center of some of the fountains were the figures
of famous men, while plants and flowers were growing in others.

In a few of the beautiful fountains women were doing their washing.
They placed the soiled clothes on boards by the edge of the clear
water. Then they soaped the clothes well, and pounded them with flat
stones, and rinsed them up and down until they were quite clean.

[Illustration: _An odd way to do the family washing_]

It was certainly an odd way to do a family washing; at least, so the
Overall Boys thought.

There was one fountain which interested the boys more than any of the
others. Above the center of this fountain stood the stone figure of a
strange looking man, who was holding a stone baby in his hands. He was
about to bite the baby's head right off. Other babies were hanging from
the ugly man's belt and peeping from his pockets.

It is called the fountain of the Child-eater, and naughty children
never like to pass very near it. But the Overall Boys knew that the
stone Child-eater could not hurt them, so they laughed at the old
fellow and hurried on.

[Illustration: _The Child-eater_]

It was not long before the boys were racing across a great stone bridge
leading to the deep hole in the ground where the bears lived. Joe
reached the pit first.

"Hurrah! I see three of them," he cried, leaning over the high rail
above the pit. "See that baby bear beg for something to eat! Go to the
fruit stand, Jack, and buy some carrots to feed him. Father says bears
like carrots."

[Illustration: _The boys threw the carrots, one at a time, over the
wall into the pit_]

So Jack ran to the fruit stand near by and bought a big bunch of
carrots. The boys threw the carrots, one at a time, over the wall into
the pit, and how they shouted and laughed to see the bears catch and
eat them, just like big, brown boys.

Sometimes one bear would catch more than his share of the carrots. Then
the other bears would chase him about until they made him climb up a
tall tree in the middle of the pit. He did not dare to come down until
his bear friends had eaten all they wanted. If he tried to do so, they
chased him quickly back again.

"Look!" cried Joe. "I have found an orange in my pocket. I am going to
throw it down to the bear that is waving his paw at me. Watch him catch
it."

"Watch him!" shouted Jack. "He didn't catch it. The bear near him
knocked him over as quick as a wink, and caught the orange himself."

"See, he is climbing up the tree with it! Isn't he a selfish old bear!"

"Look at the bear in the little pond of water," cried Jack. "He is
playing ball with the other bear. Now the other bear has jumped into
the pond, too. See them box each other's ears! And see them roll over
and over in the water! Oh, I never, never saw anything so funny!"

"I believe they are real boys dressed up in bear skins," said Joe. "I
never thought bears could act so much like boys."

"Mother says she never thought boys could act so much like bears," said
Jack.

The boys watched the bears nearly all the forenoon. Joe said he hadn't
laughed so much since his last football game in America. He wished that
he could live in Bern always, and feed the bears every morning.

"I'm getting hungry myself," said Jack at last. "Let's buy some
gingerbread bears to eat. There is a window full of them over in that
store."

Then away the boys ran and bought gingerbread bears of all
sizes--father bears and mother bears and little baby bears and dancing
bears and stiff soldier bears.

Jack and Joe were sure they had never eaten anything in all their lives
so good as those gingerbread bears.

"Come on, now!" cried Jack. "Father has some more fun for us. He wants
us to go down the street with him to see a queer old clock tower."

"I know what it is," said Joe. "He told us about it the other day. We
can hear the cock crow and see the bears parade, if we are there on
time."

[Illustration: _"Then let's run!" said Jack. So the boys raced around
corners and under arches_]

"Then let's run!" said Jack. "It is almost twelve o'clock now."

So the boys raced back over the great stone bridge. They raced around
corners and under arches and along covered sidewalks, until they came
to a low tower which arched right over the sidewalk.

[Illustration: _The boys reached the tower just as the large clock near
the top said five minutes before twelve_]

The large round clock near the top of the tower said five minutes
before twelve. On the wall below the clock sat a queer little bronze
man holding an hourglass in his hand.

At the left of the man stood a bronze cock and at his right a bronze
dragon. Suddenly the Overall Boys saw the cock flap his wings and wag
his head and cry, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

A moment later two bronze giants up in the top of the tower struck the
great bell with their hammers twelve times. The cock wagged his head
and flapped his wings and again crowed, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Then a
small clown rang a tiny bell and a procession of bears began marching
just below the old man.

Some of the bears carried little guns and swords, and one bear rode on
a tiny horse.

When the clock in the top of the tower stopped striking, the procession
stopped marching, and the old man turned his hourglass upside down. The
dragon wagged his head, and the cock crowed, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Then
all was still. Yes, it was very still. The Overall Boys were thinking.

At last Joe said, "I wish I could take that clock back to America. I
should like to show it to the Sunbonnet Babies. I am sure they didn't
see anything half as strange as that in Holland."

"Well, they will have to come to Bern if they want to see it," said
Jack. "You can't pack that great tower in your trunk."

"Father is calling us," said Joe. "He says we shall have just time to
eat dinner before we must take the train. Where do you suppose we are
going next?"

[Illustration]




[Illustration: ABOVE THE CLOUDS.]




[Illustration]




ABOVE THE CLOUDS


"See it pour! And just hear the thunder!" said Joe, looking out of
the car window. "It sounds as if giants were rolling rocks down the
mountain sides. I hope they will not hit our train."

"Look! The train is stopping," said Jack. "The conductor says we must
all get out here and take another train. How can we change while it is
pouring so hard!"

The rain was really pouring down so fast that umbrellas were of no use
at all. But the Overall Boys ran to the end of the platform and climbed
into the high front seat of a queer little car.

It was certainly the strangest car the boys had ever seen. It was built
so that one end was much higher than the other end, and people had to
go up some steps to get into it.

[Illustration: _"We are climbing right up the side of a mountain"_]

In a few moments the little train was moving slowly up the steep track.

"Where do you suppose we are going?" cried Joe. "I believe we are
climbing right up the side of a mountain. My! How it rains! I guess we
are up among the clouds."

"We shall soon be up above the clouds," said Jack. "We are climbing
Mount Rigi. We are going to stay all night on the mountain, too."

And so it happened. The train was soon pulled up the steep mountain
side until it was above the rain and the wet clouds. The sun was
shining brightly up there, but the valleys below were covered with a
thick white blanket.

At last the sun and the wind began to carry great pieces of the cloud
blanket high into the sky. Through the openings in the clouds, below
them the boys could see tiny villages and blue lakes.

And away down below, hanging in the soft white clouds, was a
rainbow--all red and orange and yellow and green and blue and violet.

"Look! We are above the rainbow bridge!" cried Joe. "If only I could
jump over on it, I could slide right down to the earth again."

"Why, you are on the earth now," said Jack.

"Oh, so I am! But isn't it wonderful up here!"

The boys watched the fluffy clouds blow far away, carrying the lovely
rainbow with them. And they watched the great red sun drop down behind
the snow-covered mountains in the west.

[Illustration: _The boys watched the fluffy clouds blow far away_]

Suddenly Joe cried, "Those mountains are on fire, Jack! Look! How can
they burn when they are all covered with snow?"

"It looks as if the red-hot sun had set the world on fire this time,
doesn't it?" cried Jack.

But it hadn't, though the mountains were rosy for a long time after
darkness had come in the deep valleys below. The great round moon
climbed slowly up the sky, and millions of stars peeped down at the
boys.

They had never been so near the stars before. They were almost six
thousand feet nearer than they were on the ocean steamer, and six
thousand feet are more than a mile.

At last the boys were so tired they went into a small hotel, high on
the mountain, and were soon tucked away in two narrow white beds. For a
few moments they lay very still, then Joe whispered, "Jack, do you hear
those bells tinkling, out on the mountain side?"

And Jack whispered, "Yes, Joe. They are cow bells. You know five
thousand cows are pastured on this mountain in the summer time."

"From the sound, I guess they all wear bells, too," said Joe. "Isn't it
lovely! The bells make me so sleepy."

[Illustration]




[Illustration: ON MOUNT RIGI.]




[Illustration]




ON MOUNT RIGI


So the boys were lulled to sleep by the soft music of the tinkling cow
bells. But very early next morning they were wakened by another kind of
music. It was the clear call of an alpine horn at four o'clock in the
morning.

The horn seemed to say, "Wake up! Wake up and see the beautiful
sunrise!"

Although Jack was still half asleep, he shouted back, "All right! We'll
be up in a jiffy." And they were.

Everybody hurried out to the mountain top to watch the great sun sail
slowly up the sky.

"Look!" cried Joe. "Last night the sun went down behind those mountains
over there, but now it is coming up away over here. How did it ever get
around here?"

"Oh, you know, Joe!" said Jack. "The sun always sets in the west and
rises in the east."

"But how can it go down on one side of the world and come up on the
other?" asked Joe.

"Because the earth whirls around every twenty-four hours," said Jack.
"In the morning our side of the earth is whirling toward the sun, and
in the afternoon we are whirling away from it."

"Oh, dear! Are we whirling now?" cried Joe. "I thought the world was
standing still. I thought it was the sun that was going around."

"The sun is going around, Joe, but so are we. Father says that our
world is whirling faster right now than the fastest automobile can
race," said Jack.

"My!" said Joe. "Is that what makes the wind blow so hard up here? Hold
on, or we shall be blown off!"

"Just look at those cows!" shouted Jack. "They are being milked. Let's
go and watch."

Then away the boys raced to a group of big, brown cows that were being
milked not far away. Great pails full of the rich, creamy milk were
carried into a little house near by.

[Illustration: _She filled two tall mugs with warm milk and piled a
plate with gingerbread cakes, and set before them_]

"How good it looks!" said Joe. "Let's ask if they will sell us a drink."

But they did not have to ask, for the old woman who lived in the
tiny house saw the boys coming. She knew that they had not had any
breakfast, so she filled two tall mugs with warm milk, then she piled a
plate with gingerbread cakes, and set before them.

The boys were so hungry they ate two plates full of the gingerbread
cakes, and they each drank two tall mugs of the warm milk. They thanked
the old woman very kindly, and told her she had given them the best
breakfast they had _ever_ eaten.

By this time the sun was quite high in the sky. Large umbrellas were
raised over small booths on the mountain top, where men and women were
selling picture post cards and all sorts of queer little things--horns
and whistles and small carved wooden men and bears.

The boys bought a number of things to take back to America with them,
and they bought a dozen or more post cards to send to their friends.
The very prettiest of these cards were sent to their own little
brothers, Tim and Ted, and to the Sunbonnet Babies.

The boys each bought, also, a fine alpine stock to help them on their
long tramps over the mountains.

The first tramp was to be taken that very day. Instead of going down
Mount Rigi by train, as they had come up, they were going to walk.
They were going to walk away down to the shore of the beautiful lake
at the foot of the mountain. It was the large lake of Lucerne, but it
looked like only a tiny pond, it was so very far below them. And the
busy steamers looked like toy boats sailing on the tiny pond.

[Illustration: _Large umbrellas were raised over small booths on the
mountain top_]

"Just think," said Jack, "in a few hours we shall be crossing that very
lake in one of those steamers. They don't look large enough to carry
people, do they?"

After an early lunch, which was eaten in an outdoor restaurant, they
started to walk down the mountain. A part of the way the path was very
steep. The boys raced along, for it was easier to run than to walk.

Soon they came to a place where a great mass of rocks had slipped
down across the path during the last heavy rain. The boys could see
where the rocks had torn up bushes and trees, as they dashed down the
mountain side.

The little home of a herdsman, lower down on the mountain, had been
completely buried.

When the herdsman came home after the rain was over, he found his house
hidden under a load of rocks and trees. Of course, the poor man thought
that his wife and six little children had all been killed, but he would
not give them up until he had tried to save them.

He saw that one corner of his house was not quite covered, so he dug
away the stones as fast as he could. Some friends came to help him, and
at last the herdsman could hear his little children crying. This made
him work even faster, for he knew that they were alive.

[Illustration: _It did not lake long to make an opening through a
broken window_]

It did not take the men long to make an opening through a broken
window. There they found the mother and her six frightened children
sitting close together in a corner of the room. The rest of the little
house had been crushed in by the heavy rocks. In some way this one
corner had been protected, and so the mother and her little family were
saved.

Some kind herdsmen were giving the family a home until they could build
another house on the mountain side.

Lower down on the trail the Overall Boys met the father and mother and
oldest daughter of this family. They were making hay on one of the tiny
mountain meadows or alps.

A narrow cart had been filled with the sweet, dry hay, and the father
was about to haul it down the trail. He greeted the Overall Boys
politely, saying in odd German, "Good evening, my boys. May you return
again to our alp."

When their father told the boys what the man had said, Joe answered
quickly, "Oh, thank you! May we come up to your alp some day and help
you make your hay?"

And so it was arranged that the boys should climb up to the alpine
meadow some day very soon, to help the herdsman make his hay.

They were going to spend two whole weeks by Lake Lucerne at the foot of
the mountain, so they would have time to do many interesting things.

After leaving the herdsman and his family, the boys hurried on down the
trail. It took them nearly three hours to reach the shore of the lake,
where a steamer was waiting to carry them across the water to the city
of Lucerne.

It was one of the steamers which the Overall Boys had seen from the top
of Mount Rigi that very morning. Away up there it had looked no larger
than a plaything, but they now found that it was quite a grown-up boat.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: SHOPPING IN LUCERNE]




[Illustration]




SHOPPING IN LUCERNE


So the Overall Boys had their first sail on lovely Lake Lucerne, the
most famous lake in all the world.

The sun went down in a glory of color behind the city of Lucerne at the
end of the long lake, and the great, round moon came hurrying up, eager
to lend her light to this beautiful part of the world while the sun was
away.

It was a wonderful evening. It was almost as wonderful as the evening
before, when the boys had been up above the clouds on Mount Rigi.

To-night they were very tired after the long tramp down the mountain.
They were too tired to look around much as they were driven quickly
along the brightly lighted streets and up the hill to their boarding
place.

But in the morning they were ready for anything. The first thing to
interest them was breakfast. Jack led the way down the stairs to the
large dining room, but it was empty. There was nothing to eat on any of
the long tables.

"Oh, dear! We are too late," cried Joe. "I shall starve before noon. I
know I shall."

"No, you won't," said Jack. "Look out there under the trees. The people
are having a breakfast party."

"Oh, my!" cried Joe. "Are we going to eat out there, too? I hope so!"

"Father and mother are waiting for us over by the tall rose bushes,"
said Jack. "We can have a little table all to ourselves."

"Is it really a party, or is it just breakfast?" asked Joe.

"I expect it is just breakfast," said Jack. "Mother has said that
people here in Switzerland eat out of doors whenever they can."

"Oh, goody! let's have our breakfast out here every morning," said Joe.

And so they did. Every morning when it did not rain, the Overall Boys
had their breakfast of rolls and honey and hot chocolate on a small,
round table in the rose garden.

[Illustration: _They often sat in front of their shops while working_]

It was lots of fun. It was almost as good as a real picnic. Each
morning while they were eating, they planned what they should do during
the rest of the day.

Some days they spent the forenoon visiting interesting little shops.
They liked to watch the pretty Swiss girls at work on their fine
embroidery. These girls, dressed in their quaint Swiss costumes, often
sat on the sidewalk in front of their shops while working.

But the boys liked best the carved wood shops. Sometimes they saw boys,
not much older than themselves, carving jumping-jacks and bears and
queer little dwarf men out of blocks of pear wood.

Many Swiss boys learn wood carving when they are quite young, so they
can earn their living in that way when they are grown up.

The Overall Boys coaxed their father to buy a fine carved bear to take
home with them. The bear was as tall as Joe. He sat on his hind legs,
crossing his fore paws in front of him, and he looked as if he might
growl any minute.

The boys' mother said the bear should stand by the front door at home,
where he could hold umbrellas for people when they came to call.

"What fun we shall have when we introduce the Sunbonnet Babies to Mr.
Bear!" said Joe.

"I know a fine way to do it," said Jack. "We will stand him under the
big maple tree in the back yard at home. Then, the first time Molly
and May come to see us, we will take them out to meet our new playmate."

"Oh, that will be great!" shouted Joe. "I can almost hear Molly and May
scream now."

       *       *       *       *       *

"Let's visit the cuckoo shop," said Jack one afternoon. "And let's try
to be there when the cuckoos all come out."

"Well, then, let's go now," said Joe. "It is ten minutes of five. We
shall have just time to get there before the clocks begin to strike and
the cuckoos begin to call for five o'clock."

So Jack and Joe hurried down the street into the old, old part of the
city. They found the little shop just in time. An old man standing in
the doorway invited the boys to go in, and of course they accepted.

On the walls around the small room hung many beautiful brown clocks of
all sizes. They were very different from American clocks. These clocks
looked like tiny Swiss houses or chalets. There was a round clock face
in the front of each chalet, and two long swinging arms hanging down
below. But the clocks were all saying, _tick_, _tick_, _tick_, _tick_,
just as American clocks do.

"Now watch!" cried Joe. "The doors are beginning to open. Here come the
cuckoos."

And sure enough, as the boys stood looking at the clocks, a little door
near the top of each swung quickly open and a tiny cuckoo bird stepped
out and flapped its wings.

The clocks all began striking and the cuckoos began calling just like
this:--One, cuckoo; two, cuckoo; three, cuckoo; four, cuckoo; five,
cuckoo.

It was five o'clock. The cuckoo birds folded their wings and stepped
quietly back into their tiny houses. The doors closed quickly in front
of them and all was still once more, except for the _tick_, _tick_ of
the many clocks.

[Illustration: _A cuckoo clock_]

"We just _must_ buy one of those cuckoo clocks to take back to America
with us," said Joe.

"We must buy two of them," said Jack. "We must take one to Molly and
May. They will think it is splendid."

"Let's ask father about it," said Joe. "I know he will tell us to buy
one for the Sunbonnet Babies and one for Tim and Ted."

"I am going home to supper now," said Jack. "This is Saturday, and
there are fireworks on the shore of the lake every Saturday evening,
you know."

"Oh, so there are!" cried Joe. "I had almost forgotten about them.
Let's hurry."

[Illustration]




[Illustration: SATURDAY EVENING ON LAKE LUCERNE.]





[Illustration]




SATURDAY EVENING ON LAKE LUCERNE


Long before it was dark the Overall Boys were walking up and down the
beautiful shore front, waiting for the first sky rocket. Hundreds of
other people were waiting and watching, too. A band was playing and
everybody was happy.

"Listen! The band is playing _America_!" cried Joe. "Three cheers for
the red, white, and blue!"

"Wait a minute, Joe," said Jack. "Father says that is one of the
national hymns of Switzerland. The music is the same as for our
national hymn, _America_, but the words are different."

"It is fine, anyway, and I feel like shouting.--Three cheers for
Switzerland!" said Joe.

"So do I!" said Jack. "Switzerland is a Republic and has a President,
just as we have in the United States, you know. Its national motto is
'All for each, and each for all.'"

"I thought it seemed more like home than any other country over here,"
said Joe. "I shouldn't like to live in a country which has a King
instead of a President. I like Presidents."

"But just think of it, Joe, the whole of Switzerland is only one third
as large as our state of New York, and the city of New York has a
million more people in it than this whole country has; father said so."

"Well, even though the country is so small," said Joe, "it has
twenty-two Cantons or states, and each Canton has a special flag. I am
going to buy them all for my flag collection."

"Puff! puff! There goes a sky rocket!" shouted Jack. "And there goes
another! The fun has begun, Joe!"

During the next hour the boys forgot all about national hymns and
Presidents and flags. They were watching fire balloons sail far out
over the dark lake and disappear behind tall mountains. They were
watching rockets shoot high into the sky and burst into wonderful
shapes--into ships and bears and pots of flowers. They were watching
the mountains glow under lovely red and blue and yellow lights. And
they were imagining that they were in a fairy city, beside a fairy
lake, with the wonderful mountains of Fairyland all around them.

[Illustration: _After awhile the boys and their father got into a small
boat and rowed far out on the dark fairy lake_]

After awhile the boys and their father got into a small boat and rowed
far out on the dark fairy lake. Other boats were floating quietly
about, too, each carrying a lighted Chinese lantern.

Somewhere across the water people were singing lovely Swiss songs, and
all were watching the strange, fiery things in the sky above.

Mount Pilatus, which rose very high, close beside the lake, looked cold
and ghostlike under the weird, blue lights.

"Would you like to hear a ghost story about Mount Pilatus, boys?" asked
their father.

"Oh, of course we should! Please tell us a ghost story!" said the boys.

"Well," began their father, "you know how Pilate, the Roman governor
of Galilee, allowed Jesus to be killed. It is said that Pilate was
afterward driven out of Galilee, and that he came to this part of the
world and drowned himself in a lake near the top of that mountain. So
the mountain was named Pilatus.

"For many hundreds of years the people about here believed that
Pilate's ghost came out of the lake once a year and wandered over
the mountain. To protect the people from the ghost, the government of
Lucerne forbade any one to go near the lake.

"Once six bold men disobeyed this law, and they were put into prison.
The people still believed that Pilate's ghost lived on the mountain,
and they did not want to offend it.

"It was not until fifteen hundred years after Pilate was driven from
Galilee that the government of Lucerne gave permission for four men to
climb the mountain and to explore the lake. As the men did not find the
ghost, they decided that at last it was quiet.

"So people have been climbing the mountain ever since, and now they
even have a railroad which goes away up to the little lake. How do you
suppose the old ghost likes that?"

"And what do you suppose he thinks of the fire balloons that are
sailing around his head to-night?" said Joe.

Suddenly somebody screamed, and then somebody else screamed. The little
boats began to hurry and scurry in every direction. It looked as if
all the Chinese lanterns had gone crazy.

Everybody's eyes were turned toward the sky, for up there, right
above them, was a fire balloon. The fire had caught in the top of the
balloon, and it was all ablaze.

Now this blazing balloon was falling straight down, down, down, toward
the little boats on the lake. Of course the boats were scurrying to get
out of the way, and of course the people screamed.

[Illustration: _A fire balloon_]

Each thought that the burning balloon would surely fall right into his
boat, but it did not. It fell hissing and sputtering into the dark
waters, right where the boats had been only a few moments before.

"Well, that was a narrow escape!" exclaimed Jack. "We can imagine now
how it would seem to be in a falling flying machine. I think I don't
care to try it."

Then, with many other boats, they rowed quickly back to the brightly
lighted city, and the boys were soon sound asleep, resting for the next
day's fun.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY.]




[Illustration]




THE BIRTHDAY PARTY


Now the next day was Joe's birthday, and he was to have a real Swiss
party. At least, he was going with a dozen Swiss boys and their
schoolmaster for a long tramp up the mountain side behind Lucerne. Jack
was going, too.

The boys were hardly through breakfast on the birthday morning, when
they heard the beating of a drum in the street. In a moment the high
garden gate swung open, and in marched a procession of jolly boys.

The leader of the procession was the drummer boy. A great St. Bernard
dog bounded along beside him.

These boys could all speak a little English, and as Jack and Joe had
learned some German, they had no trouble in talking with each other,
though sometimes it was hard for the St. Bernard dog to understand
their language.

[Illustration: _The drummer boy and the schoolmaster and the dog led
the way, while the other boys followed, two by two_]

The Overall Boys put on their knapsacks and quickly joined the
procession. The drummer boy and the schoolmaster and the dog led the
way, while the other boys followed, two by two.

Swiss boys nearly always carry knapsacks or botany cans on their backs
when they are tramping. They like to gather and study the wild flowers
and plants that grow by the way. Of course they always carry fresh
rolls and sweet chocolate in their knapsacks, too.

These boys think nothing is so good for lunch as rolls and sweet
chocolate, and the Overall Boys are sure that they are right. They are
also sure that no other sweet chocolate is as good as that made in
Switzerland.

The Swiss schoolboys often wear soft green felt hats with bunches of
mountain flowers or long feathers standing straight up behind. So the
Overall Boys bought feathers for their hats, too.

In passing through the town the schoolmaster took the boys to see their
famous national monument, the Lion of Lucerne.

High on a natural wall of rock they saw the figure of a great dying
lion, with a broken spear in his side. At the foot of the wall there
is a small, dark pond with green trees around it, making a quiet and
beautiful spot.

The schoolmaster told the boys how, many years before, some brave Swiss
guards had given their lives to protect the palace of the French King,
Louis XVI, in his beautiful city of Paris.

[Illustration: _High on a natural wall of rock they saw the famous
national monument, the Lion of Lucerne_]

He told them how this national monument had later been made by a great
artist in memory of the soldiers who were as brave as lions, and who
were not afraid to die at their post.

After leaving the lion, the boys marched down the steep, crooked
streets toward the river. Mount Pilatus rose high in front of them, a
soft, white cloud above his head.

[Illustration: _They passed a number of small milk carts_]

"We are sure of fine weather to-day, boys," said the master. "Pilatus
is wearing his hood.

    'If Pilatus wears his hood,
    Then the weather's always good.'"

"He is celebrating my birthday," said Joe. "Of course the weather must
be good to-day."

As the boys tramped on they passed a number of small milk carts
bringing barrels of fresh, rich milk into the city. The milk had been
sent down from the high mountain pastures, where the cattle spend the
summer months.

Each milk cart was drawn by two strong dogs and a man. The dogs seemed
very proud of their work. They knew every house where they must stop to
leave the morning's milk.

In a few minutes the party was crossing a queer, crooked bridge over
the river. It is called the Chapel Bridge. On its roof and walls there
are more than one hundred and fifty pictures, which were painted a
long, long time ago.

Right beside the bridge, standing in the river, is a very old stone
tower. The schoolmaster said that this tower was probably once used as
a lighthouse.

The Overall Boys were very much interested in the quaint old covered
bridge, but they were even more interested in some beautiful white
swans swimming in the water below it.

"The swans are hunting for their breakfast," said Joe. "I am going to
give them one of my nice rolls."

Then Joe ran quickly through the bridge and down to the edge of the
river. He took one of the fresh, long rolls from his knapsack and
broke it into small bits, which he threw into the water.

[Illustration: _He took one of the fresh, long rolls from his knapsack
and fed the swans on the river_]

In a moment the lovely white swans were sailing swiftly toward him.
They bowed their long, graceful necks in many a pretty "Thank you" for
the generous breakfast.

At last the procession tramped out through a low gate under a large
watch tower on the old city wall. Soon they were climbing up through
the beautiful woods on the mountain side.

They found many interesting plants and flowers to study, and they were
glad of the sweet chocolate and rolls in their knapsacks.

But the real fun came when they reached the restaurant high on the
mountain. One of the boys kept Joe out of sight while the others helped
arrange a table for the birthday dinner.

It was a large, round table, and it stood out of doors on a high
terrace, where they could look far down upon the little city of
Lucerne, and upon the beautiful lake surrounded by the great mountains.

The boys took from their knapsacks a number of small packages, which
they had kept a secret from Joe.

"Let's arrange all of our presents around Joe's plate," said Jack. "And
let's put a bunch of alpine roses in the center of the table."

[Illustration: _Alpine roses_]

In a few moments a procession of carved wooden bears and queer little
dwarf men were marching around Joe's plate, while on the plate were
piled the other presents.

There was a handsome jackknife; a pocket book containing a silver franc
piece, which is the same as twenty cents; a tiny Swiss chalet with a
real music box inside of it; and best of all, a beautiful little Swiss
watch,--one which would keep perfect time,--besides cakes and cakes of
delicious sweet chocolate.

[Illustration: _The boys stood around the table and sang_]

When everything was ready, the boys stood behind their chairs around
the table and sang a birthday song, while Joe was led back to the
terrace by his little Swiss friend.

Poor Joe! He was so surprised and so happy he did not know what to
do or what to say, but he really said the very nicest thing: "Thank
you, thank you, everybody! Oh, ich danke euch allen!" Then he sat down
quickly in his chair and began looking at his many presents.

But he could not look at his presents long, for he had to think
about the delicious birthday dinner that was being served. There was
everything that hungry boys could wish for, from real chicken to ice
cream and cake. And there was a box of chocolate candy for each boy to
take home with him.

A Swiss band played lovely music all the while they were eating, and
the schoolmaster told them wonderful stories about his life on the high
Alps when he was a little boy.

The boys ate so long, and they ate so much, the schoolmaster finally
told them that they must stop soon or they would not be able to tramp
back down the mountain.

There was no need to be anxious, however, for they all tramped down
better than they had tramped up.

Joe did not complain once because of the extra weight in his knapsack.
It had been the finest birthday that he had _ever_ known.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: WILLIAM TELL AND HIS LITTLE SON.]




[Illustration]




WILLIAM TELL AND HIS LITTLE SON


Early next morning the Overall Boys and their parents went aboard a
small steamer which would carry them to the other end of the long,
narrow lake of Lucerne.

They hurried quickly to the front upper deck, for they had long ago
learned that this was the best place for sightseeing; and they knew
that during the next few hours they would see some of the loveliest
scenery in the whole world.

"I believe this will be the finest trip we have had yet," said Joe.

"I know it will be the finest one!" exclaimed Jack. "I should rather
see the spot where William Tell shot the apple from his little boy's
head, than any other spot in Switzerland."

"Oh, I shouldn't!" said Joe. "I should rather climb one of those great
mountains all covered with snow, and take a walk on a real glacier."

"Well, some day perhaps we can do that, too," said Jack. "But I don't
want to do it to-day. I want to hear the story which father is going
to tell us, about how William Tell and his little boy helped to make
Switzerland a free country."

"Oh, yes, father! Do tell us the story while we are sailing up the very
lake where a part of it happened," said Joe.

"All right," said their father. "This is the story:

"More than six hundred years ago the people of Switzerland did not
govern themselves, as they do now. A part of the people were governed
by the King of Austria. Austria is a large country northeast of
Switzerland, you know.

"Now the King of Austria could not live here and govern the people
himself, so he sent one of his men to be their Governor. The name of
the last Governor was Gessler.

[Illustration: _The Overall Boys hear the story of William Tell_]

"This man Gessler was a very proud and cruel Governor. He made the
people do many things which they did not think were right.

"One of the strange things which Gessler did was to have a hat placed
on a tall pole in the marketplace of the little village of Altdorf.
He then commanded every one who passed through the marketplace to bow
before the hat, just as if the King of Austria were sitting there.

"A watchman stood near by to take the names of any who did not obey the
command.

"Of course the people were much excited, but they did not dare to
disobey the Governor. At least no one dared to do so until, one day,
William Tell came to the marketplace. He was a proud and brave man. He
thought it was foolish to bow to a hat on a pole, so he walked straight
by it without bowing.

"When Gessler heard what William Tell had done, he was very angry. As a
punishment, he commanded Tell to shoot an apple placed on the head of
his favorite son, Walter. If the arrow went through the apple, Tell's
life was to be spared. But if he missed the mark, he and his little boy
were to die.

"Gessler knew that William Tell could shoot an arrow straighter than
any other man in the country, but he thought that his courage would
fail, with his own little boy standing just under the mark. And it
almost did fail. But Walter called, 'Shoot, father! I am not afraid! I
will stand very still!'

"So Tell placed an arrow in his crossbow and another one in his belt.
Gessler stood the boy under a tree some distance away, and placed an
apple on his head. He then commanded Tell to shoot.

"In a moment Tell's arrow had gone straight through the center of the
apple.

"The people, who were watching, shouted for joy, because the lives of
William Tell and his brave little son were saved. Even Gessler was
forced to praise Tell for his wonderful skill.

"'But,' said Gessler, 'you must tell me why you put the second arrow in
your belt.'

"Tell did not wish to answer this question, but Gessler promised he
should not lose his life.

"'Well, sir,' answered Tell, 'as you have promised to spare my life, I
will tell you the truth. If I had missed the apple and shot my boy, the
second arrow should have gone through your heart.'

"'Ah!' said Gessler. 'I have promised to spare your life, but you shall
be put where you will never again see the sun nor the moon. Then I
shall be safe from your swift arrows.'

[Illustration: _Gessler asks Tell about the second arrow_]

"So William Tell was quickly bound with ropes and taken to the boat on
which Gessler was to cross the lake in returning to his castle.

"While they were on the water a terrible storm came up. It seemed as if
they would all be drowned. The boatmen begged Gessler to take the ropes
from their prisoner, so that he might help them bring the boat ashore.

[Illustration: _As he sprang, he gave the boat a strong push with his
foot, back into the rough water again_]

"So Gessler commanded that Tell be untied and that he guide them to
safety.

"Tell had been on this lake in storms many times before, and he knew
where the few safe landing places were. He knew there was a large flat
rock, close under the steep shore, on to which one could easily spring
from a boat, so he skillfully steered in its direction.

"When a great wave swung the tossing boat quite close to the flat rock,
Tell seized his crossbow and sprang out. As he sprang, he gave the
boat a strong push with his foot, back into the rough water again.

"Brave Tell was free. He climbed quickly through the woods and up the
steep mountain side. At last he came to the path Gessler would have to
take in returning to his castle, if he were not drowned on the stormy
lake.

"Here Tell waited and thought. He was waiting to see if Gessler would
come, and he was thinking about the brave people who were being
so cruelly treated by their Austrian Governor. He was willing, if
necessary, to give his life to bring freedom to his country.

"At last Gessler and his men came hurrying up the path toward the
castle. They had escaped the storm.

"As Tell stood hidden behind some bushes near the path he saw Gessler
refuse to help a poor woman and her little children. The woman had come
to beg the Governor to release her husband, who had been unjustly put
into prison. Gessler would not listen to her, and the unhappy woman
went away weeping.

"Tell was now sure that it was his duty to save his people from their
suffering. So he let fly a swift arrow from his bow and it hit the
mark, as his arrows always did.

"That was the last of Austrian Governors for Switzerland. The people
have been free and have governed themselves ever since, and that, you
know, is more than six hundred years," said the boys' father.

"Isn't it wonderful to be as brave as William Tell was!" said Jack
after a moment.

"And isn't it wonderful to be as brave as Walter was!" said Joe. "I
wonder if I could be as brave as that!"

[Illustration]




[Illustration: A VISIT TO TELL'S COUNTRY.]




[Illustration]




A VISIT TO TELL'S COUNTRY


While the boys were listening to this interesting story, the steamer
was carrying them slowly up the beautiful lake toward the very places
where it all happened.

At last they came to a narrow part of the lake where the mountains rose
steep and high on both sides.

"Look, boys!" said their father. "Do you see the little chapel just
ahead of us, on the left? It is called Tell's Chapel, because it is
built on the flat rock on to which Tell sprang from Gessler's boat that
stormy day. On the walls inside of the chapel an artist has painted
four large pictures showing the whole story of William Tell."

"Oh, father, please let us go ashore here," said Jack. "I want to look
at those pictures."

[Illustration: "_Do you see the little chapel just ahead of us?_"]

"And I want to climb up into the dark woods behind the chapel," said
Joe.

"All right," said their father. "How would you like to walk the rest
of the way to the end of the lake? It is only two or three miles. I am
sure you never have walked over so beautiful a road as this one."

"Oh, do let us walk!" shouted Joe. "It will be lots more fun than
sitting still here on the steamer."

So they went ashore right near the little chapel. First, they looked
at the pictures that told the story of Tell and Gessler, on the walls
inside of the chapel. Then they followed a steep, narrow path that led
up the mountain side through the dark woods. This path soon brought
them to a pretty garden restaurant.

Of course they were all very thirsty, so they sat around a small table
under the great trees and drank raspberry lemonade, which was served
to them in very tall glasses. Raspberry lemonade, as it is made in
Switzerland, is much nicer than plain lemonade, at least so the Overall
Boys thought.

A few minutes later they began their tramp over one of the most
beautiful roads in the world. It is called the Axenstrasse, because it
is built along the side of the steep mountain called the Axenberg.

A part of the way the mountain is so steep the road could not be built
on the outside of it, so a tunnel has been cut right through the rocky
side. Here and there the outer wall of rock has been cut away, making
great arches through which people can look out over the beautiful lake
to the high mountains beyond.

[Illustration: _The great arches from which people can see the high
mountains beyond_]

The famous St. Gotthard railroad is also built along this mountain
side. In some places the trains glide along the steep mountain almost
straight above the deep lake, and in other places they pass through
long, dark tunnels.

The carriage road over which the Overall Boys were tramping was as
smooth and level as a floor. Many automobiles flew past the happy
walking party, but the boys did not envy the people who were riding in
them. They could see and enjoy everything, while those who had to ride
missed a great deal.

They passed through two or three small villages, where the narrow
balconies on the pretty chalets were all covered with beautiful
climbing roses.

In the center of a fountain, in one of the small flower gardens, the
boys saw the figure of a queer little dwarf with a large, red umbrella
over his head.

"Oh, Jack, see that little man standing in the fountain!" cried Joe.
"He looks like the good dwarfs we read about in fairy tales. See what a
small body he has, and what a large head!"

"And do look at his long beard and his high, pointed cap!" said Jack.
"How proud he is of his big, red umbrella! He stands in the center of
the fountain with the water falling all around, but not a drop falls on
him."

"Isn't he a jolly old fellow! I suppose he brings good luck to the
people who own that garden," said Joe. "In fairy tales the mountain
dwarfs always bring good luck, if they are treated kindly."

[Illustration: _The queer little dwarf under his large, red umbrella_]

"Well, this old fellow looks as if he were enjoying his lovely garden
home," said Jack.

At last the trampers came to a small town where there was a high coach
drawn by four horses waiting to carry people two miles up the valley,
to the village of Altdorf.

Travelers usually go to Altdorf by train now, but the Overall Boys
chose to ride on top of the high coach.

[Illustration: _The Overall Boys chose to ride on top of the high
coach_]

It was a beautiful drive, and everybody was happy and hungry when the
coach drew up to a small hotel in the famous little village.

Supper was served in the hotel garden, then the boys went to bed to
dream of William Tell and his brave son, Walter, who had once walked
the streets of this very village.

Quite early next morning, two eager little boys were standing in the
old marketplace They were looking at the tall bronze monument of
William Tell and his little son.

"Think of it!" said Joe. "William Tell stood on this very spot when he
shot the apple from Walter's head."

"Yes," said Jack. "And Walter stood away back there, where the fountain
now is."

"My! I know I should have trembled, if I had been in Walter's place,"
said Joe.

"I am sure Walter did not tremble. See how brave and happy he looks, as
he stands up there with his father's hand on his shoulder. He was proud
to help save his father's life. He was even willing to die to save him.
Why, I should be willing to do as much for my father, if he were in
trouble," said Jack.

"So should I!" cried Joe. "No one shall ever hurt father or mother, if
I can help it!"

"Well, that sounds good," said their father, who came up behind the
boys just in time to hear what they were talking about. "I shall not be
afraid to serve my country, so long as I have boys as brave as Walter
Tell."

[Illustration: _They were looking at the monument of William Tell_]

"Oh, father, did this all really happen, or is it just a story?" asked
Jack.

"Well," said their father, "a few wise men are telling us that it is
only a legend, but many of the Swiss people believe that it is every
bit true. They are proud to have had such heroes as William Tell and
his little boy."

"Of course they are," said Joe. "I am going to believe that it is
true. Why, William Tell did almost as much for his country as George
Washington did for ours. I think that he ought to be called the
'Father of his Country,' the same as Washington is."

"So do I," said their father. "But let me tell you something now. I
have a surprise for you. The people of the village are going to play
the story of William Tell to-day in their little open-air theater on
the edge of the woods.

"The king's hat will be there on a pole in the center of the busy
marketplace, and all the people will bow low to it--all except William
Tell and his little son, who will march proudly by it. Then, of course,
Tell will have to shoot the apple from his little boy's head, and
he will be taken across the stormy lake in Gessler's boat, and then
he will spring out upon the rocky shore, and escape into the woods.
Gessler and his men will climb up the mountain path toward the castle;
the poor woman will beg Gessler to release her husband from prison--and
all the rest of the story will be played. Would you like to see it?"

"Oh, of course we should!" exclaimed the boys. "We should rather see
it than anything else we can think of."

And when they had seen it, they wanted to see it all right over again.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: OVER AND THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS.]




[Illustration]




OVER AND THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS


Slowly, slowly up the mountain crept the long train. It was carrying
the Overall Boys far away from lovely Lake Lucerne. It was taking them
over the wonderful Bruenig Pass. It was carrying them even more slowly
down, down the steep <DW72> on the other side toward the head of the
deep valley, where lay the pretty Swiss village of Meiringen.

As the boys stood by the car window they could see the long line of
track far below them. Sometimes when their train passed a sharp curve,
they could even see the engine at one end of the train and the last car
at the other end.

They glided over high bridges above torrents of water which dashed down
the mountain to join the blue lake in the valley below.

It was wonderful--the mountains, the torrents, the lakes, and the
strong train which carried them over everything! It was all so
wonderful, the boys had no words to express their delight. For the
first time on their long journey they were almost silent.

Once in a while one of the boys would cry: "Look at that great
waterfall!" or "See the precipice right below us!" or "Watch us cross
that high bridge!"

[Illustration: _They glided over high bridges_]

It was much more exciting than the ride in the thunder storm up Mount
Rigi, but at last even this ride came to an end.

[Illustration: _The boys had no words to express their delight_]

Yes, the wonderful ride over the Bruenig Pass ended at Meiringen, but
the more wonderful tramp over the Great Scheidegg Pass was to begin at
Meiringen, and the boys were to have other strange experiences down in
the deep, green valley. The most exciting of them all came the very
next morning.

There was an early breakfast eaten in the pretty garden of the hotel,
then their father said:

"Now for the fun! Yesterday we went _over_ a mountain. To-day we shall
go _through_ one."

"Are we going through a tunnel?" cried Joe.

"No, indeed!" said their father. "At least it is not a tunnel made by
men. Come and see what you think of it."

They were soon tramping along the village street toward the high
mountain at the head of the narrow valley. A swift river hurried past
them to join the lake at the other end of the valley. It was the river
Aar.

The boys saw where the river had overflowed its banks in the
springtime, when the snows melted and the heavy rains came. They were
told that the bridges were often washed away, and that sometimes great
masses of rocks came tearing down the mountain side, right into the
little village, crushing and burying everything in their path.

The party quickly left the village far behind them, and each step
brought them nearer to the high mountain wall close ahead.

"How shall we get over that mountain, father?" asked Joe. "Shall we
have to climb to the top?"

"No, Joe," said his father. "We shall do no climbing to-day. I believe
we can go through it, if this swift river can."

"Of course we can!" shouted Jack. "Let's follow the river."

So they followed a footpath along the banks of the noisy river. Soon
the banks began to grow high and steep. At last they rose straight up
on both sides, until the boys could see only a narrow strip of blue sky
far above them.

"The mountain has cracked open!" shouted Joe. "We are in the crack!"

"So we are!" cried Jack. "I believe the river did it. See it come
tearing along!"

"Look ahead of us!" said Joe. "There isn't room even for a path. A
board walk has been fastened with iron rods to the wall. It hangs right
over the rushing water. What if it should break while we are on it! I
am not sure that I want to go any farther."

"Come, now, don't be a coward, Joe," said his father. "The Swiss
government builds these paths, and they are built strong. We are safe."

So on they tramped through the great crack in the mountain. In some
places the path hung high over the swift waters. In other places it
was tunneled through the dark rocks. But always it followed the deep,
narrow crack, with the noisy river at its bottom and a bit of blue sky
far, far above.

For nearly a mile the boys followed this path. In many places the river
was so noisy they had to shout to make each other hear. But at last
they came out on the other side of the mountain.

[Illustration: _The path through the mountain_]

They had not climbed the mountain, and they had not gone around it.
They had gone _through_ it. And more wonderful still, the great river
Aar has been carrying its waters through the mountain for ages and
ages.

Close beside the river, at the end of the path, was a tiny shop kept by
a little old woman and her granddaughter.

The little girl served the boys to raspberry lemonade, and she sold
them picture post cards showing the strange path over which they had
just come.

Then back they went into the mountain crack--over the footpath hanging
high above the rushing water, and through the small, dark tunnels,
until once more they were in the lovely green valley of Meiringen.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: REAL TRAMPERS.]




[Illustration]




REAL TRAMPERS


Next morning the boys were up with the sun, for there was a long
journey ahead of them. It was not to be a journey by train nor by boat.
It was to be a journey on foot.

The party was to follow a trail over the high mountain range which
shuts in the deep valley of the river Aar on the south. The trail would
lead them over the Great Scheidegg Pass and down into the beautiful
valleys on the other side.

They were going to spend at least a week on the way. There would be so
many interesting things to see and to do, they would not want to hurry.

The boys carried knapsacks on their backs, in which they put the few
things they would need while crossing the mountains. They were real
trampers at last.

[Illustration: _They carried knapsacks on their backs, in which they
put the few things they would need while crossing the mountains_]

The first part of the trail was very steep. The little party climbed up
and up, until the village, far below them, looked very small indeed.

After awhile they heard a strange rumbling noise, which grew louder and
louder the higher they climbed. Soon it became a roar, and right above
their path they saw a tremendous waterfall tumbling down over the steep
mountain side. It fairly made the rocks tremble, it fell with such
force, and the air was filled with a fine, wet spray.

The boys sprang up the path close beside the great waterfall. When they
reached the top of it they were a very wet but a very jolly party.

"Well, that's the most fun we have had yet!" shouted Joe. "I should
like to do it right over again."

"I shouldn't," said a little girl who was standing near by. "I have to
come up here every few days. I don't like to get so wet."

"Why do you come up so often?" asked Jack.

"I go down to the village to buy bread for mother. I live up here. That
is our chalet up there by the brook. My name is Gretel."

"Do you go down to the village to school, too?" asked Joe.

"Yes," answered the little girl. "But this is vacation time now. I
often take another path when I go to school. Sometimes I ride home on
that big car, which helps me up the mountain as far as the waterfall."

"Do you go to school all winter?" asked Jack.

"Oh, yes! except when the snow is so deep I just can't get there. All
of us girls and boys have to go to school forty weeks every year. I am
glad we do. I like to go to school."

"Please let us carry that basket of bread for you," said Jack. "I think
our path goes right by your house."

So the children walked on up the path together, and Gretel told the
boys many interesting things about her life on the mountain alp.

"I always thought a Swiss alp was a high mountain peak," said Joe.

"Oh, no! An alp is a lovely mountain meadow," said Gretel. "See what a
fine great alp ours is. This is one of the low alps. Father raises lots
of hay here to feed the cows during the long winter."

"Where are your cows now?" asked Jack.

[Illustration: _Gretel's home was a pretty, brown chalet, whose roof
was covered with large stones to keep it from being blown away_]

"They are feeding farther up on the higher alps," said Gretel. "Father
takes them up early every summer, and they don't come down until fall."

"Do you think we shall see them on our way over the mountains?" asked
Joe.

"Yes, I am sure you will," said Gretel. "Your path goes right across
the alp where father's little cabin is. My two brothers, Franz and Sep,
are up there with father now. They take care of the goats, and help to
milk the cows and make the cheese. I wish I were up there, too!"

"Why can't you go up with us?" asked Jack. "You could surprise your
father and brothers."

"Oh, I should love to go!" cried Gretel. "I could stay with them in
their little cabin for a few days, then Franz would bring me home, I
know he would. I will ask mother if I may go. See, this is our chalet."

It was a pretty, brown chalet. The broad, low roof was covered with
many large stones to keep it from being blown away during the great
winter storms.

But now it was the lovely summer time, and Gretel's mother had set two
small tables just outside her front door. She always had something good
to serve to hungry trampers To-day there was a big bowl of delicious
wild strawberries on each of the tables.

Of course the Overall Boys were suddenly very hungry. And how they
enjoyed the bread and butter and wild strawberries and cream which
Gretel's mother served to them!

[Illustration: _After the tea party was over, Gretel showed them yards
and yards of lace she was making_]

After the tea party was over, Gretel showed them the lace which she
was making. There were yards and yards of it. The boys thought it was
wonderful to see Gretel move the bobbins of thread so quickly over the
big pillow, and never make mistakes in the pattern.

"I have been making lace ever since I was five years old," said Gretel.
"I sell enough lace every summer to pay for all of my clothes."

"Oh, Gretel, will you sell some to us?" asked Joe. "We don't wear lace
ourselves, but the Sunbonnet Babies do. They would love to wear some of
your lace."

"And I should love to have them wear it. Of course I will sell you
some," said Gretel.

Then the boys chose some of the very prettiest lace Gretel had made,
and bought it for the Sunbonnet Babies.

"Now I want to show you where my bees live," said Gretel. And she led
the boys up the hill behind her house where, under some great trees,
was a row of tiny chalets.

"This is my bee village," she said. "Each bee family has a little
chalet of its own. The bees fly all over our alp, gathering nectar
from the flowers. Sometimes they fly very far away, hunting for more
flowers, but they always come back again, bringing their baskets full
of nectar.

"They work so hard, they fill their little houses brim full of honey
every summer. I am sure we couldn't live without our bees. Some
summers they earn more money than father can."

"There must be millions of bees in Switzerland to make so much honey,"
said Jack. "I believe every family here eats honey for breakfast. In
America we eat cereal. I think honey is much nicer."

[Illustration]




[Illustration: ON THE TRAIL.]




[Illustration]




ON THE TRAIL


"Come, boys!" called their father. "It is time to go on. Gretel's
mother says she may go with us as far as her father's cabin. We shall
give Franz and Sep a fine surprise."

"Oh, goody!" cried Gretel. "I haven't seen Franz and Sep since they
took the cows up the mountain in the spring."

"Tell us about it, Gretel," said Jack. "What happens when the cows go
up the mountain?"

"Why, that is the jolliest day of the whole year," said Gretel,
"except, perhaps, the day when they all come home in the fall.

"Father ties big bells around the necks of the prettiest cows, and
mother and I trim their horns with flowers. Then the procession
begins. This year Sep led the procession with his seven little goats.
He was the proudest boy that ever went up the mountain.

[Illustration: _Sep led the procession with his seven little goats_]

"The cows know what it means when the bells are tied to their necks.
The summer on the alps is a long picnic for them. Mother and I go up a
little way with the procession. Other families take their cows up the
mountain the same day, and we sing and have a jolly time."

"Do you send all of your cows up to the higher alps in the spring?"
asked Jack. "Where did you get the delicious cream that your mother
gave us to-day?"

"We keep one cow at home to give us milk and cream during the summer,"
said Gretel. "I am always sorry for the poor cow that is left behind,
she is so lonesome. We have to tie her very carefully, or she runs
away. She keeps going until she finds her friends 'way up the mountain.
Then, of course, father or one of the boys must bring her down again."

"Oh, Gretel, when your brothers see you coming they will think you have
run away because you are so lonesome without them," said Joe, laughing.

"Well, they must keep me a week before they take me home, or I shall
run away again," said Gretel. "I _am_ lonesome without them."

And so they talked, as they tramped along together up the mountain
trail. Once they met a man with a large milk can on his back. The man
greeted the party with a friendly, "Guten Tag! Glueckliche Reise!"
This was his way of saying, "Good day! A happy journey!" So the boys
quickly answered, "Danke schoen!" which means, "Thank you kindly!"

[Illustration: _Once they met a man with a large milk can on his back_]

Every day this man carried his can full of milk down the mountain to
sell to the people who had no cows. He always greeted the strangers
whom he passed on the way, and wished them a happy journey.

On and on, and up and up the little party tramped. At last they began
to see snowbanks, in shaded places near the trail. Sometimes, just
below a large snowbank, they found a sunny spot covered with a carpet
of lovely summer flowers. There were violets and buttercups and daisies
and forget-me-nots, and low bushes of small red alpine roses.

These little wild gardens were watered all summer by the melting snows.
The gay flowers seemed to like the icy water at their roots.

The Overall Boys often stopped for a snowball battle with each other
and with Gretel. Then from some mountain garden, they picked fresh
flowers for their hats, and on they tramped.

Their trail led them below a large glacier, which lay between two high
mountain peaks not far away. The boys could hear the great ice river
twisting and turning in its bed, for the hot summer sun made it very
uncomfortable.

Once there came a loud boom, like a cannon. The boom was followed by a
crash, and the crash by a long, loud rumbling noise, which gradually
died away.

"Oh, Gretel, what was that?" cried Joe. "I believe it was an
earthquake."

[Illustration: _One of the mountain alps they crossed_]

"Oh, no! That was not an earthquake," said Gretel, laughing. "That
was a piece of the glacier breaking off. It must have had a long fall
before it found a place where it could stop."

"I am glad it couldn't fall in this direction," said Jack. "I thought I
wanted to take a walk on a glacier, but I am not so sure about it now."

"Oh, yes, you must!" said Gretel. "It is lots of fun. I have been up to
that glacier twice with father. There are great cracks in it, so deep
you can hardly see the bottom of them. It is perfectly safe to go with
father. He often takes Americans up there."

"Well, I think I should rather take a walk on some other glacier. I am
afraid this one is going to pieces," said Joe.

"No, it isn't!" said Gretel, laughing at Joe again. "The glacier melts
and moves a little every summer, but a great deal of fresh snow falls
on it every winter. I guess it will last as long as the mountains do."

[Illustration]




[Illustration: THE HERDSMAN'S CABIN.]




[Illustration]




THE HERDSMAN'S CABIN


It was late afternoon before the trampers reached the green alp where
Gretel's father and brothers were pasturing their cows.

It was milking time. Franz and his father were milking the big, brown
cows near the cabin. Sep was milking his goats. The pigs were eating
their supper of skimmed milk, and Barry, the dog, was keeping his eye
on them all.

It was Barry who first saw the trampers, and away he bounded to meet
them. His bark was very fierce until Gretel called him by name, then he
almost wagged his tail off, he was so glad to see her. He was even glad
to see the strangers, because they had brought Gretel with them.

Franz and Sep and their father were just as happy as Barry to see
their little Gretel and her strange friends from America.

[Illustration: _It was milking time, and Franz and his father were
milking the big, brown cows near the cabin_]

Soon they were all eating supper together, sitting around a rough table
in the small cabin. It was a simple supper, but the hungry boys thought
they never had eaten a nicer one. There was a long loaf of bread, and
a great round cheese with holes all through it, and a dish of wild
strawberries, and a pitcher of warm milk.

While they were eating, they suddenly heard the clear, sweet notes of
a horn. The sound came from the high mountain above the cabin. In a
moment the same notes came more softly from the mountain on the other
side of the alp, and again still more softly they came.

[Illustration: _Then the herdsman took his great horn, which was taller
than himself, and blew a few long, clear notes on it in answer_]

"What is that?" cried Joe.

"It is my neighbor, who pastures his cows on the alp above us," said
Gretel's father. "He is blowing his great horn to tell us that the sun
is just setting behind that snow-covered peak. I must answer him, so
he may know that all is well with us."

Then the herdsman took his great horn, which was taller than himself,
and went out in front of his cabin. He blew a few long, clear notes,
which meant, he said, "Praise ye the Lord." Again and again the same
notes came back in echo from the mountain walls, each time more softly.

The snow-covered peaks were no longer white, but glowing red from the
rays of the setting sun. Then darkness came on very quickly.

The tired travelers were glad to find a small inn on the alp where they
could spend the night. Of course Gretel stayed with her father and
brothers in their little cabin.

There were only two rooms in the cabin. The larger room belonged to the
cows. They came in here to be milked in stormy weather. In the other
room the family cooked and ate and made their cheeses. Their bedroom
was a low balcony over one end of this room, and they reached it by
climbing up a short ladder.

[Illustration: _Early the next morning Jack and Joe went with Sep and
his goats up the rocky mountain side_]

Next morning the boys were wakened early by Sep calling to them outside
of their window.

"Oh, Jack and Joe," he called, "come with me. I have to take my goats
up the mountain to their pasture. There is something fine up there that
I want to show you."

So Jack and Joe went with Sep and his goats up the rocky mountain side.
It was a hard climb, but it was fun.

The little goats could climb anywhere. They went into dangerous places
where the cows could not go, and they found many tender bits of grass
to eat.

When the boys had climbed very high, Sep crept carefully out on a
narrow shelf of rock. He lay face downward and reached far over the
edge. The mountain side was very steep below him.

"Watch me, boys!" he cried. "But don't you come too near."

Then, very carefully, he picked a small, furry, white flower which was
growing on the steep, rocky wall. He picked another and another of the
flowers, until his hand was full of them.

"There now!" he cried. "You know my secret. I have shown you where my
edelweiss grows. It grows only in the most dangerous places on the
high mountains. I pick a few of the flowers every day, when they are
in bloom, to sell to travelers who cross our alp, but you are the only
people I have ever brought up here to see them growing."

"Oh, thank you, Sep!" cried Jack. "We'll never, never tell your
secret. But please let us pick a few of the flowers ourselves."

So each of the boys carried down the mountain a handful of the proud
little flowers which they had picked themselves.

[Illustration: _Edelweiss_]

The Overall Boys were real mountain climbers at last, for only mountain
climbers ever find and pick the edelweiss.

When the boys reached the cabin, Sep's father was watching a great
kettle of milk, over an open fire. He had put more than a hundred
quarts of milk into the copper kettle, with a little rennet to make it
turn into curd.

Herdsmen make their rennet by soaking a calf's stomach in water or in
whey; they then save this liquid to use in making their cheeses.

Sep's father stirred and watched the milk in his great copper kettle
until the curd began to form. He then swung the kettle away from the
fire, and put both bare arms into the warm milk. He worked the cheese
into one large lump, and lifted it out on a great tray, where he worked
it still more to squeeze out the milk.

[Illustration: _Sep's father stirred and watched the milk in his great
copper kettle until the curd began to form_]

It was then put into a round, wooden press a few days. Each day the
press was opened and the cheese rubbed with salt.

When it was just right, it would be taken out and laid on a shelf in
the small cheese house, where all the cheeses were kept until they
could be carried down the mountain and sold. But they were not really
good to eat until they were at least six months old.

Sep's father made one of these cheeses every day, and he made cheeses
from his goats' milk, too. He and his boys lived a busy life on the
mountain. They had no time to be lonesome.

The Overall Boys told Franz and Sep how they often had Swiss cheese
for dinner in America. They said when they got home again they should
certainly tell their grocer just how his big Swiss cheeses were made.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: A SUMMER BLIZZARD.]




[Illustration]




A SUMMER BLIZZARD


The travelers spent two happy days with their friends in the herdsman's
cabin. They would like to have spent the rest of the summer with them.
Jack and Joe would like to have learned how to milk the goats and how
to blow the great alpine horn.

But there were many other things which they wanted to do and to see in
this wonderful little country of Switzerland, so they shouldered their
knapsacks and started once more on the trail.

The way soon became steep and rocky. Gray clouds hid the snow-covered
peaks. The wind blew cold, and the boys were glad of the hard climb to
keep themselves warm.

They crossed one or two small alps where cows were feeding, and they
stopped at a tiny cabin to ask for a drink of milk.

[Illustration: _In the cabin they found a small boy watching a large
kettle of milk over an open fire_]

In the cabin they found a small boy, who was watching a large kettle
of milk over an open fire. The boy said that his father had gone up
the mountain to hunt for a lost cow, so he was making cheese from his
goats' milk.

The Overall Boys were quite sure that they would be lonesome, if they
had to stay away up there all alone. But this little boy whistled and
sang and talked with his goats, calling them each by name. They really
were having a jolly time together.

[Illustration: _The boy and the goats had jolly times together_]

After the good drink of milk the travelers tramped on and up, while the
gray clouds dropped lower and the wind grew colder. Soon fine white
flakes began to frisk through the air and to dance on the boys' cheeks.

"Oh, Jack," called Joe, "it is snowing!"

"So it is!" shouted Jack. "It's snowing! It's really snowing, and it's
summer time! Hurrah!"

The white flakes fell faster and thicker. In a few moments they were
falling so fast and so thick the trampers could see only a short
way ahead of them. It was hard climbing now. The path was steep and
slippery. The boys had to stop often to get their breath, and their
knapsacks suddenly grew very heavy.

"I suppose it is because we are up so high," said Jack. "The air is so
thin up here we can't get enough of it to breathe. It is always like
that on the high mountains, they say."

"I don't care," said Joe. "We are in a snow blizzard, anyhow. Just
think of it!"

"I shouldn't care to lose our path," said Jack. "I guess it wouldn't be
a very happy night for us if we did."

"Oh, Jack, I have lost the path already! I can hardly see you. My! How
it snows! Where are father and mother?"

"Here we are!" shouted their father. "I think we are near the top of
the Pass. I hear a dog barking. There is a house up at the top, where
we can stay all night. Keep climbing, boys!"

Just then a great dog came bounding down the mountain toward them. He
gave a short, quick bark, turned about and led the party safely up to
the small hotel. Then away he bounded again to find other travelers,
who might be lost in the snow and who needed his help. He was a St.
Bernard dog, and he had saved the lives of many people on the high
mountains.

It was a tired party that spent the night in the little hotel at the
top of the Great Scheidegg Pass, but when morning came they were ready
for another battle with the snow.

Of course the trail was covered, and the snow was too soft and too
deep for them to tramp over it without snowshoes. The little party was
snow-bound on the mountains in midsummer.

But the Overall Boys liked being snow-bound. They built a fine snow
fort, with snow soldiers in it, and piles of snow cannon balls to keep
enemies away from the little hotel.

The St. Bernard dog had a jolly time, too. Once he jumped against one
of the snow soldiers, and over they went together. After that he
seemed to be afraid of the soldiers and would not go near the fort, but
ran around it, barking loudly.

[Illustration: _The Overall Boys and the dog enjoying the snow_]

Next morning the boys were out early to take a look at things.

"Oh, Jack," shouted Joe, "it froze in the night! There is a hard crust
over everything!"

"So there is!" said Jack. "We don't need snowshoes now. We can go down
the mountain on the crust."

And that is what they did. With the St. Bernard dog to show them the
way, the party hurried down over the snow before the warm sun had time
to soften the crust.

As they went lower, the snow rapidly grew less. Soon the boys saw
lovely bluebells and alpine roses and other flowers holding their heads
bravely up through the thin, white blanket.

A few moments later their own trail came in sight. It was no longer
hidden by the snow. The St. Bernard dog gave a loud bark, wagged his
tail, and bounded back up the mountain. His work for that party was
done.

[Illustration]




[Illustration: EXPLORING A GLACIER.]




[Illustration]




EXPLORING A GLACIER


The rest of the way down the mountain was easy tramping.

The path soon led by the end of the great Upper Wetterhorn Glacier, and
the Overall Boys begged their father to let them explore it.

"All right," said their father. "Just step into this small car and we
will go on an exploring trip."

Before the boys knew what was happening, the tiny square car rose from
the ground and began moving slowly upward, following the steep <DW72> of
the mountain.

"Oh, Jack, where are we going?" cried Joe. "This car is built bottom
side up. The wheels are on the top of it, instead of on the bottom."

"That's so!" exclaimed Jack. "We are hanging in the air on a cable.
It is lifting us right up the mountain side. And look away up there!
Another car just like this one is coming down. My! Do you suppose we
shall go as high as that?"

[Illustration: _"We are hanging in the air on a cable," Jack exclaimed.
"It is lifting us right up the mountain side"_]

"I hope so," said Joe. "But see what is below us. It is the glacier!
Look at the great cracks in it. Do you hear that noise, Jack? It sounds
like thunder."

"I guess it is only another crack bursting open," said Jack. "This hot
sun makes the glacier move faster, and so it cracks open."

Up, up, climbed the car, right over the glacier, until it came to a
wild goat's path on a narrow shelf of the mountain, more than twelve
hundred feet above the starting point.

Here it slipped into a small station, and everybody stepped out. Other
people took their places, and then the car moved slowly downward,
leaving the boys on the steep mountain side.

"My! That was great!" cried Jack. "Now what are we going to do?"

"We are going to walk across the glacier, aren't we, father?" said Joe.

"Of course we are. We have come up here to explore it, you know," said
their father.

And they did explore 'way across the great ice river. In many places
they had to walk very carefully, or they would have fallen into one of
the deep cracks, but at last they came safely to the other side. There
was no car on this side of the glacier to carry them down the mountain,
but there were long ladders to help them over the very hardest and
steepest places.

[Illustration: _There was no car on this side of the glacier, but there
were long ladders to help them over the steepest places_]

They had to climb over great ridges of rocks, which the glacier had
torn away from the higher mountains years and years before. These rocks
had been brought slowly down on the ice, and dropped along the sides
and end of the glacier.

At last the party came to the place where the sun and the warm winds
changed the glacier from a river of ice to a river of water.

"Well, boys," said their father, "we have had a look at the outside
of the glacier; now let us take a look at the inside of it." So a man
threw warm blankets over their shoulders, and they entered a long,
narrow passage through a hole in the ice wall.

This passage led into a beautiful, blue ice room. The floor was ice,
the walls were ice, and the ceiling was ice. There was no lamp in the
room, and yet it was not dark.

"Isn't it beautiful!" cried Joe. "Think of it, we are in the center of
a great ice river. There is nothing but ice all around us."

"I know it," said Jack. "I am sure the glaciers are the most wonderful
things in Switzerland, but I have stayed inside of this one as long as
I want to. I should rather be tramping."

[Illustration]




[Illustration: AUF WIEDERSEHEN]




[Illustration]




AUF WIEDERSEHEN


And so they tramped on. They spent several days in the lovely village
of Grindelwald. They explored glaciers. They saw waterfalls nearly a
thousand feet high. They played games with the village boys and girls.

They even went almost to the top of the great Jungfrau mountain, over
its wonderful railroad. The highest part of this railroad is built
through a tunnel, for the surface of the mountain is covered always
with snow and ice.

The train carried them nearly twelve thousand feet above the ocean.
They were twice as high up as they were on the top of Mount Rigi. There
were miles and miles of snow and ice all around them, and great banks
of snow-white clouds in the blue sky close above.

[Illustration: _They had glimpses into deep, narrow valleys_]

They could see many high peaks covered with snow fields and glaciers,
and lower mountains covered with green forests and alpine pastures.
They had glimpses into deep, narrow valleys with muddy rivers rushing
through them. Here and there were big, broad valleys dotted with
villages and farms, and beautiful blue lakes, while the busy railroad
trains looked like worms creeping over the hills and down the valleys.
It was a wonderful view.

The Overall Boys learned more about the geography of Switzerland in a
few minutes from this high mountain than they had learned during all
the days of travel lower down. They never will forget what they saw
while there.

But the vacation days were over at last. The boys had visited only a
small part of the wonderful little country, but they had seen enough of
it to make them want to spend another summer vacation in just the same
way. They are sure that Switzerland is the very finest playground in
the whole world, and a great many other people think so, too.

As the train hurried them far away from the high, snow-covered
mountains, the boys stood by the car windows, watching and enjoying
everything.

They passed ripe grain fields, in which wild scarlet poppies and tall
bluebells were growing.

Close by these wild-flower gardens there was often a row of tiny
chalets, where swarms of bees lived and made their delicious honey.

The train passed also through many villages of larger chalets, with
broad red roofs and vine-covered balconies. In front of these pretty
homes sat women and little girls working at their lace and fine
embroidery.

[Illustration: _They saw boys with goatskin book sacks on their backs_]

Now and then they saw groups of small boys carrying goatskin book sacks
on their backs, for the short summer vacation was over, and the Swiss
schools had begun.

In a flower garden, near one of the stations, a mountain dwarf waved
a Swiss flag in farewell to the passing travelers. But the nicest
good-by came from a row of boys and girls sitting on a fence near the
railroad track. They were selling wild flowers to travelers, as the
trains stopped at their station. They shouted the names in German,
French, and English--"Alpine roses, primroses, edelweiss, daisies,
buttercups!"--and they eagerly begged the travelers to buy.

Of course Jack and Joe bought their hands full, for these might be the
last Swiss flowers they would have for a very long time.

As the train moved on, the boys and girls, sitting on the fence, waved
their hands and shouted, "Auf Wiedersehen! Glueckliche Reise!"

And the Overall Boys shouted back, "Good-by! Good-by, until we meet
again!"

[Illustration]




[Illustration: A LETTER.]




A LETTER


_Dear Boys and Girls:_

_I expect you will agree with the Overall Boys that nowhere else can
there be quite so many wonderful things to see and to do, as there are
in Switzerland._

_Massachusetts and New Hampshire are very small states, you know, but
together they are larger than the whole of Switzerland, and more people
live in these two small states than live in Switzerland to-day._

_One fourth of this famous little country is covered with lakes and
rivers and glaciers, and nearly another fourth with great forests,
while a large part of the remaining land is used as pasturage for a
million and a half cows._

_Raising cows and making cheese is the principal industry, but the
clever Swiss people have many other prosperous industries as well.
They make fine silks and ribbons and marvelous little watches and music
boxes and jewelry and delicious sweet chocolate. Some of the men do
fine wood carving, and the women do beautiful embroidery._

_One of the most important lines of work is hotel keeping. Many
thousands of strangers visit Switzerland every year. In winter they go
there for the skating and sleighing and snowshoeing and skiing and to
enjoy the bracing mountain air. In summer they do what the Overall Boys
did, besides many other interesting things._

_Travelers spend so much money in Switzerland, and the people who live
there work so hard, they have become the richest people in the world._

_Swiss schools are especially fine. Children are obliged to attend
school from the time they are six years old until they are fifteen or
sixteen years old._

_In summer the schools begin at seven o'clock in the morning and in
winter at eight o'clock, holding four hours. During the winter months
there is also a session of three hours each afternoon in the week,
excepting two. On these two afternoons the boys are given other work to
do, and the girls attend sewing classes. They have no regular holiday,
but must go to school six days every week. The boys do a great deal of
gymnasium work in the winter, which keeps them strong and trains them
to be mountain guides and hunters and herdsmen._

_There are three national languages in Switzerland--German and French
and Italian. German is used much more than French or Italian, but
nearly all Swiss boys and girls learn to speak at least two languages.
Sometimes they learn three or four. In fact it is said that Swiss
people learn to speak languages more perfectly than any other people
in the world. They are certainly among the best educated and most
courageous people in the world._

_The Overall Boys learned a great deal while traveling in that
beautiful little country, and they are glad to share it all with you._

                                 _Sincerely your friend_,
                                                EULALIE OSGOOD GROVER



[Transcriber's Notes: There diacritical marks that cannot be represented
in plain text are displayed using the following mark-up:

Bold text is surrounded by +addition signs+ and italic text is
surrounded by underscores.

If the symbol is before the letter or letters in the brackets then the
symbol is above the letters, if it is after the letter or letters in
the brackets, it is below the letters.

    Markup      Signifies
    [)x]    =    breve
    [:x]    =    umlaut
    [.x]    =    dot
    [=x]    =    macron
    [+x]    =    tack
    [~x]    =    tilde
    [^x]    =    caret
    [nj]    =    diagraph nj]


A LIST OF DIFFICULT WORDS

Diacritically marked according to Webster's New International Dictionary


KEY TO DIACRITICAL MARKS

    +[)a]+                 as in +[)a]m+
    +ae+                    as in +aerm+
    +_[.a]_+               as in +_[.a]_bound'+
    +[.a]+                 as in +[.a]sk+
    +[=a]+                 as in +f[=a]te+
    +[+a]+                 as in +sen'[+a]te+
    +_[)a]_+               as in +mad'_[)a]_m+
    +[)e]+                 as in +[)e]nd+
    +[+e]+                 as in +[+e] vent'+
    +[~e]+                 as in +h[~e]r+
    +_[)e]_+               as in +re'c_[)e]_nt+
    +[=e]+                 as in +[=e]ve+
    +[)i]+                 as in +[)i]t+
    +[=i]+                 as in +[=i]ce+
    +o+                    as in +or+
    +[+o]+                 as in +[+o] bey'+
    +[=o]+                 as in +[=o]ld+
    +_[)o]_+               as in +c_[)o]_n nect'+
    +[)u]+                 as in +[)u]p+
    +_[)u]_+               as in +cir'c_[)u]_s+
    +u+                    as in +furl+
    +[+u]+                 as in +[+u]nite'+
    +ue+ something like prolonged +[+u]+ as in +[+u]nite'+
    +[)oo]+                as in +f[)oo]t+
    +[=oo]+                as in +f[=oo]d+
    +oi+                   as in +oil+
    +ou+                   as in +out+
    +[+tu)]+ for _tu_      as in +na'[+tu)]re+
    +ch+                   as in +ma chine'+
    +[nj]+ (like _ng_): for _n_ before the sound _k_ or hard _g_
          as in +ba[nj]k+
    +'+ for voice glide as in +par'd'n+


    _Aar_ (aer)
    _accepted_ ([)a]k s[)e]pt'[)e]d)
    _alpine_ ([)a]l'p[)i]n)
    _Alps_ ([)a]lps)
    _Altdorf_ (aelt'dorf)
    _Antwerp_ ([)a]nt'w[~e]rp)
    _arched_ (aercht)
    _Austria_ (os'tr[)i] _[.a]_)
    _automobile_ (o't[+o] m[=o]'b[)i]l)
    _Axenberg_ (aeks''n b[)e]rg)
    _Axenstrasse_ (aeks''n strae's_[)e]_)


    _Belgium_ (b[)e]l'j[)i] [)u]m)
    _Bern_ (b[^u]rn)
    _bishop_ (b[)i]sh'_[)u]_p)
    _blizzard_ (bl[)i]z'_[.a]_rd)
    _botany_ (b[)o]t'_[.a]_ n[)i])
    _bridge_ (br[)i]j)
    _Bruenig_ (bruen'[)i]g)


    _castle_ (k[.a]s''l)
    _ceiling_ (s[=e]l'[)i]ng)
    _celebrating_ (s[)e]l'[+e] br[=a]t'[)i]ng)
    _chalet_ (sh[.a] l[=a]')
    _Chinese_ (ch[=i] n[=e]s')
    _conductor_ (k_[)o]_n d[)u]k't[~e]r)
    _cuckoo_ (k[)oo]k'[=oo])


    _dangerous_ (d[=a]n'j[~e]r _[)u]_s)
    _dragon_ (dr[)a]g _[)u]_n)
    _dungeon_ (d[)u]n'j_[)u]_n)
    _dwarf_ (dworf)


    _earthquake_ ([^u]rth'kw[=a]k)
    _edelweiss_ ([=a]'d_[)e]_l v[=i]s)
    _embroidery_ ([)e]m broid'[~e]r [)i])
    _enemies_ ([)e]n'[+e] m[)i]z)
    _Europe_ ([+u]'r_[)u]_p)
    _explore_ ([)e]ks pl[=o]r')


    _famous_ (f[=a]'m_[)u]_s)
    _favorite_ (f[=a]' v[~e]r [)i]t)
    _figure_ (f[)i]g'[+u]r)
    _fortunately_ (f[^o]r'[+tu)] n[+a]t l[)i])
    _fountain_ (foun't[)i]n)
    _franc_ (fr[)a][nj]k)
    _Franz_ (fr[.a]ntz)


    _Galilee_ (g[)a]l'[)i] l[=e])
    _Gessler_ (g[)e]s'l[~e]r)
    _glacier_ (gl[=a]'sh[~e]r)
    _gnaw_ (no)
    _Gretel_ (gr[)e]'t'l)
    _Grindlewald_ (gr[)i]n'd[)e]l vaelt)


    _Jungfrau_ (y[)oo]ng'frou')


    _knapsack_ (n[)a]p's[)a]k)


    _language_ (l[)a][nj]'gw[+a]j)
    _legend_ (l[)e]j'_[)e]_nd)
    _Lucerne_ (l[+u] surn')


    _maiden_ (m[=a]d''n)
    _Meiringen_ (m[=i]'r[)i]ng _[)e]_n)
    _miserable_ (m[)i]z'[~e]r _[.a]_ b'l)
    _museum_ (m[+u] z[=e]'_[)u]_m)


    _naughty_ (no't[)i])
    _nectar_ (n[)e]k't_[.a]_r)


    _pasture_ (p[.a]s'[+tu)]r)
    _Pilate_ (p[+e]'l[.a]t)
    _Pilatus_ (p[+e] lae't[)oo]s)
    _procession_ (pr[+o] s[)e]sh'_[)u]_n)
    _protected_ (pr[+o] t[)e]kt'[)e]d)


    _quaint_ (kw[=a]nt)


    _restaurant_ (r[)e]s't[+o] r_[)a]_nt)
    _Rhine_ (r[=i]n)
    _Rigi_ (r[=e]'g[+e])


    _scenery_ (s[=e]n'[~e]r [)i])
    _Scheidegg_ (sh[=i]'d[)e]g)
    _Sep_ (s[)e]p)
    _skiing_ (sk[=e]'[)i]ng)
    _soldier_ (s[=o]l'j[~e]r)
    _St. Gotthard_ (s[+a]nt g[)o]th'_[.a]_rd)
    _St. Bernard_ (s[+a]nt bur naerd')
    _Switzerland_ (sw[)i]t'z[~e]r l_[.a]_nd)


    _terrace_ (t[)e]r'[+a]s)
    _thunder_ (th[)u]n'd[~e]r)


    _umbrella_ (um br[)e]l'_[.a]_)


    _vineyard_ (v[)i]n'y_[.a]_rd)


    _weird_ (w[=e]rd)
    _Wetterhorn_ (v[)e]t'[~e]r horn')


Approximate pronunciation of German words:

    _Ich danke euch allen_ ([)i]ch daen'k[)e] oich ael'[)e]n)
    _Guten Tag! Glueckliche Reise_ (g[=oo]t'[)e]n taeg! gl[)u]k'l[)i]ch
               [~e]r r[=i]'z[)e])
    _Danke schoen_ (daen'k[)e] shurn)
    _Auf Wiedersehn_ (ouf v[=e]d'[~e]r z[=a]n')

       *       *       *       *       *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.





End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Overall Boys in Switzerland, by
Eulalie Osgood Grover

*** 