Produced by Joel Erickson, Martin Agren, Josephine Paolucci and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
by Kristina Roy
of Stara Tura, Slovakia.
Translated by Charles Lukesh
First Edition, 3,000—November, 1941
In the whole wide world there were no comrades who loved each otherbetter than Petrik,[1] Ondrejko,[2] and Fido. All three were orphansand had had a hard time in the world thus far. Both parents of Petrikhad died of a malignant fever. He became a public charge and wassent from place to place, till finally he was placed in charge of"Bacha"[3] Filina, who was his father's uncle, and had charge of thesheep pasturing on the mountain clearings of the estate of Lord Gemer.There was but a poor hut, but to mistreated Petrik it was like aparadise. Ondrejko, whom they called at home Andreas de Gemer, cameto the old "Bacha" at the order of the doctor, that he might growstronger in the mountain air, drinking whey and eating black bread. Asit was, Ondrejko did, and did not, have a father—at least he couldnot remember him. He was but two years old when his parents separatedfor ever. His mother took him with her when she left, but even then hedid not live with her. She left him with strange people whom she paidto keep him, and went alone into the world. The people talked abouther; said that she was a famous singer, and that many went fromdistant places to hear her.
[Footnote 1: Diminutive for Peter.]
[Footnote 2: Diminutive for Andreas.]
[Footnote 3: "Bacha"—shepherd overseer.]
Ondrejko remembered only one of her visits, and that she was verybeautiful, and brought him a box full of chocolates, a rocking-horse,a trumpet—and who knows what more? After that he never saw her again,and probably would never see her any more. The lady with whom hestayed talked about a law-suit, at the conclusion of which it cameabout that he belonged neither to the mother nor the father. Finally,he came to the castle of Lord Gemer, and from there the doctor senthim to the mountains because he was like a candle that was ready to goout. About his father he knew only that he was somewhere far away, andhad already a second wife and two boys. It seemed to him he was asmuch of an orphan as Petrik. The dog Fido didn't remember his mothereither, because he had hardly begun to run about the kennel when awild boar killed her. Thus it is not surprising that all three lovedeach other.
For Ondrejko they built a special room beside the shepherd's hut.There were three large sheepfolds, and "Bacha" Filina had chargeof them all. Ondrejko had in his room a real bed, and a spare oneprepared for the doctor when he came to see him; but, because he wasrather lonesome, he preferred to sleep with Petrik on the hay, andbecause Fido couldn't follow them to the loft up the ladder, he atleast guarded the ladder so nothing would happen to the boys. BachaFilina was a large man like a giant. His face was aged and stern; allhis teeth were still perfectly white and he had not a single grayhair; but, strangely, his eyebrows began to get gray. But, when hecreased his forehead above his eagle-like black eyes which could seeeverything far and wide, it seemed as if storm-clouds were gathering.Not only both the boys, but everybody else was afraid of thesestorm-clouds, even the herdsmen and the sheep, as well as thelonghaired, fourfooted guards of the sheepfold. Bacha Filina did notget mad