t have.
But instead I have experiences with my Lord. The last ten years
of suffering united me very closely to Him who saves. I know your
sorrows. Considering the situation, I long to be the witness of God's
grace here in my homeland, where there is no one else. That also draws
me here to my beautiful homeland. Therefore I hope that my Agnes will
agree that we shall come, and it will happen after all as your father
used to say to the people; 'When Stephen shall have made some money
beyond the sea and comes back again, we shall live together.' Now
there is no more all of us, only we two. And if the Lord grants me to
come again, do you know what is the first thing that I will do?"

"I do not."

"I will rebuild our hut. It shall lay waste no longer. I will prepare
it for Petrik. You shall raise him and give him the ground and the
fields. So if he lives, we can take care of him together."

CHAPTER TWELVE

Sometimes the days pass as quickly as a thought, and the weeks like a
dream. In the following weeks which just flew by, Bacha Filina took
Palko to his home. He became acquainted with his family. Just then
Juriga's son and daughter-in-law came from America, and Lesina had to
find a place to move to. They all rejoiced in Palko. His mother and
grandmother could hardly stop caressing him. Old Juriga had a good cry
when the boy hugged him.

Lesina complained to Bacha that he was worrying about his wife
living with the wife of Juriga's son. Juriga's daughter-in-law was
a gossiping, noisy person, and had two small children who were
disobedient cry-babies. It was because of those two little ones that
Juriga's son had returned to the home country. His older children had
been dying one after the other. Here was Filina's opportunity to give
Lesina good advice, namely, to take his wife, her mother, and Palko,
and move before the winter to his cottage in the Gemer mountains. He
told him also that Madame Slavkovsky meant to give him some trees from
a piece of land that needed to be replanted. In the meantime he could
find some other place where he would like to stay. All they would
have to take with them would be their clothing and small belongings,
because any other things needed they would find in the castle:
bedsteads, tables, chairs, and all that was necessary for the kitchen.
They were all very thankful for this good advice.

In those weeks that had passed so quickly, Madame Slavkovsky moved
with her father and Aunt