way, Mother."

"Oh, you good Toni," said his mother, "what wouldn't I give to be able to
keep you always with me! But that really cannot be. I know of no way for
you to be a wood-carver; some one would have to teach you, and when you
had learned, how should we sell the carvings? You would have to know
people and go about, or else your work wouldn't bring any money. If only I
could talk with some one, who could give me good advice!"

"Don't you know any one, Mother, you can ask?" said Toni anxiously and
racked his brain to try to think of some one. His mother too began to
consider.

"I think I will go to the pastor, who has already given me advice," said
his mother, delighted to have found a way out of the difficulty.

Toni was quite happy and now was determined that early the next morning
they should go down to the church and then his mother could go in to see
the pastor and Toni would wait outside.

Everything was carried out on Sunday morning as they had planned. His
mother had put two of the little carved animals in her pocket to show the
pastor as examples of her boy's good ability. The pastor received her very
cordially, had her sit down beside him and enquired with interest about
her affairs, for he knew Elsbeth and how bravely she had helped herself
through all the hard times.

She told him now the whole story, how Toni from a very early age had
worked at the carving with so much interest and now wished for nothing so
much as to carry on this work, but how she knew of no way for him to
learn, nor how, later, the work could be sold. Finally she showed him the
two little animals as examples of Toni's skill.

The pastor replied to the mother that the plan would be very difficult to
carry out. Although the two little goats were not badly carved, yet in
order to perform the work right and to earn his bread by it, Toni would
have first to learn from a good carver, because making only little animals
or boxes would not amount to anything or bring in any money, and he would
only be wasting his time.

However, down in the village of Frutigen there was a very skillful,
well-known wood-carver, who made wonderful large works which went far into
the world, even to America. He carved whole groups of animals on high
rocks, chamois and eagles and whole mountains with the herdsman and the
cows. Elsbeth could talk with this carver. If Toni studied with him he
could help him to sell the finished work, for he had ways open fo