WITH CARL OF THE HILL 29 



certain forest rights, but every penny of capital to a 

 second wife — he died happy. 



Carl's wife, who was older than himself, very soon 

 lost her good looks. She was a stupid, badly 

 educated woman, though a good and dutiful wife. 

 She understood the art of making cheese and butter, 

 was very handy with her needle, and bore Carl four 

 sons who would be useful on the farm some day. 

 All these things she did very well. She knew 

 nothing of the difference between her husband and 

 herself — indeed, she could not have understood it, 

 and therefore could not know. As for Carl, he was 

 never impatient with her, and never wronged her 

 by word or thought. 



He was fond of his boys and worked hard at trying 

 to educate them. But they, unfortunately, seemed to 

 have their mother's want of wits and were not com- 

 panionable as some boys are. And Carl would come 

 home from his work in the beautiful forest, only 

 to be thrown back upon himself as he crossed 

 his threshold by the hopelessness of the common- 

 place he found inside. And more and more 

 there took shape in his being the demands of 

 a great need that would not be denied. The 

 need of an object of love and sympathy that 



