14 Sunday Bells

CHAPTER 14 Sunday Bells Oh, Grandfather," Heidi said as she and the old man walked back up the mountain. "Our lives are happier now than they have ever been before!" She skipped along, swinging the old man's hand. All at once Heidi grew quiet and said, "When I was in Frankfurt, I prayed to come home right away. But if God had let me come at once, then everything would have been different. i would only have had a little bread for Grandmother and I wouldn't be able to read.

God has made it all so much better than I ever could have imagined. It has happened just as Grandmamma said it would. Oh, how glad I am that God did not let me have my way from the start. From now on, I will pray to thank God for what he has done for me. And when he doesn't do what I ask, I shall think to myself, God has a better plan for me. We will pray every day, won't we Grandfather? We must never forget him again or else he may forget us." "And what if we do forget him?" said Grandfather in a sad voice. "Then everything goes wrong. God lets us go where we like and we get poor and sad. No one feels bad for us because we ran from God and he is the one who would have helped us." "That is true, Heidi. Where did you learn that?" "From Grandmamma. She explained it all

to me." They walked on for a while before Grandfather spoke again. "Can we ever go back, Heidi? If we ran from God, are we forgotten forever?" "Oh, no, Grandfather, we can go back. Grandmamma told me so. And I read the story in my beautiful book. I will read it to you when we get home." Heidi seemed happy with herself and joyfully sang and skipped the rest of the way home. Right before bedtime she read Grandfather the story. She told him about the man in the picture who was happy at home and went out in the fields with his father's flocks. He was dressed in a fine cloak and stood leaning on his shepherd's staff watching as the sun went down. All at once he wanted to have his own goods and money. He wished to be his own master, and so he asked his father to give him

some money. He left his home and soon lost everything. Finally he went back home and told his father, "I am not worthy of you anymore." His father saw him and ran to him and kissed him. He told his servants to bring him his best robe, a ring for his hand, shoes for his feet, and plenty of food. He said his son was once dead but was now alive again. "Isn't that a beautiful tale, Grandfather?" said Heidi. "You are right, Heidi, it is a beautiful tale," he replied. But the old man looked so serious that Heidi grew silent herself. Early the next morning the old man stood in front of his hut looking at all the beauty. "Come along, Heidi! The sun is up! Put on your best dress. We are going to church today!"

The two were quite a sight in church. They slipped in after the music had begun. Many people had to look twice before they figured out whom they were seeing. But by the end of the service everyone had seen Heidi and her grandfather. At the end of church Grandfather took Heidi by the hand and made his way to the pastor's house. The rest of the worshippers stood in small groups. They were all whispering about the man and how gentle he was with Heidi. The cart driver told everyone how Heidi had left the place where she had the best of everything just to be back here with her grandfather. Soon everybody began to feel quite friendly toward the old man. Meanwhile Grandfather had gone into the pastor's house. They shook hands warmly. The pastor's kind eyes shone with pleasure. "I have come to ask your forgiveness for the words I spoke to you," Grandfather began.

"You were right. It's time to move Heidi off the mountain." "We will all welcome you as neighbors," the pastor said. And with that, Grandfather stepped outside with Heidi. The door had hardly shut behind him when the whole church group came forward to meet him. There were so many new faces that Grandfather didn't know where to begin. Some even went halfway up the mountain with the old man. They talked about inviting him to lunch and calling on him very soon. Heidi couldn't believe the softened look on her grandfather's face. "You look nicer today. I've never seen you quite like that before." "Well, Heidi," he began, "I am happier today than I deserve. Happier than I thought possible. It is good to be at peace with God and my friends. God was good when he sent you to my hut." When they reached Grandmother's hut,