Linhardt and Guttag, Volume 1

Author: Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (Switzerland) | Translator
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: A kind-hearted man, who, despite his good intentions, brought misfortune upon his wife and children to an extreme. In the town of Pfullendorf lived a mason named Lindauer, and his wife was named Gertrude. He had seven children, and his wages were quite good. However, he had one weakness—he was often tempted by taverns. Whenever he sat down in a tavern, he acted like a fool. There were some cunning and hateful rascals in our town who lived by others' drinking and gambling, secretly scheming to drain the money from honest and simple-minded people. These rascals knew Lindauer to be a man of simple integrity, so they often lured him to drink and robbed him of the hard-earned money he had worked for. But Lindauer would regret his losses in the morning after drinking, seeing his wife and children hungry, which would cause him great distress, trembling and crying, swallowing back his tears. Gertrude was the most virtuous wife in the town; yet because Lindauer could never give up drinking, she and her lovely children fell into danger. Their father was robbed, their family was about to be torn apart, and they would be pushed into the abyss. Gertrude felt that great misfortune was about to befall her, and her heart was filled with extreme sorrow. Sometimes she would go to the pasture to cut grass, sometimes to the pit to gather dry hay, and sometimes to pour milk into a clean pail—alas, wherever she went, the more she thought about it, the more afraid she became, as if the pasture, the hay, and half of their cottage were about to collapse. If the children were around her, fighting to get close to her knees, her sorrow would grow even deeper. Each time, tears would stream down her cheeks. Until now, she could often hide her tears from her children; but one day, she could not. It was Wednesday before Easter, a major holiday in the town, and yet her husband had not returned home. This joke was simply too much for her, and the children finally noticed her uncontrolled tears.
"Oh, Mom!" they all shouted in unison, "You're crying!" At the same time, they rushed into her arms. Each little face showed worry and fear. Around the mother, there were anxious groans, great terror, and silent tears. Even the infant in her arms revealed a sorrowful emotion that was foreign to her. The baby's worried and fearful expression, combined with his lifeless, staring eyes that had never seen a smile, looked stiff, unnatural, and terrified as he gazed at his mother. All this truly shattered the mother's heart.
Then, the mother's grievances burst into a loud cry, and all the children, including the infant, joined her in weeping. It was a terrible wail of sorrow. Just then, Lindauer happened to open the door and enter. At that moment, Gertrude was lying on the bed, too distraught to notice the door opening or anyone entering. The children had not noticed their father either. They were only focused on their crying mother, holding her arms, hugging her neck, and tugging at her clothes.
When Lindauer entered, he saw this scene. God, compassionate toward the tears of the afflicted, brought about an end to the sorrow. Gertrude's tears had moved God! God's compassion led Lindauer to witness this tragic scene, leaving him trembling with fear. His face turned ashen, and he gasped for breath, stammering, "Oh, Lord Jesus, what is happening here?" At that moment, the mother saw her husband, and the children saw their father, and the wail of sorrow suddenly ceased.
"Mom, Dad's back!" the children all shouted in unison. Now even the infant stopped crying. Just like a roaring flood or a raging fire passing by, the violent terror had vanished, and a quiet, tender care began. Gertrude had always loved Lindauer deeply, and whenever he was around, even the deepest sorrow she felt would lighten. And now, Lindauer had completely recovered from the earlier shock.
P14-15