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<v Speaker 1>Section twelve of Birds and All Nature, Volume seven, number two,

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<v Speaker 1>February nineteen hundred, recorded for LibriVox dot Org by Betty B.

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<v Speaker 1>Hans and Mitzi Doctor Albert Schneider. Hans was a little

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<v Speaker 1>blue eyed German orphan who had been adopted by a

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<v Speaker 1>man and wife because they thought they could make good

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<v Speaker 1>use of him. But to their chagrin they were disappointed.

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<v Speaker 1>Hans had been told again and again that he was

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<v Speaker 1>an ungrateful, lazy good for nothing. This was also the

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<v Speaker 1>reason why his master whipped him so frequently. Now, Hans

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<v Speaker 1>was only nine years old, and of course he could

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<v Speaker 1>not know that he was so thoroughly bad unless he

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<v Speaker 1>was told and the telling of it accompanied by cuffs

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<v Speaker 1>in order to impress this fact more fully upon his

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<v Speaker 1>dull brain. It was really true that Hans was lazy

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<v Speaker 1>and perhaps queer in many ways. He disliked hard work,

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<v Speaker 1>preferring to wander about the fields and meadows, the ditches, pastures,

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<v Speaker 1>and the trees of the nearby forest. He had been

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<v Speaker 1>discovered lying in the grass, watching the fleeting clouds overhead

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<v Speaker 1>and listening to the sighing of the wind in the

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<v Speaker 1>tall grass and the overshadowing trees in his imagination, the

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<v Speaker 1>breezes whispered soothing words, soft and low. He watched the

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<v Speaker 1>busy bees, the ants, and the black carrion beetles tugging

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<v Speaker 1>great loads up hill. Often he had observed a lady

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<v Speaker 1>with two children about his age, going by on their

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<v Speaker 1>way to Sunday school. With wistful eyes, he would watch

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<v Speaker 1>the romping of the children and listen to their exclamations

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<v Speaker 1>of joy as they played among the flowers. Sometimes the

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<v Speaker 1>kind lady would beckon to Hans and talk kindly to

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<v Speaker 1>him and make him presents. Then little Hans would cry,

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<v Speaker 1>as though his poor heart would break. He hid the

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<v Speaker 1>gifts and a secret nook in the granary, which was

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<v Speaker 1>also his sleeping place, and often he would think of

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<v Speaker 1>the kind lady and her happy children while the love

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<v Speaker 1>hunger shone in his eyes. Mitsy was only a half starved,

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<v Speaker 1>homeless gray kitten which came to Hans while he was

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<v Speaker 1>hoeing in the orchard. The two understood each other at once,

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<v Speaker 1>and why should they not? Both were homeless, friendless and soulss.

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody knows that a cat, much less a stray kitten,

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<v Speaker 1>has no soul. You may say that Hans was neither

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<v Speaker 1>a cat nor a kitten, but some little boys of

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<v Speaker 1>the neighborhood had sneeringly remarked that he was a fraid cat. Besides,

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<v Speaker 1>his master had whipped all the spirit out of him.

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<v Speaker 1>Therefore he too was without a soul. Hans petted Mitsy

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<v Speaker 1>and gave her some bread crusts, and hid her in

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<v Speaker 1>the shed to keep her out of sight of his master.

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<v Speaker 1>Mitsy gained in flesh and became very fond of Hans,

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<v Speaker 1>and at times would try to follow him, but Hans

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<v Speaker 1>would take her back and put her in a more

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<v Speaker 1>secure place. Mitsy did not know of the cruel master,

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<v Speaker 1>and in spite of all precautions, she finally made her

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<v Speaker 1>escape and searched for Hans. She could not find him,

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<v Speaker 1>so she mewed again and again, and finally succeeded in

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<v Speaker 1>attracting not only the attention of Hans, but also that

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<v Speaker 1>of the Master, who promptly picked up a stone and

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<v Speaker 1>hurled it at Mitsy, but fortunately missed her. It may

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<v Speaker 1>be that Mitsy was not so easily frightened as Hans,

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<v Speaker 1>for in time she tried to get to him, even

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<v Speaker 1>if the Master was near poor ignorant Mitzi. She did

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<v Speaker 1>not know that the show of friendliness would get Hans

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<v Speaker 1>into trouble. The Master concluded that Hans was responsible for

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<v Speaker 1>the presence of Mitsi and ordered him to take her

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<v Speaker 1>and kill her then and there. In agony and despair,

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<v Speaker 1>Hans ran to Mitzi to frighten her way, but she

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<v Speaker 1>only rubbed her glossy fur against him and purred gently.

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<v Speaker 1>And only when the frenzied master attempted to grasp out

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<v Speaker 1>of the protecting arms of Hans did she attempt to flee,

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<v Speaker 1>but too late a vicious kick caught her in the side,

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<v Speaker 1>but she managed to escape under the protecting granary. In

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<v Speaker 1>the evening, Hans went to the shed and called Mitsi Mitzi,

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<v Speaker 1>and poor suffering Mitzi dragged herself far enough so that

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<v Speaker 1>little Hans might stroke her head. Hans brought some bread

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<v Speaker 1>and milk, but Mitsi only mewed piteously. In the morning,

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<v Speaker 1>Hans found Mitzi stiff and cold near the opening of

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<v Speaker 1>the shed. Poor Hans he sobbed and sobbed, and called

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<v Speaker 1>Mitsi Mitzi, most piteously, but Mitsi did not answer. Her

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<v Speaker 1>sufferings were over. End of section. This recording is in

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<v Speaker 1>the public domain.