Down the road he ran; and over there,--yes, that was the little
stone bridge. Every thing came back to him: there he had crossed, and
somebody held him by the hand,--his mother. Suddenly his mother's face
came before his eyes quite distinctly; he had never seen it so clearly
before. He remembered how she had stood there and looked at him with
loving eyes. It all came back to his mind with a rush.
He threw himself down on the ground by the bridge, and cried and sobbed
aloud, "O mother! where are you, mother? Where is my home, mother?"
He lay there for a long, long time, and cried until his great sorrow
was somewhat stilled. He thought his heart must burst, and as if all
the grief that had been hitherto pent up within his bosom must now find
an outlet.
When at last he raised himself from the ground, the sun had already
declined in the heavens, and the golden twilight lay over the lake. The
mountains were turning purple, and a sunny mist lay all over the shores.
This was the way his lake had always looked to Rico in his dreams, only
the reality was even more lovely than he had remembered it.
And his great wish rose again in his mind as he sat there, "Oh, if I
could show this to Stineli!"
At last the sun sunk below the horizon, and the light slowly died out.
Rico arose, and passed along the road towards the red flowers.
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