now I have a job offer in Germany that I must take I’ve watched her for fi ve years It’s time her grandfather does his duty Barbie was horrifi ed Sending her to Uncle Alp on that mountain You must be crazy What does he know about caring for a young child She looked at Heidi She’ll hate the life up there It seems cruel to punish a child that way Detie continued on in silence What’s wrong with that old man asked Barbie He hasn’t set foot in church in years He ignores everyone He’s downright rude When he does come down he carries a big stick Everyone gets out of his way for fear he’ll use it He looks wild with those bushy eyebrows and that crazy beard He’s not the type of person you’d want to run into on the mountain let alone leave a child with Detie was prepared for comments such as these He must do his duty and look after his grandchild It is the honorable thing to do 6
Barbie had known Detie for many years However she had only lived in the village for a year There was still much to learn about her neighbors She was hoping to learn about the hermit up the mountain So many questions fl ooded her thoughts Why were the villagers afraid to talk about him and to him Why did everyone call him Uncle Alp Even Barbie herself referred to him that way Having her friend Detie return made her determined to get answers Why is everyone afraid of him asked Barbie I’m only twenty-six said Detie so I don’t know about his younger days He is around seventy now I shall tell you what I know She looked for Heidi to make sure she couldn’t hear the conversation But Heidi was nowhere to be seen There she is said Barbie She pointed to a fi gure below She’s climbing up the slopes with Peter and his goats He’ll keep an eye on her 8
Peter needn’t watch Heidi Detie said calmly Although she’s only fi ve she’s quite clever She also knows how to make the best of things Since the old man has nothing but a few goats that’s just as well Barbie felt pity for the child When Uncle was young said Detie he drank and gambled away all the money he had His parents died from shame and grief when they found out His brother was horrifi ed and ran away Then Uncle Alp ran away Rumors were that he went to Naples and joined the army He wasn’t seen again until fi fteen years later Go on said Barbie He returned with a young son and wanted relatives to take the child in Everyone refused and shut their doors to them He was so angry he said he’d never set foot in the town again So he came here and settled down in the village with Tobias He apprenticed his boy to a carpenter 9
