tailieunhanh - Grandfather's Stories

11 page Christmas short story for older children: It is Christmas Eve on a large Prussian estate shortly after the great upheaval now known as World War II, and several tenants have gathered with their masters for the evening. Christoph, their | Please share a link to this e-book with your friends. Feel free to post and share links to this e-book or you may email or print this book in its entirety or in part but please do not alter it in any way and please do not post or offer copies of this e-book for download on another website or through another Internet-based download service. If you wish to make multiple hard copies for wider distribution or to reprint portions in a newsletter or periodical please observe the following restrictions You may not reproduce it for commercial gain. You must include this credit line Copyright 2011 by The Plough Publishing House. Used with permission. This e-book is a publication of The Plough Publishing House Rifton NY 12471 USA and Robertsbridge East Sussex TN32 5DR UK Copyright 2011 by Plough Publishing House Rifton Ny 12471 USA Grandfather s Stories Ernst Wiechert It is Christmas Eve on a large Prussian estate shortly after the great upheaval now known as World War I and several tenants have gathered with their masters - three brothers -for the evening. Christoph their elderly coachman has been coaxed into telling a story for old times sake. CHRISTOPH SAT on the edge of the hearth next to the forester s wife smiled and filled his short pipe with fresh tobacco. His threadbare coat of blue cloth was properly brushed and the light of the candles shone on the buttons with the coat of arms and on his white hair. Behind him his shadow fell large and silent on the bright wall. He smiled at the brothers one after the other and then he looked into the lights and shadows of the tree. My grandfather told us this story he began. When his father s father drove the horses they had a master who was strict and sharp with his tongue. He had been long in military service right back to the time of the Emperor Napoleon. He was not a hard master but he had seen much that was hard and cruel during his campaigns and he was used to order and not to obey. .