COUNTRY FOLK 561
ing for the chicken-face with nails spread, when he received two smart, sounding boxes on the ears, from two great, heavy, horny hands, which so clouded his brain that for a minute he stood dazed and dumb. Suddenly he made a spring at Leibrutz, fell upon his hand, and fastened his sharp teeth in the flesh. Leib- rutz gave a loud yell.
There was a great to-do. People came running out in their robes, women with pale, startled faces called to their children. A few of them reproved Mattes for his son's behavior. Then they dispersed, till there remained behind the inn only Mattes and Feivke. Mat- tes looked at his boy in silence. He was not a talk- ative man, and he found only two or three words to say:
"Feivke, Mother there at home and you here?"
Again Feivke found himself alone on the field, and again he stretched himself out and dozed. Again, too, the red streams flowed before his eyes, and someone unknown to him stood at his head and recited pray- ers. Only the streams were thicker and darker, and the davvening over his head was louder, sadder, more pene- trating.
It was quite dark when Mattes came out again, took Feivke by the hand, set him on his feet, and said, "Now we are going home."
Indoors everything had come to an end, and the room had taken on a week-day look. The candles were gone, and a lamp was burning above the table, round which sat men in their hats and usual cloaks, no robes to be seen, and partook of some refreshment. There
