Little Greta of Denmark Part 10

"Just look out the window and you'll see for yourself."

The railroad tracks ran to the very edge of the water, where a large ferry boat was waiting for the train. It had tracks on it, too, and the train ran right on to the boat. Greta could hardly believe her eyes. To think that one could ride on a train and a boat at the same time! It took about two hours to cross the water, and then they were on the island of Zealand. The boat went right up to the railroad tracks and the train was soon on land again and speeding on its way.

"Everything here looks so different," remarked Greta, as she looked out the window. "There are so many more trees, and it isn't so flat as it is at home."

Before long they reached the large railroad station in Copenhagen, where Anna's mother was waiting for them.

"Your father will be here very soon, Anna, and then we are all going to Tivoli for dinner."

"Is Tivoli a restaurant?" asked Greta.

"No, Tivoli is one of the most famous parks in all the world," explained Anna. "It's right in the center of Copenhagen. In fact, it's right next to this station. Oh, I wish Father would hurry."

When Greta first saw Tivoli she thought she was in fairyland. Surely it couldn't be real. The gay beds of flowers and the tinkling fountains and the colored lights among the trees all seemed to be part of a magic world. Besides all this beauty, Tivoli had many restaurants and theatres and places for concerts and games and other amus.e.m.e.nts.

They had dinner in one of the outdoor restaurants, and Greta was so interested in watching the people as they pa.s.sed by that she could hardly eat. After dinner they started to walk through the park and let Greta decide for herself what she would most enjoy. When they had gone only a little way they came to a large open stage, where a play was being given. They all stopped to watch it for a few minutes, and Greta wouldn't leave the spot. To her it was the most fascinating thing in Tivoli.

Suddenly she noticed that something had gone wrong on the stage. The actors seemed confused and they hesitated over their lines. What could be the matter? Then, to her horror, she saw Chouse run across the stage and jump up on one of the actors. He was a young lad who looked something like Hans. Chouse soon saw his mistake and began wandering around the large stage as if he were lost. The audience laughed. They knew that this wasn't part of the play, and it seemed very funny to them.

The minute that Greta saw Chouse she started toward the stage. Going around to the back, where the audience could not see her, she whistled and called to her dog. Chouse was glad to hear his name. Happily he ran off the stage at once and the play went on.

"I think we had better go home now," said Anna's father, when Greta came back with the dog, "before Chouse gets into any more mischief."

Greta's heart sank. They had barely gotten into Copenhagen--in fact, they hadn't even reached Anna's home yet--and Chouse had already gotten into mischief. What in the world was she going to do with him?

CHAPTER X

A DAY OF HAPPY SURPRISES

"Anna, please don't walk so fast," begged Greta. The two girls were walking down Langelinie, the beautiful parkway along the ocean. Greta was much shorter than Anna and she could not walk nearly so fast. Then, too, she liked to stop and watch the boats coming into the harbor. The name Copenhagen means "merchants' harbor," and this city has one of the finest harbors in Europe. All kinds of ships, from tiny sailboats to large ocean liners, come here from all parts of the world.

When they had gone a little farther, Greta wanted to sit down and rest.

"Can't you walk just a tiny bit more, Greta? On the other side of this little bay there is someone I want you to meet."

"Who, Anna?"

"She is called 'Den Lille Havfrue,'" said Anna.

"'Den Lille Havfrue,'" repeated Greta. "'The Little Ocean Lady.' I still don't understand, Anna. Who can this be?"

"Just keep on walking, and I'll show you," answered Anna in her most mysterious manner.

In a few minutes the girls had gone around the bay.

"Oh, Anna, how beautiful she is!" said the delighted Greta. Sitting on a rock at the edge of the water was the statue of a lovely mermaid--"the little ocean lady."

"She looks like a real live person," went on Greta, "except for her fish's tail instead of feet. Is there really such a person as a mermaid, Anna?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: A SIDE VIEW OF THE GEFION FOUNTAIN]

"I'm not sure, Greta, whether there is or not. But if there really is a Nisse, then maybe there are mermaids, too. This Little Mermaid is the most beautiful statue in Copenhagen. Some people think it is the loveliest one in all Europe."

"How large is Copenhagen, Anna?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GEFION FOUNTAIN]

"It has about a million people. That's a third of the whole population of Denmark."

After a short walk the girls came to a large fountain, the largest that Greta had ever seen. At the top of the fountain there was a statue of four oxen, hitched to a plow and driven by a woman.

"This is called the Gefion Fountain, and it shows how the island of Zealand was made," explained Anna. "There is an old, old story that says that Denmark was given permission to take as much of Sweden as one could plow around in a day. So the ruler of Denmark changed her four sons into oxen and with them she plowed out the island on which Copenhagen stands.

This statue shows how she had to whip them and urge them on in order to plow out this large island before night came."

"Oh, I wish we had brought Chouse along," said Greta. "He would love to play in this fountain."

"Chouse likes to play in lots of places where he shouldn't. I think it's a good thing that we left him home. He was very naughty at Tivoli the other night."

"He didn't mean to be naughty, Anna. Don't you think we can take him with us sometime?"

"Maybe; sometime," said Anna.

As the girls walked along they stopped now and then to look in the shop windows. Whenever Greta saw a window full of beautiful silverware or china she wanted to stop and buy a gift for her mother. This china, decorated with figures in a soft blue color, was called Royal Copenhagen Porcelain, and it was famous all over the world. The silverware was designed by a Danish artist named Georg Jensen, and it was also very famous.

"You will have lots of time to buy a gift for your mother, Greta. Don't stop now. I hope you aren't tired, for we have a hard climb ahead of us."

"A climb? Why, there isn't a hill in all Copenhagen."

"Do you see that church with the dome-shaped roof that's all green and shiny? Well, that's what we are going to climb."

"Oh, Anna, how can we? Why, it's taller than any of the other buildings in Copenhagen." Greta looked around her at the four- and five-story buildings. The shiny green dome of the church rose far above them.

"It is usually called the Marble Church," explained Anna, "because it is built of marble. Its real name is Frederick's Church, because it was built by King Frederick the Fifth."

"That shiny green dome isn't made of marble, is it?" asked Greta.

"Oh, no," laughed Anna. "The church cost a great deal to build, and when they had gotten as far as the dome, there was no money left. So all the housewives in Copenhagen gave their copper kettles to be melted up and used to make the dome of the church."

Inside the church it was cool and quiet. The girls started up the stairs and climbed for quite a while without saying a word. Greta began to think that they would never reach the top.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A COUNTRY SCENE]

"Is it much farther, Anna?"

"This is the easy part of the climb, Greta. Don't give up yet."