The Young Organ Grinder Demanded His Forty Pennies!

 In the story Grandma Lu noticed that Clara was being homeschooled by a man that was called a tutor. Grandma Lu's daughter had homeschooled all of her children because she chose to, however, Clara was probably being taught at home because of two reasons. Her father was very wealthy, but Clara was also confined to a wheel chair making it very difficult to go outside other than on the porch attached to the house.

As Grandma Lu read on the tutor had already arrived for the day when the door bell rang very loudly. There stood the young organ grinder. Well, the butler saw this young dirty boy at the door and started yelling at him to not ring the bell so loud. Sure enough he was there to collect his forty pennies that Clara owed him. (If you remember Heidi had told him that Clara would pay him) Well come to find out he thought that Heidi was Clara. After the boy described the girl to the butler he grinned. He pulled him into the house and told him to follow him to the study. Grandma Lu grinned too when she thought about what was going to happen. "I really like that butler. I think he is a good guy."

"There is a boy here to play a tune for Miss Clara." Clara was so excited to have something so fun to happen during her usually dull school time. After Miss Rottenmeier heard the noise (music) she ordered him away much to Clara's disappointment as well as Heidi's. But the butler gave the organ grinder his forty pennies and sent him on his way.

Suddenly there was another ring of the door bell and there stood a man with a basket full of kittens! One of them even climbed up Miss Rottenmeier's dress and crawled over her feet. Clara loved them! The classes that day were anything but boring. But poor Heidi. Miss Rottenmeier threatened to send Heidi to the basement with the rats. But Heidi wasn't afraid. Her grandfather's basement or cellar as they called it was full of cheese and fresh milk. Clara put a stop to Heidi's punishment and told the housekeeper that her papa would soon be home and let him decide if Heidi was to be punished.

Heidi wasn't doing well with he ABC"s. It seemed to her that she was just like Peter her friend on the mountain. He wasn't able to read either and thought that school was a waste of time.

Heidi was so very homesick for the mountain that one day she packed up the white rolls that she had been hiding for the old grandmother, put on her shawl and old hat and had planned on going home. She got as far as the door when the housekeeper stopped her. Heidi cried and cried and the housekeeper called her crazy and that she was unlucky for the household.

Heidi didn't know it until this day, but the butler, Sebastion was indeed her friend. He could see that the young girl was shaking and had red eyes from her crying. He told her that she should go play with all the kittens. Even that didn't cheer Heidi. That night she didn't eat her supper.

Heidi had been in need of some new clothes so Miss Rottenmeier had been going through Heidi's clothes and had found all of the spoiled rolls in her closet. She told the maid to through away the bread and Heidi's old straw hat.

Heidi sobbed and sobbed and pleaded with the housekeeper not to throw away the bread because it was for the old blind grandmother. Clara heard and saw how very upset Heidi was and promised her that when she went home she would give her a lot of fresh white rolls for the grandmother.

That night when Heidi went to bed she found her old straw hat that the butler had hidden under her covers. She quickly wrapped it up in a handkerchief and hid it in the furthest part of her closet.

When Clara's father came home from his business the housekeeper told him that the Swiss child was a great disappointment. She didn't think that she was right in the head. He tried to talk to the teacher, but he caried on and on about everything but Heidi, but did point out that Heidi had poor education and didn't seem to be able to learn easily. He finally left the teacher and went to the room where Clara and Heidi were. He asked Heidi to go fetch him a glass of fresh water.

At this point of the book Grandma Lu thought that this was a strange request because in order for Heidi to get him fresh water she would have to walk down the street for several blocks to find a fountain that had fresh water. But as she continued to read, at the fountain there was a nice older man there that told Heidi to give his regards to Mr. Sesemann, which was Clara's father. When Heidi described the man Clara's father knew immediately who he was. He was his doctor!

That evening after Clara's father heard all the real facts about the kittens and even a turtle that made him laugh he told the housekeeper that from now one Heidi was to be treated kindly and that Clara loved her and wanted her to remain her companion. Heidi was not to be punished for just being different. Clara's father could only stay at home for two weeks before he had to go back to Paris for his business. He made sure, however, that his mother would soon be visiting. He knew that she loved children and would make Heidi happy and probably even help her with her reading.