The Brave Boy of Holland

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 258, 29 July 1939, Page 7 (Supplement)

The Brave Boy of Holland

“TTGH!” Hans shuddered, and sprang up in bed with a cry. Then, as his eyes became accustomed to the light, he knew that he had been dreaming Through his window he could see that everything outside was just the same as it had been the day before. The green paddocks were dotted with cows, the waterways that served as dividing fences sparkled in the early sunlight. The windmills patiently pumping the surplus water to the sea, seemed to be waving him a cheery good morning. Hans lay back quietly, and from his heart went up a prayer for a lovely new day and the beautiful earth; then he dressed quickly in his baggy breeches and wooden shoes and joined his mother and sister in the spotless kitchen with its blue and white crockery and shining copper. His father had been away since daylight, for his work of building a new seawall meant hard work and long hours. When the little home had been set in order, Hans went with the others into the tulip fields and helped to gather the lovely flowers. During the rest hour, Hans sat on the bank of the canal watching the barges move slowly up and down. He knew most of the barge men, and was usually ready to oblige with a song or clog dance, much to the delight of occasional tourists. But today Hans was quiet; he could not forget the dream, in which he had seen the sea-walls break open and the waters flooding in over the land. Bor the moment life on the canal had lost its charm; he was thinking instead of his father and of the men who had built the canal. Without them there would be no Holland. The story fascinated him and he had made up his mind that as soon as he was strong enough tie would work beside his father.

In the afternoon his mother sent him with a message to a place some distance away. The first part of the journey was by barge, and then Hans