Excerpt from The Little German Drummer Boy Emily Werner, a little girl of about six years of age, was the daughter of a tradesman in a certain town in Germany. At the time of which we write she was very ill. A violent fever had attacked her, and there was scarcely any h0pe of her recovery. Her parents watched alter nately by her bedside, their hearts full of anguish, and offering up many but silent prayers for the preservation of their darling child. Five mournful nights had passed in this manner, and now the sixth had arrived. The room in which Emily lay, was lighted only by the dim gleams of a night-lamp, and even before this was placed a large book, to prevent the glare from disturbing the invalid. In an arm-chair close beside the bed, the patient mother was seated, anxiously watching the slightest movement of the sick child. The mother's weary eyes were unrefreshed by sleep such love and anxiety as a parent alone can feel kept her still awake. As the town clock struck the midnight hour her husband entered the sick room. He noise lessly walked up, and inquired in a low voice, Is there yet any change for the better? A sorrowful shake of the head was the only answer he received. She pointed to the poor child, who was tossing from side to side; her little cheeks burning with fever, and her breath ing rapid, but difficult. For a few minutes the father looked at his child without speaking; then turning to his wife, he whispered, Do go and take a little rest: it is my turn to watch now. N o, answered Madame Werner, I could not sleep even if I were to lie down; and I feel only more anxious when I am not beside my poor Child. But remember your own health, returned her husband you cannot go on thus; and the end of it will be, that I shall have to nurse two invalids instead Of one. Do follow my exam ple. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of this classic novel, an acclaimed translator and scholar has drawn from many sources for this new translation, more faithful to Grass's style and rhythm.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.