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Web Journalism 2 0 2nd Edition Sunil Saxena Digital
Instant Download
Author(s): Sunil Saxena
ISBN(s): 9780070680838, 0070680833
Edition: 2
File Details: PDF, 12.84 MB
Year: 2012
Language: english
WEB
JOURNALISM
2.0
WEB
JOURNALISM
2.0

Sunil Saxena

Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited

NEW DELHI
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Copyright © 2012, by Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited

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To

My wife Ranjana,
my daughter Aavishi and
my son Eshaan
who have given me so much joy
PREFACE

Breaking News was published in 2004, the year when the term
Web 2.0 came into existence. Untill then, most websites were built on
the principle of communicating from “one-to-many”. The website owners
or publishers decided what should become news and how it should be
communicated to the end-users. The end-users had no say in the way the
content was generated or distributed. They only consumed information
that was thrust down upon them.
Web 2.0 introduced the principle of “many-to-many”, empowering
users to create, distribute and share content. This did not happen because
the internet infrastructure was reinvented. It happened because of the free
tools and applications that the Web 2.0 pioneers developed and deployed
on the World Wide Web.
These free tools revolutionised the way we use Internet. Individuals
could develop their own blogs free of cost, share their writings with like-
minded bloggers by using RSS feeds and insert Google AdSense scripts,
and make money.
YouTube took content creation and sharing to another height by
allowing web users to upload, watch and share videos. Wikipedia was
even more dramatic. It empowered users to create content that other web
users could edit and improve. The result: creation of the world’s largest
encyclopedia by not a few editors but millions of editors.
Then came social networking sites like Orkut.com, MySpace.com and
Facebook.com. They gave individuals an opportunity to not only chat
and share information, but also to showcase their talent. User experience
improved and the net became richer in terms of the variety of content that
millions of networkers created.
These developments came at a breathless pace and had a cascading
effect on media too. Traditional media, especially the newspapers were
hurt the most in the US and Europe. The Indian media managed to buck
viii Preface

the trend largely because of the low internet connectivity and computer
penetration. But, it did upgrade its internet offerings and adopted most of
the Web 2.0 tools.
By 2012, it had become clear that the book Breaking News had been
overtaken by events. It had to be rewritten if it was to be relevant anymore.
This is what I have attempted to do in the revised edition which has been
so aptly titled Web Journalism 2.0 by the publishers.
The book now records the developments that occurred in the Indian
Internet space from the early 1990s to 2012. These developments include the
launch of e-paper, the arrival of tab-based design, the growing popularity
of blogging in Indian languages, the setting up of Indian Registry, the
launch of broadband connections, the entry of media houses in classified
verticals like jobs, the launch of Indian social networking sites and many
more.
Extensive changes have been made in the chapters too. The chapter on
News Writing defines the characteristics of an Internet report much better.
It also has two new sections: one, on online sources, and the second on the
structuring of a news report. Similarly, the chapter on Headline Writing
now includes a four-step process of writing internet headlines. It also has
a section on how to write headlines for blogs.
An important addition is the chapter on Writing News for the Mobile.
This is a new medium, and is still evolving. But its potential is mind
boggling. The number of mobile phone connections in India in June 2011
had crossed the 800 million mark, and Indians who were using their mobile
phones to access the Net had reached 26 million. In contrast, the Internet
connections were yet to touch 18 million.
The gap clearly shows that India has taken to mobile phones more
enthusiastically than it did to Internet. The future, therefore, lies in
developing content for the mobile devices, and this is what the chapter
attempts to do. It describes the different formats in which content is being
developed for the mobile, and the skills that are needed to work in this
medium.
Another important addition to the book is the chapter on Social Media.
This chapter enlarges upon the concept of build, share and participate:
the three pillars on which the 21st century media is being built. It also
explains what Social Media is and the ways in which it is impacting the
way journalists work and communicate.
Preface ix

Chapters 11 and 12 describe the three key skills – blogging, podcasting

and multimedia storytelling – that every student of media must acquire to
stay relevant. These skills may not have taken root in India, but it is only a
question of time before they become an essential part of every journalist’s
repertoire.
Another challenge for web journalists is to know technology related
to web publishing. This is why a chapter has been added on Content
Management System, popularly known as CMS. It will enable students to
understand the basics of web publishing.
This chapter is complemented by the changes that have been made
to the chapter on Website Design. Breaking News did not explain the
mechanics of website development fully. This gap has been plugged in Web
Journalism 2.0. The students of media can now understand the different
processes involved in website creation, and their relative costs.
The technology section also includes chapters on Hyperlinking
and Search Engines. These two chapters have been retained with minor
modifications because of their importance in day-to-day work. The chapter
on Search Engines now has a brief section on the top search properties in
India.
Any book on web journalism will be incomplete if it does not shed light
on ethics and style. This book explores the grey area of style, and critically
examines the issues related to privacy, defamation, misinformation and
enforcement of intellectual property rights on the Net.
The book also makes an attempt to comprehend the impact of new
technologies on media. The key issues that have been examined are:
changing news delivery vehicles and their impact on the news cycle, and
changes in the working of newsrooms and the emergence of new job
profiles. The phenomenon of computer programmes working as editors,
of locating and mailing stories to web users and harnessing the power of
crowds is another area that the book talks about. An attempt also has been
made to explain why the Indian experience on the Net has been different
so far.
Yet another major change is the inclusion of Assignments. In Breaking
News, the chapters ended with a brief summary. In Web Journalism 2.0,
the summary has been replaced by exercises. The purpose is to encourage
students to log on to the Net and find for themselves online news sources,
x Preface

design trends, Web 2.0 tools, search methodologies, mobile content

formats, styles of audio and video reporting, etc. This should increase their
familiarity with the Net, and make them better journalists.
The only constant in the book is the focus. The book is based on the
way India and Indians have turned to the Net universally to create, share
and distribute content after 2004. The idea once again is to ensure that the
Indian students are able to relate to the book. This is why Web Journalism 2.0
uses over 100 screenshots taken from Indian websites to illustrate the
different points made in the book. These screenshots represent the myriad
ways in which Indian media companies are imbibing changes brought
about by Web 2.0 tools and technology.
Incidentally, these screenshots were taken at different points of time
from 2009 to 2012. Many of the websites from where these screenshots
were sourced have undergone a design change in the last few years. Some
pages have even expired over the course of time. So, don’t be surprised if
a few screenshots produced in this book do not match the “look and feel”
of the website today.
An academic effort must document these changes. This is the only way
the uniqueness of the Internet and the virtual products it creates can be
preserved for posterity.
However, I must acknowledge that it is very difficult to write a
definitive text on Internet Journalism. The medium continues to evolve
and impact the way we communicate. New technologies continue to be
developed, and adopted every year. It is not possible to include them in a
physical book.
But I do hope that the revisions made in this edition have made this
book more current and representative of what is happening on the Net
today.
Sunil Saxena
CONTENTS

Preface vii

1. Internet in India 1
The Early Years (1996–1998) 5
Boom Time (1999–2000) 7
The Crash and The Depression (2001–2003) 12
The Tide Turns: 2004 and Beyond 16
Useful Sites 28
Assignments 29

2. News Writing 31
Characteristics of an Internet Story 31
News Sources 35
Dateline, Time Stamp, Credit Line, Tags 43
News Leads 48
Structuring the Story 50
News Feature 53
Useful Sites 54
Assignments 54

3. Editing for the Internet 56

Facts and Objectivity 59
Working with Quotes 60
The Dilemma of Online News Desks 60
News Selection 63
Useful Sites 66
Assignments 66
xii Contents

4. Headline Writing 67
Characteristics of Internet Headlines 67
Differences with Print Headlines 72
How to Write an Internet Headline 74
Do’s and Don’ts of News Headlines 77
How to Write Headlines for Blogs 83
Useful Sites 86
Assignments 87

5. News on Mobile 89
Wap-Enabled Sites 90
SMS Alerts: Telling a Story in 160 Characters 97
Multimedia Messaging Service 105
Useful Sites 108
Assignments 108

6. Style Makes a Site 110

Capitalisation 113
Titles and References 122
Numerals 124
Spelling 127
Italics 127
Useful Sites 129
Assignments 129

7. Social Media and Web 2.0 130

Build. Share. Participate. 130
Web 2.0 Genres 131
Useful Sites 148
Assignments 149

8. Blogging 150
Blogs and their Features 154
Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging 158
Useful Sites 164
Assignments 165
Contents xiii

9. Podcasting and Multimedia Storytelling 166

Podcasting 167
Multimedia Storytelling 175
Useful Sites 182
Assignments 182

10. Hyperlinks and Deep Links 183

Elements of a Hyperlink 183
Kinds of Hyperlinks 185
Hyperlink Forms 186
Utility of Hyperlinks 189
Ethical and Legal Issues 192
Useful Site 195
Assignments 195

11. Content Management System 196

Advantages of Content Management System 197
Kinds of Content Management Systems 200
IP Addresses 202
Useful Sites 203
Assignments 204

12. Website Design, Its Mechanics and Economics 205

Objectives of Design 207
Website Mechanics 222
Website Economics 224
Useful Sites 228
Assignments 228

13. Search Engines 229

How Search Engines Work 230
Search Directories 232
Revenue Sources 233
How to Use a Search Engine 233
How to Get Best Search Results 235
Generating More Traffic 236
xiv Contents

Search Engine Market in India 238

Useful Sites 240
Assignments 240

14. New Technology and Its Impact on Media 241

New News Delivery Vehicles and their Impact 242
Impact on News Cycle 250
Impact of Convergence on Newsrooms 251
Emerging Job Profiles 254
Useful Sites 255
Assignments 256

15. The Grey Areas 257

The Issue of Defamation 258
Interactivity and Its Regulation 260
Misinformation as E-Legend 263
Copyright on the Internet 265
The Issue of Opinion Polls 268
Useful Sites 270
Assignments 271

Glossary 272
1

INTERNET IN INDIA

I
t was around 1996–97 that Indians started talking about Internet
and its likely impact on news. Before that, the Internet was an
unknown entity for most Indians. The few, who were aware of
Internet, were the ones who worked in Education and Research Network
(ERNET), a division of Department of Electronics that was funded by
the Government of India and United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP). ERNET set up the first Internet hubs in India in the early 1990s
(Fig. 1.1). However, these hubs had limited range and offered limited
connectivity. The few institutes that benefited from such a connectivity
were high-end education and research centres.
The National Informatics Centre (NICNet) and the Software
Technology Parks of India (STPI) provided impetus to the growth of the
Internet in India. The charter of NICNet was to wire ministries and state
governments and that of the STPI was to interconnect the technology parks
located at Bangalore, Hyderabad and Noida through dial-up connections
and lease lines. But, it was only in August 1995 that India launched its
first public Internet service. The service, which was named as the Gateway
Internet Access Service (GIAS), was provided by Videsh Sanchar Nigam
Limited (VSNL), a Government of India (GOI) undertaking.
This service was initially limited to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and
Mumbai. Later, points of presence were set up in cities like Bangalore and
2 Web Journalism 2.0

Pune. These nodes enabled people to acquire dial-up connections and to

log on to the Internet. The connections were painfully slow and unreliable
in the beginning. Subscribers had to dial in several times to set up the
connection and then there was no guarantee that the connection would
remain stable.

Fig. 1.1 The home page of ERNET, the organisation

that set up the first Internet hubs in India.
Source: http://www.eis.ernet.in/index.htm

Despite this seemingly painful scenario, the demand for dial-up

connections started growing. The Indian media too took notice of the
arrival of the Internet, and made its first tentative foray into cyberspace
in 1996. The Hindu (Fig. 1.2), The Times of India (Fig. 1.3) and The Indian
Express (Fig. 1.4) were among the first major newspapers to set up websites
of their own. These were low-tech websites and did not carry all the news
stories run in the newspaper.
The reports were invariably hosted late by one day; that is, after the
newspaper had been put to bed. No round-the-clock updates were available.
But even these limited efforts brought results. There was great excitement
when these first-generation media websites started attracting traffic.
Internet in India 3

Fig. 1.2 Screenshot of the home page of The Hindu website.

The site was launched in the mid-1990s.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/

Fig. 1.3 The home page of The Times of India website, which was
redesigned after the introduction of tab-based design.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
4 Web Journalism 2.0

Fig. 1.4 The home page of The Indian Express website.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/

The traffic came almost exclusively from overseas, largely from the
Indians settled in America, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and
parts of Europe. This was not surprising. The state-owned VSNL, which
was the sole Internet service provider (ISP) then, lacked the necessary
infrastructure and the bandwidth to connect all Indian cities to the
Internet or to provide higher bandwidth to those who had bought dial-up
connections.
In October 1998, the government took away the monopoly status of
VSNL. The private sector was given the mandate to set up Internet facilities.
The following two years, 1999 and 2000, witnessed frenzied activity as the
dotcom boom fuelled by venture capital, hope and hype filled the world. It
had its impact in India too. However, this misplaced enthusiasm subsided
when the dotcom boom went bust in the United States. The shock waves
affected the websites in India too. The mood swung from one of wild
excitement, anticipation and expectation to that of caution, anxiety and
deferred plans.
This did not mean that media websites stopped growing. On the
contrary, the media sites continued to evolve and attract more traffic. But
these gains were not matched by revenue growth. The websites continued
to be dependent upon the parent companies for survival despite the
companies not favouring investment online.
Internet in India 5

The first few years of the new millennium were particularly

discouraging for the media sites. It was only around 2004 that the tide
started turning, and the interest in the Internet got a fresh boost. A big push
was given by the success of Web 2.0 sites in the West. Social networking
sites, like YouTube, Flickr, Orkut and later Facebook and Twitter, became
household words in India.
A wave of ‘me-too’ Web 2.0 sites came up in India in 2006–07.
The period also saw the mobile Internet drawing the attention of news
companies. The interest largely stemmed from the staggering number of
mobile phones that were sold in India.
However, unlike the West, Indian media continues to be dominated
by traditional media. The newspaper and television channels are still the
dominant source of news dissemination. They are also the first choice
of advertisers. This is not so of media sites, which are still struggling to
generate sufficient revenue to stay afloat. Most websites would have shut
down but for the support extended by the parent companies.

THE EARLY YEARS (1996–1998)

Internet took off in India on a very low key. Traditional media houses
were not enthused at all about the online medium, and rightly so.
The web was still evolving and very few Indians, living in India, had
access to the Internet. The few that did have access were using it as a
source of information and as a mailing system. No wonder that even
those newspapers, that set up a website, looked upon the Internet as
an appendage of mainstream newspaper work, and not as a full-time
activity.
The common opinion was that Internet journalism held tremendous
potential, but its time was yet to arrive. It, therefore, made sense to set up
a website only to make your presence felt, but not to do anything other
than that. The cost of setting up a website, which usually was negligible
as compared to launching a newspaper edition or setting up a television
channel, made the proposition even more attractive.
There were only a few journalists who were willing to move from
print media or television newsrooms into the untested waters of Internet
journalism. Most of them considered taking up Internet journalism as a
step backward. The few, who did, were literally forced to reinvent their
6 Web Journalism 2.0

job profile and acquire new skills based upon the software applications
that their sites were using. These ranged from Front Page Editor to Adobe
Photoshop to File Transfer Protocol, and many more.
The first Internet journalists were forced to draw upon their print
experience to decide what should go in the online newspaper. Obviously,
this was not the right solution. Media websites became dumping grounds
for news that was generated for newspapers, an activity that sarcastically
came to be referred to as ‘shovelling’. But, it will be most unfair to blame
these sites for the solution they devised. They were severely hampered in
terms of resources; they neither had sufficient manpower nor technical
resources. Even if they wanted to, they could not have come up with a
better solution.
So, in the initial years of the Internet, newspapers were not willing
to invest on in-house development teams. Instead they preferred to
outsource development work. This may have reduced costs, but it did not
lead to an integrated operation where the journalists could sit down with
the development team and work out a strategy suited to the Internet.
Media houses also avoided setting up their own servers. They preferred
to hire servers based in the United States and pay monthly rental and
bandwidth cost. The media houses cannot be blamed for adopting this
strategy. India, at that point of time, lacked the necessary infrastructure.
It would have been too expensive for newspapers to set up own servers
in the United States; not only the cost of maintenance teams would have
been prohibitive, but also the rate at which technology was upgrading
most servers would have been rendered obsolete within months of being
set up.
The first media steps on the Internet were thus purely exploratory in
nature. And, not surprisingly, once the websites became functional, most
media houses did not pay attention to their Internet operations. They were
far too involved with the day-to-day business of newspaper empires to
worry about the Internet. The investment in the Internet had been made for
the future, not for the present. The logic was to have an Internet presence,
and to wait and watch how it develops.
Interestingly, the most notable website to be set up during this period
was Rediff.com (Fig. 1.5). It was set up in 1996 and became a trendsetter
for several years. Some of the concepts it introduced were web search,
content in multiple languages, e-mail, e-commerce, among others.
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Vinzi was not quite sure just when his father had begun
to change in his attitude toward him, nor did he know why.

On the other hand, there was the sadness that for him
all this lovely mountain life was at an end. He must leave all
these kind people. And then the music! Yes, all the music!
With whom could he continue his music at home? There was
no one. Must all this be ended for him forever? His heart
sank within him at the thought, but next moment it
pulsated with the thought of going home and seeing those
he loved.

Even if he must forget all about music at home, thought

Vinzi to himself, he would surely be able to go up to Father
Silvanus again some day, and this was his last consoling
thought as he fell asleep.

The next morning there was no time for any discussion

as they had to be off to the pasture as early as possible. Jos
and Faz were already off for the cows, and Vinzi was ready
to follow with Russli when his Cousin Lorenz drew him to
one side and said in a low voice, "It has to be, Vinzi, and
you will be glad to get home. I wanted to tell you so that
you could bid good-bye to Father Silvanus and to the
grandfather this morning."

Vinzi knew his cousin's words were final, and he went

off in silence, which did not please Russli at all.

"Say something to me," said the little boy petulantly,

after they had walked a short distance.

"I can't talk very well," replied Vinzi, "something is

choking me. But don't be unhappy, for when I get home I
will send you something nice for your little shop."
"You needn't go home," declared Russli confidently. "Faz
has thought of something to do so you need not go. He told
Jos about it at the pump. Early tomorrow morning he will go
up the road and wait for the wagon. When it stops, he will
climb up into the seat and say that he is the boy from Leuk.
Then the man will drive on, and when they have gone some
distance along the other side of the mountain, he will jump
off the wagon and say he is not the right boy after all, and
run back. Now don't you see? The man can't do anything
then, for it will be too far for him to come back."

Vinzi was not at all convinced that this plan would

prevent his trip home, but he felt deeply moved at the
thought of Faz taking so much pains to keep him. He had
really had less to do with Faz than with the other two boys.

"What are you going to send me for my shop?" inquired

Russli later.

"I shall not tell you," replied Vinzi. "It must be a

surprise; then it will please you better."

"Is it something to eat?" persisted Russli.

"No, nor anything to drink," answered Vinzi. "But I will

tell you no more about it, or it will be no surprise."

At the pasture Vinzi parted from Russli and went on to

the hospice as usual. He had been instructed always to go
at once to the great room and there await Father Silvanus.
He always came quickly. But this morning Vinzi did not
stand before the harmonium with sparkling eyes in happy
expectation, as he always did when the priest stepped in.
Today his pupil was quite downcast and when the priest
looked at him questioningly, Vinzi informed him that this
would be the last time he would come; he was going home
the next day.
"Oh, what a pity, what a real pity!" exclaimed Father
Silvanus slowly. "But you can keep up your music at home,
can't you?"

Vinzi fought back the tears, though his eyes filled in

spite of him as he answered, "No, I believe not."

"Keep up your courage, my boy!" advised Father

Silvanus, patting him kindly on the shoulder. "Keep up your
courage! It is always lovely to go home, and if the Lord
thinks music is good for you, it is an easy thing for Him to
send someone across your path who will help you further.
Perhaps you will return to us and we will go on with your
music together."

The priest shook his hand in a fatherly way and

accompanied him to the door, where he gave the lad his
blessing, saying heartily: "May God watch over you!" and
then sent him on his way.

Vinzi was scarcely able to stammer his thanks, he had

to fight so hard to keep back the tears, and he was most
grateful to the priest for making his farewell so short, he
could not have controlled himself much longer. Perhaps
Father Silvanus had perceived that fact.

Vinzi gazed around him again and again. The mist

began to lift, and everything grew clearer in the sunshine—
the snow-capped mountain, the cascade, the rocky cliffs,
and above them all was the deep blue of the heavens. He
looked at it all once more, then ran off to the Tower.

The grandfather had come out when the fog lifted, and
was again seated on his bench.

"You've come early today, and that is right," he called

out to the approaching boy. "But what's wrong, what is the
matter?" he added as he came up close.

When Vinzi explained, he said, "But we will be glad that

you could stay this long. It has been my hope that you
could come and sing my hymn for me when I go to my
heavenly home. But perhaps I will be here till next summer,
and then you will come back again. We will say good-bye
with that thought," and the grandfather shook hands with
Vinzi in a hearty way, saying his cousin would be expecting
him, and he did not wish to detain him.

Vinzi hurried toward the house, thinking that the

grandfather might be right. In the meanwhile, Cousin
Josepha had been persuaded that Vinzi must go, and she
rejoiced when she saw him coming so soon. It would give
her a chance to talk with him, and that was necessary in
order for her to regain her usual calm, for this sudden
leave-taking had quite upset her.

When they had sat together and chatted as on the day

of his arrival, her complacent mood was fully restored as
Vinzi assured her he had no greater desire than to come up
to the mountain again, live in her house, and occupy his
lovely sleeping quarters.

When the family were all sitting together that evening,

Father Lorenz said, "Singing is the best means of driving
away sad thoughts," and began a song himself. The others
joined in, and the music continued until bedtime.

The next morning things did not go just as Faz had

planned. The brothers were ready to go to the pasture and
were saying good-bye when the continuous cracking of a
whip on the road told Father Lorenz that the fruit dealer was
arriving earlier than he had said.
Vinzi climbed up to his high seat, and he called a
separate farewell to Lorenz, Josepha and the three boys,
after which the horses started off. Truly sad at heart, all five
watched the departing Vinzi, Russli feeling the least grief
because of the surprise he had in prospect.

When the wagon reached the spot from which the Tower
in the meadow was visible, the road was suddenly lined
with a crowd of noisy boys. More and more kept coming,
and finally they lifted a shrill "Hurrah!" and then shouted
over and over again, "Come again!" so lustily that all four
horses reared.
Down below the grandfather sat on his bench and
waved his hat high in the air and Vinzi answered by
swinging his.

A window was opened in the hospice above, and a hand

waved a friendly farewell to Vinzi; the hand of Father
Silvanus.

One more stretch up the mountain, past the wild

beeches and gnarled old fir-trees, and then came the quick
descent to the valley.

CHAPTER VIII
MORE UNEXPECTED EVENTS

STEFELI'S summer was more pleasant than had seemed

possible when Vinzi went away. Mr. Delrick never started on
one of his long walks without asking, "Is Stefeli coming with
me?"

As Stefeli did not go to the pasture after Vinzi had left,

the mother never lost an opportunity to send her outdoors
with Mr. Delrick, for the little girl fretted because she had to
sit about the house so much. She was always highly pleased
when she heard the welcome question and could lay aside
the knitting of the long stocking to skip about in the
meadows. Stefeli told her escort all sorts of things, what
she had done out on the pasture, and all about the life in
the home, as well as the ambitions and ideals of father,
mother, Vinzi and herself.

It was in this way that Mr. Delrick learned the history of

the Lesa family, but he became intimate with the life of the
three members of the household in another manner also.

Vinzenz Lesa liked to spend his leisure evening hours on

the bench outside the door, where he could enjoy the
pleasant odor of the walnut leaves wafted to him on the
evening air. There he smoked his pipe, and was pleased
when Mr. Delrick sat beside him and they discussed the
topics of the day.

With Mrs. Lesa, he held an altogether different kind of

conversation. Their talk always concerned the same subject,
and that was Vinzi. She had told him how all Vinzi's
happiness from early childhood had been centered on
music, and how his father had centered his ambition in the
determination that the boy should follow in his footsteps.

Mr. Delrick had deep sympathy for the mother, and tried
to comfort her by saying that young lads such as Vinzi often
evince an enthusiasm, only to drop it when a happy future
lay before them, such as had come to Vinzi. At the same
time he understood how anxiety pervaded her days and
how her thoughts would dwell on the subject. And since he
believed it lightened the mother's heart to discuss the
matter, he often led their conversation back to Vinzi, and
listened sympathetically to all she said.

In this way he had become the special friend and

confidant of each member of the house, and Stefeli, as well
as her father and mother, would say, "We will have to ask
Mr. Delrick; he is sure to know," whenever a question came
up which they could not answer at once; or when there was
something they worried about, they would say, "We must
consult Mr. Delrick; he can certainly advise us."

Therefore when the good news came down from the

mountain that both old and young loved Vinzi and that he
had brought them all great happiness, Mr. Delrick took as
lively an interest in the report as though he belonged to the
family. The mother listened in silence but both he and the
father expressed the hope that the boy had begun to find
joy in those things which were connected with his future
career, and now Mr. Delrick prayed that the little family to
which he had become so attached was to be reunited and
find happiness before he left them.

The day came when Father Lesa told his wife in the
presence of Mr. Delrick that he had met an old friend who
was driving to the mountain, and he had instructed him to
bring Vinzi back, and they should arrive in five days.

The mother's heart throbbed with joy and Stefeli in her

excitement could not sit still, but ran about restlessly. She
kept counting the days, thinking they could not be lived
through, but wonderful to relate the fifth day arrived with
unexpected swiftness.

She had just returned from a walk with Mr. Delrick when
her father came in from the field and said, "Vinzi may arrive
at any minute. Let us have supper ready so he can sit down
with us."

Mr. Delrick was summoned, and they began to eat,

though Stefeli could scarcely swallow her food, and things
went no better with her mother.

"Here he comes!" suddenly cried the child and she

dashed out of the door.
None of the others had heard anything, but a few
moments afterward Stefeli came in triumphantly holding
Vinzi by the hand. The joy of the parents was not expressed
in words, but one could easily see the father's pride as he
looked at his son and led him up to Mr. Delrick.

The latter gave him a keen look, for his mind had dwelt
on the lad for many weeks and now he thought, "I can
easily understand why the mother is so devoted to him and
how his father's hopes center in him, for he is certainly a
fine appearing lad."

His father asked how he had liked the pasture up there

and Vinzi described in ecstasy how the violets ladened the
air with their perfume and tall larches spread their wide
branches over the moss-covered stones, while the cows
grazed so peacefully that their bells tinkled softly like a
song of peace.

His mother asked if he had found pretty flowers up

there too, and Vinzi waxed still more enthusiastic as he told
how the field of roses made such a vivid glow it looked like
fire.

Vinzi also described his sleeping quarters and said how

dear the place had become to him—the little house that was
filled with the fragrance of the haymow.

Both father and mother were amazed at their boy; he

had never spoken with such assurance and enthusiasm.

The mother thought, "Our Vinzi is not the same as when

he left us. He has begun a new life. What will happen now?"

The father had much the same impression for he said to

himself, "Vinzi is different. He has found himself and knows
what he wants."
The next morning Stefeli was up bright and early, for
the joy of knowing Vinzi was home banished sleep. Just as
she was about to knock on his door, it opened and Vinzi
stepped out dressed and ready for the day.

Stefeli drew back in astonishment and exclaimed,

"You're up frightfully early! You didn't use to do so and I
was going to call you."

"Well, you see now I can do it too," said Vinzi, laughing

at her surprise. "I always got up very early on the
mountain. When one is impatient for the happiness the day
is to bring, one is glad to jump out of bed. It's a habit with
me now."

"What made you so happy up there?"

"Come along and I'll tell you about it," said Vinzi, going
downstairs.

His father stood in the doorway, to forecast the weather,

for he had just stepped out of his bedroom. Now he turned
around.

"What, already?" he said in surprise. "That is a good

sign. You learned something up there, Vinzi, that is worth
while, for you did not use to be the first one up in the
morning. Come, let us stroll over to the walnut trees until
mother calls us to breakfast. The trees are making splendid
growth, and the grass is thick under them too. Perhaps you
can see that things here at home are lovely too, better than
you did before. Do you?"

"Oh, yes!" declared Vinzi with his whole heart, looking

up at the dense foliage of the walnut trees, under which he
had always liked to tarry.
"You have seen how fine farm life is up there, and have
learned to enjoy it. It is just as fine down here with us, and
to cultivate a farm such as ours and to call it one's own is
best of all."

"I could wish for something even better than that," said
Vinzi with hesitation and then was silent.

His father looked at him in consternation.

"Listen, Vinzi! I am glad you have been happy up on the

mountain; I haven't a word to say against it, but I am
wondering what you have found up there that is better than
what is down here. Tell me what it is."

"The loveliest thing up there is the harmonium in the

hospice, and above everything else in the world I wish to
learn to play it as Father Silvanus does."

Vinzenz Lesa darted a piercing look at his son. He stood

silent a while, then: "Do you really mean what you say,
Vinzi, or is it a joke?"

"I really mean just what I say," replied Vinzi.

"Well, then," said his father, "I will say something so

you will know what I think of the matter. I sent you up the
mountain to learn from a merry lot of boys how to enjoy
farm work, for you really must learn to like it. I believed
your eyes had been opened, that you had found yourself
and come to your senses. But now I find you are every bit
as childish as when you went away, with nothing but
nonsense about music in your head. I hope I'll find a way to
bring you to your senses yet and to make you see your
good fortune. I certainly never thought you could get such
fancies up there. You shall never go up there again. I'll find
some other remedy."
Vinzi listened quietly to all his father said, though the
words seemed to crush him, and when his father turned and
went back to the house, he threw himself on the ground
and tried to stifle his sobs by burying his face in the grass.
He had surmised all along that his father would ignore his
wishes about music and had cherished no hope of any other
outcome. But he had firmly counted on returning to the
mountain, and now that prospect was gone.

"Vinzi, you are to—" but Stefeli's voice suddenly ceased

as she came nearer and heard him sobbing. "Oh, Vinzi,
what is the matter?" she asked. "You must come into the
house. If you can stop going on like this you must come to
breakfast. Father is already at the table and mother sent
me to fetch you quickly."

Vinzi jumped up and ran over to the pump, and bathed

his eyes again and again to remove all traces of tears.
"You're all right; come along now," urged Stefeli. "Mr.
Delrick never comes down to breakfast, father takes no
notice and mother, will say nothing. Do come along!"

The two went in, and when Vinzi took his seat with
bowed head, his father gave him one keen glance. Then he
pushed away his half-empty cup, rose, and went outdoors.
The sight of tears always upset Vinzenz Lesa, particularly
those of his son, who was more precious to him than all his
possessions.

"What is the matter with father?" asked the mother, and

when Vinzi raised his head, she exclaimed, "Oh, and what is
the matter with you?"

Try as he would, Vinzi could not say a word, and laying

his head on his arms, he sobbed aloud.

Stefeli swallowed her milk and ran out of the room to

escape the sight of her mother's anxious face. "Oh, if Mr.
Delrick would only come!" she sighed; for Stefeli had
noticed that when her father and mother sought his advice,
every difficulty seemed to disappear. Now that things were
so topsy-turvy, he could surely help.

Mr. Delrick was coming down the stairs from his room
as Stefeli rushed out, and when she ran up to him and
seized his hand, he asked kindly, "Are you ready to start?
Are you coming with me for a morning walk?"

Stefeli had hoped he would ask this very question and

gladly went off with him. She quickly poured into his ear
how Vinzi had cried till his eyes were red and swollen, how
her father had not finished his coffee, but had pushed the
cup aside and hurried off, and now her mother was sadder
than she had ever seen her.
"But you will make everything all right again,"
concluded Stefeli with great confidence.

"I will do whatever I can," he promised.

The child's words gave him food for thought. He

wondered if the mother's fears had become a fact, and the
thought caused him the greater anxiety because he planned
to depart within a few days to meet a friend at the Italian
lakes.

When the two returned to the house, matters did not

appear to be much better. Vinzi had told his mother at last
how his father's words had shattered all his hopes, and she
had tried to console him by saying he might change his
mind; Vinzi should try to do his father's pleasure and show
an interest in the tasks he set him. Then his father would
surely allow him to return to the mountain.

But Vinzi shook his head and said, "Father will never let
me go again. He thinks I find pleasure up there in
something he does not want me to do, and that is true. I
understand now what he means, though I did not before."

His mother could say no more, for she believed Vinzi

was right. What would happen next? Would he be sent away
again? If so, where? Her husband had an older brother, and
the two men had managed the farm at Freiburg which they
had inherited from their father. When they had inherited the
estate in Leuk from their cousin, Vinzenz had decided to live
on it, for if it was to be brought into good condition again
after having been sadly neglected, he would have to look
after it himself. Her husband's brother was as silent and
unsociable as the old cousin who had lived in Leuk, and he
looked as much the savage too. Vinzenz had left an old
servant with him on the Freiburg farm who knew how to do
everything just as Vinzenz wanted it. His brother was
averse to undertaking anything new, and kept postponing
all personal effort in the hope that his brother would soon
return.

Mrs. Lesa knew that there had been eccentric people in

the Lesa family and suddenly a new fear arose in her heart.
If the father decided to send Vinzi to the Freiburg estate in
order to interest him in the work and management of a
farm, there would be nothing but solitude for him there.
Might not the boy, who had always been different from
other children, grow still more peculiar if he lived with his
eccentric uncle? It was said the old cousin at Leuk used to
sit in front of his barn for hours at a time and stare fixedly
into space, and the people had called him Starri of Leuk.*
The Freiburg uncle was said to do the same thing and as
such nicknames are passed along and everyone knew the
Lesa family originally came from Leuk, he also was called
Starri of Leuk.

* The Starer of Leuk.

When she reached this point in her thinking, she was

more anxious than ever. Her husband's grievance against
his son was that he was always staring into the distance,
never seeing or hearing what went on before his eyes. What
if her lively young son should become the third Starri of
Leuk?

She was roused from her dark forebodings by Stefeli's

sudden entrance. She had come to tell her mother that Mr.
Delrick had returned from his morning walk and was now
talking to Vinzi in his room. Mrs. Lesa hurried to prepare
her lodger's breakfast, which was not ready for him because
he had returned much earlier than usual.
Mr. Delrick was well aware of Vinzi's lifelong passion for
music, and he also knew the father's will and wish, and that
he had sent his son to the mountain in order to accomplish
his purpose. But he had not learned from Stefeli's eager
story what had roused the father's anger and caused the
son's tears so soon after the joyful homecoming. He took
such a lively interest in the joys and sorrows of the Lesa
family that he felt he must learn if he could help now in any
way. He was to be with them such a very short time that he
had hurried back from his walk to talk to the brooding Vinzi.
Sitting down beside him, he told him he would be traveling
over the Simplon in two days, and if Vinzi had any
messages for his friends, he would gladly carry them.

Vinzi's face brightened at this news, and he asked with

intense longing, "Are you going to see Father Silvanus and
the grandfather?"

"I do not know who they are," answered Mr. Delrick.

"Tell me about them, and about all your experiences up
there."

Vinzi opened his heart. How he talked of all that

occupied his thoughts! Mr. Delrick showed such quick
sympathy that he could tell him all about the friends and
the music that had made him so happy on the mountain.
And now he would be glad to do whatever work was to be
done, and would do it happily, even to giving up playing or
even hearing any more music, if only he could hope to
return to the mountain next summer and go to Father
Silvanus every morning. But his father had said that could
not be. His account shed new light on the matter, and after
a while Mr. Delrick said, "Tell me, Vinzi, did Father Silvanus
ask you to try to carry on your music at home or did he
only mean that he wished you to continue your lessons if
you went back to him?"
Vinzi reported what the priest had advised and that he
had said it would be impossible as he knew his father would
not allow such a thing.

"You wish to learn to play an instrument for your own

pleasure, Vinzi?" inquired Mr. Delrick. "Have you thought of
making music your life work? Or could you not imagine such
a thing?"

Vinzi's eyes flamed.

"Oh, yes, I could! I kept thinking about it while I was up

on the mountain, more each day. I can very well imagine
what that would be!" Vinzi assured him. "I would like not
only to play an instrument but want to know all about
music, like Father Silvanus. He knows everything and can
explain how the notes are put together so they make
harmony, and how to write them down so that one can read
them from the page. He started to teach me all that, and it
is so lovely and so wonderful! Oh, I would gladly shovel
snow all day and do all kinds of hard labor in order to stay
up there the whole winter if I might be with Father Silvanus,
for he would continue teaching me. He said so." Vinzi found
it difficult to suppress his rising grief.

"You see, Vinzi, your father has only your welfare at

heart," explained Mr. Delrick kindly. "You know that yourself,
and I can assure you it is so. He made this decision because
he thinks your life up on the mountain would stand in the
way of your happiness. But time brings many changes, and
he may not hold to this idea. It is altogether wrong for you
to keep repeating those words; they only make you sad.
Did you not find good fortune and happiness where you
expected only sorrow and pain? Remember that, Vinzi; it
will give you courage."
While they had been talking, Mrs. Lesa had gone in and
out of the room, setting the breakfast table, and it did much
for her peace of mind to see the two talking and to know
the boy was paying close attention to Mr. Delrick's words.

"Now, Vinzi, pull yourself together and be happy that

you are home again," advised Mr. Delrick, getting up from
his chair. "Show your father a happy face when he comes
home and be willing to do the work he wishes you to do.
Then everything will come out right. Will you think over
what I have said?"

Vinzi readily promised and when Mr. Delrick left the

room looked up at his mother with brighter eyes.

The day passed quietly, for all felt depressed and the
merry mood of the evening before had vanished. When
evening came and Vinzenz sat out on his bench as usual,
his forehead was drawn into deep wrinkles and he let his
pipe go out as he stared at the ground.

Mr. Delrick now stepped up to him and as he struck a

match and offered it to his host, he remarked, "You are not
in a good humor, Mr. Lesa, or you would not let your pipe go
out. Here, light it again."

"Humor, humor indeed!" repeated Mr. Lesa savagely.

"When a field is destroyed by hail, one may hope the next
year will bring a crop. But when one's only son goes from
bad to worse, where is there any hope?"

"So far as I can judge, you have a well-trained and

honest son, Mr. Lesa," said Mr. Delrick calmly.

"There is nothing to complain about in that respect,"

replied the father. "But what's to be done when a father
tries to see that all his son has to do is to enjoy his good
fortune, and the boy does not see it or know what is best
for him, and doesn't wish to learn anything but childish
stuff? But I will not give up until Vinzi returns to his senses,
even if I have to send him across the ocean. However, there
is a place nearer where his childishness will find no support,
that's a sure thing."

"You mean your son's love of music and his wish to

devote himself to it? That may be something quite different
from childishness; it may be something very serious on his
part."

"Something very serious!" repeated the roused father.

"It is play, just like anything else. I would have nothing
against it if the boy amused himself singing merry songs in
the leisure of the evening, but that's not his way. He sits
and gazes ahead without seeing or hearing anything; he
thinks only about his piping. Once I found a whole pile of
pipes he had carved, stowed away in the haymow—
children's toys on which he put all his thought!"

"But that shows how earnest he is in his longing for

music," replied Mr. Delrick. "If it were only play like any
other game, he would have dropped it for something else
long since, after the way of boys. His mind would not cling
so to one thing. And his perseverance in trying to make
each instrument better so it would meet his requirements
shows how great his zeal is. I am convinced this is no play
with him but has become his serious work."

"Work! Do you call such a thing work?" and in his anger

Vinzenz Lesa puffed unusually thick clouds out of his pipe.

"Certainly music can be work, and where there is

genius, it can become a high calling," continued Mr. Delrick.
"I think, Mr. Lesa, you should let your son learn an
instrument. His desire for it is so intense, he would
undertake any kind of work with pleasure in order to fulfil
his wish."

Vinzenz Lesa laid his pipe aside, and that with him was
a sign of greatest agitation.

"Sir," he said, restraining his anger with difficulty, "the

only son of Vinzenz Lesa shall not be a musician. He has a
farm on which he can live like a gentleman. If he wants to
blow a trumpet later on as much as he wants to now, he
can afford to do so. But it is quite a different matter to lead
a boy away from a profitable and proper calling and train
him to play instruments and write music. Vinzi has no
common sense, for he tells me what you have just said:
that he wants to take up music as his occupation. No, sir,
the son of Vinzenz Lesa shall never become a wandering
minstrel!"

"It is not necessary for a musician to be a wanderer,"

Mr. Delrick declared. "There are many musicians, gifted
men, who practise their calling in quite a different manner."
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