The brave little maid of Goldau

The brave little maid of Goldau by Mary Elizabeth Jennings is a short, illustrated work of historical fiction written in the late 19th century. Set in a Swiss mountain village, it centers on a catastrophic landslide and a young maid’s courage, with themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the quiet mending of home and community.

In the village of Goldau beneath Mount Rossberg, Kaspar Bernstein lives with his wife, Josepha, their children Heinrich, Gretchen, and baby Fritz, and the maid Franziska Ulrich. After relentless storms, a landslide tears through their home: Josepha dies with the baby in her arms, while Franziska and little Gretchen are buried in darkness. Pinned by debris, Franziska calms and sustains the child through the night with gentle words and a story until Kaspar’s morning search uncovers them; Gretchen is saved, and Franziska, gravely hurt, slowly recovers with the help of a kind neighbor. In the years that follow, Franziska keeps a promise to care for Gretchen, even declining marriage to her suitor Karl; when Gretchen at last weds, Franziska accepts Karl’s renewed proposal. The tale closes with a reflective visit to the scarred mountainside and the echo of evening bells that once called Franziska back to hope.