The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-06-15
THE LADY OF THE NORWAY LAKE.
BY JUSTIN MCCARTHY.
From Harner,s Weekly.

II #lfaVellug III norway Is SC1ll nOG much
like travelling in any other country sup
posed to be civilized I; and at the time
young Adrian Fyfe was making his way
into the interior of the country, now
several years ago, it was still more outre
than at present, when the current Of
fashionable holiday making begins to
set that Way, and threatens to make the
widest gorge of the Morse mountains as
familiar to the cockney, the Frenchman,
and the American, as Chamouni or Ter
matt. Adrian Fyfe was young New
Highlander, oflate residing in New York,
skilled in mines and their engineering
and he had come all the way to moro
way DER the foem' for the purpose Of
prospecting" If one may use that word,
in the interest of a company of enter,
prising spectators anxious to risk their
money on Morse minerals. Through the
interior of Norway the traveller journeys
along IN light, small carriage, called a
cariole, which is only adapted practical
ly to carry one pers N, although your
guide, servant or driver does actually
have sort OF place to cling on to, and
holding on by his eYelids, may thus &C.
pany you on your way. It is a pleasant
mode of travelling enough for the tourist
who is hardy, can rough it little, and
can enjoy the bright bracing air, magnii-
cent scenery, and for hours together the
almost unbroJ<en solitude. At certain
distances along every highway are what
may be called statiens-that is to say
houses, very often farm houses-Where re-
lays of horses are supplied to the pass
ing traveller. Adrian Fyfe was spinning
along very brjskly this day we speak of.
The weather was fine; the air was deliC
,1ous the road ran by roaring streams
and cascades, under the shadow ofmoun
tains less huge indeed than the Alps but
hardly less picturesque. He smoked his
meerschaum kept his eyes and mind
open for observation and enjoyment, and
was, indeed, very happy Adrian Fyfe
was one Of those fortunate people to
whom the mere sense of existence, and
rapid motion in clear air, are all sufi.
cient for happiness.
Needless to say that he did not speak
two words of Norwegian. No race of
persons on earth contrive to travel so
much and know so little of the langua-
5. ges of the countries they pass through as
the Americans. Indeed, the matter new
er seems to trouble them at all they do
not appear to be aware that there is any
difficulty whatever to be experienced in
starting on long journey through the
least frequented part Of a country they
never saw before, and of whose language
they don't know syllable Ip8o facto
they are right. There is no difficulty
to them in such feat At all events
they manage to do it pretty often. In
decd, an American friend, who goes
up and down the world more often than
most people, soberly argued once with
me that there would be no use whatever
D. in his troubling himself to learn langua
ges. His argument was plausible. H.
/ was always IRA yeiing, he SAID, and in al
. manner of countries. AS he was not q
Mezzofanti, he could not possibly learr
&c the languages of all or half or quar-
ter of them; and what would be the use
of his worrying himself about two o.
three languages? They don't speak
French in Japan; the language of Schil
Ter is thrown away on the Egyptian fel
lah; and what avails it to try Italian OF
the Digger Indian Or the Esquimaux
t, No, the true plan, he concisely declared
+ is to stick to your own language, ,and not
bother.
Adrian Fyfo was not quite 50 selfre
liant as all this, and lie did actually
speak French well enough, and German
not we'll enough. Neither accomplish
ment however, was of much avail in thu
quandary wherein he now found himsel
suddenly plunged. At the last station h,
had got new companions solid an(
. stolid young Norseman-to act as drive
and guide. Few words and not many
signs had been employed by Adrain a
the house where the new relay of horse
was being supplied. The man who haG
accompanied him up to that point wa
going no further L; the solid and stolid
young Norseman just spoken of took hi.
place, and the cariole soon bowled along
again. The journey was delightful; ant
SO long as there was but one road to b.
seen, and that lay in a valley between ;
! double range of mountains, there was nc
more possibility of losing ones way thai
on the pass of the Iste NoSre, in Swltzer
= land. But, after a while, the road forket
away into two, nay, into three distinc
! branches-one leading right, one left, ana
the third going straight onward. No
were thetWo diVerging ways mere path
n, which the traveller might confidently ig
more. They were genuine roads, no
lpaths, and quite as broad as the road OF
which the cariole now rolled, or rathe
, halted. Each of the roads obviously lee
somewhere. The question was, which
was Adrian's ?That was just the question
Adrian could not answer.
d, The young Norseman looked at Adrian
inquiringly. His countenance was no
remarkably expressive, but still 1t con
veyed clearly enough the simple and nat
ural interrogative, (Which way?"
The Noseman had no difficulty in I'm
dersta nd inc the ansUer friunn hu A d ria n !,