The Portland daily press., 1878-05-04

lord of the castle always supped.
At midnight precisely warder announced
a stranger at the draw.
"Admit him." said Thorek, from Hospital
BILE habit, and the time being one of peace.
Soon warrior of giant frame, armed cap.
apple, his visor down, advanced without sa-
luting.
"Wecome to fire and food" said Thorek,
from habit again.
But the figure, stalking straight up in front
of him, waved him peremptorily from his seat
with gesture of command. At this pre-
sumption upon his kindness, Thorek sprang
up, all his fighting blood mounting to his
cheek, and in an angry tone exclaimed, SIN
solent one, abuse not my hospitality nor my
patience, Or"
A low sound, as of distant thunder, seemed
rumbling through the strangers armor. Tho
rex, thrilled with fear, stopped and listened.
"Where is thy wife?" the low rumbling
said, resolving itself into words, and at the
same moment the strange guest began to
raise his visor, and Immediately Thorek, in a
deadly swoon, slid from his place and off the
dais on the stone floor below, quite pitiful
heap for Scandinavian warrior.
When he came to consciousness he realized
that for an instant he had beheld the terrible
beauty of Odin's face, and that the visored
figure in his own chair of state was none 9TH
er than his captain and his god.
"Thorek, Thorek, thou art not yet king"
said Odin.
Thorek did not see at once what bearing
this remark had upon his position, but, as
Odin went on, he presently understood.
Therefore thou canst not destroy and still
be held guiltless. Where is thy wife?"
Now, though Thorek knew perfectly Gerda
lay in the fosse beneath the tower window,
somehow he couldn't answer this question,
"Blood-stained hands touch not the flowers
in the gardens of my Valhalla," pronounced
Odln, not counting against any body, of
course, the personal enemies of his own that
Thorek had mown down in battle. The
sagas make these Northern divinities half hui
man. Thorek groaned, but at last found
voice to excuse himself by recounting how he
came into this peculiarly irritable condition
of temper through long course of small
worries duly punctured into him; how, in
moment of frenzy, he had cast his wife from
the window and into the floss below.
''Let me see," said Odin, after hearing the
tale, and coughing little in grand and he
roic way, and hesitating in a manner at once
dignif1ed and re-assuring. "Tis time OF
peace. l will not that my brave Thorek fall
short of the joys of Valhaa."
Ihorek wept and rolled on the floor, and If
one hadn't known that he was stung only by
the serpents of remorse, it might have seemed
from his exclamations that his strong pota-
tions were at last telling on his constitution.
Odin seemed to melt with pity, and in
voice now softened to something between
wind and thunder, he said, "Take cheer"
Then rising and changing his great linked ar
NOR, the god passed mysteriously bolt, bar,
portcullis, and draw, Thorek, by the same
weird power, following close behind.
Odin went straight to the foot of the tower,
looked into the ditch, held down his mighty
hand, and drew up-Gerda, living: her yellow
hair all glistening in the moon, her jewels
*The jewel was probably diamond. tDuels