Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-10-12

N<loco
glance ahead, looks to the fastening of big
leather bag which is tied to the floor of the
sledge, and then gazes long and carefully
behind him. Yes, there they are, just little
dark shadow on the waste, a shadow which
one less experienced might have overlooked,
!, but shadow that is moving hardly less
| quickly than those cast by the rack of broken
clouds drifting across the moon.
What Svantsen had seen in front of him
| was black line on the horizon and tall
| dngerpost still far ahead, where two roads
met. What he had not seen was a figure on
: foot, travelling towards that same black line
| upon the horizon.
| The pedestrian is moving but slowly, and
has very little more running left in him.
| The snow retards every step and clogs and
Jumps upon the heels of his boots. There is
no track to go by, but he keeps as straight as
he can for the tall finger post. To reach the
black line before those flying feetin the rear
hare closed with him is, he knows, impossi-
| BILE, and yet he staggers forward He cannot
help himself. The instinct of self preserva-
ton would make him struggle on, even
| though safety were hundred miles distant
| instead of scarce five. And on he will drag
his tired body till he drops, or till the wolves
pull him down.
| Then comes-think of 1.-THE sound of
sledge bells in his ears, the one earthly mel
ody he knows in his present sore strait can
mean succor and salvation. He heeds it not
at first. The Norwegians are superstitious
folk, and our poor wretch thinks that the
/ night demons are abroad, dancing in the
! drifting snow wreaths. laughing at his agony
and tuning the distant bowling into the sound
of bells.
| Sledge bells do not always make music.
There is nothing to suggest pleasure and
plumes and nodding of proud equine heads
in the harsh jingle that now rushes down
upon the traveller. Svantsen's horses have
| long since caught the distant chorus and
their ears are beginning to lie back and their
| necks to stretch out. Jangle, jangie, jangle,
thud, thud thud, go hoofs and bells. A hot
steam streams away from the animals and
the bright red ray of little lamp in front
| of the sledge casts glow upon their sweat
ing tanks. The driver is standing up now
| and unwinds the lash of his long whip. His
hat is off and he looks with q frown behind
him. To us, horses and man and vehicle
| seem but the incarnation of flying terror;
| to him on foot, a chariot sent straight from
| God.
| And thus they meet these men than whom
all Norway could not show two enemies more
bitter. They are jewellers in the little vii
| lage of Joksdal, in Finmark the most north
| ern division of Tromso, or Northern Nor
| way. There had their fathers lived before
them, and there had Svantsen. rich, proud
| and the autocrat of his birthplace, cruelty
| wronged Eric Skien, young herdsman and
poor one.
| An DID, stale story it was of two men low
| ing the same woman. Young Eric had been
everything to her until the other came creep
| ing into her heart, ousting the old love and
| replacing it with one ten times as powerful
| She dare not to tell her betrothed, and upon
the very eve of their marriage Svantsen had
| stolen the girl away with her own consent,
married her in distant hamlet, and then,
returning, braved the black storm of rage
| that swept over him All believed this step
| to be one of most lawless abduction upon the
mans part, and he, only thinking for his
| wife and her reputation, was content that
in such belief Joksdal should remain. Eric
Skien, however, was wiser. He had long
| noted the change in his sweetheart, and the
| blow did not fall SO heavily upon him, there
fore, as his friends supposed. He was good
hearted, easy going, loutish fellow, not over
quick of comprehension, but a popular man
among his comrades and one with kind
40
| venge until it grew into something strong
and terrible and could walk alone, was the
general opinion in JoksdaL But Skien
| breathed no word of his future intentions to
anybody, and went on living and working
| tamely enough, though with the most of the
laughter and rough frolic blotted out of his
| life. 1t is improbable that he would ever
have seriously set about retaliation or gone
far out of his way to get it. Dwellers in
northern lands all things being equal, are
| not so fruitful of violence and the knife as
hot blooded men of the south. Nor have
they quite such keenpesS and capability for
either suffering or joy. Their sensibilities
| are somewhat more blunt, and there is more
prose and less poetry in their lives less SUM-
shine and more hard work. l speak, of
course, of the lowest social classes; Skien
was shepherd; Svantsen the keeper of a
small inn.
And nova year after the catastrophe
they meet, the one flushed and hot and
nearly spent with his hard running; the
other cold and white and with all his wits
| about him. Skien, thinking to see a friend,
looks up at the man in the sledge As he
does SO anxiety changes to incredulous and
| savage joy; the howl of wolves falls un-
needed upon his ear; he clutches hard at
something hidden in his belt and shows his
teeth. The other, with an iron hand upon
the reins, checks for an instant his flying
sledge and keeps pace with his old enemy.
One of the struggling horses, arrested in his
fight for life, neighs and plunges to be free
The bells clash and jangle; for a moment the
hungry Threats behind are silent; over all
the moon shines bright and cold, bringing
out every detail of the scene as clearly as
daylight could
Rollo Svantsen speaks first:
! "Ah, friend Skien, thou witt have to go at
greater pace than thy present jog if Joksdal
is to see thee again. Graabesn [''gray legs']
travels world faster, and is now nearer to
thee than thou art to home. Wilt deign to
accept seat2 If SO, it is at thy service"
Sat last we meet them" gasped the other
81 had rather seen thee than the truest
friend and strongest horse in Norway. At
last thou art in my hand, Rollo Svantsen.
Nay, stay thine horses, or 1 will do it for
thee"
'Fooll Thou do ita Couldst thou stop
me a year agos Then think not to hold back
these mad brutes here by any act of thine"
For answer Skien leveled pistol at the
head of the horse nearest him. The barrel
flashed in the moonlight like knife, and
SfduuSCu CUNNING LII Lis I'LL OeAb eA1S II Va
horror that rose into it, pulled at the reins,
and nearly overturned the vehicle he drove.
''This is no time for TESTING, manr' he
cried. "Leap by me and do ii quickly, or
we shall both be lost"
''And why nots Thou has left me nothing
to live for. Everything that was good to
me in the world has been taken by thee, and
now it is my turn, and l could slay thee, but
that had rather leave it to those behind"
While the horses were nearly dislocating
his shoulder joints, Svantsen made answer.
"Think not l fear death any more than
thee. If thou willest that but one of us shall
reach his home l care not. plead not for
my safety, least of all ut thy hands, but
others plead for it. The past is past, the
wrongs have done to thee are past, and past
atoning. Stay me if thou wilt it is but JUS
tice, but be generous in thine hour of tri-
umph. Save thyself, Skien, implore it,
and see that what is now in the sledge be
given to those l leave behind. Declare,
when questioned, that l fell from my place
and thou couldst not stay the horses to save
me-"