Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-29

little -
She stopped. A door behind them
opened, and man came into the room.
She looked round at him for a second, her
face suddenly growing as passionless and
cold as if she, like those mountains, would
never be moved again. Then she turned
away and sat down at the table.
The new conner walked painfully with
the aid of sticks His face was pale and
contracted, as if he had gone through some
probation or sharp pain. He was thin,
slightly built man, about the medium
height. At the first glance there was
nothing remarkable about him. The sec
ond glance made one look again. After
that no one could forget his face-pale,
refined, highly intellectual with strength
and indomitable will in every line.
He bowed slightly at the other two, and
came walking slowly and with great diff
Guilty toward the table. He sat down at
the farthest end. Olaf took his place near
Mrs. Aylmer Stewed reindeer, cheese,
pancakes, great jug of cream, formed the
meal. The cooking was capital. The best,
Mrs Aylmer said, she had found since
landing in Norway. She was decidedly
frivolous over her supper. Olaf Ericsson
had never yet seen her so light-hearted.
He reused himself from a vague depression
that had come over him, and fell into her
mood
They had the conversation ali to them
selves. The other guest at the table sat
still and stern, taking no notice of either
of them.
Only once he looked up and glanced in
a strange, keen way from the young Nor
4 -,
Il have never tasted pancakes anywhere
like Norwegian pancakes" said Mrs. Ayl-
mer, laughing. 81 begin to think now
that they were the saving of my reason till
you came into my existence, Mr.. Ericsson.
For three days-when the wind RACED
like hundred giants let loose in the val
ley and the snow fell till We were almost
buried-I ate nothing but pancakes
wasn't frightened. Under other circum-
stances should have enjoyed the gale
But, somehow or another, | seemed to give
way, mentally and physically, and they
had to feed me on pancakes. They said
| wouldn't touch anything else. No
doubt a light and frivolous diet satisfied
the natural bent of my mind
"What were your friends thinking of, to
allow you to come and shut yourself up a
whole winter in lonely station in the
Romsdalen? 1t was not right"
My friends had nothing to do with it.
| wished to come-and came. ! am free
to come and go as l wish
Once more that vague chill touched
him, but it vanished as she laughed softly
and kindly again.
But you only just came in time, Mr..
Ericsson. Even pancakes were failing to
satisfy me. ! did not know what | want
ed. Then you arrived, and | found ont
that | had staid long enough at Macs and
wanted to move on"
1t was at this point that the man at the
other end Of the table glanced up. Olaf
did not see the glance, as he was looking
into the lovely, smiling face near him.
Mrs. Aylmer did not apparently notice it
either, as she continued laughing and
talking. But her color had deepened, and
when she arose a few moments later to
leave the table, her cheeks, usually rather
too pale, were burning with beautiful
crimson blush, and her ewes almost daz-
zled the young Norseman with their starry
! brilliance
She left the room, and the two men
were alone together.
An hour later Ericsson Joined her in
another room, at the opposite side of the
entrance hall 1t was a large, empty
apartment, with two doors-one, in the
corner, opening into the kitchen. The
voices and laughter of the household, at
supper there, could be heard. The sounds
broke, with a sense of cheerful, simple
hearted life, on the silence and emptiness
of this other room.
1t was only lighted by the wood fire
burning in the great, old-fashioned, Nor
wegian fireplace. 1t was built in the cor
ner of the room opposite to the kitchen.
The pine logs blazed on a raised stone
! hearth, standing out into the room. Above
it was wide, deep chimney. The stful,
leaping flames cast strange shadows on the
bare wooden wall and shone red on to the
motionless figure seated few feet from the
raised stone of the hearth All the rest
of the great, empty room, except Just
round the corner fireplace, Law in deep
shadow. The slender figure in the red,
! Pickering light sat very still
He stood in the doorway looking across
the room at her. He watched her for a
moment or two; then something in the
rigid stiffness OF her attitude filled him
with vague fear-a presentiment of
coming i'll. He hurried across the room
to her side. She heard him coming, and
! started up, turning to face him, her ewes
| full of terror and anger. But it almost
seemed as if she had expected some one
| else, for, as she discovered who it was, the
angry repulsion and shrinking vanished.
But he had startled her so that she was
trembling from head to foot.
| could not bear the dining-room, with
its stove" she said, trying to speak lightly.
The heat and closeness stifed me- So |
come in here"
They might have given you a light"
he said, with a resolute effort sitting the
passionate throbbing of his nerves. "You
looked like the spirit of some incarnation
scene, sitting here so still and silent in the
red light"
Suppose we have a light now" she
SAID in her brightest and frankest voice.
He colored he knew that she had
hear the passionate note that had broken
through his attempted matter-of-fact tone.
GAN right; I'll tell them" he said
quietly. But he did not seem in hurry
to go. He was thinking how lovely a
pretty woman could look in the freight.
] uAI VI AAio NVhN 1NAiOu, hS Sdlu lllt ITSl
thing that came into his head. al can't
say much for the manners of our fellow
visitor here, though he is countrvman OF
your own, Mrs. Aylmer He's the surliest
fellow in the world ! tried to be civil
after you left the table, but was never so
snubbed in my life. His name is Hol-
land. He came here three weeks ago, and
met with bad accident out shooting. At
first they thought it was touch and 60 with
his life. But he has pulled through Not
that he seems good for much now. He
looks awfully i'll, and can scarcely drag
himself about. Yet he told me, Just as he
was going back to his room, that he means
to leave here tomorrow. 1t is the only
remark he volunteered to me, and that
seemed a kind of after-thought; and |
can't for the life of me think why he said
it. Its nothing to me if he goes to-mor-