The sun., 1891-01-11

| pi0 SiOuA huu tuIeW IL TO MIN.
Thanks to thee. Gold-scatterer." said Koll.
IT Is wise to 60 soon to Middalhof for such a
bloom IS this maid does not lack bee. There
is youngling In tho south. named Eric Bright
eyes. who loves Gudruda and she, methinks.
loves him, though he is but bonder Of small
wealth and has no more than twenty-five win
ters."
"Hoi no" laughed great Ospakar. /" and
have forty-f1ve. But let not this sucking cross
my desire. lest men call him Eric Holloweyes. n
Now the messenger Of Ospakar came to Mid
dalhof and his words pleased Asmund we'll
and he made ready . great feast And Swan
hild smiled. but Gudruda was afraid.
CHAPTER ".
HOW ERIC CAME DOWN GOLDEN YAIIs.
Ospakar rode up to Middalhof on the day be-
fore the Yule feast He was splendidly ap-
parelled. and with him came his two sons,
Gfzur the Lawman and Mord, young mon OF
promise, and many armed thralls and servants.
Gudruda Watching at the womsn's door. saw
his face in the moonlight. and loathing took
hold Of her.
What thinksst thou Of him who comes to
seek thee in marriage. foster-slster3" asked
swanhild. watching at her side.
u think he is like . troll. and that. seak a.
he WILL hs shall not find me. had rather lie
in the pool beneath Golden Falls than In Ospa-
kar's hall"
THAT shall be proved" said swanhild.
At the the least he is rich and noble. and
the greatest Of men in size. 1t would 90 III
with Eric were those arms about him."
Il am not 50 sure OF that" said Gudruda;
but 1t is not likely to be known"
Comes Eric to the feast by the road Of
Golden Falls GudrudaT'
MAY. no man may try that path and live"
Then he will die. for Eric will risk It,"
Now Gudruda thought and q great fre
burned in her heart and shone through her
eyes. "If Eric dies" she said. ION thee be his
blood, Swsnhild-on thee and that dark
mother Of thine for ye have plotted to bring
this evil on US. How have harmed thee that
thou shouldst deal thus With me?"
swanhild turned white and evil looking. for
passion mastered her.a she gazed into Gu
druda's face and made anewer. How hast
thou harmed me? Surely will tell thee Thy
beauty has robbed me Of Eric's love-"
1T would be meeter to pirate Of Eric's love
when he had told It thee. Swanhild."
| Thou hast robbed me. and therefore hate
thee. and therefore will deliver thee over to
Ospakar. whom thou dosr loath. AZ and vet
win Brighteyes to myself. Am I not also fair
and can not also love. and shall SEQ thes
snatch my joy2 By tho Gods. neverl will
SEQ thee dead. and Eric with thee. ere it shall
be 50: but first I will 500 thee shsmed."
THY words are ill-suited TO q maiden's lips.
swanhild: but Of this be sure: fear thee not
and. II need be. will render blow for blow.
And one thing know we'll. that whether thou
or / prevail. in the end thou shalt harvest the
greatest shame and in the times to come mon
shall speak Of thee with hatred and name thee
by Ill names. Moreover. Eric shall never love
| tbee: from year to year he shall hate thee with
wider hate. though 1t may we'll be that thou
| wilt bring ruin on him. And now thank thee
that thou hast told me all thy mind. showing
mo what indeed thou art" And Gudruda
turned soornfuuy and walked away.
| Now Asmund the Priest won't out into tho
courtyard, and meeting Ospakar Blacktooth.
grseted him well. though he loved not his
| looks and took him by tho hand and led him
to the hail. that was bravely decked with tap
| estries. and seated him by him on the high
| seat And Ospakars thralls brought good
| gifts for Asmund. who thanked tho g1ver we'll
Now it was supper time. and Gudruda
entered and after her came Swanhild. Ospa-
ksr gnzed hard on Gudruda and a great desire
entered into him to mako her his wife. But she
passed coldly By, nor looked on him at all
This. then Is that maid Of thine Of whom I
have heard tell. Asmund2 I will say this:
fairer was never born OF woman"
Then men ate and Ospakar drank much als
but all the while he stared on Gudruda and
listened for her voice. But as yet he said moth
| ing OF what he came TO sock. And his two
| sons, Gizur and Mord. stared also on Gudruda,
| for they thought her most wondrous fair. But
| Gizur found swanhild also fair.
And so the night wore on till time to sleep.
| On this very day Eric rode up from his stead
| on Ran River and took his road along the brow
| Of Coldback till he came to StonefelL Now all
| along Coldback and Stonefel facing to tho
| till 1t comes to that point where Golden River
falls over 1t. and. parting its waters below.
| runs east and wsst-that branch to tho east be-
ing called Ran River and that to the west Laxa
for these two streams girdle round the rich
plain OF MiJdalhof. till at length they reach
| tho sea. But In tho midst OF Golden River. on
the edge of the olif. mass OF rock juts up
called sheep-saddle. dividing the waters Of the
fall. and over this the spray flies and In
winter tho Ice gathers. but the river docs not
run. The great fall Is thirty fathom
deep. and shaped like Q horseshoe. OF
which the points lie toward Middalhof. Yeti Hhe
could but gain tho sheep-saddle rock that
divides the midst Of the waters. strong and
hardy man might climb down some fifteen
fathom OF this depth and scarcely wet his feet
Now here at the foot OF Sheep-saddle rock tho
double arch OF boiling waters meet, and fall In
one rushing torrent into the bottomless pool
below. Nevertheless. some three fathoms from
this point OF the meeting waters, and beneath
1t. Just where the curve 10 deepest, . single
crag. - large as q drinking table. but no
larger. jua through tlls foam. and. II man
could reach IT. he might leap from It some
twelve fsthom. sheer into tho black pit be-
meath. there to sink or swim a. might befslL
This crag 10 called Woles Fang.
Now Eric stood for = long while on the edge
Of the great fall and looked. measuring all
things with his eys. Then hs went mp
above. where the RI ver swtrls down TO the
prsoipaos. and looked again. for from this bank
Bhesp-saddle must DO reached.
"A man may hardly do this thing. yet will
try IT," he said to himself at last MY honor
shall be great for the feat, II chance to live.
and II dis-well there is an end Of troubling
after maids and all things else"
30 he won't home and sat silent that evening.
Now. since ThorsriInur Iron-Tos's death. his
housewife. Saevuna, Erics mother. had grown
dim OF sight. and. though she peered and
r.arad ali from har aeat in tho inHla Dook