The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-02-08

any strong, aD1e TeuOw must De aOIe 10
get to il, even though the direct way
Were barred to him. For instance, if he
were TO row round the point yonder and
fasten his boat at the one side, it might
be possible 10 climb up there, although
it was so very steep that the goats had
great difficulty in climbing it, and they
are not usually afraid of mountain work.
Saturday came, and Thor went out
early in the morning. The day was
most beautiful; the sun shone so bright
ly that the very bushes seemed alive.
Up on the mountain many voices were
"jodling," and there was much blowing
Of horns. When evening came he was
sitting at his cottage door watching the
steaming mist rise up on the hills. He
looked upward-all was quiet; he looked
over toward Husaby farmland then he
jumpedsinto his boat and rowed away
round the point.
Aslang sat before the hut; her days
work was done; she was thinking Thor
would not come that evening, and that
therefore many others might come in
stead, so she unfastened the dog, and,
without saying anything, walked farther
on. She sat down, so that she could see
across the valley, but the mist was rising
there, and prevented her looking down.
Then she chose another place, and with
out thinking more about it, sat down so
that she looked toward the side where
lay the ford. 1t seemed to bring peace
TO her soul when she could gaze far away
across the water.
As she sat there the fancy struck her
that she was inclined to sing, so she
chose a song with 'long drawn notes"
and far and wide it sounded through
the mountains. She liked to hear her
self sing, so she began over again when
the first verse was ended. But when she
had sung the second, it seemed to her as
though some one answered from far
down below. Dear me, what can that
be?" thought Aslang. She stepped for
ward to the edge and twined her arms
around a slender birch which hung
trembling over the precipice, and looked
down. But she could see nothing; the
fjord lay there calm and at rest; not a
single bird SKINNED the water. So
Aslang sat herself down again, and
again she began to sing. Once more
came the answering voice in the same
tones and nearer than the first time.
'That sound was no echo, whatever it
may be-" Aslang jumped to her feet
and again leaned over the cliff. And
there down below, at the foot Of the
rocky wall, she saw boat fastened. It
looked like q tiny nutshell, for it was
very far down. She looked again and
saw a fur cap, and under it the figure of
q man, climbing up thesteep and barren
cliff.
"Who can it be?' Aslang asked herself;
and letting go the birch she stepped back.
She dared not answer her own question,
but well she knew who it was. She flung
herself down on the greensward, Selling
the grass with both hands, as though it
were she who dared not loose her hold
for fear of falling. But the grass came
up by the roots; she screamed aloud and
dug her hands deeper and deeper into
the soil. She prayed to God to help him;
but then it struck her that this feat of
Thor's would be called tempting Provi-
dence," and therefore he could not ex-
pect help from above.
"Only just this once" she prayed.
"Hear my prayer just this one time, and
help himl'' Then she threw her arms
round the dog, as though it were Thor
whom she was clasping, and rolled her
self on the grass beside it.
The time seemed to her quite endless.
Suddenly the dog began to bark. ''Bow
wow!' said he to Aslang, and jumped
upon her. And again, "Wow, wowr'
then over the edge of the cliff a coarse,
round cap came to view, and-Thor was
| in her arms!
He lay there q whole minute, and
neither of them was capable of uttering
a syllable. And when they did begin to
talk there was neither sense nor reason
in anything they said.
But when old Canute Husaby heard of
it he uttered q remark which had both
sense and reason. Bringing his fist down
on the table with tremendous crash,
"the lad deserves her." he cried, ''the
| girl shall be hisr'-Translated from the
Norwegian of Bjornsterne Bjornson for
| Strand Magazine