The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-09-17
wHERE rHERE IS NO NIonr.
AZ MldniRht n Weird, subdued Light
bright Enough TO Read by.

| AZ Mldnight- Weird, Subdued Light
bright Enough TO Read BY.
There is no night in Norway during
! June, July and August. Consequently
as it was early In June we should have
/ prepared for what after all was a real
surprise, daylight at midnight, or rather
a weird, subdued light, quite bright
enough to read by. It was at Stayan-
ger we first noticed It. This town, one
Of the most ancient in Norway, was the
first part of that country we touched.
From the North sea we entered a
branch Of the BulxlSen ford and an
chored at Stavanger, the quaintest town
imaginable, with queer wooden houses,
and so quiet it seemed every one must
be dead None of the hustle and activ-
ity that accompany the landing of YES
sells in other countries, no matter at
| what hour.
AS we peered out over the vessels side
we saw people gathering about the
landing. If they spoke 1t was so low 1t
sounded like whispering. All about
were rocky, bleak mountains, almost
shutting in, it seemed, the small space
the town was built in. Overhead, fall
ing down upon the houses and people,
was that strange midnight light We're
we after all only dreaming, or was this
really an old Rip Van Wrinkle sort of
town? A party of us decided to spend
a little time prowling through the
town. The spell of quietness all about
fell upon us and we moved silently,
speaking in low tones. 1H
We found ourselves at 9 a. m. stand
ing before an old cathedral built in the
eleventh century, and founded by the
famous Bishop Reinold. 1t had been
burnt century or two later, afterward
rebuilt, and fully restored still later.
The sun was just rising, flashing a
beautiful coloring on the old building;
far up on the mountain tops heecy
clouds rested, still higher up was the
beautiful, pale, blue Norwegian sky.
When we returned to the vessel it was
high. We slept profoundly for hours,
and when we again found ourselves on
deck we were steaming along through
an inland sea, or rather we were inside
the celebrated rocky island barrier that
extends along the west coast of Nor
way The water was almost entirely
smooth as the continuity of protecting
islets and massive rocks was only broken
for short stretches and so formed a
great natural breakwater.
| For the first time since leaving Pitts.
burgh a sense of almost loneliness took
possession of us. We felt that we were
really going into a foreign land. AL
about us was frowning blackness OF
coast. And yet in the very blealness
was strange sort of fascination. On
either side stood great mountains Of
enormous rocks piled with prodigal
profusion one above the other, and
islands formed of rocks; as we moved
on and on still higher mountains, theii
tops covered with glistening snow that
sometimes extended far down the sides,
Only here and there We're bits of yer.
dure, looking very much out of place,
and wherever that occurred little ham
lets nestled in the midst, and one won
dered if the inhabitants ever left their
lonely homes, for all about the noun,
tains seemed impossible, and almost
straight down, thousands of feet, was
the sea. But we knew that in some
way, they did, for down on the sea, il
every direction, were the fathers, broth
ers and husbands tossing about in little
fishing craft-stern, quiet men, so in
tent on their work they scarcely noticed
us.-Pittsburgh DISPATCH h