Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-11-30

teristic roadside scenes of Norway the
''stations,n where carrioles and ponies are
changed, seem to have the keenest interest
to the thousands of tourists who madly
rush in the brief summer months through
this grandly beautiful northern land.
There is nothing quite like them in any
other country. They serve the purpose of
relay establishments, as did the roadside
inns of old England and New England,
half century and more ago; you can find
a bed and food behind their curious
wooden walls, because the government
compels their proprietors or masters to
furnish tho same; but there the similarity
ends.
Not single feature Of the hustle, cheeri-
ness and activity of the old coaching days
is here. There is no ringing post-horn to
pierce the gorges and valleys with its
musical echoes. No whip sends his
smoking four-in-hand alongside the wei.
coming inn at mad gallop, or handles
eloquent phrases with rudy barmaids.
No rubicund landlord or sleek hostess
beams upon you as you arrive, or sends
CHEEKY farewells after you as you depart
Seen from distance they seem rs gray,
bleak and scraggy as an eagles nest among
the crags. When you have reached them
and come to know them the grave, gray
lonely and coiorless tones still prevail on
every hand. Speoks of animate s0dden-
ness, threading ever changing and sublime
dosolation, are the structures and inmates
of the roadside travellers stations" of
Norway.
These stations are good and bad, luxuri-
ois and repulsive, hearty or hopeless, as is
true of wayside inns In all countries, and
range in prestige and comfort from the
noted Toftemoen of Gudbrandsdal to those
viliainous station caves of gloom like
Storsyeen and Vetti Farm. Toftemoen is
huge rambling gard or farm house and
station combined. 1t is one of the most
ancient homes In Norway, and is even re.
nowned in the sagas. Its proprietor is not
only station master, providing travellers
with entertainment in return for govern.
ment exemption from taxes but wealthy
landed proprietor, and. what is Of more
account in Norway, a lineal descendent of
the first king of Norway, Harold Haar
fager. Consequently he is Of mythalugi-
col descent; for did not good Harold claim
his lineage from Odin, the true Hercules
of Northlandp
This quaint old place has many huge.
paneled rooms, filled with ancient cabinets
containing priceless Scandinavian relics;
and there Is more solid silver in Toftemoen
station than i'll the home of any American
money-king, or in richest English princely
house. The late King of Norway and
Sweden tarried here for entertainment
when on his way to his coronation at
Throndhjem. The testy little station
master not only insisted on sitting at table
with the King, as became his own royal
descent, but when the King suggested that
his silver be unpacked to provide proper
table service, this royal station. keeper
brusquely informed him that his own
silver would serve not only for that occa-
sion, but for much larger party than any
Morse King had ever travelled with. And
so it did, to the amazement of the noble
guests and 10 all Norway ever after. The
members Of the humble. yet royal house
of Tofte, have never married outside of
their own family; and are gradually be-
coming mental and physical freaks; but to
remain a day or two at their half castle,
half inn. and observe their antics as
hostler and royalty combined, is to possess
an experience hardly securable outside of
Norway.
The stations at Storsveen and Vetti Farm
are little more than rough, long rooms,
upon which open kitchen novels, their
dirt floors usually strewn with small tufts
of spruce or pine, possessing huge chimney
corners as large as the kitchens themselves.
At one side of the long room is something
better than q shed where are narrow hunks.
You will getsheep.skins for coverlids, black
bread, blacker coffee and goats cheese for
food at such stations as Storsveen, and at
Vetti Farm. The latter station is really
the starting point from which the won
drous Vetti fos or waterfall of Vetli is
reached after two hours Journey. 1t is
little more than hut. There are two OF
three cold storage boxes of sleeping rooms
You must perform your toilet in the com.
mon room; and the food is no better than
you may secure at the lowliest PEASANTS
home. For comfort these and the like are
really surpassed at the sheb%sns of Donegal
and Connemara, in Ireland, or at the folk.
less stone huts along the way from Catania
TO the smoky RIM of Etna's heights III
Sicily.
But the average station is fairly com
Portable. 1t must be borne in mind thai
it was never originally intended for al
inn. AS travel has increased in Norway
the government has said to Jan Jansen OF
Olae 0leson who was and still is a bondei
or landed proprietor alongside the nationa
highways; You shall entertain traveller!
and not impose upon them. Your gaarC
or farm shall henceforth be legally a sta
ton. You shall become its keeper Of
master. In consideration Of this Gf thu
conditions forbid profit such per cent o
your taxes will be remitted; or Cf 1t Is
place which of necessity will securl
revenue) you are to pay SO much annual,
to the government. You shall provid
such a number of carrioles or stoll-carts
or both, and so many horses, and che lega
charge TO travellers for the same to the sta
tions, each way, shall be SO much. Yol
must be responsible for any harm coming
to travellers either ut your station, or in you
charge, while posting from yonr station I,
the next. II you break the law you shall
be fined and imprisoned"
One may travel six, eight, 10 or even i
miles through most majestic scenes OF ma
ture without sight of single living thing
Perhaps the only suggestion of life in til
entire distance will be the tinkle OF tn
cow-bells from the hidden wales among til
mountain heights, where the living Huldre
in utter loneliness care for their summe
herds. Even this hint of life amid desc
late grandeur reaches one burdened wit
an unutterable sense of dreary remotenes!
Suddenly emerging from ashadowy gorge
or rounding the base of some precipiC
towering thousands of feet above you
head, or again when beginning the desuell
{ from some frozen field, your alway
CHEEKY skydsgut or postboy will triun
y phantly-in a tone of rejoicing at goo
Things TO come--shout the name of nea
station, 1t will stand huddled upon som
dreary mass OF rocks; jumbled against
\ patch of lichened birch; strewn along u b
4 of level, winding way, or perching npo
N the edge of some mighty rock-cleft whel
a torrent thunders below, seem like ma
of gray rock broken from the heigh
Az above, posing before final plunge int
the roaring abyss beneath.
AS you approach the place three or fot
W or perhaps half a dozen substantial, 10y
built structures will be gradually disclose
The larger one will perhaps be a conipar
vi lively large structure set at odd aug
i against the highway. 1t has been built !
the bonder station master himself, an
while of pine, has huge hewn timbers,
low solid roof, square windows, often pr
truding so as to give wide window seat
i provision for potted flowers; and almo
invariably boasts door-porch remgrkab
in appearance to the famous old soutl