The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-26

that occasion, but for much larger party
than any Morse king had ever Travelled
with. And 50 it did. to the amazement of
the noble guests and TO all Norway ever
after. The members of the humble. vet
royal house of Tofte, have never married
outside of their own family and are grad
ually becoming mental and physical
freaks: but to remain day or two at
their half castle, half inn, and observe
their antics as hoStler and royalty COM
Dined, is to possess an experience hardly
securable outside of Norway.
The stations at Storsveen and Netti
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 a she'd
where are narrow hunks. You will get
Sheep-SkinS for cover lids, 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 wondrous
Vetti fos or waterfall of Vetti is reached
after two hours journey. 1t is little
more than a hut, There are two or
three cold storage boxes of sleeping
rooms You must perform your toilet in
the common room; aud the food is no
better than yoUmay share at the low
lest peasants home. For comfort these
and the like are really surpassed at the
shebeens of Donegal and Connemara, in
Ireland, or at the fOlkless stone huts
alOngt he wav from Catania to the smoky
rim OF AGtna's heigh 5 in Sicily.
But the average station is fairly co NJ
Portable. II must be borne in mind that
it was never originally intended for an
inn, AS travel has increased in Norway,
the government has said to Jan Jansen or
Olae Oleson, who was, and still is a
bender or landed proprietor alongside the
national highways; You shall entertain
travellers and not impose upon them Your
gard or farm shall henccforth be legally
a station. You shall become its keeper
or master. In consideration of this if
the conditions forbid profit such per
cent Of your taxes will be RENTED or
Cf it is Il place which of necessity win
secure revenue) you arc to pay so much
annually to the government. You shall
provide such a number Of carriOles or
stoll-carts, or both, aud so many horses,
and the legal charge to travellers for the
same to the stations, each way, shall be
50 much. You must be responsible for
any harm coming to travellers, either at
your station, or in your charge, while
posting from your station to the next. IL
you break the law you shall be fined and
imprisoned"
So the roadside farm with its anti
quated outbuiloings has gradually de-
veloped into the station The bender or
farmer. or his Oldest son, has through the
evolution from the simplest and most
primitive condition of littlc more than
lowly peasant life in Norwegian solitude,
to the veXatious life of still conducting
his mountain and valley farm and matul.-
ing and housing his crops ia the brief
northern summer. and a the same time
caring for the hosts who fit by him az
break-neck speed in their efforts to see all
Norway in the selfsame all too brief
period Not too much should be expected
from such characters and conditions.
You are fairly sure of some thing; and
absolutely certain of others.
Whatever these stations may have been
in the days of foot-and knapsack travel, ]
when the traveller sat at meals with the
bender and his servants in the huge
smoke-colored living-roOm, and slept in a
common bed with the entire household
upon the same floor, cleanliness is now
nearly universal; hearty and ample food
are not lacking; civiiity yields rude yet
sufficient and kindly service; and by a
little tact and Difference the 5Oddenness |
and gravity of these sturdy folk are
transformed into the very sunshine OF
genial hospitality. You may be sure of
the RICH ting of every error; and certain
Of an integrity of all dealings, so exact.