The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-15

LlGlDdLG IN EUuduCEs ll0NA ACSo q -NDA "
gian romance, of an extremely lowly
nature.
Indeed when I employed Peter Zacha-
riasen as master Of my little coasting
yacht, in which I yearly explored the
maze of islands lying along the northeast
err American shores, nothing could have
been further from my most fanciful mag
ination than that this hulking giant
should be the second man to supplant me
in the affections of woman.
I suppose stranger things have hap
pened; but as 1 sat there in the little Nor
wegiau inn of Bake, recalling the curious
peasant wedding which had just been eel
ebrated in the old Bake church, and
jotting down in my diary some Of my ex-
periences and reflections, it emphatically
occurred to me-and l generously set 1t
down for the benefit of others-that in
matters of love it is wise to eschew the
companlonship of even servltors or
friends.
OF course, the series of incidents lead
ing up to this conclusion was not in any
particular premeditated the curious
course of events could not in any ordinary
human wisdom have been foreseen; but
the excellent principle of permanent soli-
fairness in affairs of human affection
seemed to me as keenly impressive as
though had prearranged the lesson for
my own teaching and stubbornly sharp
ened the knife for my own wound.
had been at Bayreuth to witness the
first presentation of the great music
drama of "Parsifel." This final triumph
of Wagner's life had drawn to the little
Bavarian city music lovers and music
critics from all lands. AT the old Hotel
Sohne, where lodged, was a Norwegian
musical savant from Bergen. We became
friends, and he descanted so glOwinglY
upon the glorious scenery of his own
country that l turned from my purpose
of a second visit TO the Swiss Alps for a
brief tour, by carriole and ford steamer,
in Harold Marriages ancient hero
land
THE most stern and majestic examples
Of precipice and glacier field, of awful ice
wastes, mighty waterfalls and impass-
able mountains of ford in measureless
nights and soundless depths, all coupled
with the quaintest of villages, eagle-nest
farms, cragsmen and dalesmen who have
not yet become familiar types to the
tourist, and of perfectly simple and al
most primitive peasantry," SAID my musi-
cal friend from Bergen, you will find
along the dark and gloomy Naero ford.
Make the village of Bake your head
quarters, and you will see and know
scenes and folk you will never forget"
If l could have known how literally
true his words were to prove, l should
have kept straight on to Luzerne.
In our long coasting trips together, the
peaceful solitude of the sea had induced d
familiarity between myself and Peter
Zachariasen on board my little yacht,
which perhaps could never have existed
upon land In this he confided TO me that
h - ~ IN,
was to earn and save very modest sum
of money, which he said would make him
rich and happy in Norway.
/ never asked him how. He never told
me. l had perhaps never cared, being
only indolently interested in his manner
of service and its term, which was soon to
end.
He had mentioned Bake, l now recol-
lected and thought, too, some reference
to the Naero ford had been made. All
these names of places were strange to me
and their sound was so harsh and out
landish at the time that ! only family re-
membered them, not thinking merely of
how valuable his cOmpanionship would be.
So l cabled him TO leave the yacht and
join me at Bake, which / knew would
please him and serve me greatly.
On my way from Christiana, through
the picturesque Hallingsdal, the lordly
Loerdal, along the Auerland's ford and
into the grandly solemn Naero ford,
found many Norwegian types strongly re-
minding me of Peter, but none altogether
like him.
The faces of the merry "skydguts" or
post-boys, those bareheaded, barefooted
PuckS Of Norwegian travel who will run
beside the carriole or stoll-cart all day
and turn as happy face upon the kindly
hearted traveller at night as when he set
forth from the station at daybreak.
brought Peters broad, fine face, which
was the very birth-spot of sunshine, oft
enest 10 me.
Some of the huge cragsmen of the
Auerland's district were like him in mas
siveness of frame. Many of the patri-
archal bonders, or rich farmers of the
Hallingsdal region recalled a certain SOL
emn gravity which often saw had set
tied down upon him when l found him
alone.
But now that was in Norseland itself,
where its hero-days and wondrous myth
ologies grew upon the imagination with
each days strange experiences, | found
that Peter ZachariaSen was continually
in my mind.
Indeed my memory of him-as l had
countless times seen him stand silent,
sunny and thoughtful at the wheel of nv
little yacht, the sea wind tossing his
curly hair about his massive head, his
open Shlrt showing CLINT or breast like
bronze, ana his fine, huge frame having
the unconscious poise of a majestic statue
wrought him, across the distance, with
no effort of fancy, into the mold and meas
ure of some great Heimskringla jarl or
king of old
| waited idly week for the arrival of
Peter at Bake. Snow-capped noun
tains rise thousands of feet sheer behind
the village, leaving not spare foot be-
tween habitations and towering walls of
stone. The somnolence of Bake and the
contemplation of scenery so somber and
awful that it continually suggested the
Internal, finally became unbearable.
Impatient to explore the Naero ford,
and especially TO know something of the
peasant life within its gloomy viks and
above its Stupendous walls, where lonely
eagle nest farms dot the perspective Of
snow fields and glaciers like posing doves
far up athwart the clouds, at last de-
termined to secure a boatman at any cost
and arrange for Peter to follow me, when
he should have come to Bake.
Kind-hearted soul as was the landlord
OF the inn, he seemed unable 10 help me
The people have but a few weeks in
which TO gather their wisps of grass
from the viks and crags" he said. Few
strangers have come this year. The ford
is silent
! fretted and fumed a few DAYS longer.
Boats there were in plenty; but no boat
men. / will 90 alone ! am at last de-
ternined, and so told the landloard. He
hn mn "a In HsHfl a