Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-02-19
THU TROLLS DAUGHTER

eternal snow. and the stars and the au-
rora borealis casts but 4 pale light with
out ono particle of heat through the noe
turnal gloOms. There neither the heart
of man beats. nor docs any sward grow
green or any flower open its fresh Chalice
10 the sun. Only from time to time the
huge. shapeless whale rears his vast
form above the waves and the white
bear issues with heavy and mysterious
steps from his icy cavern.
Well. ii was the end of March in the
/ year 1875. The winter was celebrating
the last days of its reign by incredible
rigurs. The heavens were dark and
storm. the cold as hard and sharp as
flint and the wind sOughcd i'll icy gusts
/ through the naked frs. All nature
/ frowucd, and 10th men and animals fled
in CONSERVATION to their subterranean
| homes.
Allat once there appeared on the plain
| Of karCSuandO three sledges which
seemed to be strayinS at random, so
/ completely had the snow cifaced every
| sign Of q road or of human habitatiOn.
/ The horses were recling with fatigue,
/ and it was in vain that their drivers
| strovc to revive them and urge them on
| ward with their hoarse cries and re-echo-
ing whips.
The caravan halted.
.Perkcle." name of the devil in Fin
/ nishI exclaimed the driver of the first
/ sledgc. Il sort of dcformed dwarf wrapped
| in a filthy 7heepsllin horrible to behold.
| "Perkcle," lIc repeated, clambering out
of deep hole into which he had just
! Iaa,, -sTrc1,c1 ba0J1ODo
The rest ran to his assistance, but had
great difficulty in setting the poor wretch
on his feet again and in adjusting his
sledge, as the tongue of it was broken
and the horse famed.
"A cursed country this! Monseigneur,
we are lost" grumbled an individual in
the second sledge.
Hush, Francois" replied the person
who had been addressed as monseigneur;
instead of swearing find out whether
we cannot procure shelter somewhere in
this n ighborhood."
This last phrase was communicated to
one of the drivers in Finnish by third
person who seemed to be the interpreter
of the troop.
The driver addressed pressed down his
cap over his left eve, wiped his nose
once. as the northern usages permit in
such a scene, on the sleeve of his mantle,
took his horse by the bride, and after
all these acts of preparation at length re-
piled in a tone of perfect tranquility:
No. there Is not 4 house in the neigh
borhood where shelter can be had"
This distressing announcement threw
the travellers into CONSERVATION.
rcatcd the man in the second sledge, with
increasing i'll humOr.
To add to their trouble the two first
,tIUipages upset, and their fall was so
terrible that they were unfit for further
service when once more raised.
Yet the darkness increased, the cold
.yrcw more and more biting and the tenn
p.St whirling the snow along before it
shook th, fir trees III the forest and even
the loose rocks on the mountains.
We are lost. We are LOST cried the
whole troop i'll despair.
But look. Wonder appears in the dis
lance spccter of indistinct, wavering
outline. eyes that CLEAN like two live
Goals and hairy hand that seems to
bcckun the strangers toward it. Was
this not one of those dwarfs so famous
in the northern Sagas, who entice straycd
travellers into their caves that they may
immediate them there to the somber del
ties they worship:
.'Fraucois." said the youngest of the
troop, lcapinG from his sledge. You see
that they are making signs to us there
Let us gu,'
oh, monseigneur, can You think of do
ing so:"
What! Are you afraid:" Francois
did not dare to reply,
The way was rough and beStrewn with
fragments of rock, trunks of trees and
snOwdrifts. The young man advanced
bravely. Francois followed him, NUT
tering oaths and growing between his
teeth:
Cursed country, cursed country"
They crossed Il river and arrived near
lofty mountain, whose crown of birches
and frs added yet deeper shadows to the
gloom that already surrounded them
Francois was almost beside himself with
fatigue and terror.
For Gods sake, monseigneur, not
another step! This is the end of the
world, and that sign that leads US is the
sign of hell
The young man stopped. The scene
was truly 50 wild, so savage, that he
hesitated to go any farther. However,
he again took courage and advanced yet
a few steps. The specter rose to its full
height before him, and then plunging as
it We're, in the snow revealed to the
travellers the traces of a subterranean
habitation. This was no new thing to
them. as at Tornea and Muonioniska
they had already met with those deep
novels of which the door is so low that
you are compelled to go upon all tours
in order to enter them. But the one they
now beheld was more like the den of a
bear than a human abode.
What is to be done should this prove
nothing else than a cave of bandits to
which 1 have been decoyed for murder
GUS purposes
Such were the reflections passing
through the young travellers mind, and
he was already preparing to call his
companions, when, from the depths of
the cavity, a woman's voice, sweet and
pure, was suddenly heard pronouncing
these words:
Citizen Louis Philippe of Orleans,
enter without fear!
NJ. Francois Etienne Colin Guillemot,
valet de chambre to his royal highness
the Duke of Orleans, flung himself down
in the snow, and embracing his masters
knees, ''Ah! monseigneur," said he.
you have often enough scolded me for
disbelieving in divinity and devil. 1
now see that orc must come into this
world of spirits to comprehend how
things are. Was it not the evil one who
just articulated your name?"
The prince leaned over toward the cav
erp, as if to catch another sound of the
voice that had struck his ears.
The voice recommended, m. Louis
Philippe of Orleans, enter without fear"
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