The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-01-27
WAKKEEIAI| lAINlES WANDERINGS
PEEPS AT N0RWAY--x.

PEEPS AT N0RWAY--x.
The Poet Traveller Closes His Eighl
Years Of Famous Wanderings for {
Future Life Work OF Fiction, with q
Study Of the Norwegian Peasantry-
Quaint Home interiors-Huge and
Ancient Kitchens-Curious Carved
Chairs, Tables and Chests, and Mar.
wells ofTest. Painted Beds-And Peas.
ant Folk Of Fine Presence and Noble
Tread.Vale!
LONDON Jan. 15-The interiors OF
Norwegian peasant homes never
present that warm, CHEEKY, snug,
| restful and almost somnolent atmos-
phere of the Cumberland statesman
home, but it is still place of sim
pie comfort and plenty, and is often
most characteristic and picturesque.
If the ceilings be low, there is al
ways plenty of room. | have come
upon many bonder's kitchen from
twenty to thirty feet square, and
houses in whose great living rooms
the whole family, and / mean by this
the three or four families of each
gard or farm house, with a goodly
part of the neighborhood, could all
be fed at wedding or funeral sup
per, or engage in dancing, of which
they are very fond, at one time with
out serious inconvenience of the as
semblage.
These old kitchens are very an
cient. Some are from 300 to 400
years old, and were the original and
sole dwelling places of the founders
of the family. Some have the re-
mains of the central cone shaped
holes in the roof through which air
and light once exclusively came, as
is still found in some of the Scottish
erofter huts of Lewis and Skye
The corner chimney and open fire.
place which now are seen are CON-
paratively modern, though still of
ten from one to two hundred years
old. Tiny windows are now found
in these ancient kitchens; but the
floor is usually of beaten earth near
ly as hard as stone. A few rude
wooden shelves, the. heavy iron pots
and kettles, a strong pine table and
stool or two, complete the scant
and cumbrous furniture.
The living room is more preten-
tious apartment. Huge pine rafters
stretch from wall to wall and their
natural reddish tint is deepened by
age to the rich hue of rosewood. Of
ten the windows have deep case
ments, with little diamond shaped
panes, and in the summer time they
are bright and winsome with plants
and flowers. This room always has
it's wide high fire place, and occa-
sionally two of them on opposite
sides of the room. In one corner,
near the fireplace is cupboard,
wide, deep and extending from floor
to ceiling, and if not flaming with
paint it will be covered with pro
fusion of carving, often in imitation
of various articles of tableware.
In the angle where the stairs as
cend to the second story another
curious closet or cupboard is let in
to the projection This will contain
the family store of books and what
not for the long winter nights
amusement. A huge pine table
stands in the center of the room, and
its legs will be fairly founced with
carvings Usually a smaller pine
table is placed at the side of the
room with the best chair or stool be-
hind it, against the wall This is
the seat of honor, but no guest must
ever occupy it without invitation
from the bender or his wife.
There are a number of shelves
always laid on pegs or perched on
grotesque carved brackets; and the
stools and chairs are curious collec-
tion of home hand-work. l have
seen in many peasants houses more
than score of chairs carved out of
solid cross-sections of huge pine
trees. The seat is followed deep
and wide; the back is worked out
thin and round with a fine oval top
in which is cut curved hole for the
hand, in order to easily move the
chair from place to place; wide we'll
fashioned and carved arm rests are
at each side; and the bottom of this
curious piece of furniture is always
worked out as true, thin and perfect
as an inverted chopping-bowl or
cauldron kettle.
Usually the heads of the house
hold sleep in this comfortable living
room, and the bed will always be
found in the long recess behind the
angle of the stairs. In many in
stances the beds are simply hunks
built against the wall; and in most
of these the chief portion of the bed
clothing observable will be skins of
sheep, or Of the reindeer, beautifully
1racoa1 and fbo HID ;+eolf o,,,<,J n !,
soft as loosely woven wool. In not
a few of the more pretentious peas
ant homes the beds in these recesses
are sufficiently wonderful for exhibit
ton at worlds fairs. They are big
enough for giants to rest in, and are
from four to five feet above the floor.
Steps up to them, and the single cor
ner post and the side rail which
shows, in addition to being carved
or painted in the most fantastic
manner, will be covered, along with
the sides of the ascending steps,
with painted texts and notices,
while gaily painted rude panel let
down from the ceiling above the
front of the bed bears in faring let
tiers the names of the bender and his
wife and the date of their marriage.
In the larger guards there will be
best room, usually the length of
the living room, but narrow, and if
this is not possessed, the chamber
above the large living room bears the
same relation to the Norwegian peas
ant home. tits in either case sort