The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-06-24
THE WHITE STONE.

through wild but fertile region. In
the parish of Vissenbjerg it entered an
old forest Of beech and oak, where the
branches so rooted over the road that
even in the brightest daylight a traveller
found himself in the densest gloom.
Deer would spring out through the ferns
and raspberry bushes, foxes steal among
the blueberry vines, and blackbirds dart
back and forth among the thick foliage.
For few minutes at midday single
ray of sunlight found its way through
the leaves, and cast trembling glim-
mer upon the green moss which lined
the wayside, but it would soon pass,
and the road be as dark and gloomy as
before.
The whole region, and especially this
forest, stood in bad repute. No one
cared to journey over the Vissenbjerg
road at night. Travellers waited until
morning, and then hurried through the
forest in as large companies as possible.
Many were the stories Of murder and
assault and robbery which had taken
place in there. Were these stories true
or exaggerated? Who could say? But
at any rate they were told, and the PEG.
pie believed them.
At one place the road wound around
between two banks. In one of these
banks it was said that the highwaymen
had dug a cave, where they lay in wait
for victims. That no one might escape
them cord was stretched across the
way, which sounded bell in the cave
when any one passed.
Toward the village of Skalbjerg the
forest became thinner; trees gave place
to underground; the landscape showed
open fields and plowed land, and was
dotted here and there with cottages and
farmhouses. OF these latter the largest
and finest was that of Terkel DAM He
owned large part of the Vissenbjerg
forest, and had many cattle pasturing
on its outskirts. tended by young girl
whose name was Karen.
She was little. j. - gnificant person,
was Karen; thin AM III featured, and
she was lame When the other girls had
driven home their cattle in the evening,
and came together to sing their gay
songs, Karen kept at distance. She
seldom spoke, and seemed to care little
for the people around her. And they
paid little attention to her. Sometimes
of a pleasant summer evening, when
they heard soft mournful song sung
out in the forest, the other girls stopped
for a moment and listened. "It's the
lame Karen singing" said one. Then
they went ON again. She felt herself in
some way inferior to other people, but
her desires were few, she was content
ed, yet she always seemed sad; no one
had ever seen her laugh. at all comes
from the day when she fell from the
rock and hurt her foot, " said the grand
mother. God must have taken away
all gladness from her then. " But Karen
shook her head. Silence and timidity
were her nature, and SO she liked best
to be by herself.
And yet Karen loved her masters
son. She, the lowliest of all the serv-
ants, poor lame creature, had dared
TO love a fine young fellow like Ebbe;
Ebbe, who might have any girl he
pleased. What presumption! what sim
pie mindedness! In spring she brought
him the first flowers that came forth
after the snow had gone, in strawberry
time dish of the finest berries always
stood by his plate. Ebbe ate them, the
others laughed, and Karen said nothing.
One day as she placed q dish Of the
fruit before him ON the table and then
went away, Terkel smiled and rubbed
his hands and looking over his shoulder
said: "You two might make a couple.
What think you, my SOM" Ebbe laugh
ed. "She's faithful and industrious, the
little wench, but she limps So" and
there the matter dropped.
That year there were rough times out
in the forest. Several travellers were
held up and robbed, and there was much
talk of horse dealer, who had on his
person q large sum of money, and who
had not been seen from the time that he
started off down the Vissenbjerg road.
His friends had searched everywhere
and had sent men out into the forest,
but III vain; they got no trace Of the
horse dealer. One day a solitary rider
approached the passageway between the
banks. Karen lay resting in the bushes
not far away. She heard bell tinkle
and then saw three men with heavy
cudgels in their hands rush out and cast
the rider from his horse. In her excite
ment she ran hurriedly to the village
and told all that she had seen. An
alarm was given. The sheriff's deputy
gathered together all the strong men of
the parish and fastened down the road.
They succeeded in capturing two men
who had just finished burying the muir
dered horseman among the bushes. They
were two soldiers, recruiters, who for
some time had been making trouble and
disturbances wherever they had showed
themselves in the country round about
The third robber had escaped.
The deputy took Karen to his Office.
She stood trembling and clutching the
folds of her dress as he closely questioned
her, having first commanded her, in the
name Of God and Jesus, to tell the whole
truth as to what she had witnessed. But
she knew nothing more than she had
told at first. "You are sure that there
were three menu Yes, she was sure.
And you were with your cattle, out
there by the clearing?' 81 had been