St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-01-02
A CHANGED SKIN.
NJ HJALMAR III nOyEsrw

NJ HJALMAR H. BOYEsEN,
ohe followed him all day long like
, hfue dog. If he ran Khe ran; fell and
4sped her knees, cr1ed and YVES lifted
mp again. Thus ft went from the
weeks beginning to its end. He grew
! tired of her and would like 10 have
run away from her. But he did not
dare. Tor she was his masters daughter,
Lnd he was-well, there Jwas the rub
ne did not know who he was. He woke
up one day and found himself born.
The sky was above him. and there
would have been earth beneath his feet
II he had not pointed then in the wrong
direction. He was christened in a ran
dom way, Ola, and was put on the par
ish, as they say Jens Oestmo took him
Al his share of the parish burdens. He
was paid for it, at first, from the ''poor
FUND.-, but when he was six years old
the boy could be made useful enough
to earn his food and shelter. Jens Oest-
mo then wanted to send him away, but
his little daughter Birgit was SO fond Of
him that he decided to keep him.
When Ola was IL years old he could
kick cap from a nail high above his
head, and he could spit as far as any
man. Birgit practiced this accomplish
ment by the hour with Indifferent sue
cess. She was 50 fond Of Ola that every
thing he did seemed admirable. Once
she swore, and Ola was whipped for it.
ut il now time to send the bad boy
away" said the mother.
Send him to the mountains" ," said his
father. ''he is big enough now to herd
the cattle"
So Ola was sent to the mountains.
Rarefooted and bareheaded, with a
pair Of leather-patched knee breeches
hanging upon one suspender, he roamel
with his alpine horn over the wide
mountain plains, ate berries. caught
fish and was happy. He hardly thought
once Of the little girl down in the val
ley, though 1t pleased him when the
saeter maids told him that she had
cried for him.
One day late in the summer she came
mp to the saeter with her mother. She
was carried up on horseback in q bas-
ket. When she saw him she flung her.
eelf down on the grass and screamed
with delight.
Get up, child" said her mother:
"don't act like fool"
She got up, little shamefaced, and
hid herself behind her mothers skirt.
But when her mother had entered the
saeter hut she ran up to him and
hugged him. While the cattle were be-
ing mill1ed he went to look at his traps.
She followed him, proud in the thought
that he tolerated her.
Look here" he cried. lifting up
! brown hare, ''isn't that a big feHowT'
'sWhat is TT" she asked.
'aIt is hare"
ssNo, it isn't hare. A hare is white"
ut is brown In summer. It changes
its skin"
That made deep impression upon
her.
-.How does he do it?" she asked, after
awhile.
ssT don't know"
s'Has he two skins, one inside Of the
other?"
rrst..d a. .r.wer;nDIA. tool. hix
r.;e. .na ~; ~. h.re,rS{n
s.Nnr n .e;d. ..he hssn.t cot more'n
one"
The time came when he had to go to
-. -..-sc,, - ,-en.re for onf;rmation
It 20 happened. that she went the same
v..- She rms : tan f,ne Girl now. and
IL 81. I..l. = the parish tried to show
- h.fo- h.r Ola would have tried "a
ia the same. IL he had ANYTHING to show
a. Rnt. though he had coat now. it
Wa . CASTOR one from Jens Oestmo's.
which was much too biR for him. His
boots. TOO. and his trousers had seen
hetter days. before they made his ac-
ou.intance. He walked aside from the
rest. his ears burning when they looked
- him. But II anyone dared TO mock
him. s. used . nan OF Asts, which in
spired respect. He was handsome
enough lad, and finely made; but his
clothes and his frowsy hair made him
look ugly. Heavy thoughts came to
him, and ! fierce, defiant spirit was
lsindled within him. The world seemed
ell out or gear. He longed to 20 back to
the mountains, where he could be alone
With the birds and beasts. The girls
Giggled when he went BY: and when he
heard their laughter growing louder -
the distance Increased. he yearned to
NH somebody, Just to give vent to the
wrath within him.
II was at such time that Birgit
oop1ht him and spoke kindly to him.
You mustn't mind the girls" she
aid; sthey laugh at everything. They
don't mean anything by It. It's just
way they have"
.ssomebody win hurt you if you ever
10 II, !" he answered. fiercely.
That II foolish talk" she gently re-