Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-05-13

the piaQe. lou are men, ike men you
speak truth. AS such, receive you!
Had you told me a lie concerning your
coming here-had YOU made pretens
OF having lost your way, or other such
shif,y evasion, your path would never
have again crossed mine. AS i, is :
welcomes"
And he held out his hand with a
sort of royal dignity, still resting one
foot on the fallen Weapon. The young
men. struck by his action ana gratitied
by his change OF manner and the genial
expression that now softened his rugged
features, were quick to respond TO his
friendly greeting, and the bonde, pick
ing up and re-sheathing his hunting
knife as ii he had done nothing at al
out of the common, motioned them
towards the very window on which
their eyes had been 50 long and 5
ardently fixed.
Gomez he said. You must drain
a cup of wine with me before you
leave. Your unguded footsteps lie
you by the wrong PATH saw your
boat moored to my pier, and wondere
who had been yenturesome enough I
trample through my woodland,
might have guessed that only couple
of idle boys like yourselves, knowing
no better, would have pushed their way
to a spot that all worthy jewellers il
Bosekop, and all true followers of tn
Lutheran devilry, avoid as though tn
plague were settled in it..
And the old man laughed, a splendid
mellow laugh, with the ring OF tru
jollity in it--a laugh that was infec
tious, for Burlington and Lorimer Joined
in it heartily without precisely know
ing why. Lorimer, however, though
it seemly to protest against the appel
lation idle boys"
What do you take us for sir" he
said, with lazy goodnature. II carry
upon my shoulders the sorrowful bur
den Of twenty-siX yelrs-Philip, ther
is painfully conscious of being thirty
may we not therefore dispute the wor
boys as being derogatory to our dig
nifty? You called us men a while ago,
remember that!
Olaf Guldmar laughed again, His
suspicious gravity had entirely disap
peared, leaving his face beamillg mir
ror of beneticence and good-humor.
so you are men" he said cheeriy,
men in tie bud like leaves on tree.
But you seem boys to tough Old
stump of humanity such rs am. That
is my way-my child Thelma, though
they tell me she is woman grown,
is always a babe to me. It's one OF
the many privileges of the Old to see
the world about them always young
and full of children.
And he led the way past the wide
open lattice, where they could dimly
perceive the spnning-whee standing
alone, as though thinking deeply of the
fair hands that had lately left it Idle
and SO round to the actual front of the
house, which was exceedingly pictur-
esque. and literally overgrown with
roses from ground to roof, The en-
trance door stood open;-it was sUr-
rounded by wide, deep porch richly
carved and grotesquely ornamented,
having two comfortable seats within it,
one on each side. Through this they
went, involuntarily brushing down as
they passed, shower of pink and white
rose-ieaves, and stepped into a wide
passage, where upon walls of dark,
polished pine, hung a large collection
of curiously shaped weapons, all of
primitive manufacture, such as stone
darts and rough axes, together with
bows and arrows and two-handled
swords, huge as the tabled weapon OF
William Wallace
Opening a door to the right the bonde
stood courteously aside and babe them
enter, and they found themselves in the
very apartment where they had seen
the maiden spinning.
"Sit down, sit down." said their host
Hospitality. I'VE will have wine direct
ly, and Thelma shall come hither.
Thelma! Thelma! Where is the child?
She wanders hither and thither like a
mountain sprite. Wait here, my lads,
| shall return directly"
And he strobe away, leaving Erring-
ton and Lorimer delighted at the sue
cess OF their plans, yet somewhat
abashed too. There was peace and
gentle simplicity about the little room
in which they were, that touched the
chiyalrous sentiment In their natures
and kept them silent. On one side OF
it, half dozen broad shelves supported
goodly row of well-bound volumes,
among which the time-honored golden
names of Shakespeare and Scott gilt
tered inyitingly, together with such
works as Chapman's Homer, Byrons
"Chlde Harold" the Poems OF John
Keats. Gibbons Rome, and Plutarch;
while mingled with these were the de-
votional works in French Of Alphonse
de Liguori the Imitation, also French,
and a number of books with titles in
Norwegian altogether an Heterogeneous
collection OF literature, yet not without
interest as displaying taste and culture
on the part Of those to whom 1t be-
longed. ErTington, himself learned In
books, was surprised to see go many
standard works in the library of one
who professed TO be nothing but Nor