Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-11-11

mentous: at every fresh bout his sclf-con
filcnce grew mere insutfcrable. ard the
girls eyes wandered from the spectacle ia
the spectators. From that instant her Mulf'
ference fell away.
Ey the outskirts of the crowd. on one OF
the lever mounds # the Mount of Laws. a
man sat with his head in his hand. with ell
bow on his knee. His head was bare, and
from his hairy breast his WOODEN shirt was
thrown back by reason of the heat. He
was magnificent craatrra-youug, stall
wart, fair-haired, broad-chested, with limbs
like the beech tree and muscles like its
great, gnarled round heads. His coat. a
sort Of sailors jccket, was coarse and torn;
his stockings, reaching to his knees, were
cut and brown. He did not seem to heed
the wrestling, and there rested upon him
the idle air Of the lusty lcclander-the IAN
guor of the big. tired animal. Only, when
at the close Of bout, a cheer rose and a
way was made through the crowd for the
exit Of the vanQuished man did he lift up
his great, gray eyes-gray as those Of a seal,
and as calm and lustreless.
The wrestling came to an End. PattickS2n
j. Stified his Irish blood, was pro ,a'mcd
the winner. and stepped up in front OF the
mount that the daughter of the governor
might buckle abb It him his champions belt
The girl went through h-r functions list
ieSsly. her eyes wandering to where the fair
haired giant sat Gl art. Then the Wes.nanb
islander called for drink. that he might
treat the losing men, and, having drunk
himself, he began to swagger afresh, say
ing that they might find him the strongest
and lustiest man that day ut l'hingyellir,
aud he would bargain to throw hin, over
his back As he spoke, he strutted by the
bottom Of the mount. and the man who sat
there lifted his head and looked at him.
Something in his glance arrested Patrick
sen. and he stopped.
This seems to be a lump of lad he
said. LET us see what we can do with
him ~
And at that he threw his long arms about
the sta'wart fellow, squared his broad hips
before him. thrust down his head into his
breast until his red neck was as thick as a
body into his arms, that he might lift the
man out of his seat. But he moved him not
an inch. With feet that held the earth like
the hoofs of an OK, the young man sat I'M
moved.
Then those who had followed at the ISL
ander's heels for the liquor he was spend
ing, first stared in wonderment at his fail
ure. and next laughed in derision Of his
Dragging, and shouted to know why, before
1t was too late. the young man had not
taken bout at the wrestling, for that he,
who could hold his seat, so must be the
strongest-limbed man between the fells and
the sea. Hearing this. Patriotism tossed his
late: that if he took home the champions
belt it would be no rude bargain to master
or man from sea to sea; it should be his
who could take it from its place.
At that word the young fellow rose, and
then it was seen that his right arm was
useless, being broken between the elbow
and the wrist land bound with kerchief
above the wound. Nothing 10th for this in
trinity, he threw his other arm about the
arm of the islander, and the two men
closed for a fall. Patriotism had the first
grip. and he swung to it, thinking straight
way to lay his adversary by the heels: but
this young man held his feet, and then.
pushing one leg between the legs Of the
Islander. planting the other knee into the
islanders stomach, thrusting his head down
beneath the islanders chin, he knuck-
led his left hand under the island
er's rib. pulled towards him, pushed
from him, threw the weight Of
Then. at rush of the islsEder's kinsmen,
and cry that his back would be broken,
the young man locsed his grip, and Pat
ricksen rolled from him to the earth, like
clod rolls from the plowshare.
All this time Jo1gen's daughter had
craned her neck to see over the heads of the
people, and when the tussle was at IN end,
her face, which had been strained to the
point of anguish. relay ed to smiles. and she
turned to her father and asked if the cham
pion's belt should not be his who had over
come the champion. But Jo"gen answered
no-that the contest was done and judgment
made. and he who would take the champ-
on:; belt must come to the ext Althing and
earn it, Then the girl unlocked her neck
lace of coral ana silver spar giles. beckoned
the young man to Ter. bound the necklace
about his broken arm. close Up TO the Shout
der. and asked him bis name.
''Stcphen." he Answered.
who's. SOM" said She
"Orrysen--but they call me Stephen Or
ry.'
'Of what craft:'
Seaman, of Stabpen. ,'nder Snaefell.''
The Wcstmann islander had rolled to his
legs by this time. and now he came sham
bling up. with his hat in his hand and his
sullen eyes on the ground.
keep it, he said, and flung the belt at
the girls feet, between her and his adver-
sary. Then he strobe away through the
people. with curses on his white lips and
the veins of mis- snuat forehead large and
dark.
(To he ContinuedD