Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-04-21

once mora the Lapp exclaimed, Win
increased excitement and uncouth
gestures
Storm is coming!-wide dark,
deep. See how the SKY stoops with
the hidden snow!'
Guldmar smiled slightly. Storm
ccming?" he answered almost gaily,
THAT is we'll! Storm and l are old
friends, my lad. Good night"
Once more he touched his horned
sieeds. and with jingle-jangle OF
musical bells and scudding. slippery
kissing across the hard snow, the
Sledge sped off with fairylike rapidity,
and in a few moments its one little
guiding lantern disappeared in the
darkness like suddenly extinguished
candle.
The Lapp stood bordering and gazing
after it, with the bonde's money in his
palm, till the cold began to penetrate
even his thick skin-clothing and his
fat little body, we'll anointed with
whale-oil though t was,--and be-
coming speedily conscious of this, he
soampered with extraordinary agility,
considering the dimensions OF his snow
shoes, into the hut where he had his
dwelling, relating to all who chose to
hear, the news of old Lovisa Elsland's
death and the account of his brief
IL terview with the dreaded but gener-
Gus pagan.
Ulrika, Watching by the corpse of
her aged friend, was soon Joined by
others bent on sharing her vigil, and
the house was presently filed with
wCman's religious wailings and prayers
for the departed TO all the curious
inquiries that We're made concerning
the cause of Lovisas desire to see the
bcnde before she died, Ulrika vouch-
slfed no reply and the villagers, who
stood somewhat in awe of her as a
woman of singular godliness and dis
Greet reputation, soon refrained from
asking any more questions An ambi.
tious young Lutheran preacher came
and, addressing himself to all assem-
bled, loudly extolled the superhuman
virtues of the dead Mother of the
village" as Lovisa had been called
amid the hysterical weeping and moan
ing of the mourners, he begged them
to look upon her generated face" and
observe "the smile Of Gods own peace
engraven there, and amid all his
eloQuence. and the shrieking excite
ment of his fanatical hearers, Ulrika
alone was silent.
She sat stern and absorbed, with set
lips and lowered eyeids at the head of
the bed wherein the corpse was now
laid out, grimly rigid,-with bound-up
jaws, and clasped fingers like stiff,
dried bones. Her thoughts dwelt
gloomily and intently on Guldmar's
words-"The Eternal Justice cannot
err" Eternal Justice! What sentence
crime of murder?-or attempt to
murder? II am guilty" the unhappy
woman reflected. with strong shudder
chilling her veins, guilty even as Lo-
| vlca! | tried to kill my child
thought, | hoped it was dead! 1t was
not my meaning that 1t should live,
| And this Eternal Justice, may be, will
judge the intention more than the
crime. o Lord, Lord! save my soul!
Teach me how to escape from the con-
demning fires of thine anger!" Thus
she prayed and wrestled with her ac-
cusing self in secret-despair and fear
raging In her heart, though not a
flicker of her inward agitation betrayed
itself outwardly on her stolid, express
sionless features.
Meanwhile the wind rose to a tear
ing, thunderous gale, and the night.
already so dark darkened yet more
vIsibly. Olaf Guldmar, driving swiftly
| homewards, caught the first furious
gust of the storm that came rushing
onward from the North Cape, and AS
II swooped sideways against his light
sledge, he was nearly hurled from his
seat by the sudden violence OF the
iy, encouraging with a CHEEKY word the
| startled reindeer who stopped short
the air, their hairy sides heaving with
stretching out their necks and smiling
the strain of trotting against the blast,
| and the smoke of their breath steam
iLg upwards in the frosty air like
white vapor. The way lay now
through a narrow defile bordered with
tall pines, and as the terrified ami
mails, recovering, shook the tinkling
bells on their harness, and once more
resumed their journey. the road was
comparatively sheltered, and the wind
seemed to sink as suddenly as It rose.
There was a hush-an almost ominous
silence.
The sledge glided more slowly be
tween the even lines OF upright giant
trees, crowned with icicles and draped
in snow,-the bonde involuntarily
loosened the reins OF his elfn steeds,
and again returned to those painful
and solemn musings, from which the
singing blow OF the tempest had for a
moment reused him. The proud heart
Of the old man ached bitterly. What,
All these years had passed. and he, the