The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-16
The Stone Giant
"a Norwegian Folk Tale. In Two Parts.)
PART II.
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| With the autumn there arrived little son
to yet further increase Orm and Aslog' s
happiness. The baby was but three days
old when one morning the door quietly
opened and an old woman stepped in,
dressed in a curious-ringed stripped dress
of blue and green.
Have no fear, my children! she cried
II am the owner of this house, and great
ly am pleased that you should have lived
here, so neatly and nicely have you kept
all my things in order.
Il suppose now we must leave this dear
little house forever disconsolately cried
Aslog.
eff you comply with my conditions, you
may remain here as long as you like, 3"
cheerily responded the old woman.
Pray tell US what we must do" said
Aslog.
Never venture in my presence to utter
the name of him whom no giant may hear,
and never make the sign Of the cross or
cut it on beam or board. Then you may
dwell here the whole year long; only on
Yuletide eve, when the sun is at its low
est, must you give it up to me-"
And who are you?" asked Orn, stag
gering at these extraordinary conditions
Il am Guru. and come of the most an
cient race of giants"
"Guru" Aslog and Orm murmured in
dWe-SlTuch lOIeS.
Trust me, my children" said Guru,
land good luck shall follow you all the
days of your life, and whatever you take
in hand shall prosper. Only. beware, on
Yuletide eve not to look into this room
from sunset until the midnight hour has
| passed
Uttering these words, the old woman
vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.
! Christmas eve came. Aslog had polished
and scrubbed until the house shone like
a mirror, so that it should be fit to receive
Guru and her guests. When the first eve
ming shadows began to fall, she, with Orm
and the baby, FASTENED to the loft As
| soon as all was dark, strange and sur
| prising noses seemed to proceed from
everywhere and nowhere. They appeared
TO be surrounded by most uncanny sounds
of whzzing and buzzing, for which it
/ was impossible to account
Orm looked through the hole in the roof
which was built there in order to permit
the smoke to escape. For the first few
moments his eyes were blinded by the
bright and extraordinary appearance of
! the various little isles. Countless brilliant
! blue light showed without ceasing up and
! down; and as Orm continued to look he
saw that they were carried by ugly little
| dwarfs with pale, clay-copred faces, who
| had owls eyes and red noses. These hid
! eous little beings advanced a great circle
| toward a large stone that stood on the
shore of the island, on which their house
was built. Suddenly the dwarfs divided
| in the midst of their circle, and Guru
now a monstrous giantess, with huge steps
hastily advanced. She threw her colossal
arms around the stone. Immediately 1t
| took the form and image of a herculean
| giant. At the first expression of motion
| on the giants part with wonderful capers,
demonstrative of eXtravagant delight, the
dwarfs began to jump about, at the same
! time singing songs of rowdy and ear
| piercing quality.
1t wanted but half an hour to midnight,
when suddenly out of the noise and con-
fusion there arose the most rapturous,
ravishing music that mortal ear had ever
heard Tears of joy ran down Aslog's
cheeks as she listened. scarcely daring to
| breathe for fear she should lose one of the
! exquisite notes.
Let me look, let me look, Orm," she
| cried, "or my heart will surely burst"
| Holding her babe close to her breast,
with ardent gaze she peered into the room
! below. There she saw elves of consum-
mate beauty dancing in the air to the
! strains of the delicious music, while the
ugly little dwarfs sprang and jumped
about on the ground beneath in eXuberant
Fjoy. Aslog las though spellbound, gaZed
on, watching with keen pleasure the win
some elves as they sported hither and
thither Suddenly her baby moved, as if
he would spring forward and join the gid
dy dance. Quite unconscious of what she
wa saying, she cried, God preserve thee,
my babe"
No sooner had she spoken these words
than fearful piercing cries arose. Giants,
dwarfs and elves all tumbled over one an
other, trying in mad despair to escape.
The lights went out, and in a few min
utes a desolate silence reigned all over
the house.
Terrified and scared, Aslog and Orm
hid themselves in the remotest corner of
the loft, not even daring to speak to one
another.
All night long they remained huddled
there. But when the sun was high in the
heavens. Orm said: BE brave, dear As
log. and we will go down and see what
has happened below" With fear and
terror in their hearts they both de-
seconded.
To their establishment they found the
now empty room strewn with vessels of
silver of most perfect workmanship. while
near the hearth there stood an immense
copper vessel half-full of sweet mead,
and a drinking horn of pure gold lay by
its side. But, most marvellous of all, at
the table there sat an immense stone fig
ure, which Orm at once recognized TO
be the figure that Guru had embraced
and brought to life.
In awe and amazement Aslog and Orm
stood speechless looking at one another.
Ere many minutes had passed. Guru. in
her giant form, entered the house, weep
ing bitterly.
''Alasl alasi she cried. Great is the
sorrow you have brought OF mel Hence
forth while l live I must weep. For my
husband. whom 1 loved more than myself,
is now turned to a stone forever. When I
was young, and the fairest among the
giant maidens. mighty heroes sued for my
hand. And Andfind," pointing to the stone
statue, ''by his might and valor won me
for his own. The eve of my wedding day
a great and holy man came sailing from
out OF the north toward my island home.
Andfnd stood on the shore and blew the
sea against him with all his mighty lungs.
Nothing daunted by the terrific storm.
this terrible man stepped forward. and
raising his hands, in calm, low voice
called out: stand there Andfnd. as a
stone until the world shall wear away"
and since that awful day, barring seven
Joyous hours on Yuletide eve. this terri
BILE fate has been his"
can I do nothing TO undo those fateful
words?" pleaded AsloE. melted to tears
by Gurus sad tale.
Nothing" said the eiantess. doIefulIy, /
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