Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-05-05

instinctiyey all the while that his
masters dying eyes were fixed upon
him. When but one slender rope re.
manned to be cast OFF, he knelt by the
old mans side and whispered trembl-
ingly that all was done. At the
same moment small, stealthy tongue
!, OF red fame curled upwards through
| the deck from the hold,--and Guild
| mar, observing this smiled,
81 see thou hast redeemed thine
| oath" he said gratefully pressing
| Syensen's hand IT'S the last act o.
thine allegiance, may the gods re-
ward thy faithfulness. Peace be with
thee. We shall meet hereafter AL
ready the light shines from the Rain
bow Bridge, --there,-there are the
golden peaks of the hills and the
stretch OF the wide sea! Go, Valde-
mar!-delay no longer, for my soul |!
INPATIENT burns, it struggles TO b'
free! Go, -and-farewell!
Stricken to the heart, and full o
angulsh,-yet serf-like in his submits
sion and resignation to the inevitable,
--Syensen kissed his masters hanC
for the last time. Then, with a sort
of fierce sobbing groan, wrung from
| the very depths of his despairing grief
| he turned resolutely away, and sprang
off the vessel. Standing at the ex
IRENE edge of the pier, he let slip the
last rope that bound her,-her sails
filed and bulged outward, her cord
age creaked, she shuddered on the
| waler-'urched a little-then paused.
In that brief moment a loud tri-
umphant cry rang through the air.
Olaf Guldmar leaped up on the deck
as though lifted by some invisible
hand, and confronted his terrified ser
want, who gazed at him in fascinated
amazement and awe. His white hair
cleaned like spun silver-his face was
TRANSPORTED, and wore strange, rapt
look of pale yet splendid majesty-the
dark fllrs that chung about him trailed
in regal folds to his feet,
"Hark!" he cried and his voice vi
brated with deep and mellow clear
ness. Hank to the thunder of the
galloping hoofs! see the glitter
of the shield and spear! She comes
--ah! Thelma Thelma'" He raised
his arms as though in ecstasy.
GLORY, j y!-Victory!
And, like a noble tree struck down
by lightning, he fell-dead!
Even as he fell, the Valkyrie plung-
ed forward driven forcibly by a
swooping gust of wind and scudded
out to the Fjord like a wild bird flying
before a tempest. and. while she thus
fled, a sheet of flame burst through
her sides and blazed upwards, mingl-
ing lurid, smoky glow with the
clear crimson radiance of the still
brilliant and crown-like aurora. Fol
lowing the current, she made swift
way across the dark water In the di
rection of the island Of Seiand, and
presently became q wOndrous Ship of
Fire! Fire flashed from her mastS-
fire folded up her spars and sails in a
and played and sent forth a million
showering sparks hssingly into the
waves beneath.
With beating heart and strainius
eyes, Valdemar Svensen crouched on
the per-head, watching in mute agony
the burning vessel He had fulfilled
his oath!-that strange vow that had
so sternly bound nina VOW that
was the outcome Of his peculiar ira
ditions and pagan creed.
Long ago, in the days of his youth,
full of enthusiasm for the worship
of Odin and the past splendors Of the
race of the great Morse warriors. he
had chosen to recognize in Olaf Guild
mar true descendant of kings, who
was by blood and birth, though not in
power. himself n king. and tracing
his legendary history back to old and
forgotten sources, he had proved
satisfactorily, to his own mind that
he, Svensen, must lawfully. and ac-
cording to old feudal system, be this
more and more convinced of this In
his dreamy and imaginative mind. he
had sworn a sort of mystic friendship
and allegiance, which Guldmar had ac-
cepted. imposing on him. however.
only one absolute command This
was that he should be given the Grim
son shroud" and the sea-tomb OF his
warlike ancestors.-for the idea that
his body might he touched by strange
hands, shut In close coffin and laid
in the earth to moulder away to
wormy corruption had been the one
fantastic dread of the sturdy old pa
gan's life, And he had taken advan-
tage of Svensen's devotion and ohed-
fence to impress on him the para
mount Importance of his solitary be-
hest
Let no hypocritical prayers be
chanted over my dumb corpse. he had
said My blood would ooze from me
at every pore were | touched by the
fingers of a Lutheran! Save this
NJ lie lx.-1 L