Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-12-07
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A Norwegian Legend


man was poor Therefore Petersen IA
vored the former.
Swain scoffed at the good monks of
| st. Francis who sang the mass III
! Drontheim's towers and cursed them
all FOR Il lazy pack of shaver fools.
According To the folklore of the north.
I'm every tree within the wood there
dwelt a guardian spirit. and the Gni-
pen. shadowy giant, was the king Of
them all.
Not one of the woodmen, with the ex-
ceptiOn of Swain. dared to venture into
| the wood To chop withOu: haYing his
TX duly sprinkled with drops OF holy
water and the sign Of the cross made
Oh it,. SO that the evil power of the
wood spirits would he set ut naught.
| The evil day that Norma had foreseen
came nj last. The old tailor came home
one evening and Informed her that he
had settled her fate at last by solemnly
pledging her in marriage with Swain.
and in token of the thing he and Swain
had set their thumbs together in the
presence of witnesses.
The girl was too full of grief for
words. She could not speak. but only
sat in the corner and mOaned, while
old Petersen retired TO rest. cOngratu-
lating himself that tire affair was set
tied so easily.
Norma waited until the Old man dozed
off in sIumber, and then she hurried out
into the air.
The moon was shining bright, and the
great trees were nodding like so many
huge plumes.
NDr,,a h,rrio,I ;nt, tl,, fn,.oct
to find some lonely spot where she
might weep her sad bosom empty.
Beneath a huge tree, upon Il little
messy mound. she sank. and the tears,
falling freely, glistened in the dim
light like so many great diamonds.
"Oh, spirits of the wood" she cried,
come and save me from this terrible
monster. who. with his hateful love.
wishes to chop down my life as with
his sharp aX he destroys your dwelling
places
And then, as if in answer to the
girls prayer. all the leaves began to
rustic. but all in time and tune. max
ing 81 most strange but beautiful music.
Norma listened in wonder.
Her Invocation to the wood spirits
had been but the aGonizing cry of Al
breaking heart. not spoken with
thought of an answer.
\ thin, shadowy vapOr was gather
ing under the huge branches of tie
oak.
y vapOrlike form advanced toward
the girl, and as it came nearer Norma
saw that there was indeed n human
form in the center and that what she
had taken to be vapOr was but a sort
of fieecy cloak falling from the
shoulders Of the figure.
DO not fear" said the strange form.
human shaped. bat giant in size and
oddly clad in Il robe of oak leaves curl
ously woven together. Il am the Gni-
pen. the king of all the woodland spir-
it's. Maiden. what is it that You wish"
Briefly Norma related the terrible
fate that was to be forced upon her.
Then Gnipen unused for awhile.
Il know the woodcutter we'll" he
said at last. Many of my fine trees
have fallen beneath his Ak. and often
have / lowered i'm the woodland near,
hoping that by some rash word power
would he given me to punish this
wretch. He fears neither the power
OF the Masters sign nor the vengeance
OF the wood spirits. but his own rash
ness may lead To his undoing. Seek
him in the morning. and dare him to
fell the old oak known as the Gnipen
tree. If he attempts It. perchance you
may he freed
And then the wonderful spirit faded
away as rapidly as he had appeared.
In the morning Norma used her wO-
mans wits so well that Swain set out
to fell the Gnlpen tree.
The first blow that the wOodman
gave the ax rebounded out of his hand
and fell a dozen PAGES off.
Il wish the devil was here TO take
that AK" Swain cried in anger, adj
vancing to pick up the tool.
Then through the wood came a Fran
clscan monk. all hooded and sandaled.
and Swain Knocked at the holy man.
"Oh. lazy elf. lay aside thy frock and
toll with me-.
my arm is not weak. though l wear
frock." the monk replied. land trow l
can fell that tree ~ well as thee
IF YOU fell that tree this day. may
the gray Gnipen take thy soul to the
flames below" Swain loudly cried.
Up caught the monk the AK and, with
a single blow. leveled the oak: then.
rising to a form gigantic. sank with
the wicked Swain to the flames the
woodman had spoken Of for the gray
monk wasthe wood spirit in disguise.
Norma married the fisherman and
never forgot at the evening hour to sa =
a prayer for the salvation of the gray
Gnipen.