Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-28
CHAPTER III.
A Gallant Outlaw.
Two are adversaries;
The tongue is the bane Of the head;
Hinder eynrv cloak

Two adversar1e8;
The tongue is the bane Of the head;
Under every cloak
/ expect hand. -HAVAMELA
For a while the road OF the little party
ran beside the Drawing Mid, whose shores
were astir with activity and life. Here was
a school of splashing swimmers; there. a
feet of fishing smacks; yonder. provision
ship loading. for cruise as consort to one
of the great war vessels They passed
King Olaf's ship sheds, where fine new
boats were building and one brilliantly
painted cruiser stood on the rollers all
ready for the launching. Along the oppo-
site bank lay the camps OF visiting Vikings,
with their long ships boats floating before
them
The road bent to the right and wound
along between the high fences that shut In
the old farm-like manors. All the houses
had their gable ends faced to the front,
like soldiers at drill, and little more than
their tarred roofs showed among the trees.
Most Of the commons between the estates
were enlivened by groups of gayly orna-
mented booths. Many Of them were trad
ers stalls, but in one, over the heads OF the
laughing crowd, Alvin caught g. glimpse Of
an acrobat and clumsy dancing bear,
While IN another minstrel sang plaintlye
breathlessly as leaves for wind. The
wild, sweet harp music foated out and
went with them far across the plain.
The road swerved still farther to the
d
and silver-stemmed birches In its green
depths song birds held high carnival, and
an occasional rabbit went scudding from
hillock to covert From the south q road
ran up and crossed theirs on its way to the
ford.
AS they reached this cross road a horse
man passed down It at a gallop. He only
glanced toward them, and all Alvin had
time to see was that he was young and
richly dressed. But Helga started up with
a cry.
'Sigurd! Tyrker, It was Sigurd!'
Slowly drawing rein, the old man blinked
What Sigurd?''
: Our sigurd-Leirs foster son. Oh, ride
after him. Shout!" She stretched her
white. throat in calling, but the wind was
against her.
THAT Is now impossible THAT Jarl Har-
AIDS son 1t should be" Tyrker said, sooth-
ingly. On Viking voyage he Is absent.
Besides. out OF breath it puts me fast to
ride. Some one else have you mistaken
Three years it has been since you nave
Then will go myself She snatehed
the reins from Alvin, but Tyrker caught
her arm:
Certain 1t is that you would be injured.
II you insist the thrall shall go. He looks
as though he would run WELL"
"But what mesSageT' Alvin began
Helga tried to stamp in her stirrups. "Wln
you stand there and talk? Go!"
They were fast runners In those days, by
all accounts. It Is said that there were
men in Ireland and the north SO swift
footed that no horse could overtake them.
In ten minutes Alvin stood at the horse
mans side, red, dripping and furious.
The stranger was gallant young cava-
lier, with floating yellow locks and a fine
high-bred face. His velvet cloak was lined
with errnine, his silk tunic scanned with
gold; he had gold embroidery on his gloves,
silver spurs to his heels and a golden chain
around his neck. Alvin glared up at him,
and hated him for his splendor, and hated
him for his long si1ken hair.
The rider looked down in surprise at tho
painting thran with the shaver head.
'tWhat is your errand with me?' he asked.
1t was easy to explain, but Alvin framed
1t CURLY: eff you are Sigurd Haraldsson,
maiden named Helga is DESTROYS that you
Should turn back"
II ann Sigurd Haraldsson," the youth as
sented, 'but I know no maiden in Norway
named Helga.'
It occurred to Alvin that this Helga
might belong to ''the pack from Green
land but he kept surly silence
What Is the rest of her name?"
eff there is more have not heard it,
Where does she nve?"
1.-THE devil knows!'
"Are you her fathers thrall?"
at Is my bad luck to be the captive Of