Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-13

tering wall Of inland ice-that mysterious
frozen sea that covers all Greenland except
us very border, and never advances and
never recedes. What made It stop here,
ne wondered. And what lay beyond it?
AND could those tales be true that the old
women told, Of terrible magical beings
living on its silent frozen peaks?
The sight of dark speck moving over
the white plain far ahead of him banished
every other thought. 1t might be that 1t
was Helga. He crunched on eagerly. Then
ne dipped into the valley and lost sight of
the Speck, found it on the bridge, dipped
again and again it was lost to view.
1t was not until the fence of Glum Stark
adsson's farm was plainly in sight that he
caught another glimpse of it. But this
| time it was coming toward him from the
| gateway.
| Certainly that long crimson cloak and
| full crimson hood belonged to Helga. In
q moment she waved her hand at him.
soon he could see her face under the white
iur border. Her scarlet lips were curv1ng
| IN smile The snow-glare brought out the
dazzling fairness of her pearly skin, and
| her eyes We're like two radiant blue stars.
! 1t seemed to Alvin that he had never
| known before how beautiful she was. A
strange shyness came over him that
weighed his feet and left him without a
| word to say when they met.
But Helga greeted him cheerily. Did
you ever breathe finer air? wish Thorhild
would run out Of gold thread every day in
the week Are you in hurry?
So, Anvil UeSdH HeSltdtlHSiy,
She did not wait for the end. "Then turn
back with me a little way, and l will tell
you something worth hearing"
He turned obediently and walked beside
her, trying to think how to put what he
had come to say.
You remember hearing Of EgiIs father
Olaf, who was so ill-tempered that Egil
dared not go home and confess that he had
son returned this morning from visiting his
| wife, and she says that last night the cd
mans horse threw him so that his head hit
against a stone and it caused his, death"
She made an impressive pause; but Alvin
stalked along In silence, grinding his heels
deep into the snow.
do you not. see what that means?" she
asked impatiently. ..Egil will now come
into his heritance, and become one of the
richest men in the settlement
The trouble was that, IN the first flash.
Alvin had seen 1t all too plainly. He had
seen that now Egtl would become just such
a man as Left was wishing to bargain with.
The thought burnt him like a hot iron, and
he opened his lips to pour out his frenzy;
but he could not find words.
After a moment he said, sullenly: II
should be thankful If he would leave Left g
service, so that could sometimes speak to
you without having HIM watch me like a
dog at a rabbit hole"
Helga turned toward him with frank In
terest. II wonder at that also. He does
not act so when speak to Sigurd or Rolf.
But then he has behaved very strangely to
me ever since he talked with skroppa In
Iceland two seasons ago.
HE spoke to me of Skroppa the first time
saw him." Alvin said. absentedly. Then
flicker Of curiosity awoke In him.
wish that you would tell me what 'Skroppa'
stands for. / DO not know whether 1t Is
man or beast or demon.'s
Even out there in the open Helga glanced
about for listeners before she answered.
..skroppa Is q fore-knowdng woman, who
lives among the unsettled places north Of
! here, in cabin down in hollow. Though