The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-12-22

longed for, with its dear familiar
houses and spires, its lovely surround
ing mountains, my happiness was not
without strong touch of pain. For
after all, tho mother and home re-
mained, 1 knew father was gone forev-
er; and tho Fru R. Sr. stood waiting
for us on the landing quay with the
heartiest of welcomes, yet could not
but feel that fathers strong arm was
absent.
How singular is the thing called
pleasure, and how curiously related to
pain, which might be thought to be
the opposite of it; for they never come
to man together, and yet he who pur-
sues either of them is generally CON-
PEELED to take the other. They are two,
and yet they grow together out of one
head or stem; land cannot help think
ing that if Esop had noticed them he
would have made fable about God
trying to reconcile their strife, and when
he could not, he fastened their hands
together; and this is the reason why,
when one comes, the other fol-
lows. 1t is odd to think that all these
hundreds of years people have been
racking their brains to find some expla-
nation of the great problem, that
generation after generation of unsatis-
fed people have lived and died. A
poor old woman once answered the
problem for me quite unconsciously.
She was out in the country for a
change of air, and she said to me, "It's
just like Paradise here, mister, and if
it could always go on it would be
heaven"
We went to Nestuen, and wandered
about in the woods. took the party
to see the quaint old wooden church
from Fortun. I'VE had merry picnic
at Fjessanger, and All early expedition
to the fish market, determined that
they should enjoy that picturesque
scene with the weather-beaten fisher
men, the bargaining housewives with
their tin pals, and the boats with their
shining wealth of fish. Again and
again, too, we walked up the beautiful
Fjeldveien to gain the wonderful
bird's-eye view over the town and the
harbor and the lakes. But perhaps no
one was sorry when the visit came to
all end, and we were once more on
our travels, going by sea to Molde
and thence to Ness
1t was quite late one evening that we
steamed down the darkening Roms-
dalsfjord. The great Romsdalshom
reared its dark head sOlemnly iutO the
sky, and everywhere peace seemed to
reign. The steamer was almost empty
and Mr.. T., the Misses t and my
!. self stood down at the forecastle end
= silently reveling in the exquisite view
before us. Just at that moment from
a behind the dark purple mountains
rose the great golden-red moon. l,
. was sight never to be forgotten, ant
= the glow and gIamor cast by it ovel
the whole scene is indescribable
Veblungsness, with its busy woode1
pier and its dusky houses, with her
- :. and there light twinkling from
- window; the Romsdalshom, with it
), lofty peak, and the beautiful valley be
\ yond batbed IN that sort of dim bright
- ness and misty radiance which can b
= given by nothing but the rising moor
e- The steamer glided on over the cain
is moonlit waters, and drew nearer t
e. Veblungsness, where an eager-face
,e crowd waited for the great event Q
ar the day. A sudden terror seized me
" I feared some one would como to ou
10 end of the steamer and break the spe
Ill that bound us, and then the very fes
"a made me realize that this was n
v. dream, but a great reality. But no on
at came near us. We stood there side b
he side, and the steamer moved on peac
at fully; the silvery track still markin
nj the calm fjord till we reached the Ii
ID tie boat that was to land us at Mes
st I wished THAI we could have gone Q
st for hours, yes, weeks, for as yet tt
to mere Consciousness of that beautif'
se sight satisfied mel wanted nothir
,st but the rapture of life after DEATH
ad brightness after gloom.
When it was no longer possible
rly prolong that strange, weird calm,
wv went, like q man half awake, to 81
enlsfter the luseage, and presently, VII