The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-06-24

by the splendor of God with his own
eyes to see the Wonders of the
World-the mermaids that In cer-
tain sea rise laughing about the gun
wales; the slim, small fishes with
scales of electrum and eyes of true
beryl that leap up through the spray
of an island beyond Britain; the
river of purple wine that foams down
the hills to the south of the Pillars
of Hercules. All of these Thorold
would see; and the forty strong men
who rowed with him would each
fetch home wife, a buxom lass from
the Far-Lands.
They had thus far pursued an
empty quest-had pulled over the
North Sea swiftly, without even the
sight of whale or berg; had harried
the Frankish coast and found no
spoil at all, but only many and
skillful bowmen; had Jared on be-
yond the Pillars of Hercules, with
never a glimpse of white-limbed mer-
maid or echo of siren singing, but
only the shadow of black rocks in
dark water and the shrek of tenn
pest that had swept the rowers'
benches three parts empty; had land
ed on many an island in the Mid
Land Sea in search of the tall and
red-lipped weir-women, but had
found only poisoned provender and
deadly disease and reef that had
split their ship in sunder. Now the
titae that was left of them was hud-
died about the blue-green flames of a
driftwood fire in a fisherman's hut
on the Sandman coast, surrounded
by a horde of cowardly islanders
who sought to starve them like
wolves trapped in an empty sheep
fold.
Sigurd spoke: Where are your
weir-wives, Jurgen," he asked slow
ly, turning to the old sailor whose
tales of oversee wonders had led
them on. There was no bitterness of
anger in his voice, but only the
heavy sadness of war-worn man
who is altogether spent. Tell me,
Jurgen False Word" he pursued,
drowsily almost; tell me, where are
the milk-white mermaids swimming
up through the foam along the gun
wales? Where are the little dolphins
with scales of gold and eyes of
emerald? How you lied to us, Jur-
gen."
Passionately Tryggve broke in:
ray, he lied, he lied. And ask him
where are the forty strong men who
listened to his word and left good
land for an empty voyage ard sharp
death. Ask him that"
Il lied not" the voice of old Jur-
gen doomed stolidly from out his
white beard. You have vexed the
gods with an impatience and they de-
ny YOU" He spoke manfully, but
his eyes shifted and his hand did not
leave the swo-d-hilt.
There be no gods" Sweyne OBJ
served wearily from where he lay at
full length in the shadow; and no one
answered him.
Silence came, broken only by the
giggle of Little Nils, who sat cross
legged close 20 the fire and snapped
his finger-joints. Little Nils had
been altogether witless, ever since
that day of fruitless battle, when the
stone of Balearic singer had
cracked his skull. "Odin and Thor"
he cackled with an idiot leer at the
stern face of old Jurgen, "odin, Thor
and Freya. They be the gods"
Sweyne rose on his elbow and
stirred the fire with his dagger-scab-
bard. The blue-green flames turned
his bloodless face to CHASTITY hue,
and when he spoke, his voice rang
hollow and far. ''Ingeborn, Inge-
born" he unused. "She was well
enough. / used to laugh at her be-
cause in winter she went swaddled
up like an old wife, but for all that
she was well enough .er lips were
warm and her hair was sof. and she
had leal heart, too. It.is like thai
she weeps for me-for me that left
her to steal fairer bride from out
the Far-Lands."
His voice drifted off into silence
but Tryggve's followed it almost like
an echo. And Ragnild," he mur.
INJURED huskily. You remember Rag.
mild? She was a buxom lass now
Summer twilights l used to lie with
my head in her lap and watch tn,
seagulls coming in. Only foo
would have left her to seek a mate
from out the shadow of the sea-"
All spoke save Tho.old-Tnorold
whose eyes were the eyes of a woma ,
whose heart was the heart of a king
whose limbs were the limbs of
young god. He had been staadin,
apart, peering out crack in tn,
door. Now he turned to the fire.
1T is black dark now" he an
nounced shortly. I'VE will start"