The National tribune., 1909-11-18

Hellesylt had been very good indeed,
the freshest of fresh eggs and the fresh
est Of fresh fish forming the principal
part, the house was quite rough, and
its porter-ldndlord entirely in keeping
with it. However, he wanted to do
nothing more serious to us than to cheat
US little, and Elizabeth was too wide
awake for him to succeed in his nefari-
ous purpose to any alarming extent. So
Gar he has been the first person in Nor
way with whom We have had any busi-
ness dealings who has not been the
soul of honesty.
The stolkjaerre is a light, two
wheeled cart without cover, with a seat
for two persons, and behind this a
smaller seat, which the driver occupies;
that is, when he is not walking. There
is room enough on either side of the
seat in the back to stow away several
pieces of small baggage and some room
In front, too, and a good strong rope
generally serves for reins The Nor
wegian horses are small and presumably
not very strong, since the driver walks
up all the hills and good deal of time
on the level also. These people are
certainly most kind to their children
and horses. The driver jumps down from
and upon his seat in the back of the
stoikjaerre with the greatest of agility,
often jumping up when the horse has
started off on the run. but, ] must con-
fess, usually the mildest of runs. We
had an elderly and rather disagreeable-
looking driver on the morning we left
Hellesylt, but the air was like new
wine, and when We We're seated in this
native cart and our belongings all
slowed away Elizabeth turned to me
and said with an air of great satisfac-
uon, why, this is as comfortable as
can be; l wish we were going to be
driving for two weeks" in which con-
CURED heartily. for the novelty of the
thhg had bewitched me, and / was in
the mood for any kind of a lark.
The ride was delightful amid the
same scenery you must be weary of
hearing me describe, consisting of wa
ter, mountains and little hamIets of red
and yellow houses, and we reached the
small inn at Grodes, where We were to
nave dinner. about o'clock 1t is nv
painful duty, since Pm giving you a
perfectly truthful account Of this trip,
10 tell you that ii began to rain about
an hour before reaching our destina-
ton, altho it had been so heavenly when
We started, and when we drove IN ~
the door of the inn it was coming down
IN sheets and We were rather a sorry
looking pair.
had started out with black-spotted
vail over my face, and when removed
this along with my dripping hat and
my heavy coat to have them dried, II
seems l was a sight. DO catch a look
Ing-glass somewhere, somehow, and
look at yourself" said Elizabeth laugh
ing. and when the pretty rosy maid (she
was pretty and rosy), seeing my pre-
dicamcnt, conducted me to an upper
room, where there was a mirror as wall
as washstand, and caught a GLIMPSE
Of my visage, nearly collapsed Really,
looked too funny for anything The
dye from my vail had streaked and
spotted my face most comicaIly; the
end of my nose and my chin were orna-
mented by splotches of black. and If
had been made up" for some grotesaut
theatrical part the whole thing couldn't
nave been more complete. Nv bes
friend would hardly have known me
II took me some time 10 remove these
blemishes TO my beauty-the pesky
stains stuck like anything-and Il wa.
only by using soap as well as water and
By rubbing my face vigorously that itl
pristine freshness and loveIiness wer,
finally restored. I then rejOined EliZ
abeth, who remarked that looked NOR,
like Christian and less like an Eng.
iish "slavey' on the stage CThis per
sonage, you remember, is usually in
love with the handsome. puverty-stricls
en- youth who occupies the room withou
fire in the tenth-rate boarding house
and never appears In the play withou
her face terribly smudged)
There is very fine fishing here as a
Hellesylt, and the water comes up al
most 20 the very building itself on tn
back and sides. 1t just misses being ol
an island. and In fine weather the Ioca
ton must be delightful. When / re
Joined Elizabeth she had already draw
up to the table on which the maid ba,
deposited the fish, which is almost in
variabIy the first course at a Norwegian
table. This was delicious salmon trout
accompanied by boiled potatoes an,
melted butter. Ny, how good il was
have forgotten what else we had. bu
IL was all abundant, excellentIy cooke,
and served. The little maid spoke Eng
1ish perfectly, and told us, to accoun
Tor this, that she had spent two year
in England, but had returned to erode
20 help her father, who owned the inn
This parsonage was not to be seen
perhaps it was one OF his bad days