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diff --git a/42079-0.txt b/42079-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..611ebd6 --- /dev/null +++ b/42079-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2634 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42079 *** + +[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and italic +text is surrounded by _underscores_.] + + +MARI + +Our Little Norwegian Cousin + + + + +THE + +Little Cousin Series + +(TRADE MARK) + + Each volume illustrated with six or more full-page plates in + tint. Cloth, 12mo, with decorative cover, per volume, 60 cents + + +LIST OF TITLES + +By Mary Hazelton Wade + +(unless otherwise indicated) + + + =Our Little African Cousin= + =Our Little Alaskan Cousin= + By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet + =Our Little Arabian Cousin= + By Blanche McManus + =Our Little Armenian Cousin= + =Our Little Australian Cousin= + By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet + =Our Little Brazilian Cousin= + By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet + =Our Little Brown Cousin= + =Our Little Canadian Cousin= + By Elizabeth R. MacDonald + =Our Little Chinese Cousin= + By Isaac Taylor Headland + =Our Little Cuban Cousin= + =Our Little Dutch Cousin= + By Blanche McManus + =Our Little Egyptian Cousin= + By Blanche McManus + =Our Little English Cousin= + By Blanche McManus + =Our Little Eskimo Cousin= + =Our Little French Cousin= + By Blanche McManus + =Our Little German Cousin= + =Our Little Greek Cousin= + By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet + =Our Little Hawaiian Cousin= + =Our Little Hindu Cousin= + By Blanche McManus + =Our Little Hungarian Cousin= + By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet + =Our Little Indian Cousin= + =Our Little Irish Cousin= + =Our Little Italian Cousin= + =Our Little Japanese Cousin= + =Our Little Jewish Cousin= + =Our Little Korean Cousin= + By H. Lee M. Pike + =Our Little Mexican Cousin= + By Edward C. Butler + =Our Little Norwegian Cousin= + =Our Little Panama Cousin= + By H. Lee M. Pike + =Our Little Persian Cousin= + By E. C. Shedd + =Our Little Philippine Cousin= + =Our Little Porto Rican Cousin= + =Our Little Russian Cousin= + =Our Little Scotch Cousin= + By Blanche McManus + =Our Little Siamese Cousin= + =Our Little Spanish Cousin= + By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet + =Our Little Swedish Cousin= + By Claire M. Coburn + =Our Little Swiss Cousin= + =Our Little Turkish Cousin= + + L. C. PAGE & COMPANY + New England Building, Boston, Mass. + +[Illustration: MARI.] + + + + +MARI Our Little Norwegian Cousin + +By Mary Hazelton Wade + + _Illustrated by_ + L. J. Bridgman + +[Illustration] + + Boston + L. C. Page & Company + _PUBLISHERS_ + + + + + _Copyright, 1903_ + By L. C. Page & Company + (INCORPORATED) + + _All rights reserved_ + + Fifth Impression, June, 1908 + Sixth Impression, March, 1910 + + + + + +Preface + + +LONG before Columbus discovered America, there were brave men in the +north of Europe who dared to sail farther out upon the unknown waters of +the Atlantic than any other people in the world. These daring seamen +were called Vikings. Their home was the peninsula of Scandinavia, now +ruled over by one king, although divided into two distinct countries, +Norway and Sweden. + +It was along the shores of Norway, with rugged mountains fringing its +deep bays, that the Vikings learned command of their curious, +high-prowed ships, and overcame all fear of wind and storm. Their strong +nature shows itself to-day in the people of Norway, who patiently endure +many hardships while trying to get a living on the rough mountain-sides +or along the rocky coasts. + +Many of our Norwegian cousins have come to America to make a new home +for themselves where the sun shines more warmly and the winds blow less +keenly. Their fair-haired children are growing up amongst us, showing us +the qualities their parents most admire. Be brave, be honest, be kind to +all creatures, be faithful to every little duty,--these are the lessons +they have been taught from babyhood, as well as their brothers and +sisters who have not as yet ventured far from the land they love so +well,--the land of rapid-flowing rivers, deep, dark bays, and narrow +valleys. + +Come with me to-day to the home of one of these blue-eyed cousins and +join her for a while in her work and play. + + + + +Contents + + + CHAPTER PAGE + I. THE FARM 9 + II. VISITORS 21 + III. THE CHRISTENING 36 + IV. THE LOST PIN 46 + V. THE BIRTHDAY 59 + VI. THE WEDDING 66 + VII. LEGENDS 72 + VIII. THE LUMBER CAMP 92 + IX. THE LAPPS 101 + X. HOLIDAY FROLICS 111 + + + + + +List of Illustrations + + + PAGE + MARI _Frontispiece_ + "IT WAS A SORT OF GIG WITH VERY LONG SHAFTS" 22 + THE CHRISTENING 41 + CARVED HOUSES AT THELEMARKEN 62 + SKI-LOBING 74 + "'IT IS ALWAYS IN THE SHAPE OF A MOUND'" 103 + + + + +MARI + +Our Little Norwegian Cousin + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE FARM + + +"COME, Mari, my little daughter, and you shall help me make the cakes," +called her mother. + +Mari stood in the middle of the big farm-yard with a flock of hens +around her. She was scattering grain among them from a big bag on her +arm; not a sound could be heard except once in a while the scratching of +the hens' feet. They were too busy to notice each other or the big dog +that sat on the door-step. + +The little girl laughed quietly as she watched them. "They are so happy; +they love this pleasant summer-time as much as I do," she said to +herself. + +But the moment she heard her mother's voice, she turned quickly toward +the house without stopping a moment longer to see whether her pet hen, +Biddy Wee, or cross old Yellow Legs got the most dinner. Mari never in +her life thought of answering her parents by saying: + +"Why, papa?" or "Why, mamma?" or "I'll come in a moment." + +Mari lives in Norway, and Norwegian parents train their children to obey +without delay. + +The little girl was only too glad to come now, however. Her mother had +promised she should learn to make flat-bread to-day. She was pleased +that she was old enough to be trusted with this important work. Why, she +could keep house alone when she had mastered this necessary art, and her +mother could leave her in charge. + +Mari remembers when she was such a tiny tot that her head barely reached +above the table. Even then she loved to watch her mother as she sat at +the big moulding-board, rolling out the dough until it was nearly as +thin as paper. + +This dough was made of barley-meal which was raised here at the farm. It +was rolled out into sheets almost as wide as the table itself, for each +cake must be about a half-yard across. Then came the cooking. The cake +was lifted from the board to a hot flat stone on the fireplace, where it +was quickly baked. How fast the pile grew! and how skilful mother always +was. She never seemed to burn or break a single cake. + +Wherever you go in Mari's country you will find flat-bread. You can eat +quantities of it, if you like, yet somehow it will not easily check your +hunger, and it gives little strength. + +"Now, dear, be careful not to get a grain of dust on the floor," said +her mother, as Mari stood at the table ready for directions. + +The child looked very pretty, with her long, light hair hanging down her +back in two braids. The snowy kerchief was tied under her chin just as +it was when she came in from the farm-yard. She had no need to put on an +apron before beginning her work, for she already wore one. She was never +without it, in fact, and hardly thought herself dressed in the morning +until her apron had been fastened around her plump little waist. + +Her cheeks looked rosy enough to kiss, but such a thing seldom happened, +for mothers in Norway believe that is a bad habit. They think that it +often leads to the carrying of disease from one person to another. + +"Shake hands with the baby and the children," they would say, "but +please don't kiss them." They are wise in this,--don't you think so? + +Before Mari had rolled out six cakes, her cheeks grew rosier yet. It was +hard work, although it had seemed easy enough when mother was doing it. + +The first three cakes had to be rolled over and over again because they +would stick to the board. Then the lifting was not such a simple thing +as Mari had supposed before she came to do it herself. But she kept +trying. Her mother was very patient and encouraged her with loving +smiles and kind words. At last the little girl made a really _good_ cake +and landed it all by herself on the stone, without doubling, or even +wrinkling, it. + +"Good, good," said her mother, "you will soon be a real helper, Mari. +But now you have worked long enough for the first time. I will finish +the baking while you take the baby and give him an airing." + +And where was the baby, bless him? Mari knew, for she went at once to +the other side of the room where a pole was fastened into the wall. A +big basket was hanging down from the end of this pole, and in the basket +was a little blue-eyed baby, cooing softly to himself. + +Mari's mother was a very busy woman. There was always something to do, +either inside the house or out-of-doors. She had very little time for +holding a baby. So when Mari and her brothers were away at school, and +mother was left alone, that dear little rosy-cheeked fellow sometimes +began to cry in a very lively manner. The cooking and the cheese-making +and the spinning must go on just the same, and time could not be spent +in holding a baby. + +But he must be amused in some way. So the strong pole was fastened into +the wall, and the cradle attached to the end. Do you wonder what fun +there could be in staying up in that basket, hour after hour? The baby +enjoyed it because the pole would spring a little at every movement of +his body. As long as he kept awake, he could, and did, bob up and down. +That was amusement enough. + +He was glad to see Mari now. She was a perfect little mother, and soon +had his hood and cloak fastened on. They were hardly needed, for he was +already done up in so many garments, it didn't seem possible he could be +cold, wherever he went. + +The living-room, where Mari had been working, was large and high. The +beams were dark with age, but the floor was white from the many +scrubbings Mari's mother had given it. + +On one side of the room was the big fireplace where all the cooking was +done. During the long winter evenings the family and servants sat in +front of the blazing logs and told stories of the famous sea-captains of +the olden times. Or perhaps they talked of the fairies and giants, in +whom Mari firmly believed. Her mother laughed at the idea of these +wonderful creatures. Yet, after all, it was not more than a hundred +years ago that they seemed real to many grown-up people. + +Wonderful creatures who made themselves seen from time to time dwelt in +the mountains, the fields, and the rivers. This is what Mari's +great-grandma had believed, and was she not a sensible woman? It is no +wonder, therefore, that our little cousin loved to think that these +beings were still real. When she went to sleep at night, she often +dreamed of the gnomes who live far down in the earth, or the giants who +once dwelt among the mountains. + +When she was very little she sometimes waked up from such dreams with a +shiver. "O, don't let the cruel giant get me," she would cry. Then she +would jump out of her own little cot into the big bed of her parents. +She felt quite safe as soon as her mother's loving arms held her +tightly, and she was sound asleep again in a minute. + +That big bed certainly looked strong enough to be a fortress against the +giants or any other of the wonderful creatures of fairy-world. It stood +in the corner of the living-room, where Mari's mother worked all day, +and where the family ate and sat. It was so high that even grown people +did not get into it without climbing up the steps at one side. It had a +wooden top, which made it seem like a little house. It was not as long +as bedsteads in other countries. No grown person could stretch out in it +to his full length. He must bend his knees, or curl himself up in some +way, for he certainly could not push his feet through the heavy wooden +foot-board. + +Mari's people, however, never thought of its being uncomfortable. All +Norwegian bedsteads are made in this way, so they became used to it as +they grew up. But sometimes English travellers had stayed at the +farmhouse all night when they had been overtaken by a storm. They would +be sure to get up in the morning complaining. They would say: + +"O yes, this country of Norway is very beautiful, but why don't you have +beds long enough for people to sleep in with comfort." + +The farm where Mari lives lies in a narrow valley half a mile from the +sea. The cold winter winds are kept off by the mountain which stands +behind the houses. No one but Mari's family and the servants who work on +the farm live here. Yet I spoke of houses. This is because the little +girl's home is made up of several different houses, instead of one large +farmhouse, such as one sees in America. + +Mari's father thinks that two, or perhaps three, rooms are quite enough +to build under one roof. He settled here when he was a young man. Mari's +mother came here to live when they were married. At that time there was +but one house. It contained the living-room and the storeroom. After a +while another house was built close by, for the farm hands to sleep in. +Still another little building was added after a while for the winter's +supplies, for there is no store within many miles of the farm. + +Mari's mother never says, "Come, my child, run down the road and buy me +five pounds of sugar," or, "Hurry, dear, go and get two pounds of steak +for dinner." It would be useless for her to think of doing such a thing. +All the provisions the family may need must be obtained in large +quantities from the distant city, unless they are raised here on the +farm. + +The storehouse was built very carefully. It was raised higher than the +other buildings so that rats and other wild creatures should have hard +work to reach the supplies. There is not a great deal on hand now, for +it is summer-time, but in the autumn the bins will be full of +vegetables, and large quantities of fish and meats will hang from the +rafters. There will be stores of butter and cheese and a large supply of +coffee, for Mari's people drink it freely. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +VISITORS + + +"MOTHER, mother, I hear the sound of wheels," cried the little girl, as +she came hurrying into the house, panting for breath. The baby was such +a big load it is a wonder she could hurry at all. + +"Could you see what is coming?" asked her mother. + +"Yes, there are two carriages, I know, for I saw a cariole, and I could +hear another gig, although it was still out of sight round the bend of +the road. They must be in a hurry, for I could hear the driver of the +cariole clucking to his horse to make him go faster." + +[Illustration: "IT WAS A SORT OF GIG WITH VERY LONG SHAFTS."] + +"Run right down to the rye-field, Mari, and tell your father to send +Snorri up with the horses. Leave the baby with me." + +Mari hurried away, while her mother went out into the yard to greet her +visitors who had now drawn near. + +The first carriage was a cariole, as Mari had said. It was a sort of gig +with very long shafts. It had a seat in front just wide enough to hold +one person, with a small place behind, where the post-boy sat. A lady +rode in this cariole and drove the sturdy little horse. + +Behind her came a second carriage, which could not be very comfortable, +as there were no springs and the seat was directly over the axle. Two +people were in this, also, a gentleman and the driver. + +"We are in great haste to reach the next station by afternoon," the +gentleman tried to explain to the farmer's wife. He spoke brokenly, for +he seemed to know but few Norwegian words. + +"He must be an American," Mari's mother said to herself. "Those +people always seem to be in a hurry." She dropped a deep curtsy to the +lady, who seemed to be the gentleman's wife. + +"Won't you come into the house while you wait for the carriage?" she +asked. The lady smiled, and followed her into the living-room. + +"What a lovely big fireplace you have!" exclaimed the visitor, as she +sat down. "And what good times you probably have here in the long winter +evenings. Indeed they must seem long when the daylight only lasts two or +three hours." + +Mari's mother smiled. "Yes, and the summer days seem long now that there +are only two or three hours of darkness in the whole twenty-four," she +answered. "At least, they must seem long to you who are a stranger," she +went on. She spoke in good English, of which she was very proud. She +had learned it when she was a girl in school, and was already teaching +Mari to use it. + +"Is that your spinning-wheel?" asked the visitor, as she looked around +the room. "Excuse me for asking, but I do wish I could watch you +spinning. In America everything we wear is made in the mills and +factories, and a spinning-wheel is not a common sight nowadays." + +"I make all the clothing for my family," answered Mari's mother. "It is +so strong it lasts nearly a lifetime. Look at my dress; I have worn it +every working-day for many years, and it is still as good as new." + +"Dear me! what a smart woman you are. If you don't mind, I should like +to examine the goods. I suppose that is what people call homespun. And I +suppose the wool of which it was made came from your own sheep, did it +not?" + +"Yes, indeed, and my husband raised every one of the flock himself," +was the answer. "I will gladly spin some of the wool for you now. But +see! the carriages are waiting, and your husband looks impatient." + +"Then I must not keep him waiting, for we have a long journey before us. +So good-bye. Perhaps we may stop here again on our way back from the +north. Thank you very much for your kindness." + +The lady went out, and Snorri helped her into the cariole and himself +jumped up behind, and away they went. The lady's husband followed in +another carriage in the same manner they had driven into the yard. The +ones that had brought them here had gone away as soon as the travellers +stepped out. Their drivers would take them back to the station where +they belonged. + +"Mother, why is our house a posting-station?" asked Mari, when the +travellers had gone. "I think it is a great bother. No matter how busy +father and the men are, they must stop their work and harness up the +horses to carry strangers along the road. They don't get money for it, +either, do they?" + +"That is the way your father pays his taxes," her mother answered. "You +know what good roads we have in our country, Mari. You know, too, that +many other things are done by the government to make this country a fine +one. Of course every one must share in the cost of these things. As we +live on a farm and have horses, your father is allowed to pay his share +in work. That is, he agrees to carry the travellers who come this way to +the next station. After all, it isn't very much bother," she said, +thoughtfully. "But come, dear, set the table; it is near dinner-time, +and your father will soon be here." + +The table did not stand in the middle of the room. It was in the corner +nearest the fireplace. A wide bench was built round the two sides of +the room nearest it, so that most of those who gathered around the table +could sit on these benches. + +Mari's mother soon had a steaming junket ready, besides a dish of smoked +salmon, plenty of boiled potatoes, a large, dark-coloured cheese which +looked like soap, and last, but not least, a plate was piled high with +flat-bread. + +"May father have the cakes I made?" asked Mari. + +"Sure enough, little daughter. He will eat them with pleasure, I know." + +In a few minutes the farmer and his helpers appeared. All gathered +around the table together. + +"What a fine junket this is to-day," said Mari's father, as his wife +helped him to another plateful. + +The junket was made of milk, barley, and potatoes, and was a dish of +which he was very fond. + +"Dear me! how good the flat-bread is, too. And only to think that our +little Mari made it all herself," continued the farmer. "She will soon +be a woman at this rate." + +Mari's rosy cheeks grew redder still at her father's praise. + +"I shall be glad to see Gretel back again," said the little girl's +mother, after a while. "I miss her very much, though Mari is a good +little helper. But Gretel is having a good time with Henrik, I'm sure." + +Gretel and Henrik had gone up on the mountain to the summer-house, where +the cows were pastured during the two warmest months of the year. Henrik +was now fourteen years old, and his father felt that he could be trusted +to care for the cows as well as he could do it himself; while Gretel +could make good cheese and butter, although she was only thirteen. This +boy and girl were now living together all alone up on the mountain-side, +but they were not the least bit lonely. + +Every Saturday afternoon Henrik brought down the butter and cheese his +sister had made during the week. He had so many stories to tell of their +good times, that Mari would say: + +"Oh, dear! Henrik, I wish I could go back with you." + +"I wish you could, little sister, but mother must not be left alone, you +know." And Henrik would put his arms around her and kiss her lovingly. + +"Where is Ole?" asked the farmer, as the family finished eating their +dinner. "He should not be late to meals and give you trouble, good +wife." + +"He went up to the river on a fishing trip. I told him I should not +scold if he was late this time," said his mother. "I was glad of the +thought of having some fresh salmon." + +"Very well, then. But come, my men, we must get back to the field now. +The noon hour has passed." And the farmer led the way out of the house. + +But before he rose from the table little Mari said: + +"Thanks for the food, dear father and mother," while she went first to +one, then the other, and gave each of them a loving kiss. + +Then the workmen rose and went in turn to the farmer and his wife and +shook hands, to show they, too, were thankful. + +It was very pleasant and cheerful in this farmer's house, you can +plainly see; and it was all quite natural for these simple country +people to show how kindly they felt for each other. + +"There comes Ole, now," said the farmer's wife. "I can hear his call. +Run, Mari, and see if he has met with good fortune." + +"O, mother, mother, see what I have here," cried Mari, a few moments +afterward. "Ole has a fine string of fish, and that will please you, I +know. But do look at this young magpie. It was snared in his trap while +he was fishing. He says I may have it for my very own. May I keep it, +please?" + +"It seems as though you had enough pets now, Mari. You have your own +pony and your dog Kyle. But I hate to refuse you, my dear. Yes, you may +have it, but you and Ole must keep it out of mischief. Magpies are +sometimes very troublesome birds, for they notice shining objects and +carry them off if they get a chance." + +Mari's mother now turned to the string of trout which she hastened to +put away in the storeroom. Ole had cleaned them nicely before he brought +them home. He now ate his dinner as quickly as possible, after which he +and his sister went out into the yard to make a cage for their new pet. + +"In a little while he will get tame so he will follow us around," said +Ole, as he cut the wooden bars for the cage. "Then we shall need to shut +him up only when we wish." + +"Isn't he a beauty," exclaimed Mari, as she stroked the magpie. "Look, +Ole, at the green and purple feathers in his wings and tail. They are +very handsome and glossy." + +"Be careful, Mari, or he may bite you. That hooked bill of his is pretty +sharp, if he is a young bird. See him look at you with his bright eyes. +They say that magpies will grow fond of one in a very short time." + +"Did you ever see a magpie's nest, Ole?" + +"Yes, I passed one this morning as I went through the woods. It was way +back in a thick bush. I crept up and looked in. The mother bird was +away, and I saw five pretty green eggs dotted with little purple spots." + +"What did you do, Ole? I hope you did not touch them." + +"At first, I thought I would, Mari, because, you know, those pretty eggs +will sometime hatch out, and the five magpies will fly away to harm +smaller and more helpless birds. Besides, they go into the grain-fields +and pick the grain. Father isn't very fond of magpies, I can tell you. + +"But after thinking for a moment I said to myself, 'No, mother magpie +sha'n't be made unhappy to-day by coming home to find her nest empty.' +Then I went away, and ended my morning's sport by trapping this young +fellow." + +Ole kept on working while he talked. He did his work so cleverly that +one could see he was quite a carpenter. He was a tall boy for twelve +years, and looked healthy and happy. + +You might possibly have laughed at his clothes, for he wore a pair of +his father's old trousers, and they were gathered in at the waist to +keep them in place. They must have been cut off at the knees so that +they should not be too long for the boy. That was the only change made. +His mother said: + +"There, those trousers are too much worn for my husband to use any +longer. They will do very well for Ole as he runs about on the farm. I +will not take time to cut them any smaller. On holidays the boy shall +wear his fine clothes, of course." + +It is no wonder the good woman had to be careful of her time, for she +not only spun, wove, and made their clothing, but she also spun the yarn +and knit their stockings. Ole's stockings are often patched with leather +to make them last longer. But his feet are not tender, and he does not +mind it in the least. + +"What kind of a nest did the magpie have?" asked Mari, as Ole finished +the cage and they placed the bird inside. + +"It was lined with wool and hair and had a sort of roof over it. The +opening was very narrow; I really don't see how the mother-bird could +get in and out." + +"I suppose the roof is to protect the young birds from enemies, don't +you, Ole?" + +"Yes, Mari; but come, let us go and find some worms for our bird. He +must be hungry." + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE CHRISTENING + + +"O MOTHER, I have something to tell you. I have just been down to the +village, and I heard there that neighbour Hans's wife has a new baby. It +is a boy. Every one says he is a fine little fellow," said Mari, one +beautiful afternoon. + +"Dear me! dear me! that is fine news, truly," said her mother. "I must +make her a dish of my best porridge and take it to her in the morning." + +"Did everybody remember you when I was born, mother?" + +"Yes, dear, the people of the village seemed to vie with each other in +preparing a dish of flödegrod. It did taste so good! It was hard to tell +whose was the best. You must learn how to make this cream porridge now, +Mari; you are quite old enough. You will never be thought a good +housekeeper if you cannot make smooth flödegrod." + +"The baby is to be christened next week. Everybody will be there, of +course, mother." + +The farm was only half a mile from a little fishing village on the shore +of a deep bay. Such a long, narrow bay is called a fiord. There are many +fiords in Norway. + +There were only about a dozen cottages in the village, but in their +midst was a tiny little church and a small building used as the +schoolhouse. But school was not kept there all the year round. Half of +the time the master taught in this place, and the rest of the year he +spent in another little village a few miles up the coast. Neither of +them was large enough to pay for a teacher the whole year round. The +children, however, were glad to work hard while he was among them. They +loved their teacher and their school, and they learned quickly. + +Every one in the place was busy now, getting ready for the christening. +At last came the great day, as bright and sunny a one as could be +wished. + +All the work on the farm was stopped and every one in the family was +dressed in his best. Mari had a fresh white linen kerchief tied under +her chin, and also a finely starched apron. Her plump little arms were +bare. Her stomacher was worked with bright beads on scarlet cloth. She +had embroidered it all herself and she could not help being proud of it. + +But perhaps you do not know what a stomacher is. It is a piece of cloth +worn as an ornament on the waist and over the stomach. Mari's mother +wore one also, but hers was sparkling with silver trimmings that had +belonged to her great-grandmother. + +How fine the father looked in his short coat and knee-breeches. He wore +a bright red vest, over which hung his long light beard. + +But Mari's mother was the prettiest sight of all. Her muslin apron was +trimmed with three rows of lovely open-work. Her scarlet waist was +finished with bands of black velvet, with the beautiful stomacher in +front of that. She had loose white linen sleeves, and such an odd cap. +You never saw one like it, I am sure. It was made of crimped white +muslin with a wide rim over the forehead, with a narrow band beneath +that hid her hair. The corners fell down behind nearly to the waist. + +Her silver ornaments must also be mentioned. They were really beautiful, +and were hundreds of years old. + +[Illustration: THE CHRISTENING.] + +Ole looked fine, too, in a suit much like his father's and a little +round cap, fitting tightly to his head. You would scarcely have known +the family in their holiday dress. + +They stepped off gaily, and soon reached the village. They arrived at +the church just as the christening party reached it. + +"Do look at the dear baby, Ole," said Mari. "Isn't he lovely?" + +The nurse was carrying him. He was so swaddled in his fine clothes that +you would have almost thought he was an Indian pappoose. Only his face +could be seen. The swaddling bands were of many colours,--red, green, +and white, and there was a large white satin bow, of course. Every Norse +baby wears such a bow to its christening. + +And now the flock of people followed the minister into the little +church. They passed up to the front and gathered around the altar. + +"The baby behaves finely, doesn't he?" whispered Ole. "I am real proud +of him because he is to have the same name as myself. Did you hear the +minister say _Ole_, Mari?" + +"Yes, but look now. The baby's father and mother and his godparents are +all going up behind the altar. What is that for?" + +"They are laying presents there for the minister. Of course they want to +thank him for the christening. I declare, Mari, our baby was christened +only last year, and you have forgotten what people do at such times." + +"I was so excited then, Ole, I don't believe I noticed it. But come, +everybody is going out of the church. Now we shall have the best time, +for you know we are invited to the party." + +The building was soon empty, and all the people started gaily for the +home of the new baby. The minister went with them, of course. He looked +very dignified in his long black gown, with a great white ruff about his +neck. He loved his people, and took part in all their merry-makings. Ole +and Mari were very fond of him. They ran to his side as soon as they +got outdoors. Ole took one hand and Mari the other. + +It was only a few steps to the little home of the fisherman. Everything +had been made ready for the company. The table was spread with the good +things that the Norse people love best. + +In the centre of the table stood the old silver bowl from which every +one must drink to the health of the new baby. This bowl was the most +precious thing in the simple home. It had not been used before since the +parents of the baby came here and held their wedding-feast. + +There is much eating, and frequent handshaking. It seemed as though the +company could only show how loving they felt toward one another by the +hearty shakes which they gave so often. + +When every one had eaten so much that he could hold no more with +comfort, the table was quickly cleared, and a young man brought out a +fiddle from the corner of the room. + +"Now for some of our Norse songs," cried one of the company. + +"Good, good," cried all, and soon the room was filled with lively music. +The new baby behaved very well, and went to sleep in the midst of it. + +But Mari's baby brother, who had come to the party with the rest of the +family, was having too good a time to shut his eyes for a moment. It was +not until the dancing began that his little head commenced to nod and +his eyes could keep open no longer. + +The older folk and children sat against the wall and talked together +while the younger people waltzed around the room. + +"Gustav, we want to see you and Frigga in the Spring Dance," said one of +the party after a while. + +"O yes, Gustav, you can both do it so well," cried another. "We must +see it before we go home." + +Gustav stepped out into the middle of the room and was followed by the +young girl whom he was soon to marry. Her cheeks grew rosy as every one +looked at her. She was a pretty girl, and her long, fair braids reached +way below her waist. + +And now the fiddler started up again with a lively tune. Who could keep +still now? Surely Gustav could not. He took hold of one of Frigga's +hands, and away they spun around the room. But it was not a simple waltz +such as you have seen. The young girl held her other hand above her head +and showed her grace as she kept moving around Gustav; she kept perfect +time and step as she did so. + +Other odd dances followed the Spring Dance. Ole's and Mari's eyes were +wide open with delight as they watched their older friends. Whenever +one of the dances came to an end, there was a general shaking of hands +in which the children joined with a right good will. + +The time to go home came all too soon. But as it was near the middle of +summer, it was not dark even now at ten o'clock in the evening. + +"Gud nag, gud nag," cried every one, after they had drunk again to the +health of the baby and his proud parents, and the hands of all had been +heartily shaken once more. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE LOST PIN + + +"MARI, Ole, come here to me at once," called their mother. + +It was the morning after the christening. The two children were sitting +with their pet magpie under a tree near the house. + +"What can be the matter, mother speaks so quickly?" whispered Ole, as he +and his sister hurried to obey. + +"Have you seen the silver brooch I wore at my throat yesterday?" said +their mother, as soon as they came into the house. + +The good woman seemed nervous. Her words came quickly, which was not a +common thing, for she was a slow speaker, like other Norse people. + +"Why, no, mother, of course not," said Mari. "Didn't you put it away in +the box where you always keep it?" + +"Certainly, my child, but I did not lock the box as usual. I found it +open just now. Can it be possible that a thief has been here? It does +not seem probable. Besides, my other ornaments are there safe. A thief +would have taken all." + +"I shouldn't wonder if I could guess who took the brooch, mother," said +Ole. "It's the magpie. You know you said magpies like all kinds of +shining objects." + +"You handsome little mischief, have you done it?" said the boy, as he +looked at his pet. + +The magpie had kept his seat on Ole's shoulder when the children came +into the house. He looked from him to the boy's mother with bright eyes, +as much as to say, "I could tell all about it, if I wished." + +"It seems as though the bird understands what we are talking about, but +of course he doesn't. Still, I believe he has done something with your +brooch, mother," said Mari. + +"It may be so, indeed, children. The box was possibly left open, +although I am generally so careful. If that is so, Ole and Mari, you +must find it. Unless you are able to do so, you cannot keep your pet any +longer." + +You may be sure the children were anxious to find the brooch now. All +that day they searched in every nook and corner of the house and yard. + +"You know, we let him fly around for a long time this morning," said +Ole, when night came and still the brooch could not be found. "If it was +carried up into some tree, we may never see it again." + +Ole had crawled out upon the limbs of all the trees near the house, and +his legs were pretty tired. + +"You can't do any more to-night, children," said the farmer, when +supper was over and the family were gathered on the porch to talk over +the trouble. "Go to bed, and do not fret. In the morning, let the magpie +out of the cage, and allow him to go where he pleases. Watch him, and +perhaps you will find he has some hiding-place where he stores his +treasures." + +Those were wise words. The next morning the children did as their father +had directed, and the magpie was set free. Five minutes afterward he +flew out of the house, and away he went toward the barn. + +Now it happened that a pole stretched out from under the low roof of +this building. In winter-time a bundle of grain was fastened to this +pole from time to time. It was placed there to give food to the hungry +birds that came that way. They might starve during freezing weather, if +kind people did not think of them. + +A bunch of the old straw was still fastened to the pole. The magpie flew +to it, and alighted. + +"The brooch may be stowed away in that straw," said Ole. "I'll get a +ladder and see, anyway." + +A moment after, the boy was shouting in delight. + +"I have it, I have it, Mari. How glad mother will be. O, you naughty +magpie. We will be careful that you don't get any more brooches of my +great-grandmother's." + +Delighted indeed was the mother when they came in with the lost brooch. + +"You may go down to the shore, and spend the afternoon," she said. "You +can have a fine time with your playmates in the village." + +A half-hour later Ole and Mari were playing barefooted on the edge of +the bay, or fiord, as, you remember, Mari calls it. But there was no +beach of smooth sand here, for rocks and ledges covered the shore. +There was only one little nook where it was easy for boats to land. + +The village was built at the head of this narrow bay, as it reached far +into the land. It was a long sail out to the open ocean. Mari had never +yet seen it, although she had lived so near the water all her life. + +It was a wonderful sight that the children looked upon this afternoon. +Great cliffs rose high up from the water on each side of the bay. They +were so straight and tall, they seemed to join it to the sky above. + +A waterfall came rushing down from the top of one of these cliffs. It +made a whirlpool in the spot where it fell into the bay. But everywhere +else the water was very quiet. It was so still, that as you looked up to +the steep mountains on each side, it would have made you almost fearful, +it seemed so lonely and apart from the rest of the world. + +"I climbed way up that cliff by the waterfall last spring," Ole told his +sister, as the children sat down upon a rock to rest. + +"Weren't you afraid?" she asked, as she looked at him proudly. Then she +added, quickly, "Of course you weren't. I never knew you to be afraid of +anything in your life. But why did you do it?" + +"I was after down for mother's cloak. The eider-ducks build their nests +in the crannies of the rocks. I found three of them that day, I +remember. It seemed almost too bad to rob the nests, but still you know +there is nothing so soft and warm as the down. And I shall be proud when +mother has enough to line her cloak and finish it." + +"Those ducks have a queer habit of plucking the softest feathers from +their own breasts to line their nests. Don't you think so, Ole?" + +"Yes, birds are a great deal nicer than we are apt to think. You know +the mother-bird covers the eggs with this down before she flies away for +food. She seems to understand that they must be kept warm, and the +father-duck doesn't help her by bringing her food or taking her place +while she is away. She has all the care on her own shoulders, poor +thing. + +"If her nest is robbed of the down, she will pluck more feathers from +her breast and line it again. If it happens the third time, she flies to +her mate and takes enough from him to fill their place. But after that +her patience is worn out, she goes away and seeks another place in which +she can build a new nest undisturbed." + +"She certainly is a wise little creature, for she wouldn't be warm +enough if she robbed herself too much," said Mari. "Mother has been to +the city of Bergen, and she says cloaks lined with eider-down are sold +in the stores there, and that they are worth a great deal of money." + +"Of course, Mari. Some men make a business of robbing the nests of +eider-ducks. It must be hard work, too. But see, there comes the +postman. Let's go to meet him." + +The children looked down the bay, and what do you think they saw? + +At first it seemed as though a pine-tree standing up on the water were +sailing straight toward them. But no! one could see as it came nearer +that the tree was fastened into an odd little boat with a high curved +bow. The tree must be taking the place of a sail, for the man inside was +not rowing, yet the boat came steadily onward. + +"Is it rough outside?" asked Ole, as the boat drew near. + +"Yes, the wind was blowing so hard I did not dare to put up the sail. +But right in here it is quiet and calm enough to suit any one." + +When the postman had carried his letters up to the office, in the +leading house in the village, he came back to the shore and sat down for +a few moments' talk with the children. + +"This is a wonderful country of ours," he said, as he looked at the +shadows of the great mountains in the water. "And we who live here +belong to a noble and a mighty race. Never forget that, Mari, will you, +my child?" + +"O no, Olaf, I love to think of the grand old times when the Vikings +sailed out of these bays and travelled all over the world. They were the +ones who discovered America, weren't they? Although I have heard it said +that the honour is given now to Columbus, the Italian." + +"Hundreds of years before Columbus lived, Mari, our great seamen crossed +the ocean. Many of our people went with them and settled in Iceland. +But they did not forget their native land and the wonderful stories that +had been handed down for centuries from father to son. + +"At last a wise man said, 'I will gather together these stories of the +Norse people. I will write them down, and our children shall have them +for ever.' In this way the 'Eddas' came to be written. They are dearer +to us now than any other books except the Bible. Is it not so, +children?" + +"Yes, yes, Olaf," cried Mari and Ole together. + +And Mari added, "We are so happy when father reads to us from the +'Eddas.' I hardly know what story I like best." + +"I have sometimes heard strangers in the land speak about our boats," +Olaf went on. "They call them old-fashioned and say they remind them of +the ships the Vikings sailed in a thousand years ago, they have such +high curved prows and are so broad. But what do we care if they do call +them old-fashioned? We like it, children, for the old ways were good +ways." + +"I wish I had lived in the time of the Vikings," said Ole. "I should +like to have gone with them on their daring voyages. But why were they +better sailors than any other people at that time, Olaf?" + +"In the first place, they were strong and brave. They loved the sea and +spent their lives upon it. They trained themselves from boyhood to bear +cold and hardships. And, besides all these things, these deep bays were +good places for sailors to learn their craft. + +"But I have stayed here longer than I thought; I must go home. This was +the last village where I had to deliver letters or I could not have +stopped with you so long. I will try sailing back, but if I find the +wind still strong when I get outside the fiord, I can easily take the +sail down. Good-bye." + +The postman was soon far down the bay. He passed several fishermen in +their boats just coming back from their day's catch. Ole and Mari waited +till they came in. + +"What luck, what luck?" cried the children. + +"I have had such a good haul," said Gustav, who was the first to touch +the shore, "that here is a fine large haddock to take home to your +mother, Ole." + +"Many thanks, Gustav, my mother will be much pleased," answered the boy, +as he received the gift. Then the two children trudged homeward, +clasping hands and singing one of the songs they had learned at school. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +THE BIRTHDAY + + +"TEN years old, my daughter. Do you believe you have grown any taller +since last night?" said Mari's mother, when she called her that morning. + +"It seems so, anyway," answered the little girl, as she watched her +mother making the birthday cake. + +"Bring the citron and currants from the storeroom, Mari. I have sugar +enough, I think. This must be a beautiful cake for my daughter. The +frosting shall be thick. Here comes Ole now with the flowers." + +Ole's arms were full. "Do you think I have enough to decorate your cake, +Mari?" He laughed as he spoke. + +"We can't use half of them, of course. Look at the quantity of fruit +mother is using. There! see how yellow the dough looks since she put in +the saffron. Won't it be lovely when it is done?" + +"Come, Ole, get to work on that tub you are making for me. And, Mari, +take your knitting and go out on the porch. I wish to be quiet while I +watch the baking of the cake. There will be fun enough for you this +afternoon." + +Mari's mother had promised her a coffee party in honour of her birthday. +Soon after dinner the children began to arrive. They were dressed in +their best and looked very happy, although the white kerchiefs tied +around the rosy faces of the girls made them appear like little old +women. + +There was plenty of coffee to drink, for the children of the North are +as fond of it as the older people. Then there was the magnificent +birthday cake, rich in the fruits and sugar, and trimmed with the +flowers Ole had gathered in the morning. Of course, there were piles of +flat-bread on the table, besides other things of which the children were +fond. + +Many games were played outdoors in the sunshine. Mulberry-bush was the +favourite, and it was played over and over again. + +"I shall never forget my tenth birthday," said Mari, that night, after +her little friends had gone home. "I have had a lovely time, mother, and +you were so good to let me have the party." + +[Illustration: CARVED HOUSES AT THELEMARKEN.] + +"You can repay me by being more diligent in all your work the coming +year, my child. Learn to be more careful in your knitting and spinning. +Always be ready, with a cheerful face, to help me in the churning, and I +shall think you are growing to be a noble woman." + +Our little cousin certainly had many duties. Her hands were seldom idle +during the long winter afternoons and evenings, for there were +stockings to knit for Ole and herself, scarfs to crochet, wool to be +spun and woven, besides many other things which Norse girls need to +learn if they are to grow up to be good housekeepers. + +And Ole had much to do, also. In summer there was plenty of work in the +garden, besides fishing and shooting the wild ducks. During the winter +time he must make many useful things at his carpenter's bench. His +father was his teacher in this kind of work. Why, he had made every +piece of furniture in the house; and although it was not beautiful, it +was well made and strong. + +"I love to carve," Ole once said to his sister. "I wish it were the +fashion to decorate our buildings as the people of Thelemarken do. I +have seen pictures of their storehouses. They are just beautiful, Mari. +The men carve with their knives all sorts of figures on the outside. +The side posts of the porches are fairly covered with lovely patterns." + +"The people there don't dress as we do, either," answered Mari. "Even +the farmers wear the same clothes at work as on the holidays. I should +think it would be hard to keep clean their white jackets all trimmed +with silver buttons. The women there sometimes make their aprons out of +silk handkerchiefs. And they wear their silver belts and brooches every +day. I should like to go there and see them. Just think, Ole, I've never +been away from this place in my life!" + +"Never mind, little sister. You and I will travel some day and go all +over our country. We will even go to the North Cape and see the sun set +at midnight and then rise a moment afterward. We can almost do that here +on midsummer nights, but not quite. You know people from all over the +world travel to the North Cape, Mari." + +"What else do they see there besides the midnight sunset and sunrise?" + +"Our friend Ernst, over in the village, went there once. He belonged to +the crew of a ship that carries people there every summer. He says it is +a high mass of rocks, and it is hard to climb. When you reach the top, +you can get a good view of the Arctic Ocean, but there is nothing to see +but the dreary water; no land nor ship in sight. That is, of course, as +you look toward the north. On one side of the cape there is a small +glacier, but those can be seen in many other parts of the country. One +doesn't need to go to the North Cape to look at a glacier." + +"Our teacher told me, Ole, that a long time ago this whole country was +covered with ice. Of course, there were no people then. But after a +while the land became warmer and the ice went away. Here and there, the +ice-rivers, or glaciers, were left among the mountains, and they have +stayed there ever since. I don't see why." + +"Of course, it's terribly cold above us, Mari, up among the mountains. +The snow falls and changes into ice. It slides slowly down into the +valleys and begins to melt, but there is always plenty of ice above. +People like to come to our country to see the glaciers as well as the +other wonderful sights. I declare, I'm getting sleepy and I am going to +bed. Good night, little sister." + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +The Wedding + + +"THERE they are. They are just rounding the point," exclaimed Mari. + +She was standing on the shore and looking anxiously down the bay. She +was not alone, by any means, for every one of the village was there with +her. Why were they all dressed so finely? Why were they all looking in +one direction? And why was the church door standing open? It was not +Sunday, and it was the time when every one was usually at work. + +Gustav and Frigga, who lived farther up the coast, you remember, were to +be married. There was no church in Frigga's village, so the wedding +party must come here. + +For what would a wedding be if it were not held in a church? Half of +the beauty would be missing. + +Ah! here come the boats. The first one, of course, contains the fair +bride and her lover. They sit on a raised seat, with the bridesmaid and +best man near them. + +The bride looks quite charming with the high silver crown on her fair +head. It seems as though a queen and her royal party were drawing near. +The boat is trimmed with flowers, and the rowers pull with a will. + +Two other boats follow close behind, containing the dearest friends of +the bride and groom. As they draw near, the people on the shore hasten +to greet them with a rousing welcome. + +And now the procession is formed and starts out toward the church. First +comes the fiddler with his violin under his arm. He is followed by a man +bearing a large silver tankard. The health of the newly married pair +will be drunk from this many times before the festival is over. Next +comes the best man, with Gustav and Frigga close behind; after whom +follow the fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers of the couple. Last, +come the other relatives and friends. All are laughing and joking, and +are bright with the pretty colours of their holiday clothes. + +Now they enter the little church and pass down the aisles strewn with +juniper-tips. The air is very sweet with the odour of the freshly cut +sprigs. The minister is at the altar to meet them. He is dressed as +usual in his long black gown with the great white ruff around his neck. + +But the bride! How lovely she looks as she stands with bent head, with +the silver crown resting on her fair hair. A heavy silver chain is +around her neck, and she sparkles with rings, and brooches, and other +ornaments without number. Her stomacher is covered with silver +embroidery. Her apron is of the finest muslin, and is also embroidered +beautifully. + +The little church was so full that Ole and Mari were crowded near the +door with the other children. But they could see everything that was +going on. + +"Isn't she beautiful?" whispered Mari, to a little girl behind her. "I +don't believe our queen in her own palace can look grander than she." + +When the service was over, the wedding party left the church and turned +toward the shore. Was the good time over now, do you think? By no means, +for a whole week's merriment had only begun. + +The bridal party seated themselves in the boat in which they had +arrived. The other boats were quickly filled; the fiddler began to play +a lively air; the rowers pulled with long, steady strokes, and as they +moved out over the clear, sunlit waters, one of the party began to +sing. Others joined in the song until the air seemed filled with music. + +Ole and Mari stood on the shore together with the others who had not +gone with the young couple to their new home. + +"Gustav has made a lovely new house for Frigga," Ole told his sister. "I +sailed over there last week with Olaf, and it was just done. The last +piece of furniture was also finished. I wish we were going there to-day; +what fun everybody will have, feasting and dancing." + +"Never mind, Ole, we shall be grown up before many years. And then we +shall be invited to the wedding-parties," said Mari. "Let's go in +swimming and have some fun by ourselves this afternoon." + +Several other children followed the example of Ole and Mari. Soon there +was such a splashing and diving that the echoes of the noise came +sounding back from the mountainsides. Norse children are great +swimmers. When Mari was no more than five years old she had learned to +feel as much at home in the water as the mermaids of whom her mother +told in stories. She could stay below as long as Ole; she could dive, +and tread water, and swim backwards. There was nothing to fear, for +sharks were never seen near that shore, and the water was so clear one +could see to the very bottom, no matter how deep it might be. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +LEGENDS + + +"I AM afraid I shall have to go to lumbering this winter," said Mari's +father, as the family sat around the great open fireplace. + +Henrik had been home from the mountain pasture for two weeks. It was +growing cold, and Jack Frost had paid several visits to the farm +already. + +"What a shame it is that the crops turned out so badly," answered his +wife. "In one more week of good weather, you could have saved +everything." + +"Yes, that is true, wife, but we cannot help it. We lost nearly +everything on account of the frost. If you are to live in comfort, I +must earn money now in some other way. Two of the farm-hands can go with +me to the camp in the woods, so I shall not be very lonely." + +The farmer looked around the cheerful room, and sighed. Mari went to his +side, and put her arms around his neck. + +"Dear father, we shall miss you so much," she said. "You will come home +at Christmas, anyway, won't you?" + +"O yes, the camp is not so far away but I shall try to be back for one +night out of every two weeks. Henrik and Ole will take good care of you +girls and your mother, I know. They will be able to visit me, too. They +are both good runners on the skis (skees). Although the camp is miles +away, it will not seem much to them, eh, Ole?" + +[Illustration: SKI-LOBING.] + +"It will be grand sport," answered the boy, quickly. "We will run a race +to see which one of us can get there first. Of course Henrik will win. +But who cares? I don't." + +The two boys had been busy all day making new skis for themselves. +Great sport the children would have all this winter sliding down the +hillsides. + +Coasting on sleds! yes, there was plenty of that, too, on the snowy +slopes around Mari's home. But ski-lobing was better fun, by far. Mari +had learned to slide on skis long ago. They were made from two strips of +wood, six feet long, with pointed ends curved upward. When they were +strapped on her stout shoes the little girl could slide over the snow at +a wonderful rate, without sinking or falling. + +No, there was no sport like ski-lobing. Mari had the sled Henrik made +for her two years ago, and her two brothers sometimes dragged her on it +down to the village. Sometimes all the children went coasting with their +sleds. "But it isn't as good as ski-lobing," they would always say when +they came home. + +And it was no wonder; you would agree with them, if you could once see +them travel. It was almost like flying. They would stand together at +the top of a slope. + +"Ready!" Henrik would cry. + +Then away! they would all start downwards. It seemed but a second before +all were standing at the foot of the hill, out of breath and rosy as the +reddest winter apples. + +"Now for the top," cried the leader, after a moment's rest; and up they +would go again. + +It is easy to understand now why Ole and Henrik were not afraid of a +long trip on skis over the snow-covered fields and hills. They were so +skilful they would get to the camp in two hours at most. + +After an afternoon's sport on the hillside, the children once more +gathered in the big living-room. + +"Tell us some of the good old stories we love so much," said Mari. +"There is no one who tells them so well, dear father." + +It was the last evening he would be at home. The next morning he must +start out for the cold, dreary camp in the woods. Every one was feeling +sad, but all tried to hide it and seem gay and cheerful. + +"What shall it be, a fairy-story, or a tale of the gods and goddesses in +whom the Vikings believed?" he asked when the children had gathered +around him, in front of the blazing logs in the fireplace. + +"First let us hear that wonderful legend of the beginning of the world," +answered Mari. "It is told in the Eddas, you know." + +"Very well, then. Shut your eyes and try to think of a time when there +was no earth, nor sun, nor stars, and the Great Father was All." + +Mari opened her eyes after a moment and said, softly, "How lonely it +must have been, papa." + +"A time came, however," her father went on, "when all was changed. For +out of the thoughts of the All-Father, the Land of Winter was formed in +the far north. It was wrapped in ice and cold and mist. Then, far away +to the south, arose the Land of Heat and Fire, whose flames never died +nor burned low. + +"Now, between the land of darkness and cold, and the land of light and +heat, there was a great abyss, into which the icy rivers from the north +were ever flowing. Mist rose from these waters and rushed to meet the +sparks from the fires which were ever burning in the south lands. And as +they met, a wondrous giant came into life, the child of Heat and Cold." + +"Who was there to care for him when he was little?" asked Mari. + +"He needed no one, because he was not like ourselves, my dear; still, he +must have food. And so a wonderful cow appeared, to give him milk. As +she licked the ice from the stones, a new being gradually took shape +and arose. He was like ourselves, Mari, only larger, nobler, mightier. +He was the father of all the gods, of whom you have read so many +stories. I believe you are fondest of the god Odin, are you not, Ole?" + +"Yes, father, and it is because so many brave and noble things are told +of him. But please go on with the story. You haven't yet told us how +this world was made." + +"The gods made it out of the body of the giant, whom they were obliged +to kill." + +"They killed him because he grew wicked and evil, didn't he, papa?" + +"Yes, Mari, and that was a good reason, without doubt. The gods now used +all their thought and power in making the world beautiful. The mountains +that reach up so grandly toward the sky were their work, as well as the +beautiful valleys, the rivers winding through the green meadows, the +rushing cataracts, and the blue lakes. It is, indeed, a wonderful +earth. Round it all the gods wrapped the great oceans which send their +arms far up into our shores." + +"But how were the stars made?" asked Mari. + +"The gods first made the blue heaven which stretches above us, and +dwarfs were put at each corner to keep it in place. Sparks arising from +the realm of fire were caught and changed into stars, and they were set +on high to give light. + +"A giantess whose name was Night had a son called Day. The gods were +kind to them and gave them beautiful chariots and swift horses with +which to ride through the heavens. Look out of the window, children, and +see how bright it is. That is because the mane of Night's horse is +shedding light upon the earth as he travels onward. + +"When the sun and the moon, day and night, were established, the gods +set to work to build a home for themselves. They looked about for the +most beautiful spot, and decided upon a high plain on the summit of a +lofty mountain. The glorious city was built, and the gods settled in +their new home. It was the Golden Age of the world, for there was no +sickness, nor death, nor sorrow, nor pain. + +"In the very centre of the wondrous city the gods fashioned a golden +hall for themselves, and in it there was a shining throne for each one. +They had many games and sports, in which they vied with each other in +strength and skill. They had a smithy, where they shaped iron and gold +and silver into powerful tools and weapons. It was here that the rainbow +was made, which you see at times arching over the heavens. + +"But the gods were not satisfied. They looked over the earth and saw no +living creatures. They said among themselves: + +"'We will make the dwarfs, who shall live in the earth and work the +mines.' + +"But this was not all, for Odin, your favourite among the gods, said to +his brothers: + +"'Look yonder at those two trees, the ash and the elm, standing side by +side. We will make man and woman from them. They shall people the earth +and we will care for them as our children.' + +"So it came to pass that our race began to live among the hills and +valleys, and has been here ever since. But the gods have never deserted +us, but are ever ready to help and protect us. At least, all this is +what the legend teaches." + +"Of course, there are no real gods, are there?" said Mari. + +"The only gods are our beautiful souls, my daughter. They can never die +nor do evil, any more than these gods in whom our old Vikings really +believed. The giants are our earthly natures that are constantly trying +to make us forget our godlike souls. But we shall conquer them at last, +just as the gods always succeeded in mastering the giants, no matter how +strong or clever they were." + +"Didn't it take a long time to do it, papa? The Golden Age didn't last +after quarrelling began, did it?" + +"No. The gods had their troubles and sorrows as well as men. But, as I +said before, the gods always ended by being successful." + +"Are you too tired to tell another story, father? This time I wish we +could hear something about the fairies. Won't you tell us about +Ashiepattle?" + +Now Ashiepattle is one of the favourites of all Norse children, and many +tales are told of his wonderful deeds. + +"Which story shall it be?" asked the farmer. + +"The one about his eating with the troll," cried Mari and Ole, together. + +Their father laughed. "You are never tired of that, although you are +almost a man, Ole. Listen, then, and you shall hear how this brave boy +ate with the giant. + +"Once upon a time there was a man who had three sons. The older boys +were idle and lazy and would do no work. Their father was too old and +feeble to compel them. He had a fine wood-lot, and he wished them to go +out and cut down the trees. Then he would be able to sell lumber and pay +his bills; but for a long time the sons gave no heed to his request. + +"At length, however, they began to listen and think the plan was a good +one. The oldest son shouldered his axe and started for the forest. But +he had no sooner begun his work upon a big tree, than a troll suddenly +appeared at his side. + +"'That is my tree,' said the troll. 'If you cut it down, I will kill you +at once.' + +"The boy was terribly frightened. And it is scarcely to be wondered at, +for the troll was an immense, fierce-looking creature. Dropping his axe, +he started for home on the run, and did not stop to look around till he +got there. + +"'You coward,' cried his father when he heard his story. 'When I was a +boy no troll was ever able to scare me away from my work.' + +"'I will go,' said the second son. 'I shall not be afraid, you may +believe.' + +"He started out with a brave heart, and was soon at work in the forest. +But his axe had hardly struck the first tree when the troll appeared +before him. + +"'Spare the tree, if you wish me to spare your life,' cried the giant. + +"The boy did exactly as his brother had done before him. All his bravery +disappeared the moment he looked upon the giant. Without stopping a +moment he fled for home, and rushed into the house breathless. + +"'What a foolish, cowardly fellow,' cried his father. 'You are not much +like me when I was young. No troll ever drove me away from my work.' + +"'Let me try, father,' said little Ashiepattle. 'I am not afraid.' + +"His two brothers looked at him in astonishment. '_You_ try, when we +have both failed! You, who never go out of the house, what an idea!' And +they laughed in scorn. + +"Nevertheless, Ashiepattle went to the forest. But first, he asked his +mother for a good supply of food. She at once put on the pot and made +him a cheese, for she had nothing ready. With this in his bag, he +started out merrily and was soon at work. The axe was sent straight into +the heart of the tree, and the chips flew right and left. But just then +a deep, gruff voice was heard close by. + +"'Stop at once,' cried the troll, 'or you shall die.' + +"Now, do you suppose Ashiepattle followed his brothers' example, and +that he fled from the troll? He never thought of such a thing. He did +run, to be sure, but only for a short distance, to the spot where he had +left his cheese. Coming back to the place where the troll stood, he +squeezed his cheese with all his might. + +"'Keep still, or I will squeeze you just as I am squeezing this cheese,' +he shouted. + +"It would have made you laugh to see that little fellow talking to the +big giant in this way; but the troll was a coward, as all big blusterers +are, and somehow Ashiepattle felt it. His quick mind told him that he +was a human being, and wiser than all the trolls. What do you suppose +the troll did, children? He cried, 'Spare me!' with a voice trembling +with fear. 'If you will only spare me, I will help you cut down the +trees,' he added, in haste. + +"That afternoon great work was done in the forest. Many great trees were +laid low; for the troll had wonderful strength in his big arms, and he +showed himself a fine helper. + +"When night came the troll proposed that Ashiepattle should go home with +him to supper. + +"'It is nearer than your house,' he said. + +"So Ashiepattle went with the troll to his home in the forest. + +"Before the supper could be made ready, a fire must be made in the +fireplace. The troll said he would do this if Ashiepattle would draw +some water from the well. + +"When the boy looked at the iron buckets he should have to fill, he knew +that he could not even lift them; but he was too wise to say this. + +"'I won't bother with those buckets,' he told the troll; 'I will bring +the well itself. Then you will be sure to have water enough.' + +"'O, don't do that,' cried the troll, in fear, 'for I will have no well +left. Let me get the water, while you make the fire.' + +"This suited Ashiepattle, of course, for it was exactly what he wished. +The water was brought, and a great kettleful of porridge was soon ready +to eat, so the troll and the boy sat down together at the table. + +"'I can eat more than you, although you are so much larger,' said +Ashiepattle to his host. + +"'Let us see you try,' said the troll, who felt sure he could beat the +boy. + +"What do you think Ashiepattle did? When the troll was not looking, he +seized the bag in which he had kept the cheese, and, fastening it in +front of him, he slipped most of the porridge he received into that, +instead of his mouth. At last it was quite full. Ashiepattle then took +his knife and cut a hole in it, while the troll watched him in wonder. +After awhile the giant exclaimed: + +"'I really can't eat any more. I shall have to admit you have beaten +me.' + +"'Didn't you see what I did?' cried his visitor. 'If you cut a hole in +your stomach as you saw me do, you can eat as long as you wish.' + +"'But didn't it hurt terribly?' asked the troll. + +"'No, indeed. Try it and see for yourself,' replied Ashiepattle, +laughing inside all the while. + +"The troll did as he was told, and you may guess what happened. He fell +on the floor in agony and died in a few moments. + +"And what did our brave little Ashiepattle do? He searched for the +stores of gold and silver belonging to the troll, and soon succeeded in +finding them. He started for home in great glee, for now he could pay +his father's debt and free the old man from trouble." + +"Listen," cried Henrik, as his father finished the story. "There is a +noise outside as though something were the matter. Do you suppose foxes +have dared to come near and are disturbing the hens?" + +"We will soon find out," cried the farmer, jumping to his feet. "Hand me +my gun from the wall, good wife, and Henrik, take yours and follow me." + +They crept out of the house with as little noise as possible, while Ole +and Mari flattened their noses against the window-panes. But it was +pitch-dark outside, and they could see nothing. + +Bang, bang! went a gun. + +"They found him, they found him," shouted Ole, jumping up and down. "I +do hope he was hit." + +A few minutes after, steps were heard coming back to the house. Ole +rushed to the door and opened it. There stood his father holding a large +red fox by the nape of the neck. The eyes of the animal were glassy, for +he was quite dead. + +"He was creeping away over the snow when we saw him," said the farmer, +"and he had one of my finest hens in his mouth. I don't believe this was +his first visit, either, for you know, wife, we have lost several fowls +lately. Henrik, you and Ole may skin this sly fellow and make a mat for +your mother. But it is getting late, and I must start early in the +morning, so to bed, one and all." + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +THE LUMBER CAMP + + +THE whole family were awake bright and early the next morning. Mari and +Greta helped their mother in packing the birch-bark knapsack with the +provisions their father needed to carry with him to the forest. There +must be a good supply of dried meat and fish, sugar, butter, and flour. +Last, but not least, the coffee was packed safely inside. What would the +good man and his helpers do without this refreshing drink? When they +returned to the hut after a day's chilling work, a bowl of hot coffee +would fill them with new life. + +"Ole and I will come next week and bring you fresh supplies," said +Henrik, as his father bade them good-bye and the three men started out +on their snow-shoes over the crisp snow. + +They were soon out of sight and the rest of the family returned to their +work. But little Mari, who loved her father very tenderly, kept thinking +of the hard, cold work before him. What kind of a home would he find +when he got into the forest? There would be no shelter of any kind. + +He and his men must go to work at once and saw some logs, with which +they would build a rough hut. They would stuff the chinks with moss to +keep out the great cold, or else they would freeze to death. + +What furniture would they have? A large, flat stone would serve as a +fireplace, while the bed would be made of poles placed side by side and +covered with moss. That was all. They must sleep as close to the fire as +possible, and even then they would suffer greatly during the long, +freezing nights. + +"I am so sorry the crops failed," said Mari to her mother when she had +thought of all these things. "I almost wish father had gone to work +fishing this winter. I don't believe that would have been as hard work." + +"The sea has its own dangers, my daughter," answered her mother. "Think +of the fearful storms that rage along our coast and the sad deaths that +have come to some of our friends. No, Mari, lumbering is hard work, but +it is safer, I think, than fishing in the winter season." + +Ole had come into the room while they were talking. + +"It's cold and uncomfortable for father this winter, I know," he said, +"but the greatest danger is in the spring-time, when he has to float the +logs down the narrow streams to the sawmills." + +"Why is that so dangerous?" asked Mari. + +"Because his work isn't over when he has once launched the logs into +the water. He must watch them in their course and see that they get to +their journey's end. Suppose one log gets across the stream and blocks +the way? Then father must wade out into the water and pull that log +aside with his boat-hook. He has to spend a good deal of his time in the +water, and is likely to freeze his feet, or get a terrible cold, at any +rate. Perhaps he has to jump on the logs as he pulls them apart. Suppose +he slips and, falling through, is jammed to death between the logs! + +"There, there, Mari, dear, don't cry. I shouldn't have said all this. +Father will probably get along all right and come home safe in the +spring." + +Henrik put his strong arms around his little sister, and she had soon +forgotten her fears and was laughing heartily over the fairy-story he +was telling her. + +The next week after their father left home, Henrik and Ole started out +on a visit to the camp, carrying with them a stock of provisions large +enough to supply the men for several days longer. + +"Take your gun, Henrik," said his mother, "for you can't tell what wild +creatures you may meet on the way. It would be a fine surprise for your +father if you should present him with a hare or a deer. Some fresh meat +would make a rare treat for the men." + +The boys skimmed over mile after mile of snowy ground, and nothing +unusual happened. No houses were in sight all this time, and there were +no tracks of living creatures. It was lonely, and dreary, and quiet. + +They were nearing their journey's end, and were climbing the side of a +hill, when Henrik suddenly stopped. + +"See, Ole," he whispered, "there are the tracks of some four-footed +beast ahead of us. They are too heavy and big for hares'. It may be we +are near some bear's den. Look out, for you know the old ones are +sometimes very fierce. Let us follow the tracks for a while and see what +we come to, anyway." + +"Shouldn't we be proud if we could find him and kill him?" answered Ole. +"Roasted bear's meat makes a pretty good dinner." + +The boys travelled very carefully now, for they had come into the thick +woods. The tracks suddenly came to an end at a pile of logs lying at one +side. + +"Perhaps the bear has a snug home under those logs," said Henrik, in a +low tone, as he seized his gun. + +At that very moment the boys heard a sound, and at once a huge brown +bear appeared. He moved sleepily, as though he had just been wakened, +but as soon as he got sight of the boys he roused, and his face became +fierce. + +No time was to be lost, but Henrik was as cool as any old hunter. His +hand did not tremble as he took careful aim. Whizz! flew the bullet +just as the bear prepared to come at them. It would have gone straight +into his heart if he had not suddenly raised his paw, but it entered +that instead. + +"Run for your life, Ole," shouted his brother, as the huge and angry +brute dashed toward them. + +Even as he spoke, the bear knocked Ole down, and would have made short +work of him if it had not been for Henrik's coolness. A second shot from +his gun broke the animal's neck. He rose on his hind legs, and plunged +blindly forward only to fall dead at Henrik's feet. + +"It's a good thing we are trained to be soldiers at school," the brave +boy said afterward, when he told the story to his father. "I really +believe I should have lost my head, if it hadn't been for that training. +But I said to myself: 'You never fail at home in hitting the mark, why +should you now?' It gave me courage, father." + +His father smiled and answered, "You have done well, Henrik. I am proud +of you." + +This was said as the boys sat around the fire in the log hut that night. +As soon as they were sure the bear was really dead, they had hurried on +to the camp, which was only a short distance away. Then, as soon as they +had told of their luck, the men went back with them to skin the bear and +cut up and bring in the meat. They brought it to the camp on a rough +sledge. + +"He is a beauty," exclaimed one of the men, as he looked at the bear. + +"And as big a one as I ever set eyes on," said the other. "I don't see +how you ever dared to tackle him, Henrik. I should have hesitated for a +moment, myself." + +It was so late in the day when they all got back to the camp that father +said: + +"Boys, you had better stay all night, unless you think your mother will +worry about you." + +"We told her we might not come home to-day," said Ole. "It is such a +long tramp, she said we had better not try, for we would get too tired. +So it is all right." + +How good the bear steak looked when it was set on the rough +supper-table. It was smoked a good deal,--that was certain; but no one +spoke or even thought of that. And the table was not elegant, for there +was no cloth to cover the rough pine boards. But the fresh cheese, the +kind mother had sent, the hard brown bread baked by the men, with plenty +of bear steak and a bowl of steaming coffee, made a supper "fit for a +king," as the boys declared when they could eat no more. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE LAPPS + + +"PERHAPS this seems a cold place to you, when you think of the warm +farmhouse you left yesterday," said one of the workmen to Henrik. "You +ought to go to the far north, and visit the Lapps. Ah! you will find +plenty of cold weather there. But those queer people don't seem to +notice it very much. I suppose that is because they have got used to it, +since they never lived anywhere else." + +"Do tell us about them," begged Ole. "I didn't know you had ever been to +Lapland, Adolf." + +[Illustration: "'IT IS ALWAYS IN THE SHAPE OF A MOUND.'"] + +"Yes, when I was a young man I was a great hunter, Ole. I have travelled +all over this country and have seen many strange sights." + +"I should like to be a hunter, too," said Henrik. "It must be great +sport getting the wild reindeer. But go on, Adolf, and tell us about the +homes of the Lapps, and their herds of tame reindeer, as well as the +queer ways of the people." + +"They are a strange people, that is a fact," said Adolf. "They are +queer-looking and queer in their ways. They are very small, few of them +over five feet tall, and they are quite stout. Their skin is of a dark +yellow; the hair is jet-black, coarse and straight; their cheek-bones, +high; and their eyes are blue and small. Their little noses turn up in a +comical way, and their mouths are often open as though they were +surprised at something." + +"I suppose they dress in fur, don't they?" asked Ole. + +"O yes, from head to foot. But they get all they need from the skins of +their reindeer. They wear high boots bound tightly around their legs +in winter-time, so they are able to keep dry, even if they are out in +the worst snow-storm." + +"What are their houses made of?" asked Henrik. "I suppose lumber is +scarce where they live." + +"Sometimes the people make a frame-work of timber and cover it first +with skins and then with turf. Sometimes the hut is built of stones, +over which the turf is thickly laid. But it is always in the shape of a +mound." + +"Are there any windows in the hut?" + +"No, Ole, and so, of course, the air inside is very close and +unpleasant. There isn't even a chimney. A hole is left in the roof large +enough to let out the smoke; that is all. When the short summer comes +round, the Lapps prefer to live in deer-skin tents, and I can't say I +blame them." + +"Did you ever visit them in their homes, Adolf?" asked Henrik. + +"Yes, I stayed with a family of them over night. They seemed very +friendly and tried to make my visit pleasant, but I didn't enjoy it very +much, it was such a dirty, smoky place. + +"In the middle of the room was a stone fireplace, over which hung the +kettle when our supper was cooked. They all squatted on deer-skins +around the fire. When I had been there a few minutes, I heard a noise +overhead. I looked up and saw a dear little blue-eyed baby, swinging in +a hammock and cooing to me. I reached up and took it down, and it +snuggled in my arms as though it knew I was a friend." + +"What did you have for supper?" asked the farmer. + +"Everything came from the reindeer, of course. There was plenty of rich +milk, besides a good-sized cheese and a meat stew. I have eaten worse +meals since, many times." + +"But how did you sleep?" + +"The beds were easily made by stretching deer-skins on the floor. We +covered ourselves with more skins, and lay snug and warm till morning." + +"Did you sleep more warmly than we do here?" The farmer laughed as he +said it. + +"I must say I did," replied Adolf, with an answering laugh. + +"Although the Lapps' huts are far from beautiful, they are made so that +wind and snow cannot blow in, at any rate." Adolf pointed to a ridge of +snow that had sifted in through the wall, although they had stuffed the +cracks as well as they could with dried moss. + +"But, dear me! the Lapps wouldn't mind it very much if it did," he went +on. "The men will lie down to sleep in an open field on rocks or snow, +if they are not near their home. They are not afraid of the cold, and it +seldom seems to hurt them, either. + +"As I lay on the floor of the hut that night, I could see rows of smoked +meat and fish hanging against the sides of the walls. They have neither +storehouses nor closets, so they are obliged to keep their provisions in +the huts. + +"The next morning I went out among the reindeer with the chief of the +settlement. I believe there were more than a thousand reindeer in sight. +It was milking-day and the men were having a lively time of it. They had +to catch each animal and hold it still with a lasso while the milking +was done." + +"Why did you speak of milking-day, Adolf? Don't the Lapps milk the +reindeer as often as we do our cows?" + +"No, indeed. It is done only once a week, because the creatures are so +wild. They are not gentle and tame, as you have probably supposed. They +can be managed very well in driving, however. It is great sport to ride +behind a team of reindeer, for one flies over the snow like the wind. +Their masters sometimes drive them a hundred miles in a day." + +"That is good, for I have heard that the Lapps don't stay in one place +all their lives. They are a wandering people, aren't they?" + +"Yes, Ole, but one reason for that is the need of finding good +feeding-grounds for their deer. When one place becomes bare, they must +seek another. Then, again, in the summer-time they like to go to the +rivers and camp beside them for the sake of the salmon fishing. They are +as fond as we of a good dish of salmon for dinner." + +"What do the reindeer feed on?" asked Henrik. + +"In winter they paw away the snow and find the lichen, which is a little +gray plant very much like the moss you see growing on the mountainside +about here. In summer they eat the young and tender shoots on the bushes +and low trees. They are very hardy creatures and among the most useful." + +"Just think!" cried Ole. "The reindeer furnish the Lapps with everything +they need,--their clothing, food, and shelter; and, as if that were not +enough, they make good beasts of burden, and carry their masters +wherever they wish to go." + +"I shall tell Mari all about them when I get home," Ole went on. "I know +one question my busy little sister will ask at once. She will say, 'What +do the women and children do with themselves all the time?' How shall I +answer that question, Adolf?" + +"You may tell Mari there is plenty of work for them. They dress the +reindeer skins, and make lovely rugs and warm slippers turned up at the +toes and bound with red." + +"Why, yes, Ole, your mother has a pair of slippers made by the Lapp +women," interrupted his father. "I bought them for her at Bergen, and +she wears them on cold winter mornings." + +"That is so, I remember them; but I never thought about the Lapps when I +looked at them," answered Ole. "Is there anything else the women of +Lapland make, Adolf?" + +"Many things. They showed me knives and spoons they had shaped out of +the horns of the reindeer. They were very pretty, and a great deal of +time must have been spent on the carving. The men and boys do most of +this last work. I really think the most wonderful thing I saw was the +thread the women make of the reindeer sinews. It is fine and even, yet +very strong. I wish I could have seen them making it." + +Adolf yawned. "I am so sleepy I think it must be bedtime. There's a +hard day's work before us to-morrow." + +After fresh wood had been laid on the fire, the party quickly settled +themselves for the night's rest. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +HOLIDAY FROLICS + + +"FATHER'S coming, father's coming!" cried Mari as she stood looking down +the snow-covered valley. + +She rushed into the house and put on her skis, then skimmed across the +fields with long strides. + +"Everything is ready," she told her father as soon as she reached him. +"And now we shall have a lovely Christmas because you have come." + +Yes, everything was ready for the greatest day of the year. Even the +birds were not forgotten, for a fresh sheaf of wheat had been fastened +on the pole where the magpie had hidden the silver brooch. Ole had made +a new collar for the dog, Kyle; Henrik had shot enough wild game for +the Christmas dinner; Mari and Greta had helped their mother in making +some wonderful cakes. + +There was nothing for the tired father to do except to sit in the +chimney-corner and frolic with his children. It was a jolly time, for no +one was expected to be quiet now, and all were allowed to do as they +pleased. + +Christmas comes but once a year, and the children realized it fully. + +They played games and told stories; they danced and sang to the music of +Henrik's violin. There was no spinning, or even crocheting, for the +girls, while the boys did only what farm work was needed to keep the +horses and cattle comfortable. + +On Christmas Day a party of the villagers came to the farm to share in +the games and feasting. Even the magpie, mischievous little fellow, +seemed to enjoy the fun. He flew from one to the others of the party +and, lighting on the shoulders of the young girls suddenly, would +startle them and make every one else laugh. + +The baby, bless his heart, had the best time of all. He was not left to +hang in his cradle for a single moment. Everybody wished to hold him, +and he was passed from one to another of the company, where he enjoyed +himself fingering the shining silver ornaments of his friends. + +He had his new toys to amuse him, also, for Henrik and Ole had carved +him a doll and a queer-looking horse out of wood. + +Everybody was jolly and happy, and there was much drinking of coffee and +shaking of hands. It was eleven o'clock when the tired but happy +children climbed the steps of their beds to dream of the good time just +over. + +After this, it did not seem a very long time to Fastilevn, which is the +next best holiday to Christmas. At least, that is what Mari thought, +and if you lived with her you would surely think so too. + +Fastilevn comes in the early spring, on the first Monday of Lent, and on +that day the Norse children are allowed to do exactly as they wish. +Their parents may be strict and stern all the rest of the year, but at +Fastilevn all rules are laid aside and the little ones may run wild if +they like. + +Cakes and buns! If you could see Mari, Greta, and their brothers eat +sweet things on this day, you would wonder where they could possibly +find room in their stomachs to stow them all away. + +The feasting was not the best part of the fun, however. You would never +guess what strange thing the children were allowed to do on that day. +They might whip their mother! Of course, it was all in sport. The boys +took long birch twigs and fastened many tissue-papers and coloured +ribbons and tinsel upon them. The night before the great day, these +twigs were set up in a corner of the living-room, all ready for the next +day's fun. + +With the first light of morning those gay switches began to be plied, +while the children followed their mother about, laughing gaily all the +while. + +How long did the fun last, do you suppose? Until the last shred of paper +was gone from each switch. + +And how do you suppose there ever came to be such an odd custom? The +Norse parents believe firmly in the old maxim, "Spare the rod and spoil +the child." Their children are likely to be often whipped for +wrong-doing; Fastilevn is supposed to make up for twelve months of +whippings, whether they were deserved or not. + +Mari has seldom needed punishment, for she is a good, helpful little +girl; but she enjoys Fastilevn very much, nevertheless. + +The holiday came to an end, as all days must, whether they are good or +bad. In the evening, when the bare switches had been thrown away, Mari +went to her mother and put her arms around her neck, whispering: + +"Mamma, I wouldn't really hurt you for the world, even if you had to +give me a thousand whippings. And I am going to try harder than ever to +be your little helper." + +The good woman's eyes filled with tears. "God bless you, little +daughter," she said, as she bent down and kissed her. + + +THE END. + + + + +BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE + + +THE LITTLE COLONEL BOOKS + +(Trade Mark) + +_By ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON_ + + _Each 1 vol., large 12mo, cloth, illustrated, per vol._ $1.50 + + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL STORIES= + (Trade Mark) + +Being three "Little Colonel" stories in the Cosy Corner Series, "The +Little Colonel," "Two Little Knights of Kentucky," and "The Giant +Scissors," put into a single volume. + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL'S HOUSE PARTY= + (Trade Mark) + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL'S HOLIDAYS= + (Trade Mark) + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL'S HERO= + (Trade Mark) + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL AT BOARDING SCHOOL= + (Trade Mark) + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL IN ARIZONA= + (Trade Mark) + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL'S CHRISTMAS VACATION= + (Trade Mark) + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL, MAID OF HONOUR= + (Trade Mark) + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL'S KNIGHT COMES RIDING= + (Trade Mark) + + MARY WARE: THE LITTLE COLONEL'S CHUM + (Trade Mark) + + _These ten volumes, boxed as a ten-volume set._ $15.00 + + =THE LITTLE COLONEL= + (Trade Mark) + + =TWO LITTLE KNIGHTS OF KENTUCKY= + + =THE GIANT SCISSORS= + + =BIG BROTHER= + + +Special Holiday Editions + + Each one volume, cloth decorative, small quarto, $1.25 + + +New plates, handsomely illustrated with eight full-page drawings in +color, and many marginal sketches. + + +=IN THE DESERT OF WAITING=: THE LEGEND OF CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN. + +=THE THREE WEAVERS=: A FAIRY TALE FOR FATHERS AND MOTHERS AS WELL AS FOR +THEIR DAUGHTERS. + +=KEEPING TRYST= + +=THE LEGEND OF THE BLEEDING HEART= + +=THE RESCUE OF PRINCESS WINSOME=: A FAIRY PLAY FOR OLD AND YOUNG. + +=THE JESTER'S SWORD= + + Each one volume, tall 16mo, cloth decorative $0.50 + Paper boards .35 + +There has been a constant demand for publication in separate form of +these six stories, which were originally included in six of the "Little +Colonel" books. + +=JOEL: A BOY OF GALILEE=: BY ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON. Illustrated by L. +J. Bridgman. + + New illustrated edition, uniform with the Little Colonel + Books, 1 vol., large 12mo, cloth decorative $1.50 + +A story of the time of Christ, which is one of the author's best-known +books. + + +=THE LITTLE COLONEL GOOD TIMES BOOK= + + Uniform in size with the Little Colonel Series $1.50 + Bound in white kid (morocco) and gold 3.00 + +Cover design and decorations by Amy Carol Rand. + +The publishers have had many inquiries from readers of the Little +Colonel books as to where they could obtain, a "Good Times Book" such as +Betty kept. Mrs. Johnston, who has for years kept such a book herself, +has gone enthusiastically into the matter of the material and format for +a similar book for her young readers. Every girl will want to possess a +"Good Times Book." + + +=ASA HOLMES:= OR, AT THE CROSS-ROADS. A sketch of Country Life and +Country Humor. By ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON. + +With a frontispiece by Ernest Fosbery. + + Large 16mo, cloth, gilt top $1.00 + +"'Asa Holmes: Or, At the Cross-Roads' is the most delightful, most +sympathetic and wholesome book that has been published in a long +while."--_Boston Times._ + + +=THE RIVAL CAMPERS:= OR, THE ADVENTURES OF HENRY BURNS. By RUEL PERLEY +SMITH. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +A story of a party of typical American lads, courageous, alert, and +athletic, who spend a summer camping on an island off the Maine coast. + + +=THE RIVAL CAMPERS AFLOAT:= OR, THE PRIZE YACHT VIKING. By RUEL PERLEY +SMITH. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +This book is a continuation of the adventures of "The Rival Campers" on +their prize yacht _Viking_. + + +=THE RIVAL CAMPERS ASHORE= + +By RUEL PERLEY SMITH. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +"As interesting ashore as when afloat."--_The Interior._ + + +=JACK HARVEY'S ADVENTURES:= OR, THE RIVAL CAMPERS AMONG THE OYSTER +PIRATES. By RUEL PERLEY SMITH. + + Illustrated $1.50 + +"Just the type of book which is most popular with lads who are in their +early teens."--_The Philadelphia Item._ + + +=PRISONERS OF FORTUNE:= A Tale of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By RUEL +PERLEY SMITH. + + Cloth decorative, with a colored frontispiece $1.50 + +"There is an atmosphere of old New England in the book, the humor of the +born raconteur about the hero, who tells his story with the gravity of a +preacher, but with a solemn humor that is irresistible."--_Courier-Journal._ + + +=FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS.= By CHARLES H. L. JOHNSTON. + + Large 12mo. With 24 illustrations $1.50 + +Biographical sketches, with interesting anecdotes and reminiscences of +the heroes of history who were leaders of cavalry. + +"More of such books should be written, books that acquaint young readers +with historical personages in a pleasant informal way."--_N. Y. Sun._ + + +=FAMOUS INDIAN CHIEFS.= By CHARLES H. L. JOHNSTON. + + Large 12mo, illustrated $1.50 + +In this book Mr. Johnston gives interesting sketches of the Indian +braves who have figured with prominence in the history of our own land, +including Powhatan, the Indian Cæsar; Massasoit, the friend of the +Puritans; Pontiac, the red Napoleon; Tecumseh, the famous war chief of +the Shawnees; Sitting Bull, the famous war chief of the Sioux; Geronimo, +the renowned Apache Chief, etc., etc. + + +=BILLY'S PRINCESS.= By HELEN EGGLESTON HASKELL. + + Cloth decorative, illustrated by Helen McCormick Kennedy $1.25 + +Billy Lewis was a small boy of energy and ambition, so when he was left +alone and unprotected, he simply started out to take care of himself. + + +=TENANTS OF THE TREES.= By CLARENCE HAWKES. + + Cloth decorative, illustrated in colors $1.50 + +"A book which will appeal to all who care for the hearty, healthy, +outdoor life of the country. The illustrations are particularly +attractive."--_Boston Herald._ + + +=BEAUTIFUL JOE'S PARADISE:= OR, THE ISLAND OF BROTHERLY LOVE. A sequel +to "Beautiful Joe." + +By MARSHALL SAUNDERS, author of "Beautiful Joe." + + One vol., library 12mo, cloth, illustrated $1.50 + +"This book revives the spirit of 'Beautiful Joe' capitally. It is fairly +riotous with fun, and is about as unusual as anything in the animal book +line that has seen the light."--_Philadelphia Item._ + + +='TILDA JANE.= By MARSHALL SAUNDERS. + + One vol., 12mo, fully illustrated, cloth decorative, $1.50 + +"I cannot think of any better book for children than this. I commend it +unreservedly."--_Cyrus Townsend Brady._ + + +='TILDA JANE'S ORPHANS.= A sequel to 'Tilda Jane. By MARSHALL SAUNDERS. + + One vol., 12mo, fully illustrated, cloth decorative, $1.50 + +'Tilda Jane is the same original, delightful girl, and as fond of her +animal pets as ever. + + +=THE STORY OF THE GRAVELEYS.= By MARSHALL SAUNDERS, author of "Beautiful +Joe's Paradise," "'Tilda Jane," etc. + + Library 12mo, cloth decorative. Illustrated by E. B. Barry $1.50 + +Here we have the haps and mishaps, the trials and triumphs, of a +delightful New England family, of whose devotion and sturdiness it will +do the reader good to hear. + + +=BORN TO THE BLUE.= By FLORENCE KIMBALL RUSSEL. + + 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.25 + +The atmosphere of army life on the plains breathes on every page of this +delightful tale. The boy is the son of a captain of U. S. cavalry +stationed at a frontier post in the days when our regulars earned the +gratitude of a nation. + + +=IN WEST POINT GRAY= + +By FLORENCE KIMBALL RUSSEL. + + 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +"Singularly enough one of the best books of the year for boys is written +by a woman and deals with life at West Point. The presentment of life in +the famous military academy whence so many heroes have graduated is +realistic and enjoyable."--_New York Sun._ + + +=FROM CHEVRONS TO SHOULDER STRAPS= + +By FLORENCE KIMBALL RUSSEL. + + 12mo, cloth, illustrated, decorative $1.50 + +West Point again forms the background of a new volume in this popular +series, and relates the experience of Jack Stirling during his junior +and senior years. + + +=THE SANDMAN: HIS FARM STORIES= + +By WILLIAM J. HOPKINS. With fifty illustrations by Ada Clendenin +Williamson. + + Large 12mo, decorative cover $1.50 + +"An amusing, original book, written for the benefit of very small +children. It should be one of the most popular of the year's books for +reading to small children."--_Buffalo Express._ + + +=THE SANDMAN: MORE FARM STORIES= + +By WILLIAM J. HOPKINS. + + Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 + +Mr. Hopkins's first essay at bedtime stories met with such approval that +this second book of "Sandman" tales was issued for scores of eager +children. Life on the farm, and out-of-doors, is portrayed in his +inimitable manner. + + +=THE SANDMAN: HIS SHIP STORIES= + +By WILLIAM J. HOPKINS, author of "The Sandman: His Farm Stories," etc. + + Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 + +"Children call for these stories over and over again."--_Chicago Evening +Post._ + + +=THE SANDMAN, HIS SEA STORIES= + +By WILLIAM J. HOPKINS. + + Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 + +Each year adds to the popularity of this unique series of stories to be +read to the little ones at bed time and at other times. + + +=THE DOCTOR'S LITTLE GIRL= + +By MARION AMES TAGGART, author of "Pussy-Cat Town," etc. + + One vol., library 12mo, illustrated $1.50 + +A thoroughly enjoyable tale of a little girl and her comrade father, +written in a delightful vein of sympathetic comprehension of the child's +point of view. + + +=SWEET NANCY= + +THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OP THE DOCTOR'S LITTLE GIRL. By MARION AMES +TAGGART. + + One vol., library, 12mo, illustrated $1.50 + +In the new book, the author tells how Nancy becomes in fact "the +doctor's assistant," and continues to shed happiness around her. + + +=THE CHRISTMAS-MAKERS' CLUB= + +By EDITH A. SAWYER. + + 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +A delightful story for girls, full of the real spirit of Christmas. It +abounds in merrymaking and the right kind of fun. + + +=CARLOTA= + +A STORY OF THE SAN GABRIEL MISSION. By FRANCES MARGARET FOX. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated + in colors by Ethelind Ridgway $1.00 + +"It is a pleasure to recommend this little story as an entertaining +contribution to juvenile literature."--_The New York Sun._ + + +=THE SEVEN CHRISTMAS CANDLES= + +By FRANCES MARGARET FOX. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated + in colors by Ethelind Ridgway $1.00 + +Miss Fox's new book deals with the fortunes of the delightful Mulvaney +children. + + +=PUSSY-CAT TOWN= + +By MARION AMES TAGGART. + + Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and + decorated in colors $1.00 + +"Anything more interesting than the doings of the cats in this story, +their humor, their wisdom, their patriotism, would be hard to +imagine."--_Chicago Post._ + + +=THE ROSES OF SAINT ELIZABETH= + +By JANE SCOTT WOODRUFF. + + Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and + decorated in colors by Adelaide Everhart $1.00 + +This is a charming little story of a child whose father was caretaker of +the great castle of the Wartburg, where Saint Elizabeth once had her +home. + + +=GABRIEL AND THE HOUR BOOK= + +By EVALEEN STEIN. + + Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and + decorated in colors by Adelaide Everhart $1.00 + +Gabriel was a loving, patient, little French lad, who assisted the monks +in the long ago days, when all the books were written and illuminated by +hand, in the monasteries. + + +=THE ENCHANTED AUTOMOBILE= + +Translated from the French by MART J. SAFFORD + + Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and + decorated in colors by Edna M. Sawyer $1.00 + +"An up-to-date French fairy-tale which fairly radiates the spirit of the +hour,--unceasing diligence."--_Chicago Record-Herald._ + + +=O-HEART-SAN= + +THE STORY OF A JAPANESE GIRL. By HELEN EGGLESTON HASKELL. + + Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and + decorated in colors by Frank P. Fairbanks $1.00 + +"The story comes straight from the heart of Japan. The shadow of +Fujiyama lies across it and from every page breathes the fragrance of +tea leaves, cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums."--_The Chicago +Inter-Ocean._ + + +=THE YOUNG SECTION-HAND:= OR, THE ADVENTURES OF ALLAN WEST. By BURTON E. +STEVENSON. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +Mr. Stevenson's hero is a manly lad of sixteen, who is given a chance as +a section-hand on a big Western railroad, and whose experiences are as +real as they are thrilling. + + +=THE YOUNG TRAIN DISPATCHER.= By BURTON E. STEVENSON. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +"A better book for boys has never left an American press."--_Springfield +Union._ + + +=THE YOUNG TRAIN MASTER.= By BURTON E. STEVENSON. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +"Nothing better in the way of a book of adventure for boys in which the +actualities of life are set forth in a practical way could be devised or +written."--_Boston Herald._ + + +=CAPTAIN JACK LORIMER.= By _Winn Standish_. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +Jack is a fine example of the all-around American high-school boy. + + +=JACK LORIMER'S CHAMPIONS:= OR, SPORTS ON LAND AND LAKE. By WINN +STANDISH. + + Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +"It is exactly the sort of book to give a boy interested in athletics, +for it shows him what it means to always 'play fair.'"--_Chicago +Tribune._ + + +=JACK LORIMER'S HOLIDAYS:= OR, MILLVALE HIGH IN CAMP. By WINN STANDISH. + + Illustrated $1.50 + +Full of just the kind of fun, sports and adventure to excite the healthy +minded youngster to emulation. + + +=JACK LORIMER'S SUBSTITUTE:= OR, THE ACTING CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM. By WINN +STANDISH. + + Illustrated $1.50 + +On the sporting side, this book takes up football, wrestling, +tobogganing, but it is more of a _school_ story perhaps than any of its +predecessors. + + +=CAPTAIN JINKS:= THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SHETLAND PONY. By FRANCES HODGES +WHITE. + + Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +The story of Captain Jinks and his faithful dog friend Billy, their +quaint conversations and their exciting adventures, will be eagerly read +by thousands of boys and girls. The story is beautifully written and +will take its place alongside of "Black Beauty" and "Beautiful Joe." + + +=THE RED FEATHERS.= By THEODORE ROBERTS. + + Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +"The Red Feathers" tells of the remarkable adventures of an Indian boy +who lived in the Stone Age, many years ago, when the world was young. + + +=FLYING PLOVER.= By THEODORE ROBERTS. + + Cloth decorative. Illustrated by Charles Livingston Bull $1.00 + +Squat-By-The-Fire is a very old and wise Indian who lives alone with her +grandson, "Flying Plover," to whom she tells the stories each evening. + + +=THE WRECK OF THE OCEAN QUEEN.= By JAMES OTIS, author of "Larry Hudson's +Ambition," etc. + + Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +"A stirring story of wreck and mutiny, which boys will find especially +absorbing. The many young admirers of James Otis will not let this book +escape them, for it fully equals its many predecessors in excitement and +sustained interest."--_Chicago Evening Post._ + + +=LITTLE WHITE INDIANS.= By FANNIE E. OSTRANDER. + + Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.25 + +"A bright, interesting story which will appeal strongly to the +'make-believe' instinct in children, and will give them a healthy, +active interest in 'the simple life.'" + + +=MARCHING WITH MORGAN.= HOW DONALD LOVELL BECAME A SOLDIER OF THE +REVOLUTION. + +By JOHN L. VEASY. + + Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 + +This is a splendid boy's story of the expedition of Montgomery and +Arnold against Quebec. + + * * * * * + +Transcriber's Notes: Obvious punctuation punctuation errors repaired. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mari, Our Little Norwegian Cousin, by +Mary Hazelton Wade + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42079 *** |