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diff --git a/old/64107-0.txt b/old/64107-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 92ff72c..0000000 --- a/old/64107-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1219 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Christmas in Sweden; or, A festival of -light, by Sarah Gertrude Pomerory - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Christmas in Sweden; or, A festival of light - -Author: Sarah Gertrude Pomerory - -Illustrator: Bertha D. Hoxie - -Release Date: December 22, 2020 [eBook #64107] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Charlene Taylor, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHRISTMAS IN SWEDEN; OR, A -FESTIVAL OF LIGHT *** - - [Illustration] - - - - - Christmas - in Sweden - - or - - A Festival of Light - - [Illustration] - - BY - - SARAH GERTRUDE POMEROY - - ILLUSTRATED BY - - BERTHA D. HOXIE - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON - DANA ESTES & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - _Copyright, 1911_ - - BY DANA ESTES & COMPANY - - _All rights reserved_ - - - CHRISTMAS IN SWEDEN - - - _Electrotyped and Printed by - THE COLONIAL PRESS - C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A._ - - - - - CHRISTMAS IN SWEDEN - - THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT - - -“A telegram for you, sir.” Elfreda, the pretty Swedish maid, handed the -envelope to Professor Edgecombe as the family were seated at breakfast -one spring morning. Telegrams were not unusual in that household, so -Dorothy and John, the Professor’s children, scarcely heeded the -interruption and were unprepared for the excitement which this -particular bit of yellow paper aroused in their quiet home. When their -father had read the message, he passed it across the table to his wife, -who dropped the sugar-tongs in her eagerness, as soon as she had glanced -at the message. - -“Oh, George,” she cried, “it’s too good to be true that you really have -the appointment.” - -“What is it?” cried both children in chorus, distracted from their -conversation by the unusual excitement of their little mother. - -“It means that we are all going to Sweden to spend father’s sabbatical -year,” replied their mother. - -“All of us?” asked Dorothy quickly. She had not welcomed the period of -rest called a sabbatical year which comes to most New England college -professors once in seven years, because she remembered that many of her -playmates had spent the year with relatives while their parents -travelled in Europe, and home-loving little Dorothy dreaded a similar -parting. - -“Do you really mean that we are going too?” asked John incredulously. - -“That’s exactly what your mother means,” said Professor Edgecombe. -“Mother and I couldn’t go away for a year and leave you children at -home. Besides it is not going to be entirely a year of rest for me, for -this telegram has brought me an appointment to spend the year -translating some stories of the old Norsemen into English. The old -Icelandic document which I am to study is in Sweden and so we can settle -there for the winter.” - -[Illustration] - -“Hurrah! hurrah!” cried John, entirely forgetful of table manners. “Just -listen, Elfreda, we are all going to Sweden, now what do you think of -that?” - -Clash! batter! bang! the serving-tray fell to the floor and pretty, -well-trained Elfreda stood unconscious of disaster, looking from one to -another. “Yes, it’s true, Elfreda,” said Mrs. Edgecombe, “we are going -to spend a year in your beautiful country and will have many questions -to ask you about it.” - -By this time the maid had picked up the tray and begun to clear away the -dishes, but tender-hearted little Dorothy noticed that, as she came and -went during the meal, her eyelids were red and her face was -tear-stained. - -“What’s the matter, Freda?” she asked kindly, as she ran into the -kitchen after the meal was over, but she stopped short in alarm at the -sight of Freda with her face buried in the roller-towel. - -“Leave us alone for a little while, Dorothy,” said Mrs. Edgecombe, -thinking that she knew the cause of the trouble. Poor Freda was -homesick, she thought, and the knowledge that her employers were going -to the dear homeland while she remained in strange America was more than -she could bear. - -“Would you really like to go back to Sweden?” inquired Mrs. Edgecombe, -thoughtfully. “We are going to keep house there and I suppose I must -find a maid.” But Freda shook her head while smiles broke through her -tears and she blushed very red. Then she explained that she had promised -to marry Eric, who had been her suitor for some time, but she had -dreaded to “give her notice” to kind Mrs. Edgecombe, who had so -patiently trained her, since she came into her kitchen, a bewildered -little emigrant, two years previous. - -“Then it wasn’t all homesickness,” asked Mrs. Edgecombe slyly when she -had congratulated the blushing Freda. But Freda’s eyes filled again. -“No, ma’am, I wouldn’t go back to the old country to stay,” she said, -“but I would like to see my old mother and little brothers and sisters -again.” - -“Where do they live, Freda?” inquired Mrs. Edgecombe. “Perhaps we can go -to see them and tell them about your happiness.” - -“Oh, could you, ma’am, wouldn’t it be too far?” cried Freda hopefully. - -“If your home is near Upsala, I think we can arrange to see your -people,” said Mrs. Edgecombe, “for my husband is going to study some of -the old manuscripts in the University there.” It appeared that she had -lived near the old city and Freda began to plan joyfully about the -presents which she would send to her dear ones. - -It seemed to the children as if the weeks would never pass, but, at -length, the great day came when the Edgecombe family stood on the deck -of the big steamship which was to carry them across the ocean. Many of -their friends had come to bid them “Bon Voyage,” so they were surrounded -by a merry party. The warning whistle had just sounded for all visitors -to go ashore and Dorothy was beginning to realize with a queer little -lump in her throat that a year was a long, long time to be parted among -the passengers and saw many amused glances turned from her favorite -cousin, when she noticed a sudden commotion towards their own party. - -Her father and mother also turned, attracted by the noise, and the whole -family was amazed at the sight of Freda and Eric, their faces red and -determined as they pushed their way among the passengers, followed by an -angry steward. The officer thought that the young foreigners, coming to -see their friends in the steerage, had mistaken their way; but, although -both Freda and Eric had themselves crossed in the steerage and were a -little awed by the splendors of the first-class part of the ship, they -were determined to get a last glimpse of the Edgecombes. - -When Freda had bidden them farewell, a week before, she had told Mrs. -Edgecombe that she should be married within a week, so of course they -were very much surprised to see her there. While Professor Edgecombe was -explaining to the official, Freda told them that she had made Eric take -her to New York on a wedding-trip, especially to see them sail. She had -already entrusted the children with a little box of presents for her -family and now she proudly showed Mrs. Edgecombe a photograph of her -husband and herself, asking her to give it to her old mother with her -own hands. Mrs. Edgecombe promised readily and Freda left the ship -content. The last thing that the children saw, as the dock faded from -view, was Freda, waving her handkerchief in farewell. - -Their father left them in Paris, in the late summer, promising that he -would be ready to welcome them when they reached Sweden. First, however, -Mrs. Edgecombe took the children to Germany, so that it was late October -before they boarded a steamer at Lubec, bound for Stockholm. - -They would have liked to have stayed for awhile in this beautiful city, -which is sometimes called “The Venice of the North,” but their mother -was anxious to get settled in her Swedish home, so the following -morning, they boarded a train for Upsala. - -“Are we really going to keep house just as we do at home?” asked -Dorothy, as the train left the rugged country near Stockholm. “I have -rented an apartment for the winter,” replied their father, smiling, “but -you will find that it is quite different from America in many ways.” - -“I didn’t know that they had apartments in Upsala,” said John. “I have -read that the name means ‘The Lofty Halls,’ and that the city is more -old-fashioned than any other place in Sweden.” - -“That is true,” said Professor Edgecombe, “but Upsala has some modern -houses, although it is a very ancient city. The great castle on the -hill, which we will visit, the cathedral where we will attend service -and some of the University buildings are grand enough to mean ‘the lofty -halls.’” - -“Do the people wear native costume?” asked Mrs. Edgecombe. - -“No,” said her husband. “Occasionally, perhaps, you will see a peasant -wearing one of the pretty old-time costumes but, for the most part, even -the peasants as well as the city people wear clothing much like ours.” - -“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Dorothy, for she had pictured to herself little -girls wearing quaint, gaily-colored garments like those that Freda had -described to her. - -“Never mind, Dolly,” said her father, pinching her cheek playfully. “You -will find enough that is unusual to satisfy you, I think.” - -As the train wound through the beautiful farming-country, they caught -occasional glimpses of beautiful Lake Mälar, and Professor Edgecombe -said that in the spring, they should go to Stockholm by boat and enjoy -the trip on the lake. - -“The weather is too cold for us to take that trip, now,” he said, “and -besides we want to get home before dark. You will soon find that the -hours of daylight in Sweden at this time of the year are too precious to -be used carelessly.” - -Before the children could ask for an explanation of this speech, the -train had reached Upsala. On the platform stood a gentleman who greeted -their father very cordially. Their father introduced him as Professor -Bjerkander and added that he had been most kind in helping him to -prepare their home in Upsala. He left them at the entrance of their new -home, promising that his wife and children would call that afternoon. - -“That is a mark of courtesy, indeed,” said Professor Edgecombe to his -wife, “for in this country it is the custom for strangers to call first -and you see that Fru Bjerkander is going to conform to our usages.” - -While he was speaking, he pressed an electric bell beside the pair of -great doors which reminded the children of the entrance to a stable. -When they opened, however, they saw a good-natured portress, who smiled -at them when their father said something to her in Swedish. - -They were delighted at the sight of the pleasant rooms opening before -them, when they had climbed the stone stairs to the third floor. It had -seemed impossible that they could ever make a cosy home in a house that -seemed so grim and forbidding. Everything was in order, explained the -smiling little maid in broken English, and they found that her words -were quite true. The table was set for their mid-day meal and, except -for the unpacking of their trunks and the arrangement of their few books -and pictures, the home was ready for them. - -“How did you ever do it?” exclaimed Mrs. Edgecombe delightedly to her -husband. That gentleman shook his head. “You will have to thank Fru -Bjerkander,” he said. “She helped me to find Stena, who has done it all -under her direction.” - -“Where did you find Stena?” asked his wife, who was pleased with the -neat maid. - -“She was waiting for us in the market-place,” replied her husband, and -then explained that he had heard that all servants are engaged in Sweden -during April and October. So he had gone to the market-place with Fru -Bjerkander and had found Stena with many other lads and maids, each -armed with a paper showing that they had their fathers’ written -permission to go out to service. - -[Illustration] - -Very early in the afternoon, it seemed to the children, Fru Bjerkander -came to call, bringing with her Helmer and Hedwig, her son and daughter, -who were about the age of the Edgecombe children. Much to the relief of -John and Dorothy, they found that their new acquaintances could speak -English almost as well as they could speak their own language, so they -were soon chatting merrily together. - -They heard Fru Bjerkander explaining to their mother that she had been -obliged to come early in order to take advantage of the daylight and -this caused Hedwig to say to Dorothy, “It’s too bad that you came to -Sweden when we are having dark nights.” Dorothy looked bewildered, so -Hedwig’s brother hastened to explain: “You know we have most of our -visitors in summer, when the daylight lasts half through the night. I -dare say your father will take you up north to see the midnight sun, -next summer.” “Oh, yes, I see what you mean now by dark nights,” said -John. “You mean they are long ones.” - -“Yes, they are indeed,” said the children. “Very soon it will be so dark -at three o’clock in the afternoon that we must have the lights.” “But, -after all,” said Hedwig, “if you had come in the summer time, you -wouldn’t have been here for Jul-tide, and that is the jolliest time of -the whole year. I can hardly wait for the season to come.” - -“Father told us we would have the longest Christmas we had ever -celebrated,” said John, “but we didn’t quite know what he meant.” “Oh,” -said Helmer, “you only celebrate one Jul in your country, do you? Our -fun commences on Christmas Eve, and the day after Jul we have what you -would call a second-day Christmas, and then a third-day Christmas. In -fact there is some kind of fun on foot until the thirteenth-day Jul or -sometimes until twentieth-day Jul, which comes the thirteenth day of -January.” - -“Oh, my,” cried Dorothy wistfully, “what fun you must have when you live -here and know people.” “You’re going to have it too, this year,” said -sweet little Hedwig, who had caught the longing note in Dorothy’s voice. -“Mother has told us that you are to share all of our Jul-tide frolics.” - -“That is quite true,” added Mrs. Bjerkander as she rose to go. “My -children have talked of nothing else but the coming of the young -Americans ever since my husband first met their father. I hope they will -be good friends.” - -“We think we are very fortunate to find such friends,” replied Mrs. -Edgecombe, “and now I shall have no fear of the children being lonely.” - -They all found the next few days really too short for all they wished to -crowd into them. They visited the library of the University where their -father was working daily and wandered through the strange streets, -watching the throngs of students, who reminded them of the merry college -boys in their own town. “Only our boys would never keep their caps -clean,” declared Dorothy, and their father laughed quite heartily at the -thought as he said, “You’re right, Dolly.” But strange to say, these -lively students always managed to keep the little white velvet caps -trimmed with a rosette of blue and yellow, the national colors, -perfectly clean, and seemed very proud of this mark of distinction which -they wore. - -One morning they visited the old castle on the hill, another day they -went to market with their mother and Stena, who was quite bewildered in -her efforts to be a polite servant and at the same time show her new -mistress how to trade in this strange market. - -They discovered many odd things about their own new home. All the -windows were covered with double windows and the cracks in the casements -were covered with long strips of white gummed paper, pasted on to keep -out any possible draught. - -Mrs. Edgecombe was dismayed, when she found that not one window in the -whole apartment would open wide enough to let in the crisp cold air. - -Her feeling of horror was slight, however, compared to Stena’s when she -discovered that the new foreign mistress had torn off the paper and had -a storm window removed from each one of the sleeping-rooms. When she -found that the Americans slept all night with their windows wide open, -the horror of the little maid knew no bounds. She predicted that they -would all die within a month and was so distressed that Mrs. Edgecombe, -who despaired of ever making her understand in the few words of Swedish -and English which each could speak, explained the situation to Fru -Bjerkander and asked her to tell Stena that they always slept with their -windows open at home. - -Much to their amusement, however, pretty, cultured Fru Bjerkander seemed -almost as horrified as the little maid. They found, in visiting her -house, that she too had the national hatred of a draught and that all -the windows of her pretty home were tightly sealed. - -Since she could not keep the windows closed, Stena seemed resolved to -try and overcome the evil by keeping the rest of the house as warm as -possible. Every morning, when they awoke, they found that the wood fire -in the great porcelain stove in the living-room had been so carefully -tended that there was already a bed of glowing coals in the oven-like -opening at the base. The children liked to hurry out from their frosty -bedrooms and finish dressing by the great white stove, while the rosy -glow from the fire seemed very cheerful on those dark mornings when they -had to breakfast by lamplight. - -Mrs. Edgecombe had feared that so much darkness would be depressing and, -as the days grew shorter until, at length, it was necessary to light the -lamps before three o’clock in the afternoon, she wondered if the -children would not get homesick. - -But they were too much interested in the new sights and experiences to -get lonely. Indeed, it seemed to them that the long, long evenings were -not half long enough for the work they had to do. They were both busily -engaged in finishing Christmas presents for the dear ones at home, for -they realized that it would take many days for their packages to travel -to America. - - * * * * * - -So the days grew shorter and shorter and the nights grew longer and -longer as the month of December advanced and all Upsala was filled with -preparations for the joyous Jul-tide. The Edgecombe household was no -exception for Stena had insisted that the apartment must be thoroughly -cleaned before the great festival. - -Mrs. Edgecombe could not quite see the necessity for such wholesale -cleaning, since they had lived there less than six weeks and Stena was -always polishing and scouring. But the little maid was so distressed at -the thought of not cleaning that Mrs. Edgecombe let her have her way and -the rooms were turned topsy-turvy while Stena swept, dusted and beat -furniture to her heart’s content. - -Professor Edgecombe declared that it was worse than spring -house-cleaning in America, for every house he passed in his daily walk -to and from the University showed signs of the same upheaval. - -One morning, Stena told Mrs. Edgecombe that she was ready for the -chimney-sweep and if Mrs. Edgecombe were willing, she had a little -cousin who was making his living in that way and whom she would like to -employ. Mrs. Edgecombe had expected this request, for she had heard that -another strict precaution against fire in all Swedish cities was the law -requiring that all chimneys should be swept clean very frequently. - -John had been much interested in the small, sooty-faced little lads whom -he had occasionally seen running about the streets with their brooms in -their hands. He had much wanted to make the acquaintance of one and now -thought that he knew enough Swedish to ask him a few questions. - -But Stena was quite astonished when her mistress told her to show the -little lad into the living-room, after his work was done. She shook her -head determinedly. “Too dirty, too dirty,” she repeated with emphasis. - -“Well,” laughed his mother, “if you want to talk with him, John, I think -you’ll have to go into the kitchen and see him there, when he has -finished. Stena is quite right and I do not know as I blame her for not -wanting him in her clean room. Tell her to let us know when he is -ready.” - -As the kitchen door closed behind Stena, Mrs. Edgecombe reminded them -that there was still one box which had not been unpacked. - -“I have neglected to do so because I think that it contains only some of -our heaviest winter clothing,” she said. “But it has been so long since -we packed it that I have almost forgotten what is in it. Suppose we open -it, now.” - -John pried up the cover and Mrs. Edgecombe tore off the papers which -covered the top. As she did so, Dorothy uttered an exclamation. - -“Freda’s box,” she cried, “Freda’s box!” - -Sure enough, there was the package of toys and trinkets which Freda had -selected with such loving care in the American stores and entrusted to -them to give to her dear ones. - -“We must find the family and give these to them, at once,” said Mrs. -Edgecombe, but she looked puzzled when John inquired, “What’s the name -and address?” - -“Perhaps it’s in the box,” suggested Dorothy. “All I remember is Freda’s -telling us that her home was just outside of Upsala.” But a careful -search of the box revealed no address. The little presents were -carefully marked for each member of the family but there was no surname -on any one of them and nothing which gave them a clue of the name of the -place where - -[Illustration] - -Freda had passed her girlhood and where she had told them a feeble old -mother and several younger brothers and sisters were still living. - -“I have an idea,” said John. “Where’s her picture, Mother? Perhaps she -wrote it on the back of that.” - -Mrs. Edgecombe ran to her desk and began searching through her papers. -At length she drew out the photograph of Freda, looking very happy in -her wedding dress while Eric stood by seeming decidedly stiff and -uncomfortable in his best clothes. But, alas! secure in the pride of her -new name, Freda, the bride, had written very plainly “Mrs. Eric Svenson” -on the back of the photograph, and the only address was the street and -number of the little house in America where she and Eric had founded -their new home. - -“Well,” said Mrs. Edgecombe, brightening, “at any rate, we can write to -her and tell her what we need. There will be plenty of time to hear from -her before we leave Sweden.” - -“I suppose it is all we can do,” said John. - -“But it’s too bad,” cried Dorothy. “She talked so much of the Jul-tide, -and I know that she intended these things for Christmas presents.” - -“It is too bad,” said Mrs. Edgecombe. She stood the photograph on the -table and her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Freda’s honest, -happy face. Freda had been a faithful maid and Mrs. Edgecombe could not -forget how faithful she had been to her in a time of illness and sorrow. - -There was a slight sound behind them and Mrs. Edgecombe turned to see -Stena standing in a funny attitude, as if she had suddenly become frozen -in the very act of making a courtesy. The short winter day had already -darkened so that the lamps had been lighted and Mrs. Edgecombe had -placed the photograph beneath the lamp where the strong light fell -directly upon it. - -Before the astonished trio could utter a word, Stena had given a little -gasp and, for once forgetful of manners, had made a wild dash into the -kitchen and returned in a moment, dragging a very dirty and very much -surprised little chimney-sweep behind her. Before he could show any -shyness at his strange surroundings, she had pushed him close to the -photograph and pointed at the pictured faces with her forefinger. - -Then the little sweep did a strange thing, for, heedless of his sooty -fingers, he grasped the photograph in both his dirty hands while tears -ran from his bright eyes, making white furrows down his black cheeks. -Stena, too, careless of her clean room, caught him by the hands and they -danced together in their excitement. - -[Illustration] - -“What does this mean?” It was Professor Edgecombe who asked the question -as he came in from the hall. “Perhaps you know enough Swedish to find -out,” replied his wife. “We don’t.” - -In a few minutes, however, they had discovered that Stena was own cousin -to their Freda and that she had recognized her photograph instantly. Her -first thought had been to show it to the little chimney-sweep, for he -was Freda’s little brother, only a little chap when she had left home, -but now big enough to add his share to the family income. - -The family had never allowed him to forget Freda and his greatest -ambition was to earn money enough to pay his passage to America, when he -should be old enough to go and join his big sister. - -He hated to give up the photograph and loosened his hold reluctantly -when Stena, at last, made him understand that the American lady had -promised Freda to give it to his mother with her own hands and he must -wait until she found a time to do so. - -“But when can I? Where do they live?” asked Mrs. Edgecombe. - -Stena replied that her aunt and cousins lived on a tiny farm about ten -miles out of the city. “Could we drive there?” asked Mrs. Edgecombe of -her husband. But Dorothy cried out, before he could answer. - -“Oh, Mother, I’ve such a beautiful plan. You know the Bjerkanders have -asked us to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with them, so that we -cannot possibly have a tree of our own. But Helmer says that they keep -the tree for many days and that often, on New Year’s day, they light it -up again and have a party for some poor children. - -“Can’t we do that here? Oh, do say we may! I do so want to decorate a -Christmas tree.” - -Dorothy stopped, quite out of breath, and Professor Edgecombe looked at -their mother, questioningly. - -“I think it is a splendid plan,” she said, “much better than any I could -have suggested.” - -So Professor Edgecombe explained to Stena that she was to write and -explain matters to her aunt and tell her that he would send a sleigh to -bring the family to a Jul-tide party on New Year’s day, when they would -tell them all about Freda. - -Stena’s face was wreathed with smiles and the eyes of the little -chimney-sweep fairly stuck out of his head, as he bowed his thanks for -the bright new coin which Professor Edgecombe gave him to pay for his -work. - -And now the days were busy ones indeed. On the twentieth of December, -the old market-place in Upsala was an interesting - -[Illustration] - -place, for there the peasants from the country were erecting little -booths, each roofed over with cotton drilling and lighted with lamps and -lanterns. Here were sold many trinkets which the peasants had made in -anticipation of the holiday season. - -Fru Bjerkander invited the Edgecombes to accompany her, when she took -her own children to visit the market. She explained that this special -market was a very ancient one and that the peasants, according to an old -custom, were permitted annually to sell their wares in this way from the -twentieth of December, until the end of the month. - -The American children were especially delighted with the gingerbread -booth where they bought quantities of the Julbocken (Yule-goats) and -Julgrisen (Yule-pig). It was true that these gingerbread animals -sometimes resembled each other in such a surprising way that it was hard -to distinguish the pigs from the goats, but, in spite of that, Dorothy -wanted to buy some to send to America. John told her that they would -probably dry up and break into pieces, long before they reached there, -so she had to content herself with buying some for the New Year’s -Christmas tree, as she called it. - -“You can hang them on the branches, you know, and then give them to -Freda’s little brothers and sisters to eat afterwards,” said Hedwig. -“That is the way we always do.” - -“But why do they have goats and pigs at Jul-tide?” asked John. “Why, -don’t you know?” replied Helmer, in surprise. “It is to remind us of -Thor’s goats and Frey’s pig, which were sacred to our forefathers.” - -“Why were they sacred?” asked Dorothy. “Why, the goats drew the giant -chariot of Thor, the Thunderer, through the skies,” said Hedwig. - -“The Yule-pig makes us think of Frey’s hog,” said Helmer. “It was a -magical hog whose golden bristles illuminated the darkest night and it -could run more swiftly than any horse on land or sea.” - -The American children looked rather bewildered and Dorothy asked why -these animals should be especially remembered at Christmas-time. - -Helmer and Hedwig laughed outright at this question, for it seemed -really funny to them that any one could be so ignorant of the old -stories which they had known from their nursery days, but Fru Bjerkander -said kindly, “You must ask your father to tell you something about the -ancient gods and their stories, for he is reading about them, every day, -in the Edda.” - -[Illustration] - -So that evening, the children drew their chairs in front of the great -white stove which seemed to be the very heart of their home these cold -winter evenings and clamored for the stories. - -“Do you remember,” said their father, “what I told you before we left -America, that the favorite festival among the heathen people in this -part of the world, before Christ was born, came at just this time of the -year?” - -“Yes, we remember,” cried both children. “Well,” said their father, “I -will tell you why they celebrated at this particular season: - -“The ancient inhabitants of Sweden believed that there were many gods, -but chief among them they worshipped Odin, the All-Father, Thor, the -Thunderer, and Freya, the Sun-god. Odin was the god of war and was -served by faithful maid-servants called the Valkyries, whose duty it was -to bear the heroes slain upon the battle-field to Valhal, a beautiful -region of peace. Thor wielded the thunders and lightnings, as his name -implies, but Freya was the most popular of all, for upon his favor -depended good harvest, fruitfulness and consequently pleasure. The -people celebrated his birthday at the time of the winter solstice, for -then the days began to lengthen and it seemed the appropriate time for -the birthday of a Sun-god. For twelve days and nights they continued -their feasting, but there was one night during the festival which was -not joyful, for then the people remembered the anniversary of a great -sorrow.” - -“Oh, what was it?” cried Dorothy, and “Please go on,” said John as their -father stopped for breath. Professor Edgecombe smiled at their interest, -as he continued. - -“Balder the Beautiful was beloved by gods and men because he represented -goodness and made everything bright and cheerful. Some scholars connect -him with Freya and say that he represented the bright summer sun. I said -that everybody loved him, but that was not quite true, for he had one -enemy, and, as you might imagine, that was Loki, the god of evil. One -night Balder dreamed that he was to die, and when he told his dream to -his mother, Frigg, she was so distressed that she made all things -animate and inanimate swear that they would not injure her son. From -that time on, it was the favorite pastime of the gods to throw stones -and other missiles at Balder, because he seemed invulnerable and none of -these things could injure him. - -“But wicked old Loki knew that there was one little plant which Frigg -had overlooked when she was exacting her oath and so he plotted to kill -Balder. He gathered some of the mistletoe berries, that seemed too small -and insignificant to do any harm, and gave them to Höor, the blind -brother of Balder, who could not share in the fun on account of his -infirmity. ‘Come,’ said Loki, ‘do like the rest; show honor to Balder by -casting this trifle at him and I will direct your hand.’ Höor did as he -was bidden and Balder fell dead, pierced through by the mistletoe. - -“Now it happened that the death night of Balder fell on one of the -longest nights in the year and the people believed that the darkness -came because the God of Light was dead. So, on that night, they made -great sacrifices and offered up prayers that they might not lose the -light. Especially if the harvests had failed or the huntsmen had been -unfortunate in the season just past did they offer sacrifices to Thor -beneath an oak which was sacred to the Thunderer. For they thought that -he was particularly angry at the people because he was so grieved at the -death of Balder the Beautiful. - -“Then, as the days began to grow longer and the nights to grow shorter -from that very date, the people thought that their prayers had been -answered and so, every year, on the anniversary of his death, they -repeated the ceremony and the light never failed them. - -“Of course we understand that the sun has reached his southern limit at -this time of the year and is returning on his northward journey, but the -old idea of making Jul-tide the Festival of Light still prevails among -the Swedes, who know that now the worst of the darkness is over and that -slowly but surely the sun is coming back to them.” - -“Well told,” exclaimed Professor Bjerkander, who had entered in the -midst of the story. “My wife has mentioned the children’s interest and I -have come to see how you would like to take a sleigh-ride out to the -burial-place of the old gods, on Christmas day.” The children declared -that they should like it above all things and so the invitation was -accepted. - -“You must come early to our house, on the morning of December 24th, if -you want to join in one of our national customs,” said Fru Bjerkander, -when Christmas week had at last arrived. “To-morrow we celebrate -‘dipping day.’” - -“What does she mean by that?” asked Dorothy of her mother. “We will have -to go and find out, dear,” said her mother, “for I have no more idea -what she means than you have.” - -When the Edgecombe family arrived at the home of their friends the next -morning, they were ushered into the dining-room, for the living-room was -locked and darkened. They all thought it very odd that there were no -signs of any preparations for a meal for it was almost noon. Just at -twelve, however, Fru Bjerkander invited them into the kitchen, where -they were soon seated about a well-spread table. Their hostess then -explained in English that it was an old custom all over Sweden for -employers and servants to dine together on the day before Christmas, and -rich and poor alike ate this meal in the kitchen. “I still fail to -understand why you should call it ‘dipping-day,’” said Professor -Edgecombe. - -“I will show you,” said Fru Bjerkander, rising. She took from the stove -the kettle in which the ham and pork, the chief dishes of the dinner, -had been cooked. As she passed it to each one, everybody dipped a bit of -bread in the sizzling fat in which the meat had been cooked and ate it -with much glee. “On this day we must all doppai grytan,” she said, and -Hedwig translated the expression for them by saying “That means that we -must all dip in the kettle.” - -“But why do you do this?” asked Professor Edgecombe. “I do not know,” -replied Professor Bjerkander, “unless it is because we always have ham -and pork at Jul-tide in remembrance of the Jul-boar, which was always -roasted whole at the heathen festival.” - -The short afternoon was soon over and, a few hours later, the children -were admitted to the living-room, where the beautiful spruce tree stood -in all its glory. The Edgecombes had seen many Christmas trees, but it -seemed to them that none had ever seemed so beautiful as this one with -its brilliant lights and graceful trimmings. - -The children joined hands about it and danced through the rooms and -around and around the tree, until they were out of breath. Then the -presents were distributed from the tables which stood piled high with -gifts beneath the tree, and the Americans were surprised to find so many -bearing their own names. Each gift was sealed and tied daintily, while -all were accompanied by some appropriate little verse, for the Swedes -think that no gift is quite complete unless there is a little poem with -it. - -When, at length, the Edgecombe family went home, they met parties of -merry masqueraders who were joking together and having the best of times -as they delivered packages from house to house. They understood that -these were the servants, who were allowed to amuse themselves in this -way while they did their duty of delivering their master’s gifts. - -Very early the next morning, they all started for the old cathedral to -attend matins, the early service which good Lutherans always attend on -Christmas morning. The streets were still dark and the lights of the -cathedral shone out brightly as they approached the great open doorways. -But, in spite of this, they were quite unprepared for the burst of -brilliancy which met their gaze when they entered the church. Everywhere -they gazed was a light, and the children said that now they understood -why so many of their Swedish friends still referred to Jul-tide by its -old-fashioned name of the Festival of Light. - -Before the morning was far advanced, the Bjerkanders had called for them -and they were all snugly packed into the great roomy sleigh drawn by -prancing horses which were covered with white nets and decorated with -nodding plumes. It seemed to the children that even the horses acted as -if they knew it was holiday time, for they danced along so gaily. - -The three miles were quickly covered and they came to the place where -stand the three great mounds which the Swedes say mark the graves of -Odin, Thor and Freya, the great gods of their forefathers. - -“Were they really buried here?” asked Dorothy in awe. - -“Probably not,” said her father; “it is generally supposed that the -mounds really mark the graves of ancient kings.” - -Then Professor Bjerkander took them to the little Christian church that -stands on the site of the old heathen temple and the children tried to -imagine the great halls glittering with gold and silver and filled with -people offering sacrifices to Thor the Terrible, while they mourned for -Balder the Beautiful. - -So they drove back into the city, their minds full of the Norse gods -while their hearts were thankful that the days of that - -[Illustration] - -wild religion were over and that the birthday of the Prince of Peace was -the day they were celebrating. - -For dinner, they had the three chief dainties of the season, lusk-fish -which had been prepared by heating for several days in wood-ashes, rice -sweetened and flavored with cinnamon, and roast goose. The children -missed the roast turkey and cranberry sauce which their own Grandma -always cooked but they were hungry and did ample justice to their -Swedish dinner. - -Second-day Christmas and third-day Christmas passed all too quickly and -the Edgecombe children had almost as good a time as on the great day -itself. For now their friends, like themselves, were free to skate and -ski and enjoy all the winter sports of that northern land. Amidst all -their pleasures, they prepared for their party, which was to be the -crowning feature of the week. A beautiful spruce tree was decorated for -the occasion and Mrs. Edgecombe bought plenty of Julbocken and Julgrisen -to trim it, with other dainties peculiar to the season. To Freda’s -little store of gifts she added others of her own selection, and invited -the Bjerkander children to help entertain the guests, for she thought -that she might have to call upon them to help her deliver Freda’s -messages. And so it proved, for when they came, they could only smile -and courtesy to Freda’s mistress. Stena had to talk for them, but her -English was limited, and so the Bjerkander children acted as -interpreters. - -The guests seemed very grateful for their gifts and delighted with the -tree, but nothing pleased them as Freda’s own presents, and it seemed as -if they would wear the photograph out, as they passed it from one to the -other, admiring it and chatting about “Freda’s man.” When they went -home, Freda’s mother thanked Mrs. Edgecombe for her kindness with tears -in her eyes and an expression of gratitude on her face which needed no -translation into English. They asked the Americans to come and see them -and Professor Edgecombe promised that, when the summer days came, before -they returned home, they would drive out and visit the little red -cottage which had been Freda’s girlhood home. - -So they went away happily and the Edgecombe family, having bidden -farewell to their other guests, gathered to talk it over in the light of -the glowing fire. - -“To-morrow, we must all take time to write to the homefolks about our -Christmas in Sweden and we mustn’t forget to tell every detail of the -novel experiences we have enjoyed,” said their mother. “Perhaps we will -each take some particular part of the celebration to describe and then -no one of us will have to write too much.” - -“I want to tell about ‘Dipping Day,’” said Professor Edgecombe. “I -choose to write about the Julbocken and the Julgrisen,” said Dorothy. -“Then you had better write all about Freda’s family and our New Year’s -party,” said John to his mother, “for I would like to write out the -story of Balder the Beautiful. I think writing it out would help me to -remember it and I don’t want to forget it.” - -[Illustration] - -“I am quite satisfied with my part of the letter-writing,” said his -mother, “for entertaining Freda’s family was the happiest part of the -week for me. How glad they will all be to get the letter,” she added -softly. - -So with tender thoughts of the friends at home, they all sat quiet for -awhile, gazing into the depths of their golden fire and thinking that -the Swedish Festival of Light had indeed been the merriest Yule-tide of -their lives. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHRISTMAS IN SWEDEN; OR, A FESTIVAL -OF LIGHT *** - -***** This file should be named 64107-0.txt or 64107-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/6/4/1/0/64107/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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