THE HESPERIAN
It was now the busiest season of the year;
the sailors and fishcrmon, the workmen in
the stone quarries all demanding the warm
est of woolen and linen. Anne and her two
apprentice girls did not go to bed before
midnight, and wore up long before the cock
crew. But it was hard work, and tho return
so, so meagre.
"Johanno, don't you see there is a thread
broken in tho warp," and slipping off her
seat not the first time Anno doftly tied the
refractory thread. With tho customary
caution the steady thump was again resumed.
Scarce a word was spoken till Anno asked
Johanne to prepare the evening meal in the
kitchon adjoining.
j For Anno Lowe it was a hard struggle.
But a few months before her husband had
sailed for America, a land far in the un-
) known west, a land in which money wos
.plenty, and where a better homo could bo
! won.
'Climbing tho gradual ascent to the house
that evening an old woman might have beon
seen, a village gossip, whoso chief business
was to learn tho affasrs of everyone on tho
island and then to distribute her knowledge
genercusly. Her UBiial reward was a littlo
to eat and a "Syp." She walked through
tho kitchon into the weaving-room, her rude
woodon shoes giving n loud thump at every
stop. Entering she nodded and said: "Good
evening, Anno." Sitting down on a chair
besido tho loom she removed her worn, rod
figured white shawl, showing an old wrinkled
face, tho prominent feature of which was her
nose, almost unlimited in its capacity for
snuff.
"You just came in time, Karon," said
Anne, as the girl announced that supper was
ready. Karon simply nodded, her tongue
was not lot loosed.
A littlo previous to Karen's arrival, Anne's
oldest boy, Peter, had rushed into tho house
bearing a huge bunch of pretty leaves, which
were carofully put away. Peter was begin
ning to got hungry, but forgot this in tho
ocatacy of sitting in his now high chair.
When all were at table Peter repeated:
"Meet vort Legem, Josu sod!
Og vor Sjol mod Livsen's Brod.
Lad ongang as mod do Fromme
Til din store Nadver komme!"
Anne was looking into tho distance, think
ing. Tho impatient cry of tho little one
brought her back.
Theirs was a frugal meal: herring and
potatoes, with a little brown broad and milk.
Karen did most of the talking that was 'her
profession. But she also liked to do most
of the eating. Her gossip was a mixture
more of fiction than of fact. The theme or
no-theme of her conversation was taken
first from one incident and then another,
usually by beginning a new story before the
former one was half finished.
"I was over to Nexon's, yesterday,"
she said, "andlfind thoy are having a'great
deal of trouble. You see that their son,
Jacob, who used to work over on the Gulfl
brand Gaard, has suddenly gone off. They
say ho shipped as a common eailor on a bark
bound for Australia. You see Australia is
a place whero they pick up gold. When
my son came back he had some gold. I
suppose he found it, for you know Hamburg
is a big place." "::"
"But you know," continued Karon, after
a time, "people all wonder at tho way 'you
are getting along. It surprises them to see
you so cheerful, and, it seems, that all wish
you woll."
"But I forgot to toll that there is going to
be a fair hold at Oapt. Maansen's in a couple
of weeks, and a prizo of twenty Kroneris 'to
bo given for the best woven piece of cloth.
I know you are too poor to make much, Jbiit
may bo you could try."
Anno answered nothing to this.
The supper was now finished. Karon
rose and stood silently by tho door for some
time, then putting her worn whito, red
figured shawl over her head, grasped her
snuff-box, took a liberal dose, muttering
with an omnious croak ao she wont out,
"ingen Syp."
Anne well knew this meant that before
another day was gone the whole "village
II
