The Road Leads On

The Road Leads On

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Road Leads On, by Knut Hamsun #2 in our series by Knut Hamsun
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Title: The Road Leads On
Author: Knut Hamsun
Release Date: February, 2005 [EBook #7536] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on May 14, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-Latin-1
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[Note from the etext preparer: The final chapters in this book (after 31) are wrongly numbered.]

THE ROAD LEADS ON
BY
KNUT HAMSUN

TRANSLATED FROM THE NORWEGIAN BY
EUGENE GAY-TIFFT

PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK BY
COWARD-MCCANN, INC.
IN THE YEAR 1934

Original Title MEN LIVET LEVER
COPYRIGHT, 1934, BY
COWARD-McCANN, INC.
All Rights Reserved

THE ROAD LEADS ON

CHAPTER ONE
The third generation now guides the destiny of Jensen's great store in Segelfoss. Originally founded by one Per Jensen, dubbed Per paa Bua, it continued under the direction of his son Theodore, also "paa Bua," who traded far and wide, stood forth as a true son of progress and was rain or blue sky to all who crossed his path. Nor was that so very long ago, either; people in town do not have to strain their minds to remember him, for he was contemporary with the old Lieutenant's son, Willatz, who simply went bothering his head about music and came to nought in this world.
Theodore, on the contrary, came to a very great deal. His achievements could be listed at length: village burgomaster, heavy tax-payer, a merchant trading in a grand manner hitherto unknown, once even with a commercial traveler to take in the towns of northern Norway, three men in the store itself, and an office manager to keep his books for him. An active fellow, that Theodore paa Bua, aspiring, waxing ever more prosperous, owner of a fish-sloop and two herring-seines, each with its boat and full equipment, growing more and more kindly with the years, taking a paternal interest in those who were feeling life's pinch, and in time becoming well-liked. In bad years for both sea and soil, many a one was compelled to go to Theodore paa Bua for the bread to keep him alive, and this could not be denied. But, as a matter of course, they would first have to pay him extravagant homage, or, at least, to wag their heads, overwhelmed by all his power and wealth. "A single sack of flour?" he might ask. "How long do you think that will last that family of yours?" Then, hearing the poor wretch reply that he dared not think of going into him for more, Theodore might turn to one of his clerks and say: "Let him have two sacks!" And, after issuing such an order, it was only right and proper that he should inwardly swell to the bursting point.
He had cast eyes in the direction of Fr?ken Holmengraa, the mill-owner's daughter, but nothing ever came of that. No, in that particular Theodore paa Bua's vanity had overshot its mark and, since his office manager had been merely a bauble to flash in the fair one's eyes, his first move was to let the poor chap go. There was more to it than that, however: though he continued to maintain his balance and promptly saw the error of his ways, he shortly took advantage of the situation and, one fine day, married the sexton's juvenile daughter who had by no means spurned his courtship. Thus, in spite of his folly in certain directions, Theodore proved that he had a remarkably level head on his shoulders, for he gained a delightful wife, ardent and handsome as a young filly, and if it happened that she was no more than seventeen, she was really sufficiently developed for all that.
How silly the mill-owner's daughter had been! Her father's affairs had been running steadily downhill of late and there she might have struck a bargain, accepted Theodore paa Bua and stepped into a new life