Ticket No. 9672 | Page 8

this tightly fitting bodice of red
stuff, ornamented with green shoulder-straps and surmounted by a
snowy chemisette, the sleeves of which were fastened at the wrist by a

ribbon bracelet! What grace and perfect symmetry in the waist,
encircled by a red belt with clasps of silver filigree which held in place
the dark-green skirt, below which appeared the white stocking
protected by the dainty pointed toed shoe of the Telemark!
Yes, Ole's betrothed was certainly charming, with the slightly
melancholy expression of the daughters of the North softening her
smiling face; and on seeing her one instantly thought of Hulda the Fair,
whose name she bore, and who figures as the household fairy in
Scandinavian mythology.
Nor did the reserve of a chaste and modest maiden mar the grace with
which she welcomed the guests who came to the inn. She was well
known to the world of tourists; and it was not one of the smallest
attractions of the inn to be greeted by that cordial shake of the hand that
Hulda bestowed on one and all. And after having said to her, "Tack for
mad" (Thanks for the meal), what could be more delightful than to hear
her reply in her fresh sonorous voice: "Wed bekomme!" (May it do you
good!)
CHAPTER IV.
Ole Kamp had been absent a year; and as he said in his letter, his
winter's experience on the fishing banks of Newfoundland had been a
severe one. When one makes money there one richly earns it. The
equinoctial storms that rage there not unfrequently destroy a whole
fishing fleet in a few hours; but fish abound, and vessels which escape
find ample compensation for the toil and dangers of this home of the
tempest.
Besides, Norwegians are excellent seamen, and shrink from no danger.
In the numberless fiords that extend from Christiansand to Cape North,
among the dangerous reefs of Finland, and in the channels of the
Loffoden Islands, opportunities to familiarize themselves with the
perils of ocean are not wanting; and from time immemorial they have
given abundant proofs of their courage. Their ancestors were intrepid
mariners at an epoch when the Hanse monopolized the commerce of

northern Europe. Possibly they were a trifle prone to indulge in piracy
in days gone by, but piracy was then quite common. Doubtless
commerce has reformed since then, though one may perhaps be
pardoned for thinking that there is still room for improvement.
However that may be, the Norwegians were certainly fearless seamen;
they are to-day, and so they will ever be. Ole Kamp was not the man to
belie his origin; besides, he had served his apprenticeship under his
father, who was the master of a Bergen coasting vessel. His childhood
had been spent in that port, which is one of the most frequented in
Scandinavia. Before he ventured out upon the open sea he had been an
untiring fisher in the fiords, and a fearless robber of the sea-birds' nests,
and when he became old enough to serve as cabin-boy he made a
voyage across the North Sea and even to the waters of the Polar Ocean.
Soon afterward his father died, and as he had lost his mother several
years before, his uncle Harald Hansen invited him to become a member
of his family, which he did, though he continued to follow the same
calling.
In the intervals between his voyages he invariably spent his time with
the friends he loved; but he made regular voyages upon large fishing
vessels, and rose to the rank of mate when he was but twenty-one. He
was now twenty-three years of age.
When he visited Dal, Joel found him a most congenial companion. He
accompanied him on his excursions to the mountains, and across the
highest table-lands of the Telemark. The young sailor seemed as much
at home in the fields as in the fiords, and never lagged behind unless it
was to keep his cousin Hulda company.
A close friendship gradually sprung up between Joel and Ole, and quite
naturally the same sentiment assumed a different form in respect to the
young girl. Joel, of course, encouraged it. Where would his sister ever
find a better fellow, a more sympathetic nature, a warmer and more
devoted heart? With Ole for a husband, Hulda's happiness was assured.
So it was with the entire approval of her mother and brother that the
young girl followed the natural promptings of her heart. Though these

people of the North are undemonstrative, they must not be accused of a
want of sensibility. No! It is only their way; and perhaps their way is as
good as any other, after all.
So it came to pass that one day, when all four of them were sitting
quietly together, Ole remarked, without any preamble