"He is now on the march; but he moves slowly. Run into the woods and hide yourself! THE ONE YOU KNOW."
"I will do no such thing," thought Oyvind; and gazed defiantly up the hills. Nor did he wait long before an old man appeared on the hill-top, paused to rest, walked on a little, rested again. Both Th.o.r.e and his wife stopped to look. Th.o.r.e soon smiled, however; his wife, on the other hand, changed color.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes, it is not very easy to make a mistake here."
Father and son again began to carry hay; but the latter took care that they were always together. The old man on the hill slowly drew near, like a heavy western storm. He was very tall and rather corpulent; he was lame and walked with a labored gait, leaning on a staff. Soon he came so near that they could see him distinctly; he paused, removed his cap and wiped away the perspiration with a handkerchief. He was quite bald far back on the head; he had a round, wrinkled face, small, glittering, blinking eyes, bushy eyebrows, and had lost none of his teeth. When he spoke it was in a sharp, shrill voice, that seemed to be hopping over gravel and stones; but it lingered on an "r" here and there with great satisfaction, rolling it over for several yards, and at the same time making a tremendous leap in pitch. He had been known in his younger days as a lively but quick-tempered man; in his old age, through much adversity, he had become irritable and suspicious.
Th.o.r.e and his son came and went many times before Ole could make his way to them; they both knew that he did not come for any good purpose, therefore it was all the more comical that he never got there. Both had to walk very serious, and talk in a whisper; but as this did not come to an end it became ludicrous. Only half a word that is to the point can kindle laughter under such circ.u.mstances, and especially when it is dangerous to laugh. When at last Ole was only a few rods distant, but which seemed never to grow less, Oyvind said, dryly, in a low tone,--
"He must carry a heavy load, that man,"--and more was not required.
"I think you are not very wise," whispered the father, although he was laughing himself.
"Hem, hem!" said Ole, coughing on the hill.
"He is getting his throat ready," whispered Th.o.r.e.
Oyvind fell on his knees in front of the hayc.o.c.k, buried his head in the hay, and laughed. His father also bowed down.
"Suppose we go into the barn," whispered he, and taking an armful of hay he trotted off. Oyvind picked up a little tuft, rushed after him, bent crooked with laughter, and dropped down as soon as he was inside the barn. His father was a grave man, but if he once got to laughing, there first began within him a low chuckling, with an occasional ha-ha-ha, gradually growing longer and longer, until all blended in a single loud peal, after which came wave after wave with a longer gasp between each. Now he was under way. The son lay on the floor, the father stood beside him, both laughing with all their might.
Occasionally they had such fits of laughter.
"But this is inconvenient," said the father.
Finally they were at a loss to know how this would end, for the old man must surely have reached the gard.
"I will not go out," said the father; "I have no business with him."
"Well, then, I will not go out either," replied Oyvind.
"Hem, hem!" was heard just outside of the barn wall.
The father held up a threatening finger to his boy.
"Come, out with you!"
"Yes; you go first!"
"No, you be off at once."
"Well, go you first."
And they brushed the dust off each other, and advanced very seriously.
When they came below the barn-bridge they saw Ole standing with his face towards the kitchen door, as if he were reflecting. He held his cap in the same hand as his staff, and with his handkerchief was wiping the sweat from his bald head, at the same time pulling at the bushy tufts behind his ears and about his neck until they stuck out like spikes. Oyvind hung behind his father, so the latter was obliged to stand still, and in order to put an end to this he said with excessive gravity,--
"Is the old gentleman out for a walk?"
Ole turned, looked sharply at him, and put on his cap before he replied,--
"Yes, so it seems."
"Perhaps you are tired; will you not walk in?"
"Oh! I can rest very well here; my errand will not take long."
Some one set the kitchen door ajar and looked out; between it and Th.o.r.e stood old Ole, with his cap-visor down over his eyes, for the cap was too large now that he had lost his hair. In order to be able to see he threw his head pretty far back; he held his staff in his right hand, while the left was firmly pressed against his side when he was not gesticulating; and this he never did more vigorously than by stretching the hand half way out and holding it pa.s.sive a moment, as a guard for his dignity.
"Is that your son who is standing behind you?" he began, abruptly.
"So they say."
"Oyvind is his name, is it not?"
"Yes; they call him Oyvind."
"He has been at one of those agricultural schools down south, I believe?"
"There was something of the kind; yes."
"Well, my girl--she--my granddaughter--Marit, you know--she has gone mad of late."
"That is too bad."
"She refuses to marry."
"Well, really?"
"She will not have any of the gard boys who offer themselves."
"Ah, indeed."
"But people say he is to blame; he who is standing there."
"Is that so?"
"He is said to have turned her head--yes; he there, your son Oyvind."
"The deuce he has!"
"See you, I do not like to have any one take my horses when I let them loose on the mountains, neither do I choose to have any one take my daughters when I allow them to go to a dance. I will not have it."
"No, of course not."
"I cannot go with them; I am old, I cannot be forever on the lookout."
"No, no! no, no!"