Gerda in Sweden

had turned, and the fresh water of the lake, mingled with the salt water of the fjord, was swirling and eddying under the bridges and beating against the stone quays; for Lake M?lar

chiming the hour of nine, a group of children gath

unloaded, passengers were arriving, men were hurrying to and fr

asked the others. "That is the name

on the deck." With a merry shout of greeting he ran on board

d Hilma wistfully. "I should love to cross the Arc

r, threw her arms around her friend. "I wish you were going, too," she answered. "Birger is the be

riend, "I wish you were going with us, Oscar. Ger

ing of the strange sights that Birger and Gerda would see on their tr

g back to the quay, where they stood waving their handkerchie

o the windows of the King's Palace, which stood near the quay of one; but Birg

Lieutenant Ekman, pointing to a vessel which w

said Birger. "How did it happen that Stockholm was built so far from the open sea? It would be easier for

t because there were forty miles of difficult sailing among narrow channels, that they chose to liv

hings as hard as possibl

with i

ir rude huts on the wooded islands at the outlet of M?lar Lake. They often found it convenient to slip away from their pursuers among these is

ions on the islands and hold the

iled out of the bays of Sweden, manned by the bravest sailors the world has ever known; and they swooped down

and towers to protect the city," spoke Gerda.

ry, saw how important such fortifications would be, and so he locked up the M?lar Lake from ho

of my books which always reminds

ggested his father,

eart and wa

edes from t

or honor

trength in

eyes

with

ar green v

u giant li

iendly, hom

aid Gerda. "I like the secon

many a th

h wood and v

hou of wa

rs of mour

he r

ast

arts and lis

songs of S

sing them

t Ekman; "isn't there

f the boat. "Come here, Gerda," h

inting out to each other a beautiful wooded island, a windmill, a rocky ledge, a pretty summer cottage nestling among the trees, a fisherman's hut with

nd the sailors in their blue uniforms nodded to each

like a bird she chirped and twittered, singing s

ds," she said at last, stretching her arms wide and dancing from end to end of the d

lying flat on his back and looking up into the "wind-weaver." "If I had it,

t beside her father and watch the course of the boat thr

with old Njord, the god of the sea," she said. Then, as she caught sight of a lighthouse on a low oute

ere are two or three months when all this water is frozen over and there can be no shipping; but as soon as the ice breaks up, the lamps are lighted in

erchief to a little girl on the deck of

good many vacations, don't they

winter when the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia are covered with solid ice; but on t

stioned Birger, co

rn coast. It is called the Gulf Stream. This current warms the air and makes the climate milder, and i

eady. While they were eating, the launch made a landing at t

ocks, hunting for starfishes and sea-urchins, and Gerda pic

n shore to see the shipyard where his own launch, the North Star, wa

rew longer, each night shorter, until Birger decl

little after one. You will have to wait until you cross the Polcirkel and get to the top

rcle now," exclaimed Gerda. "It is gr

oe," said her father, pointing to a large field of

ried Gerda, "there are

there is a seal-boat sa

making first one sketch and then another,-a seal on a cake of ice, a lighthouse, a ship being dash

would happen. I'm tired of water and sky and sawmills and litt

to have happen?" qu

s," replied Gerda quickly. "I haven't had an

en tomorrow," her father comforted he

through the beautiful bright summer night, little dreaming that the boat was bearing