One of Life's Slaves

a visitor-he could hardly believe his own eyes-none other than his mother, who w

If he knew how many sighs she had heaved for his sake, and how many bitter tears she had shed-the big, handsome, half peasant-clad woman was red in the face, and wept and dried h

r her. Oh, how big and broad and fine he had grown-a regular smith! He had a frock-coat now for Sundays, hadn't he?

ings that Nikolai thus suddenly saw a mother fall down

as far from being in the mood to stir up. There were things within him, which he avoided from an instinctive feeling of safety in the whole of his new, happy existence; but such a

it, spent on a present-an exceedingly large, gay, flowered silk handkerchief-as much as it had taken him a fortnight to scrape together; and, besides that, had paid

ts that Nikolai made to himself after the meeting. In addition to this, he felt himself unexpectedly lightened of a good deal of money;

ssively warm evening, labourers were walking with their coats over their shoulders, while so

straight across the field down behind it. Silla was not to be seen. A girl went with a bucket from the cowshed into the pent-house. She looked up towards him and laughed, and the consequence was

eel. A cart was rattling along the road in front of him. Now it stopped to unload; the load was tumbled off

king, pulling up and planting, while a man followed with a hose; and out of th

h her hand; and-Silla! on her knees, pulling up weeds into her apron from a bed close to the house. It was with her Veyergang was

en hold of Nikolai's heart, and he all at once remembered so vi

sat down on the edge of a ditch in the field, whence he

at suppressed merriment in her glance. This was what his thoughts

ur. Ludvig Veyergang was sauntering past, dashing and easy, with his stick held loosely in his hand. He had red cheeks like a

tly after him, as he di

he could never find words and vent, unless it some day happened that-he closed

a willow that is bowed by its growth. Sometimes she stole a g

ets' cottage; Silla went i

he went quickly, smiling to herself, and an almost frightened express

t when you s

look!" she ans

'd be my wife, d

t now, Nikolai? It's su

eel twice whether the strap you are holding on to is firmly fastened, or if it will

it, and stand there like a post! But you can't think how awfully busy I am now. As soon as ever I've swallowed my supper, I go up to the factory again. I and Kristofa and Kalla and Josefa

oo, for he would not get that back-that was what he owned, and he needed at least twice as much again before he c

l ahead, perhaps we may be sitting in our own room by next spring, Silla. But

u're so horrid to meet now, that it's enough to make one quite sad and uncomfortable the whole evening. A nice sweeth

his mother, and, to tell the truth, he had completely forgotten it; but it would be time enou

rwards some one

ouse. Part of the load was made up of his mother's big chest, which the man had undertaken to driv

er head! Perhaps she was thinki

red wooden box and a pair of laced boots up

en out to buy a little new rye-bread, cheese, an

ut some for herself a

t of her face, which, in the brilliancy of youth, had been covered with pure, healthy mountain roses, now, as it moved in the process of eating, gave only the impression of powerful crushing with still

herself; well, he had seen the ham himself, and knew what she had been accustomed to at the Veyergangs'. She could truly say that she had swallowed her food with tears many a time, when she thought of all that she had done for Ludvig an

uld remember old Barbara. Oh no! one would have

meditated and reflected about setting up a little shop i

e office, and snappish; but she kn

ld as to ask? Bless me, they must have grown so tall and so grand

u must have eaten up the whole barn up there; I didn't remember that you were so big, Barb

se,' said I; 'and it's me, rather, that's in such circumstances that

out Ludvig and Lizzie

-scarum boy of y

Nikolai is now a finished jo

into trade. 'I have always noticed that it has been bet

o make yourself a new storeho

estly, and with a little help; ever

m and kitchen in one of the houses up in the m

; but where the leading of fate had turned the features of his broad, intelligent face in

he should procure credit, a little at each place; she still had acquaintances at the shops in the neighbourhood, from the time

Nikolai could help her with a little; it would all lie in the goods, so that, for that

little more at the carpenter's at once, only a fair-sized folding-table, two beds, and a few chairs. She had thought that when once she had got it started and into order, Nikolai might live wit

her own mind, and emphasising now and then wit

en at the Veyergangs', and had now, moreover, talked to the Consul himself. But the more she initiated him into her plans, and in them appropriated him entirely to herself, and talked away as if there could be no obstacle in any corner o

ng upon nails the whole time in the

's nothing to hinder that. But, you know, why I must have it again is-is because I and Mrs. Holman's Silla have agreed to marry and settle down. An

, and the mother instinctively felt that her

that had never ente

sfaction, he let her have his

ouse, comprises, according to legislation, a great many more effects, and allows the individual concerned to lead a more comfortable existence, with

be said of America that whole towns and undertakings arise in a moment

pes, steel pens, matches, etc., etc., while she herself sat behind the counter-which was a packing-case disguised under some print-and ground coffee, which she r

bara, too, was already renewed, with the sec

look at her new surroundings by the light of the just completed shop-window. And then she must not pass an old acquai

aw in there, but she preferred, while she drank her coffee, to give Barbara some

your cup up yet! On

and sucked in observations of Barbara's open-handed, profuse management, like pipe-clayed fat. But when she left, she had, with many cautious re

d a pint of groats to take home with her-when Barbara, who was

e softened, and very nearly called him Ludvig, he was so lively and playful about her shop. He stood looking with half-closed eyes, and laughing at Silla, who grew redder and more

out freckles not being anything to mind when one had such dark

words from such a well-meaning and handsome man as Ludvig Veyergang-her son heard the same evening. A young girl ought to st

f-peeled, bent prawn in the back, and went balancing along the edge of the gutter, as if she were going to be a tightrope dancer-withou

, that here was the person who both could and would help me with those fifteen

u, if you'll only wait a little; and I t

d; "and now you shall have some coffee that's good, and ne

ther," he answered, gloomily

ed in meeting Silla. She was so

all. Would you have liked me to s

the moment, she la

losed eyes, and the curl coming out beneath his hat, and-he co

hless from the garden, and was always full of whether young Veyergang had been there or not, what he had said, and what she ha

so long as it was she herself who

smithy, when he stood and thought about it all u

of blood in his body to be able to marry; and that other one, who had his pockets full, and could have any fi

New Year he would be worth seventy-five specie-dollars-what he had almost starved himself to save-and of these his mother had had forty-five, and since then thirteen more. He had made a half bargain about a room wit

d before her his journeyman's credentials, his seventy-five dollars, and his regular earnings, with t

that he went up to his mother to let her know that he must ha

was rather confused and forget

ve his coffee, and Christmas should not pass without his having s

ristmas she had had to settle a bill for coffee and sugar which, upon her word, she had not thought or known would come in until after the fair or

other, Barbara, has promised anything, she'll keep it; so you may be easy. So nice as Ludvig was to me the last time he was in here-it was only the afternoon of Little Christmas Eve.[4] Barb

day before Chri

d Barbara thought it was getting oppressively q

I would never have borrowed your mon

om Ludvig Veyergang, we are parted for this world, and as far as I get into the next, too! So now you know