e an architect and
engineer--the professions were at that time combined. He made himself a
name, and in course of time was called to Copenhagen to teach. He
entered the military service and rose to the rank of general in the
engineer corps. At the time of his retirement his earnings, added to his
patrimony, constituted a considerable fortune. He settled at Krogskogen,
which he bought after the death of a childless brother. He called
himself Hans _von_ Krogh. It was he who erected the present house, which
is of stone, a very unusual building material in a Norwegian forest
district. The old engineer-architect wanted occupation and amusement.
Though he was not married, he made the house large, "for those to come."
He rebuilt the farm-steading; he drained and he planted; he sent to
Holland for a gardener--old Siemens, of whose strictness and angry
insistence upon cleanliness and order stories are still told. For him
the General put up hot-houses and built a cottage.

The General lived to be a very old man. After his day nothing special
happened until the younger of two brothers emigrated to America and
settled on the shores of Lake Michigan--at that time virgin soil. This
was regarded as a great event. The man's name was Anders Krog. He
prospered over there, and people wondered that he did not marry. He
invited one of his brother's sons to come out to him, promising to make
him his heir. And thus it came about that Hans, the elder brother of the
Anders Krog of our story, went to America.

At exactly the same time, however, arrived a young Norwegian girl, also
a Krog; and with her the elderly uncle fell in love. He proposed to Hans
to pay his journey home. But the young man felt that he would disgrace
himself by returning. He stayed on and set up in business for
himself--in the timber trade, which he understood. The undertaking
prospered. By rights Hans should have gone home and taken possession of
Krogskogen at the time of his father's death; but he refused to do so.
The younger brother, Anders, who in the meantime had also taken to
trade, and acquired the largest grocery business in the neighbouring
town, was obliged to take over the property as well.

Young Anders Krog was not really a good business man. But his
extraordinary conscientiousness and considerateness soon gained him the
custom of the whole town. Another man in his place might have made a
fortune; he did not. When he entered on possession of Krogskogen he ha