ir actions.

Darker pictures were presented by the citizen-wars, which hurried
"blood-storm upon blood-storm" through the land, and in which it at
length "bled liberty to death."

Now the wild strawberry blooms in the ruins of former strongholds, and
upon blood-drenched fields grow golden forests,

As the scar groweth o'er the healed wound.--TEGNER.

A milder generation lived in the place of the "Bloody Axe,"[2] and
looked serenely and hopefully towards the future, whilst in their
peaceful, beautiful valleys, they listened willingly to the memories of
the old times.

Upon the hill-tops stands the ancient stone,
Where legend hovers like a singing lark,
With morning brightness on its downy breast.

VELHAVEN.

One subject of conversation and of dispute also between Harald and
Susanna, was their pale lady. As soon as the discourse turned to her,
Harald assumed a very grave demeanour, and replied only to Susanna's
earnest inquiries of what he knew about her, "she must have been very
unfortunate!" If, however, Susanna began to assail him with questions
about this misfortune, in what it consisted, whether one could not help
her in some way or other--Susanna would have gone up and down the world
for this purpose--then began Harald to tell a story.

Tales of women, powerful and distinguished in their valleys, are not
rare in Norway. The story of the lady in Hallingdal, called the
Shrieking Lady, is well known, who was so magnificent that she was drawn
by elks; one hears of the rich Lady Belju, also of Hallingdal, who built
Naes church, and by means of fire and butter split the Beja rock, so
that a road was carried over it, which road is called to this day the
Butter Rock. One hears tell of the Ladies of Solberg and Skoendal, of
their great quarrel about a pig, and of the false oath which one of them
swore in the lawsuit which thence ensued; and to every one of these
ladies belongs the story, that the preacher did not dare to have the
church-bells rung until the great lady had arrived there.

They tell further the history of the wife of the knight Knut Eldhjerna,
who, from grief for the criminal lives of her seven sons, retired from
the world, and lived as a hermit in a lonesome dale, where, by fasting
and alms, she endeavoured to atone for the misdeeds of her children.
Yes, indeed, there are many histories of this kind. But as concerns the
history which Harald related to Susanna, of Mrs. Astrid, its like had