s it comes up. They'll set up a little
machine thing in the house here, to hang on the wall, that'll tell you
when you're wanted. And when it does, you must leave whatever you're
doing and go."

Isak thought it over. "I could do it all right in winter," he said.

"That's no good. It would have to be for the whole year, summer and
winter alike."

"Can't be done," said Isak. "Spring and summer and autumn I've my work
on the land, and no time for other things."

The engineer looked at him for quite a while, and then put an
astonishing question, as follows: "Can you make more money that way?"

"Make more money?" said Isak.

"Can you earn more money in a day by working on the land than you
could by working for us?"

"Why, as to that, I can't say," answered Isak. "It's just this way,
you see--'tis the land I'm here for. I've many souls and more beasts
to keep alive--and 'tis the land that keeps us. 'Tis our living."

"If you won't, I can find some one else," said the engineer.

But Isak only seemed rather relieved at the threat. He did not like
to disoblige the great man, and tried to explain. "'Tis this way," he
said, "I've a horse and five cows, besides the bull. I've twenty sheep
and sixteen goats. The beasts, they give us food and wool and hide; we
must give them food."

"Yes, yes, of course," said the other shortly.

"Well, and so I say, how am I to feed them when I've to run away all
times in the busy season, to work on the telegraph line?"

"Say no more about it," said the engineer. "I'll get the man down
below you, Brede Olsen; he'll be glad to take it." He turned to his
men with a brief word: "Now, lads, we'll be getting on,"

Now Oline had heard from the way Isak spoke that he was stiff-necked
and unreasonable in his mind, and she would make the most of it.

"What was that you said, Isak? Sixteen goats? There's no more than
fifteen," said she.

Isak looked at her, and Oline looked at him again, straight in the
face.

"Not sixteen goats?" said he.

"No," said she, looking helplessly towards the strangers, as if to say
how unreasonable he was.

"Ho!" said Isak softly. He drew a tuft of his beard between his teeth
and stood chewing it.

The engineer and his men went on their way.

Now, if Isak had wanted to show his displeasure with Oline and maybe
thrash her for her doings, here was his chance--a Heaven-sent chance
to do that thing. They were alone in the house; the children had gone
after t