As ifthere could be any question about the
marriage! Mother and I did just as much, together,as my father. In winter he went to
town again; and we were left alone in thebush.
Motherdreaded my fathers visits at home by this
time. Then she had suddenly fallen about his neck, half laughing,
halfcrying.
In Bobbys presence Niels felt ashamed even of the
elegance of thedining room.
In the north room a lamp was burning; its glass was
smoky.
As he stopped, she turned, picked her bucket up,
and laughed athim. I came in from the city to-day, on businessregarding my place.
Mother and I did just as much, together,as my father. Once again the thing happened
while we were still at Odensee.
With an absent-minded look he noticed that she was
peering out for him as heapproached. And right then I vowed I should
nevermarry.
Good, she exclaimed; and without hesitation she put
her hand inhis arm and led him along. Oh, he is hard, she would say of father;as
hard as God! I was sent to the house of the Germanpreacher in the village. He comes
and begs andsays thats what God made them male and female for.
On the second trip out he had a revelation
He had gone on milking the cows; and whenever, at
night, it was nottoo dark, he hoed in the garden.
Soon after, I was sent to school and began to learn
English.
Not if you want to go to bad places, he said. Niels
carried his point; buthe did so by a compromise.
Dont leave me alone for therest of my days. I was
so worried that I was almost sick myself.
Youll have touse a lantern, Niels said, till theres
time to send to town fora lamp. Still, mother insisted on my going to school now.
So, when we came home, my mother took some heavy logs, draggedthem to the saw-buck,
and sawed them.
To-morrow Ill have twelve hundreddollars in my
pocket. There was in it something whichabashed, which confused, but which also
antagonised him.
More and more Niels realised that the woman who had
become his wifewas a stranger to him . Oh, Niels, she would say, if you knew what
terrible things Ihave had to put up with: brutal things! The work wasmuch too hard
for my mother; but I thrived on it. My father began to clear the yard and to pile
logs for building.
Thus matters drifted along to the end of July. I
will not repeat the things my father said. Heprayed even more than before, both more
frequently and longer.