Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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THE CHIMES 1 ly toward the sky, and the Httle band on shore looked desolate. Must he always go away like this, cried Astrid, away so far — 1 know not where? What does he do in those other worlds of his? That is what the women of the North must bear, said old Sol- ieg ' . When you liecome old and see your sons going one by one, it will be harder, 1 ut it is always for us to wait and wait and wait. — and her voice trailed off drearily to silence. There w ere months and months of sailing on a sea of many moods. Sometimes Thor, god of thunder, split the heavens open above, and the jetty water rose like mountains in the ])ath of the ship. Sometimes the placid moon sprinkled silver on the sea, and the velvet sky was jewelled with stars. Sometimes the sky was pale and clear, and the sun flung handfuls of diamonds on the gently undulat- ing waters. The men of the North were silent men, and they felt each other ' s companionshi]) in silence. When they spoke, they spoke only what was necessary, or in more congenial moods they revealed fragments of their thoughts and dreams — but merely fragments. Therefore the only voices were the voices of the wind and waves; and were the: ship destined to be conquered by the elements, the only shrieks and groans would be the lustful shrieks of the hysterical wind and the satisfied groans of the hungry waves. Finally on one clear day the dim purple line of land could be seen at the horizon. Leif, cried Arne at the bow of the ship, ' ' see — yonder! ' Tis your father ' s land — Greenland; is it not? Leif Ericsson brought his great brows dow n. No, ' ' he replied. ' Tis not. I noted by the stars last night that we w ere aw- ay off our course. This is some strange, unknown place. Shall we land there? shouted Eric from the stern. Yes, most assuredly we shall land there, returned Leif over his massive shoulder. It is enticing adventure thrown into our verv laps, so to speak. Having landed, the little band stood on the shining, sandy beacii and surveye d the green hills that stretched out toward the west. It was indeed a strange land, an unpeopled land, it seemed. Forward, men! ' ' shouted their leader. Let us press on! They pressed on eagerly, curiously. Soon they lost view of the ocean. Onward they went over dewy hills on that fresh summer morning. They tasted of the wild grapes hanging in luscious dark bunches from trailing vines. They tasted of the wild cherries that had reddened the ground in a verdant gro ' e. Thev drank from

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12 THE CHIMES VIKING ROMANCE Doris Overland, ' v34 The day was bright and clear when Leif Kricsson and his broad- shouldered, blue-eyed crew set out for unknown lands. The ship looked ever so sturdy, rocking gently on the waters of the Germanic Sea. The little band of anxious wives, mothers, and awe-struck children were sharply defined in the sun light as they stood on the rocky shores of Scandinavia. With worried looks old women were pressing bundles of food and clothes into the strong arms of theii laughing sons. Old Solvieg closed trembling fingers around her Arne ' s large fist. ' ' Remember, Arne, ' ' she cried, I have Olaf no longer. I am an old, old woman, and it is not good for old, old women to live alone. Oh, Alother! laughed Arne. ' You have Greta, and no woman has a finer daughter. There was a strange, fierce flash in old Solvieg ' s faded eyes. ' ' They are all gone but you! she cried. T watched them go one by one. Great Thor smote the waters with his fist, and the waves swallowed them up; but you are mine, and nothing can take you away — not even great Thor ! Blonde Astrid was weeping on her husband ' s shoulder. Vou could stay home, Eric, ' ' she murmured In ' okenly. It time the crops were planted. It is hard work for a woman — plant- ing. Indeed she seemed unequal to such a task. Tall and stately as she was, she looked slimmer than most Scandinavian women, and she was pale, beautiful, and starry-eyed; she was a prophecy of the glamorous, silken-clad, soft-voiced woman of tomorrow. Eric ' s flashing eyes grew mellow. Tend the farm? ' ' he asked gentlv. Xo, my lieautiful one. Bend one ' s back over barren earth in the hot sun and coax meager crops to grow? Ah, no! Raise verdure from yoii rocks? I am a man, dear wife, not a god! But the earth yields to patient labor, protested Astrid. You, my dear one, come from the land of the east. There a man may stick a root in the ground, and it will grow. That is u land kind to domesticity, but my country gives l)irth to adventurers I must awa ' , for this dead horizon irks me! ' ' But am J, your wife, worthy of no consideration? ' ' Keep the fires warm and bright, for a wanderer homeward bound is cold and weary. With this he departed. Soon the A jking ship was sailing smooth-

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14 THE CHIMEiS sparkling streams that gushed up out of the earth. This was a fruitful land, yielding sweet nectar, delicious foods. This was Val- halla ! Surely they had died ! They nuist have perished in thai dark, turl)ulent sea ! Finally they sat down to rest on a grassy knoll overlooking a deep pine forest, hut they had not rested long before they were surround- ed by strange men, mysterious, red-skinned men with hair as black as a stormy night sky. The Northmen jumped up as one creature and reached for their knives with strong fingers. Who are you? demanded the intrepid Lief. What race are you? Are you men? Arne felt dark arms encircle him. With a shout of horror he jumped back and freed himself. A fierce battle ensued. Both the Northmen and the Redmen fought, driven by a terrible fear of their mysterious foe, and eventually the Northmen were the victors, though bruised and battered victors. Bearing their wounded and dying on their shoulders, they returned to the shore. Exhausted they lay down on the warm sand. With his blue eyes closed, Arne lay a little apart from the rest, lay like a great tree felled in the forest, lay a picture of ruined strength, of spent vigor. The vision of old Solvieg passed before him, old Sol- vieg, weeping, lonely, waiting, hoping. Take care of her, Leif — Eric — somebody! Take care of her! It is not good for old, old women to be alone! Eric raised his head wearily. At the sight of Arne he rose and rushed toward him. Leif followed. Arne! Man, you are hurt! shouted Eric. Why didn ' t you cry out? It was that red devil ! Leif slowly shook his head over Arne ' s still form. Only a few moments and the angels will l)e bearing him upward. he murmured. At this moment a red-skinned maiden came forward. She was slim and light-footed, and wore a leather gown worked in bright beads. There was dreadful fear in her black eyes, but the lovely mouth was firm. She had ol)served the battle from the forest. She had seen the strange, pale, strong warrior leap with agility among the flashing knives and twisting bodies; she had seen him spring, to the defense of his comrade with the glorious daring of youth, sud- denly writhe in pain, and stumble silently toward the shore after the others. Gathering some herbs, she had followed them. A pul- sating fear had seized her heart, but she had kept on. Now the sight of him lying so quiet gave her courage. She waved the others away, and to their amazement she began treating his w ounds.