Olsen

“ This was Hjalmar Olsen.
His ship experienced a continuous northwesterly gale, and the harder it blew, the more grog he drank; but as he did so he was astonished to find that a memory of the ball constantly rose before him—the little rosy red one; the girl with the plait. Hjalmar Olsen was of opinion that he had conducted himself in a very gentleman-like manner towards her. At first this did not very much occupy his thoughts; he had been twice engaged already, and each time it had been broken off. If he engaged himself a third time he must marry at once. ”

“ It was a sad pity that in this matter the friend for whom she was now waiting—that is, Anna Olsen—was not as wise and sensible as herself. Mabel Blackett had an affectionate, happy nature, and as she waited for Madame Olsen her thoughts dwelt on her, not unkindly, only a little critically, as our thoughts are apt to dwell on those of our friends of whose conduct we do not particularly approve, especially if it be conduct that we ourselves would never be tempted to emulate. ”

“ Olsen’s place, giving him as pay a snow-knife, a small pickaxe and two steel drills. We left at early dawn the next morning, travelling with all our goods and chattels on the sledge. Our dogs were harnessed with his, though they were so tired that they could barely keep up.
About noon we reached Mr. Olsen’s place. Mr. Olsen, I found, was a naturalized American citizen, thirty-eight years old, a trader known all up and down the coast. He was the agent of Mr. Olaf Swenson of Seattle, who was later to play so important a part in the rescue of our men. ”

“ The blow smote the labor leader on the side of the jaw.
Cavard struck the floor with terrific force.
With an animal-like roar the Icelander threw himself upon the prostrate body of his antagonist. Olsen, in his terrible rage, had lost all control of himself. He was slow to anger, but when once aroused he was a wild animal.
Gripping the other man's shoulders, he banged [pg 225] him on the hard floor with crushing force. All at once the big, powerful fingers of the Icelander encircled the neck of the labor leader. A look of triumph shone in Olsen's eyes.
"Segunder!"
It was Bob Jarvis who spoke. ”

“ Olsen, a little bright tinted woman with a nose too small for her big blue eyes and chubby cheeks, quivered with indignant sympathy.
“Well, I did nefer hear of sooch a mean acting man!” seemed to her the most natural expression; but the wife fired, at once.
“No, he is not a mean man,” she cried, “no, Freda Olsen, he is not a mean man at all! There aint nowhere a better man than my man; and Carl Olsen, he knows that. Kurt, he always buys a whole ham and a whole barrel of flour, and never less than a dollar of sugar at a time! ”

“ Anders Olsen had come with the intention of throwing the old witch into the trap and taking her home with him—by fair means or foul—so that she could undo her magic on the spot. And there he sat on the woodbox, his cap between his hands, a pitiful sight. Maren had judged him aright, there was nothing manly about him, he fought with words instead of fists. The men of the Sand farm were a poor breed, petty and grasping. ”

“ Barton, mining captain of the Red Rock Mine?"
Olsen nodded.
"And he would not take you back?"
"Him no take me."
"He will to-morrow," said Steve.
"Oh, if you will do that for my husband, I shall bless you!" exclaimed the woman. "Segunder, this young man is a good man. Surely he could not have brought this terrible thing upon us."
Segunder's face relaxed a little.
"Are you in need of assistance, Mrs. Olsen?"
The woman hesitated. Her pride was battling with her love for her little family.
"Oh, yes, sir; we are. We do not care for ourselves, my husband and myself, but our children! ”

“ Outwardly the Danish lady's mysterious disappearance had been a ripple, and only a ripple, on the pleasant, lazy, agreeable life they were all leading. In fact, no one seemed to remember Anna Olsen excepting Mabel Blackett herself, and that kindly couple, Madame Wachner and her silent husband. As the days slipped by, the Wachners had grown more and more anxious, and each time Mabel saw them, and she met them daily, either the husband or the wife would ask her eagerly and sympathetically: “Has Madame Olsen returned?” or “Have you had news of Anna Olsen?” ”

“ Segunder Olsen was an Icelander, a veritable giant in stature, and known to be a man possessing great strength. He had been forced out with his fellows when the strike was called. Steve had never passed half a dozen words with the Icelander. The latter was a taciturn man, but one who could do a day's work that was the wonder of the men who worked with him.
"What do you want, Olsen?" demanded Steve, trying to release himself from the other's grip.
"You make this strike, huh?"
"What—why certainly not. What made you think I did?"
"Men say you tell bosses not to pay us money. ”

“ With an old blunderbuss of a shot-gun he had routed the I.W.W. It meant relief to Olsen's men; but Kurt had yet no satisfaction for the burning of his wheat, for the cruel shock that had killed his father.
"Come on, Olsen!" he yelled, at the top of his lungs. "They're a lot of cowards!"
Then in his wild eagerness he leaped off the car. The long jump landed him jarringly, but he did not fall or lose hold of the gun. Recovering his balance, he broke into a run. Kurt was fast on his feet. Not a young man of his neighborhood nor any of his college-mates could outfoot him in a race. ”

“ The first year of her married life had glided away like a dream of dizzy bliss. When she held up the little golden-locked angel for the admiration of her lady friends, she was beautiful with the beauty of perfect maternal happiness; and Miss Ludvigsen said: "Here is love in its ideal form."
But Mrs. Olsen's "nest" soon became too small; the family increased while the income stood still. She was daily confronted by new claims, new cares, and new duties. Marie set stanchly to work, for she was a courageous and sensible woman. ”

“ Henrik Nilsen found the house first, lighted a fire, roasted and ate some pieces of fox flesh that he found remaining. Ole Andreas Olsen, who in desperation had endeavoured to quench his thirst with sea-water, was so weak that, when late at night he came to the boat, he could not crawl up to the house. He had kept himself in life by eating snow and devouring large pieces of his "pesk," which was made of the raw hides of reindeer he had previously shot. ”

“ Mrs. Blackett shook her head. Somehow she did not care to joke about Anna Olsen's departure. The Danish woman's odd, and to her inexplicable, conduct had real hurt her.
The count leaned forward, and, speaking this time with the banter gone out of his voice, he said:
“Listen. I am now going to speak to you as frankly as if you were my—my sister. You should not waste a moment of your time in regretting Madame Olsen. She was no friend for you. She was an unhappy woman held tightly in the paws of the tiger—Play. That is the truth, ma belle petite madame. ”

“ They said he was always listening; and when he seemed to be listening within to the unknown, they avoided as far as possible disturbing him.
“You’ll see he’ll free himself; the Evil One’ll have no claim upon him,” was the opinion of both Lasse and the laborers’ wives when they discussed Per Olsen’s prospects at the Sunday milking. “There are some people that even the Almighty can’t find anything to blame for.”
Pelle listened to this, and tried every day to peep at the scar on Per Olsen’s thumb. ”

“ Olsen, Maggie Donahue, and herself. She enjoyed her gossip with each of them, and, returning home, plunged joyfully into the task of putting the neglected house in order. She sang as she worked, and ever as she sang the magic words of the boy danced and sparkled among the notes: OAKLAND IS JUST A PLACE TO START FROM.
Everything was clear as print. Her and Billy's problem was as simple as an arithmetic problem at school: to carpet a room so many feet long, so many feet wide, to paper a room so many feet high, so many feet around. ”

“ His cap was on the back of his head, and his riotous mood would have found expression in leaping, if he had not felt himself too pleasantly encumbered; so he opened his mouth wide, and shouted joyfully, so that it rang again: “Devil take me! Deuce take me! Seven hundred devils take me!” and disappeared under the trees with his girls.
“That was Per Olsen himself,” said Lasse, looking after him. “What a man, to be sure! He certainly doesn’t look as if he bore any debt of sin to the Almighty.”
“His time may still come,” was the opinion of Karl Johan. ”

“ I'll save this ship against the lot of you, I'll save her against herself—God helping me," he added.
"But we shall be ruined, all of us," urged Olsen. "What do you suppose they will say to us at Port of Spain, Mr. Elderkin? They won't be pleased to see the Spirito Santo come crawling into the roadstead with a faked cargo and all that good insurance money wasted. . . . We shall all be ruined men, I tell you. . . . What will become of us?"
"We shall never get into Port of Spain," spoke Lemaire, "we shall never round the Horn. It's coming on to blow now. She can't live through it, I tell you. ”

“ And a strange roar added the last heroic touch to this heroic field. It was indeed the roar of battle—men and horses governing the action of machinery, and all fighting time. For in delay was peril to the wheat.
Once Kurt ran across the tireless and implacable Olsen. He seemed a man of dust and sweat and fury.
"She's half cut an' over twenty thousand bushels gone to the railroad!" he exclaimed. "An' we're speedin' up."
"Olsen, I don't get what's going on," replied Kurt. "All this is like a dream."
"Wake up. You'll be out of debt an' a rich man in three days," added Olsen, and went his way. ”

“ Then Hansa, clinging closely to Niels the while, told him all that had befallen her, and of the pleasant home she had found, and added, boldly;
"Father, let me take these kind friends some gifts; we have so much, and I wish to make them happy."
"Take what you want, child," said Haakon. "And see! here is a bag of silver marks; give it to Peder Olsen, and say that each year I will fill it anew for him, so that he shall never more want." Then, turning to Niels, he added: "Go you, too, with Hansa. Surely those kind people will give you a home as well. ”

“ Astonished, Pelle raised his head and gazed at Emil uncomprehendingly.
“What use is it if a poor devil tries to make his way up? He’ll always be pushed down again!” said Olsen. “Just look at the ‘Great Power’; could any one have had a better claim than he? No, the big folks don’t allow us others to make our way up!”
“And have we allowed it ourselves?” muttered Ström. “We are always uneasy if one of our own people wants to fly over our heads!”
“I don’t understand why all the poor folk don’t make a stand together against the others,” said Bergendal. “We suffer the same wrongs. ”

“ They returned unsuccessful. “Well, then you haven’t got him!” cried Olsen, leaning out of his window down below.
“No; d’you think we are going to break our necks for the like of him?” retorted the policemen, as they scrambled down. “Any one going to stand a glass of Christmas beer?” As no response followed, they departed.
Old Madam Frandsen went into her room and locked up; she was tired and worried and wanted to go to bed. But after a time she came shuffling down the long gangway. “Pelle,” she whispered, “he’s in bed in my room! ”

“ He’d got a watch in his pocket, too, and long clothes; and before he hadn’t even a shirt to his body. And an ungodly devil he was too! But the old gentleman looks after his own, as the saying is; I expect it’s him that helped him on by changing places at the machine. The way they’ve cheated the Almighty’s enough to make Him weep!”
Madam Olsen tried to hush Lasse, but the “cuckoo” rose within him together with his wrath, and he continued: “So he’s above recognizing decent people who get what they have in an honorable way, and not by lying and humbug! ”

“ When Aksel Aarö approached, Hjalmar Olsen received a share of the love glances which streamed from her eyes. She danced every dance. Hjalmar Olsen was tall enough to catch glimpses of her in all parts of the room. She also noticed him; he soon became a lighthouse in her voyage, but a lighthouse which interested itself in the ships. Thus he now felt that she was in danger so near to Peter Klausson's waistcoat. He knew Peter Klausson.
Her tiny feet tripped a waltz, while the plait kept up an accompanying polka. Certainly Peter Klausson did press her too close to his waistcoat! ”

“ None of them looked up. Then, as they were about to walk in and begin working, Heymann stopped them by holding up his hand, and he said something I couldn’t hear. But after a little while I saw Olsen [the strike-leader] standing all by himself in a cleared [108] place. (A shiver runs through her at the recollection.) Once I saw a picture of an execution in a prison yard.... It lasted only a few seconds. Then Olsen said a few words to his comrades and walked away, looking white as a ghost. The crowd opened up to let him pass through. ”

“ That friend was a Danish lady, a certain Madame Olsen. The two, both young, both widowed, both possessed of ample means, had met in the Paris hotel where Mabel Blackett had been spending a lonely week, and the two had soon become friends. It was owing to Anna Olsen that Mabel Blackett had stayed on in France instead of going on to Switzerland.
For the first time the pretty young American woman was seeing life, and she found such seeing very pleasant. ”

“ He did not sign his name Olsen any more, but Ohlsen, which led the wits of the town to ask, "How far did Peter Ohlsen get in Hamburg?" Answer: "As far as the first letter." He even went so far as to think of calling himself Pedro, but he had to brook so much annoyance for the h's sake, that he gave it up and signed himself P. Ohlsen. He extended the business, and though only twenty-two, he married a red-handed shop girl, for his father had just become a widower, and it was safer to have a wife than a housekeeper. That day year he got a son, who that day week was named Pedro. ”