My idea of what had taken place may be judged
by the fact that when I next saw Magnus I asked him if he knew that
Rowena and her people had had a fuss. I looked upon the case as that of
a family fuss, and that only. Magnus looked very solemn, and said that
he had seen none of the family since we had finished our work for
Gowdy--a year ago.
"What said the old man, Yake?" he asked anxiously.
"He said he was going to will his property away from her!" I replied,
laughing heartily at the idea: but Magnus did not laugh. "He said that
she ain't no longer a member of his family, Magnus. Don't that
beat you!"
"Yes," said Magnus gravely, "dat beat me, Yake."
He bowed his head in thought for a while, and then looked up.
"Ay can't go to her, Yake. Ay can't go to her. But you go, Yake; you go.
An' you tal her--dat Magnus Thorkelson--Norsky Thorkelson--bane ready to
do what he can for her. All he can do. Tal her Magnus ready to live or
die for her. You tal her dat, Yake!"
I had to think over this a few days before I could begin to guess what
it meant; and three days after, she came to see me. It was a Sunday
right after harvest. I had put on my new clothes thinking to go to hear
Elder Thorndyke preach, but when I thought that I had no longer any
pleasure in the thought of Virginia, no chance ever to have her for my
wife, no dreams of her for the future even, I sat in a sort of stupor
until it was too late to go, and then I walked out to look at things.
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