From a Swedish Homestead

e, but the pastor only a small and poor one. But poor as they were at the small parsonage, they had been charitable enough to

rying, and she had told him that her blind grandfather was dead, and that she had no relatives left. She now travelled with a couple of acrobats,

and Mrs. Blomgren, and offered to take the child home with him. The old acrobats began to weep, and said that although the girl was entirely unfitted for the profession, they would so very much like to keep her; but at the same time they th

, but as she grew older she developed a strong inclination to lose herself in dreams and fancies. She lived in a world of visions, and in the middle of the day she could let her work fall and be lost in dreams. But t

now what was the matter with her, for this happened long ago, when there was no doctor at

that He would take her away from this wo

ight she felt that she grew stiff and cold all over her body, and a heavy

at they wrapped her in her shroud and laid her in her coffin, but she felt no fear of being buried, although she was st

at she was not really dead and would not bury her. Life must have be

She was conveyed to the church, carried to

ustom at Raglanda. The mourners had gone into church after the funeral, and the coffin was left in the open g

ightest movement to show that she was alive, even if she had wanted to; but even if she had been abl

either the use of her mind nor of her senses. It was only that part of the

would be for her to awake when the grave was filled in. S

if there is anything in the whole wide

, and the handkerchief which had been placed over her face, became transparent, and she

ese things,' she said, and she c

but instead she saw quite distinctly a little

little angel of Go

thou art lying here doing nothing, I would like

anything she had ever heard before. It was more like a stringed instrument;

as still living, that thou once met a young student, who went with thee

ce was lighte

she said. 'Ever since that time no day ha

en thou hast not

when I have not

rest him so well,' said the angel. 'Then

ad girl felt all the happiness of lov

'I am afraid to live

lay, here and there, objects which at the first glance looked like pieces of rock, but when she examined them more closely, she saw they were the immense living animals of fairy tales, with huge claws and great jaw

he angel in unspeakable fear. 'Tell him that

' said the angel with his clear vo

fort after the other to raise herself, but the impotence of death bound her. But then at last, at last, she felt her heart begin