ghing on the hill.

"He is getting his throat ready," whispered Thore.

Oyvind fell on his knees in front of the haycock, buried his head in
the hay, and laughed. His father also bowed down.

"Suppose we go into the barn," whispered he, and taking an armful of
hay he trotted off. Oyvind picked up a little tuft, rushed after him,
bent crooked with laughter, and dropped down as soon as he was inside
the barn. His father was a grave man, but if he once got to laughing,
there first began within him a low chuckling, with an occasional
ha-ha-ha, gradually growing longer and longer, until all blended in a
single loud peal, after which came wave after wave with a longer gasp
between each. Now he was under way. The son lay on the floor, the
father stood beside him, both laughing with all their might.
Occasionally they had such fits of laughter.

"But this is inconvenient," said the father.

Finally they were at a loss to know how this would end, for the old man
must surely have reached the gard.

"I will not go out," said the father; "I have no business with him."

"Well, then, I will not go out either," replied Oyvind.

"Hem, hem!" was heard just outside of the barn wall.

The father held up a threatening finger to his boy.

"Come, out with you!"

"Yes; you go first!"

"No, you be off at once."

"Well, go you first."

And they brushed the dust off each other, and advanced very seriously.
When they came below the barn-bridge they saw Ole standing with his
face towards the kitchen door, as if he were reflecting. He held his
cap in the same hand as his staff, and with his handkerchief was wiping
the sweat from his bald head, at the same time pulling at the bushy
tufts behind his ears and about his neck until they stuck out like
spikes. Oyvind hung behind his father, so the latter was obliged to
stand still, and in order to put an end to this he said with excessive
gravity,--

"Is the old gentleman out for a walk?"

Ole turned, looked sharply at him, and put on his cap before he
replied,--

"Yes, so it seems."

"Perhaps you are tired; will you not walk in?"

"Oh! I can rest very well here; my errand will not take long."

Some one set the kitchen door ajar and looked out; between it and Thore
stood old Ole, with his cap-visor down over his eyes, for the cap was
too large now that he had lost his hair. In order to be able to see he
threw his head pretty far back; he held his staff in his right hand,