The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sielanka: An Idyll, by Henryk Sienkiewicz

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Title: Sielanka: An Idyll

Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz

Translator: Vatslaf A. Hlasko
Thos. H. Bullick

Release Date: July 4, 2009 [EBook #29305]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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SIELANKA

_An Idyll_

BY

HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ

TRANSLATED BY

VATSLAF A. HLASKO and THOS. H. BULLICK

R. F. FENNO & COMPANY : 9 AND 11 EAST
SIXTEENTH STREET : : NEW YORK CITY
1898

Copyright, 1897

BY

R. F. FENNO & COMPANY

SIELANKA.

_An Idyll._

In the woods, in the deep woods, was an open glade in which stood the
house of the forester Stephan. The house was built of logs packed with
moss, and the roof was thatched with straw; hard by the house stood
two outbuildings; in front of it was a piece of fenced-in ground, and
an old well with a long, crooked sweep; the water in the well was
covered with a green vegetation at the edges.

Opposite the windows grew sunflowers and wild hollyhocks, high,
stately, and covered with blossoms as if with a swarm of gorgeous
butterflies; between the sunflowers there peeped the red heads of the
poppy; around the hollyhocks entwined sweet peas with pink blossoms
and morning-glories; close to the ground grew nasturtiums, marigolds,
primroses, and asters, pale because they were shaded from the sunlight
by the leaves of the hollyhocks and sunflowers.

The fenced ground on either side of the pathway leading to the house
was planted with vegetables--carrots, beets, and cabbage; further off
in a separate fenced-in lot there waved with each breath of wind the
tender blue flower of the flax; still beyond could be seen the dark
green of the potato patch; the rest of the clearing was checkered with
the variegated shades of the different cereals that ran to the edge of
the lake which touched the glade on one side.

Near to the house a few trees were growing. Some were cherry trees,
and one was a birch, with long, slender branches