Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/384

 330 Collectanea.

8. The " Mill Bob " lived up in the hill above Masle, between the two streams big and little Haremsaa. Every Yule-Eve he visited Msle, and he was so tall that he knelt on the door-sill and laid his hands on the beam, which, in the old houses that have a central hearth,^'^ was placed along the building by the uppermost woodwork. He took up this position when he visited Mtele on Yule-Eve. Old Ola Maele did not like that visit, because he ate so much Ronimegrod}'^ Ola threatened to shoot the Bob, but the latter believed himself shot-proof, and said, — " I am not afraid of thy ' hemlock-pipe,' Ola Msele." Meanwhile Ola had thought of loading his gun with a silver button, which would be sure to make an end of the Bob. After the shot had been fired, folk heard the BobczSS. out mournfully, three times, — "Ah me, he, Ola Msele, has shot me with his 'hemlock-pipe,'" — and from thenceforward the folk were free of the " Mill Bob''

9. Marit Loken and the Jutul-youth. — A long time ago there lived at Loken a fair girl named Marit. Even before she was con- firmed ""-' she was bothered by a hiddre-yowXh, who had fallen in love with her. He paid his attentions to her more especially when she was in the sseter.^^ Qnce, whilst she was washing the milk tubs in the stream, some brooches, belts, and necklaces, all of silver, came floating over to her ; but she was too wise to let herself be moved by them, and thus give the youth power over her. She often had personal visits from him, but she kept him from her by carrying the " Catechism " (Pontoppidan's explanations) -^ in her bosom. The next summer she was s?eter-girl again, but she had been con- firmed. She now had visits from her old suitor again, who said to her, — "Thou shouldst not have allowed the Black Man (pastor) to lay his hands on thee, for then all would have been well and good now." It appears that from that hour he gave up hope of getting her, for she saw him no more.

10. The Nesja Bob. — It happened once at Lower Nesja that the daughter was stolen by the y^///^r^-folk. She was bidden to take food to her father, who was at the mill, but she went neither thither nor home again. One day, however, she came to her mother when she was herding the cows, and bade her not sorrow about her, as all was well with her and she did not wish to come back. Yet she desired that, on three Thursday evenings one after the other, the