38 WITH CARL OF THE HILL 



you get very old will you have white hair like Uncle 

 Olaf s is ? " " Uncle " Olaf roared aloud ; he did not 

 feel so very old. Carl also laughed and answered, *' No, 

 little Sunlight, Uncle Olafs hair was black, my yellow 

 hair will never grow white." Sunlight's face fell at 

 this sudden blow, but she only said resignedly, " Oh, 

 I wanted so to stroke it when you are telling sagas." 



Sunlight's birthday came to be a sort of festival in 

 the clearing. It was always kept on the first of June, 

 (though well after the date of the real event) because 

 the weather was sure then to be safe. The Linnaea, 

 too, was well in bloom, and the children could make 

 a wreath of it and crown Sunlight, just as here 

 in England the children crown a Queen of the 

 May. 



It was now the last day of May, and to-morrow 

 they would celebrate Sunlight's eighth birthday. 

 Carl's wife went off early in the cariole to buy presents 

 and some stores for the morrow. Carl, who meant to 

 make a double holiday, had promised himself a long 

 day with Sunlight in the forest. But just as they 

 were starting some one arrived to say that one of the 

 men had met with an accident the day before, and 

 was lying in a hut a long way off in the hills and 

 greatly in need of help. Carl at once determined 



