--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 2 number: 12 published: 1899-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne, "The History of the Old Schoolmaster," *Improvement Era* 2, no. 12 (October 1899): 936–942.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera212unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera212unse start_page: 936 end_page: 942 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1899-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera212unse publication_year: 1899 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1899, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The History of the Old Schoolmaster History of the Old School Master" is reproduced. Editors.] Baard was the schoolmaster's name, and he had had a brother who was called Anders. They were very fond of each other; both of them enlisted, lived together in the garrison, and took part in the war, where they both became corporals in the same company. When they came home again after the war everyone thought they were two fine fellows. Then their father died: he had much personal property, which was difficult to divide; but they said, it in order that this should not make any disagreement between them, that they would put up the goods at auction, so that each might buy what he liked, and they would divide the profits. As they had said, so it was done. But their father had owned a large gold watch, which was famous far and wide; for that was the only gold watch people thereabouts had seen; and, when it was put up many rich men wanted to get it, until both brothers began to bid too; then the others left off. Now Baard expected that Anders would THF HISTORY OF THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER. 937 let him get the watch, and Anders expected the same of Baard; they bid each in their turn, to try the other, and looked over at each other while they were bidding. When the watch got up to twenty dollars, Baard thought his brother was not doing rightly, and bid on, until it was nearly thirty dollars; as Anders still kept on, Baard thought that Anders did not remember how kind he had always been to him, and besides that, he was the elder; so the watch went up to over thirty dollars. Anders kept on. Then Baard put the watch up to forty dollars at once, and no longer looked at his brother; it grew very still in the auction room, no sound but the auctioneer quietly naming the price. Anders thought, as he stood there, that if Baard could afford to give forty dollars he could too; and if Baard grudged him the watch, he had better take it. He bid over. That, Baard thought, was the greatest disgrace that had ever happened to him: he bid fifty dol- lars in quite a low tone. Many people stood around, and Anders thought that his brother could not so insult him in the hearing of all: he bid over. Then Baard laughed. "A hundred dollars, and my brother's love into the bargain !" said he, and turned and went out of the room. Awhile after some one came out to him, as he was saddling the horse he had just bought. "The watch is yours," said the man: "Anders gave up. At the moment Baard heard that, something like repentance passed through him: he thought of his brother, and not of the watch. The saddle was put on, but he stopped with his hand on the horse's back, uncertain whether he should ride off. Then many people came out, Anders among them, and as soon as he saw his brother standing over by the saddled horse, he did not imagine what Baard was thinking about that minute; but he shouted over to him, "Thank you for the watch, Baard! You will not see it go, the day your brother dogs your heels!" "Nor the day I ride to the farm again," answered Baard, white in the face, and swung himself into the saddle. The house where they had lived together with their father, neither of them entered again. A short time after, Anders married into a workman's family, but did not invite Baard to the wedding; nor was Baard in the " 938 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Church. The first year Anders was married the only cow he owned was found dead on the north side of the house, where it had been tied to graze, and no one could tell of what [she died. Several other misfortunes occurred, and he was fast going down hill; but the worst was when his barn, with everything in it, burned down in the middle of the winter; no one knew how the fire had arisen. "Some one has done that who wishes me ill," said Anders, and he wept that night. He became a poor man, and lost all desire for work. The next evening Baard stood in Anders' room. Anders lay in bed when he entered but started up. "What do you want here?" he asked, but then stopped and stood staring at his brother. Baard waited a little while before he answered. "I want to offer you help, Anders: you are not getting along well." "I am getting along as you meant to have me, Baard. Go, or I do not know whether I can govern myself!" "You are mistaken, Anders; I repent — "Go, Baard, or God have mercy on us both!" Now this is how it had been with Baard. As soon as he heard that his brother was suffering, his heart melted; but pride kept him back. He felt a need to go to Church, and, when there, he made good resolutions, but he could not carry them out. Often he had come so far that he could see Anders' house, but one time some one came out of the door, another time there was a stranger there, or again, Anders was standing outside chopping wood; so there was always something in the way. But one Sunday, later in winter, he was again in Church, and then Anders was there too- Baard saw him: he had grown pale and thin; he wore the same clothes as of old, when they used to be together, but now they were threadbare and patched- During the sermon he looked up at the clergyman and Baard thought he looked good and kind, and remembered the years of their childhood, and what a good boy he used to be. Baard himself went to communion that day and he made his God the solemn promise that he would be reconciled to his brother, come what would. This resolve went through his soul as he drank the wine; and when he rose, he was going straight, — : THE HISTORY OF THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER. 939 over to sit down beside him but some one sat in the way, and his brother did not look up. After church, there was again something in the way, there were too many people, his wife was walking by his side, and Baard did not know her; he thought it was best to go to his brother's house, and talk seriously with him. When evening came, he did so. He went straight to the door of the cot and listened, and he heard his own name spoken: it was by the wife. "He went to communion today," said she; "he certainly thought of you." "No, he did not think of me:" said Anders, "I know him, he thought only of himself-" For a long time nothing was said; Baard was wet with per- spiration as he stood there, although it was a cold evening. The wife inside was busy with her kettle, which sung on the hearth; a little baby cried at intervals, and Anders rocked it. Then she said these few words "I believe you are both thinking of each other, without being willing to confess it." "Let us talk of something else," answered Anders. A little while afterwards he rose and came towards the door. Baard had to hide himself in the wood shed; but it was just there that Anders came to get an armful of wood. Baard stood in the corner and saw him distinctly; he had taken off his thread-bare Sunday clothes and had on the uniform he had brought home with him from the war, like Baard's, and which they had promised each other never to touch, but to leave for a family heirloom. Anders' was now patched and worn out; his strong, well-built frame lay as in a bundle of rags; and, at the same time, Baard heard the gold watch ticking in his own pocket. Anders went to where the smaller branches lay ; stooping to load himself, he instead of stopped, leaned back against the wood pile and looked out at the sky, which was clear and glittering with stars. Then he drew a sigh, and said, "Yes— yes— yes,— Lord, Lord !" So long as Baard lived he heard that ever afterwards. He was about to go up to him when at the same moment his brother coughed and it seemed so difficult, more was not needed to hold 940 IMPROVEMENT ERA. him back. Anders took his armful of wood, and swept so close by Baard that the branches hit his face, so that it smarted. For at least ten minutes he stood still on the same spot, and it was doubtful when he would have moved, if, after his emotion, he had not been seized with such a shivering fit that he shook all over. Then he went out; he acknowledged to himself that he was too cowardly to go in, therefore he adopted another plan. From a wood-box, which stood in the corner he had just left, he took a pine-knot, went up into the barn, shut the door after him, and struck a light. When he had lighted the pine-knot he held it up to the nail where Anders hung his lantern when he came early in the morning to thrash. Baard took out his gold watch and hung it on the nail, put out his light and left; and then he was so light of heart that he bounded over the snow like a young boy. The next day he heard that the barn had burned down that same night. Probably the sparks had fallen from the pine-knot, which lighted him while hanging up the watch. This overwhelmed him to such a degree that he sat that day like a sick man, took out his psalm book and sung so that the peo- ple in the house thought he had gone crazy. But when evening came, he went out; it was bright moonshine. He walked to his brother's farm, dug about where the fire had been, and found, sure enough, a little melted lump of gold: that was the watch. It was with that in his hand, he went in to his brother that evening, begged for peace, and was going to explain everything. But it has been before related how his visit terminated. A little girl had seen him dig about the spot of the fire, some boys going to a dance had seen him, the Sunday evening before, walk down towards the barn, people in the house related how strange he appeared on Monday, and as everyone knew that he and his brother were bitter enemies, information was given and an in- quiry was made. No one could prove anything against him, but suspicion rested on him. Now, less than ever, could he make any approaches to his brother. Anders had thought of Baard when the barn burned down, but had mentioned his suspicion to no one. And when he saw Baard enter his room the next evening, pale and distressed, he THE HISTORY OF THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER. 941 thought immediately, now he is seized with repentance, but for such an awful deed to his brother he shall never have forgiveness. Afterwards, he heard how people had seen him go down to the barn the same evening it burned; and although nothing came to light at the examination, he firmly believed that Baard was the guilty one. They met at the examination,— Baard with his good clothes, Anders in his patched ones: Baard looked over to him, and his eyes entreated, so that Anders felt it in the depth of his heart. He does not wish me to say anything, thought Anders, and when he was asked if he suspected his brother he answered loudly and distinctly, "No!" Anders took to hard drinking from that day, and soon began to show theeffects of it. But it was still worse with Baard, although he did not drink: he was no longer to be known as the same man. Late one evening, there came a poor woman into the little house which Baard rented, and asked him to follow her out a minute. He knew her: it was his brother's wife. Baard under- stood directly what errand brought her. Turned pale as a corpse, dressed himself, and followed her without uttering a word. There shone a faint light from Ander's window, it twinkled and dis- appeared; and they went in the direction of it, for there was no path across the snow. When Baard stood for the second time before his brother's door, he noticed the peculiar odor of sickness which made him feel ill. They went in. A little child was sit- ting over in the chimney corner, eating coal, and was quite black in the face, but looked up, and laughed with its white teeth: it was his brother's child. But over in the bed, with all sorts of clothes thrown over him, lay Anders, emaciated, with smooth, high forehead, and looking with hollow eyes at his brother. Baard's knees shook: he sat down at the foot of the bed, and burst into violent sobs. The sick man looked at him steadfastly and was silent. At length he bade his wife go out, but Baard made a sign to her that she should remain; and now these two brothers began to talk together. They explained everything from the day they had bid for the watch, up to the one when they now met. Baard concluded by taking out the lump of gold, which he always carried with him; and it was 942 IMPROVEMENT ERA. now made clear between the two brothers, that in all these years they had not felt happy a single day. Anders did not say much, for he was not strong enough; but Baard remained sitting by his bedside as long as Anders was ill. "Now, I am quite well," said Anders, one morning, when he awoke: "now, brother, we shall live long together, and never leave each other, just as in old times." But that day he died. Baard took the wife and child home with him, and they fared well from that time. What the brothers had talked of together, sprung out through walls and darkness, and was known to all the people of the district, and Baard became the most respected man among them. All greeted him as one who had known great sorrow and found happiness again, or as one who had been absent a long time. Baard's firmness of character increased with the friendliness around him he became a God-fearing man, and wished : to find some occupation, he said; and so the old corporal became schoolmaster. What he impressed on the children, first and last, was charity; and he himself practiced it, so that the children loved him at once as a playmate and a father. A