Bedste Hr. Meyer

De talte om en af Deres

venner, som önskede et

tryk af "Halve bygdens

oldefar", – jeg har været

saa daarlig, at jeg har ikke

tidligere faaet lavet det.

Jeg sender i dag 2 tryk, – jeg

har nemlig af hensyn til

mine mange venner i bygden,

som önskede "portræit" af gam-

lingen maattet skjære to udga-

ver – den förste, syntes nemlig

de fleste var lidt for "mörk";

               II

(man önsker jo altid at se sin

far eller bedstefar som en blid

gammel mand) – den ene af

"tonplaterne" er forresten den

samme i begge udgaver. Nù

huskede jeg ikke sikkert,

hvilken af de to udgaver,

Deres ven hadde seet hos

Dem, og jeg sender derfor begge,

– den som Deres ven da ikke

beholder, tör jeg kanske bede

Dem beholde som tak for all

Deres elskværdighed mod mig, eller

hvis De ikke bryr Dem om den,

kan De lade Kramer faa den. –

Skulde der være et andet "sort og

hvidt", som De heller likte, saa kan

jeg kanske faa lov at lave Dem et

deraf isteden – lad mig da vide hvilket.

Med bedste hilsen Deres

Nikolai Astrup

Konvolutt, framside:

Til

Hr. Capt. H. J. Meyer

27. Vetrlidsalmenning 27

Bergen

            My dear Mr. Meyer

You spoke of one of Your

friends, who would like to have a

print of "Half the Village’s

Great Grandfather", – I have been

so ill, that I have not been 

able to print them until now.

I am sending today 2 prints, – For

the sake of my many friends 

in the village, who wished 

to have a "portrait" of the old

man I have had to carve two ver-

sions – the first one almost 

everyone thinks is too "dark";

                  II

(for one always prefers to see one’s

father or grandfather as a jovial

old man) – one of the

"tone blocks" is incidentally the 

same in both versions. Now

I’m not quite sure,

which of the two versions

Your friend had seen in Your

home, and I am therefore sending both,

– as for the one that Your friend does not

keep, allow me to ask

You to keep it as thanks for all

Your kindness towards me, or

if You do not like it,

You can let Kramer have it. –

If there is another "black and

white" print, that You would rather have, then

perhaps You will permit me to make one

of it instead – in that case let me know which.

With best regards Your

Nikolai Astrup

Envelope, front:

To

Capt. H. J. Meyer

27 Vetrlidsalmenning 27

Bergen