Vertikalt tekst oppe til høyre: Undskyld hasten!

      Kjære frú Höst

Tak for Deres elskværdige

brev. – De tröster mig altid

naar mine kúnstneriske

bekymringer er værst.

I dag skal jeg bare i hast

besvare Deres spörgsmaal.

Fik brev nú ogsaa fra Kaland

som havde seet trykkene

hos Dem og talte meget pent

om dem; som De kanske veed

er han meget misfornöiet

med de tryk som galleriet

fik i vaar – jeg indbildte mig

at det skulde være det bedste

jeg havde trykt af de plader

men jeg faar da trykke om igjen.

De beder mig fortælle om denne

"Dödssenen" eller hvad vi nú skal

kalde det – og saa nævner De

noget om at udstille det –

jeg takker Dem derfor men der

er et lidet "aber" er jeg bange

for: – den förste tryk solgte jeg

nemlig til "Fabritiús et sönner"’s

forlag for Kr. 50, den skulde

gjöre tjeneste som illústration

til en fortælling af Kinck

sammen med et par andre il-

lustrationer; som jeg ogsaa lavede;

dette var til "Júl i Norge", som

kommer ud til júl – det er 

da kanske tvilsomt om jeg har

lov at udstille en saadan illú-

stration för julenúmmeret er

udkommet.

Bygdens tyv har været ude om

natten för juleaften og lidt 

meget ondt – og maattet spise

stjaalne kaffebönner for at döive

súlten – da han kommer hjem

blir han stængt úde af sin

kone – fordi han ikke har været

snar nok paa sin tyveexpedition.

Han fryser da næsten ihjæl ude

og om morgen rygtes det rundt

at han ligger for döden og alle

som har noget at "fordre" indfin-

der sig ved dödsleiet – hvor tyven

taler i örske og laller paa en

sang som er digtet om ham – en

smedevise – "aa Kaffetju–san, 

aa Kaffetjú", er hans sidste

ord – kaffebönner drysser ud af

ham, medens stedets læg pre-

dikant – "böne manen" – beder ham

ind i himmelen – og hans kone

græder krokodille taarer og beskyl-

der de tilstedeværende for at have

drevet ham i döden ved sine

bagtalelser og beskyldninger om kaffetjú

o.s.v.

Kinck’s barokke novelle maa

selvfölgelig læses – min korte

gjengivelse af slutten öddelæg-

ger den bare for Dem tænker 

jeg.

Angaaende priser o.s.v. saa

overlader jeg det fúldstændig til

Dem – nei de er ikke for lave

De skal intet betale for "soleier"

enten De beholder dette eller et

andet. St. Hansbilledet finder 

jeg daarligere jo mere jeg ser paa

det – maa male om igjen

meget. Har Kaland talt med

Dem om at han vil forsöge at

sælge galleriets træsnit igjen?

Tak for Deres löfte om at

komme til næste aar – hvis De

ikke faar anledning nú – begge

dele vilde vi jo gjerne önske.

Lev da vel. Engel hilser og siger

hún forstaar ikke hvad der skulde bli

af os hvis vi ikke hadde Dem. ^{Deres hengivne}

Astrup

Vertical text on the right: Pardon the rush!

      Dear Mrs Höst

Thank you for Your kind

letter. – You always comfort me

when my artistic 

worries are most acute.

Today I shall in haste respond

only to Your questions.

Received a letter now also from Kaland

who had seen the prints

in Your home and spoke very nicely

about them; as You perhaps know

he is very dissatisfied

with the prints which the gallery

received this spring – I thought 

that they would be the best

I had printed from those blocks

but I will have to print them again. 

You ask me to speak of that

"Death scene" or whatever we shall

call it – and then You mention

something about exhibiting it –

I thank You for that however there

is a little "hitch" I’m

afraid: – the first print I sold

in fact to the publishing house

"Fabritiús and Sons" for Kr. 50, it was intended

to serve as an illustration for Kinck

together with a couple of other il-

lustrations; that I had also made;

this was for "Júl i Norge" [Christmas magazine], which

will be published for Christmas – it is 

thus probably doubtful that I am

allowed to exhibit such an illú-

stration before the Christmas issue has

come out.

The village thief has been out and about at

night before Christmas Eve and suffered 

considerable pain – and was forced to eat

stolen coffee beans to dull [his]

hunger – when he returns home

he is locked out by his

wife – because he was not

quick enough on his thieving expedition.

He nearly freezes to death outdoors

and in the morning the rumour circulates

that he his dying and anyone

who has anything to "claim" should present

themselves at his deathbed – where the thief

speak in tongues and babbles a

song that has been written about him – a 

limerick – "oh Coffee thief, 

oh Coffee theif", are his last

words – coffee beans pour out of 

him, while the local lay preach-

er – "the reader" – accompanies him

into heaven with prayer – and his wife

sheds crocodile teas and ac-

cuses those present for having

driven him to death with their

slander and accusations of stealing coffee

etc.

Kinck’s baroque short story should

be read of course – my brief

account of the end only

ruins it for You I 

imagine.

Regarding prices etc. 

I leave that completely up to 

You – no they are not to low

You shall not pay anything for "marigolds"

whether You keep this one or

another. The Midsummer Eve picture  

gets worse the more I look at

it – must definitely paint it over

again. Has Kaland told

You that he will attempt to

sell the gallery’s woodcuts?

Thank You for Your promise to 

come visit next year – if You

will not be able to now – we 

would very much like both.

Live well then. Engel sends her greetings and says

she does not know what would become

of us if we did not have You. ^{Your devoted}

Astrup