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When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
'Se look out across de mountain all mit snow 
 white and mit moonlight cold' 
 
iVhencfhanna/i Vat 
 Slgkt ^at did 
 
 by 
 
 abatliezlne J^eabody yizllng 
 
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 SUtiAtxate? by 
 (SO)lfxe^ gained tUewey 
 
 arxedexick (2^. (StokeA (Bompany 
 Js>ubltAlietd 
 
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 Copyright, 1915, hy 
 
 Frederick A. Stokes Company 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 September, 1915 
 
 SEP -4 1915 
 
 'CI.A410311 
 
*;i When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 h 
 
 r 
 
WHEN HANNAH VAR 
 EIGHT YAR OLD 
 
 ERE you a little girl, 
 Hannah, when you 
 
 came to America?" I 
 
 asked. 
 
 "No," she replied, letting her 
 sewing fall in her lap as her grave 
 eyes sought mine slowly, "I var a 
 big girl eight yar old." 
 
 " Eight years old ? How big you 
 must have been ! Can you tell me 
 about it ? Why you came ? " 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 The recent accounts of people 
 driven to America by tragedy, or 
 drawn by a larger hope of finding 
 a life to live in addition to earning 
 a living, had colored my thoughts 
 for days. Have all immigrants — • 
 the wilHess, leaden people who 
 pass in droves through our railway 
 stations; the patient, in- 
 different toilers by the 
 roadside; the maids who 
 cook and mend for us; 
 this girl who sits sewing 
 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 with me to-day — a memory and 
 a vision? Is each of them in some 
 degree a Mary Antin? So I closed 
 the maga2;ine and asked her. — "A 
 big girl eight yar old," she said. 
 
 "Oh, welV Hannah explained, 
 "in Old Country if you are eight yar 
 old and comes younger child'n in 
 familie, you are old 
 woman; you gotta be, or 
 who shall help demoder?" - 
 
 " Yes ? Did your father 
 and mother bring you?'' I 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 continued, probing for the story. 
 
 "No, — fader and moder var daid. 
 My h'aunt, my fader's broder's 
 wife, se came for us. It cost 
 her twenty -eight dollar, but se 
 do it.'' 
 
 "But surely you cant go to 
 Sweden and return for twenty- 
 eight dollars!" 
 
 "Seventeen yar ago, yes, but of 
 course you must to take your own 
 providings. It don't require much." 
 Hannah's shoulders drew together 
 expressively. "Madam knows she 
 is apt to miss her appetite at 
 
 sea! 
 
 "But too well." I shrugged 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 sympathetically. Then we both 
 laughed. 
 
 "I can to tell you how it is I 
 came on Ahmericah, but"^ — ^Han- 
 nah waited for words to express 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 her warning — "it will make you 
 a sharp sadness." 
 
 "Please." 
 
 "I don t know if I can tell it to 
 you good, but I tell it so good as 
 I can. My fader he var Swedish 
 fisherman vat h'own his boat and 
 go away by weeks and weeks, and 
 sometimes comes strong wedder 
 and he can t make it to get home 
 quick. My moder se var German." 
 Hannah hesitated, and then in 
 lowered tones of soft apology 
 added, "Se var a ver pretty woman. 
 Var three child'n more as me — 
 Olga var five yar old, and Hilda 
 three and Jens — well, Jens var just 
 
When Hannah War Eight Yar Old 
 
 a baby, suppose yar and half. We 
 live in a little house close on by de 
 sea. It is yust a little house, but 
 it can to have a shed with a y 
 
 floor of stone. The door of de shed 
 is broken so it is like a window 
 mitout glass. 
 
 " The house is close on by a big 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 dock where in somer-time comes 
 big excursion -steamer mit — sup- 
 pose hundert tourist people who 
 climb on de mountain up de road. 
 My moder se sell dem hot coffee, 
 also bread and cheese, but dat is 
 not de reason why we live in de 
 little so lonesome house. It is de 
 big dock is de reason. My fader 
 he can to come home from late 
 fishings mitout needing dat he sail 
 walk on de roads. In Sweden in 
 winter de roads swallow snow^ till 
 it makes dangersome to you to 
 walk because hides holes to step 
 in. We live dare all somer, 
 but in late autumn my fader 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 
 ^^- ^ 
 
 
 -^ *^> J^7''^^<^"^^P^- "^^^^ 
 
 he say, 'What about de winter?' 
 "My moder se say, *I dont 
 
 know, but anyway ve try it 
 
 vonce.' 
 
 "Den my fader he go avay in 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 his boad and my moder se get bad 
 cold and comes sickness on her, 
 and ven se couldn't to keep care 
 on us by reason se is too weak, se 
 lay on de cot in de kitchen-room 
 and vatch on me dat I sail learn 
 to keep care on de child'n.'"' 
 
 "But what did you live on? 
 How did you keep warm?" 
 
 "Oh, — is plenty fuel, and ve 
 make hot stew of dried meat mit 
 rice and raisins. 
 
 "One day my moder se say me, 
 'Hannah,' se say, 'you bain a big 
 girl, I must to tell you sometings. 
 You fader is very late, it seems, 
 and winter comes now. I cannot 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 to wait much more. It is soon I 
 got to go. You must n't take a 
 fear of me if I come all white like 
 
 de snow and don't talk mit you 
 any more. De little child'n dey 
 will take a fear and cry. I cannot 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 to bring a fear on my little child'n.'' 
 "So se tell me what I sail do 
 — I sail close bot' her eyes up and 
 tie her hands togeder and lock 
 de shed door." 
 "The shed door!'' 
 "Ya;' 
 
 Hannah had resumed her sew- 
 ing. Her thread fairly snapped as 
 stitch fell by even stitch with 
 monotonous rhythm. In quiet, 
 uneventful tone she continued, — 
 "So one night pretty soon se 
 r\ make dat I sail bring her 
 ^3 best nightgown and help her 
 mit to put it on. 
 Den se kiss de little 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 cliild'n in dair sleepings and se sit 
 on a stool by de fire and say I sail 
 put Jens in her arms. Se try to 
 rock back and fort' and se sing on 
 him a little hymn. But se is too 
 weak, and I must to take him. 
 Den se put on me a shawl and tie 
 it behind under my arms, and se 
 lean heavy on me, and we go out 
 into de shed. My moder se do 
 her bare feet on de stone floor. 
 Se have yust but her nightgown 
 on, but it is her best one with 
 crocheted lace at de neck i[] 
 and wrists. Se tell me I sail ^^^| 
 put de ironing-board 
 across two chair- 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 seats, but it is too heavy and se 
 sail try to help me, but comes 
 coughing on her and se must to 
 hold ofi by de shed door. Se look 
 out across de road and de moun- 
 tain all mit snow white and mit 
 moonlight cold. And blood is on 
 her lips but se wipe it away mit 
 a snow bunch. Well, anyway, 
 we do de ironing-board across de 
 chair-seats and I spread a white 
 sheet and put a head-cushion and 
 my moder lie down and I cover 
 her mit a more other sheet over. 
 
 "'Oh, moder,' I say, 'let me 
 make some warm coverings on 
 you.' 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 "'No,' se say, so soft dat I listen 
 mit my ear, 'I must to come here 
 while I yet have de stren th, but I 
 want to go quick away, and in 
 de cold I go more quick. Oh, 
 Hannah ! ' se say, 'my big daughter ! 
 You are so comfor^ 
 table to me ! ' 
 
 "So I hold my 
 
 modershand. Pretty 
 
 soon it comes cold. I 
 
 klapp it mit mine, but it 
 
 comes more cold. I 
 
 crumple it up and 
 
 breathe my hot breath 
 
 in it, but it comes not 
 
 warm any more. So mit 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 my fader's Sunday handkerchief 
 I bind her eyes like if you play 
 Blindman mit de child'n, and mit 
 an apron "String I tie her hands 
 together. Den I go back and make 
 my hands warm in de kitchen-room 
 and I take de comb down off de 
 string, and I go back to my moder 
 and make her hair in two braids 
 like as I did all when se was sick. 
 My moder se haf very strong hair; 
 it is down by her knees on and so 
 yellow, — so yellow as a copper tea^ 
 kettle! It could to haf been red 
 but it yust are not. Den I lock 
 de shed door and crawl in bed mit 
 de child'n to make me warm. 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 "Next day I tell de child n dat 
 moder is gone away. Dey cry 
 some, but pretty soon dey shut up. 
 Anyway, it is so long se haf lain 
 on de cot in de kitchen-room dat 
 dey don t haf to miss her. 
 
 "So I keep care on de child'n 
 and play wid dem, and some days 
 go by. Comes stronger wedder 
 mit storms of sleet and snow, and 
 de wind sob and cry. 
 
 "Comes nobody on. At night 
 when de child'n are sleeping I 
 unlock de shed door and go 
 to see if it makes all right mit 
 my moder. Sometimes it is by 
 de moonlight I see on her, but 
 
When Hannah Var Eidu Yar Old 
 
 more often it is by a candle- 
 glimmer.'"' 
 
 Hannah broke the subdued tone 
 of her narrative to add in a lower, 
 more confiding note, "It is mit me 
 now dat when I see a candle on 
 light I haf a sharp 
 sadness. 
 
 "Pretty soon de 
 
 wedder is more bet- 
 
 ter, and comes a man 
 
 trompling troo de snow 
 
 to tell my moder dat 
 
 her husband can t come 
 
 home yust yet — he is 
 
 drowned in de sea. 
 
 When he see how it is mit 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 my moder and mit me and de little 
 child'n, de water stands in his eyes 
 — ya. And he go on, troo de snow, 
 tree, four mile nearer on de city to 
 de big castle where live de lady wat 
 h'own all de land and se come in 
 sleigh mit four horsen and big robes 
 of fur and yingling bells. Se see 
 on my moder and se go quick 
 away, but so soon as it can, se 
 come again and se do on my moder 
 a white robe, heavy mit lace, most 
 beautiful! and white stockings of 
 silk and white slippers broidered 
 mit pearlen. Se leaf my moder s 
 hair, as I fixed it, in two braids, 
 but se put a wreath of flowers, 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 white and green, yust like de real 
 ones. Is few real flowers in Sweden 
 in winter. Anyway, dese var like 
 de flowers a girl vat gets married 
 
 should ^ -£^_.^/g:r 
 
 to wear. Den my 
 lady se send her sleigh dat all de 
 people should come and see on de 
 so brave woman vat could n't to 
 bring a fear on her little child'n. 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 And de people dey make admira- 
 tion on my moder. Dey say it is 
 de prettiest dey ever see it, and 
 dey make pity dat se could n t to 
 
 see it herself.'"* She paused and 
 breathed deeply. "I wish se could 
 have to seen dose slippers!" 
 "And did no one tell you that 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 you were a wonderful little girl?" 
 "Oh, veil — I var eight yar old." 
 "But what became of you all?" 
 "My lady took us home in her 
 sleigh mit — I want to stay mit my 
 moder, but se say I sail come to 
 keep care on de child'n dat dey 
 don t cry. And dey don t cry — • 
 dey laugh mit de yingling bells. 
 De need was on me strong, but I 
 don't cry before my lady. Se var 
 great dame vat go in de court mit 
 de queen. Se sent men and dey do 
 my moder in a coffin and carry her 
 to a little chapel house in cemetaire 
 and in de spring ven de snow is 
 gone dey bury her. My lady se put 
 
When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 
 
 a white stone mit my moderns 
 name and some poetry — I can't to 
 say it good in English, but it says, 
 'The stren th in the heart of her 
 poor is the hope of Sweden/ " 
 "And then did your aunt come?" 
 "Ya; my lady se wrote on my 
 fader's broder vat var in Ahmericah. 
 Se say we can to stay mit her, but 
 my onkle he send his wife, and we 
 come back mit her on Ahmericah, 
 und dat is all how I came to be 
 here/"*