The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-10

written by Ammo Gctchcll Gale for tho
Springfield Sunday Republican,
Iona Kgnelin was about Il years old
when she came to wash dishes and do
other light work for me She spoke Eng
lish remarkably well, and told me that
she bad studied in the public school
which she attended in Copenhagen-but
her huency was not, j think, so much
the result of study as OF observation
and imitation. She was very observing
of the manners, speech and dress OF
those for whom she worked; any woman
who could afford to hire even part of
her work done, was, in Lena 8 estima-
tion, erich and grand and conses
quently model to be initiated as close.
ly as possible Her former mistress, an
illiterate Englishwoman, had dropped
''h' from most words In which 1T be-
longed, and Lena was careful to call
horse - 'orse' and ink 'hink' until
corrected Certain slang phrases she
used often, supposing thom to be Gle
CANT English. TO a stately elderly lady
who asked if | was at home, she an
swered with her most deferential man
ner, "You bet When / explained to
her why this was not n proper answer
she shed many tears Of vexation and
chagrin.
Her Danish home had been com
one. I1eT ldlHcIs " Uu hdu
steady employment in a foundry, owned
two houses-in one of which they lived.
The other he rented for sum euulva-
lent TO about SIG a year He had, be-
sides, two cows, poultry, and large
garden. The mother worked by the day
for families who wished OCCASIONAL extra
help, and two daughters were house
servants. Lena being the youngest and
small for her age, had been unusually
1 L. Tn
work she had assisted her mother In
the home and gone tc school. Every
Saturday night the three women-moth-
er and aughters-handed to the male
head Of the family all that they had
earned during the week, reservlng only
what might be necessary for the pur-
chase of shoes or a calico dress-and
every Monday morning he deposited the
money in safe-bank, where poor peo-
pie keepcd their moneys. 1t had
ceased to be theirs, 1t was his, and un-
der his control,
They had no carpets. and only one
stove, but they never suffered from
cold or hunger. Milk they seldom
tasted, because it brought n good price,
and all that the cows gave was sold.
Butter, too was a high-priced luxury
which they did not often taste. Sun
days weer their dinner-days;' beef
or mutton stew with carrots in it, cur
rant jelly. and black pudding"
fcasts But they had at all times
plenty of bread, vegetables, smoked
fish and coffee.
A Mormon missionary, sent from
Salt Lake City to Copenhagen, con-
verted the Notwithstanding aunts,
unclcs and cousins Being assured
that in the United States they could
learn much moneys with small work,
an aunt came, bringing Lena and an
older sister with her. The money
which the girls father advanced from
his deposit to pay their passage over
they solomnly promised to repay. This,
briefly stated, is the story which Lena
told me, and ! believe 1T TO be strictly
true.
1t is perhaps needless to say that
they found the conditions of life less
pleasant and easy than they had an
ticipated they earned more money, but
the work was more difficult, and they
were expected to wear better clothing.
The chief difference was, as they, ad-
mitted-that here they could keep
what they earned-and this was not
small matter. Their former depend
ence, and new sense Of individual pos
session resulted In q deplorable love Of
money as money, and the rigid economy
and self-denial which they had prac-
ticed had become so natural that they
were both exceedingly unwilling to
spend enough for suitable clothing
Lena IS wardrobe, when she came TO
me consisted of the clothes she wore
and two or three outgrown garments
which she carried in q red cotton hand
kerchief. [ gave her, hastily and per-
haps unwisely, numerous articles which
she needed, without rejecting that il
might lead her to regard me as source
Of unearned supply. She was in the
habit of going to sleep every night