The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-08-21
THE STORY OF AHMAH.

III y the far, far North, Wheresfhe sum-
mers are very short and cool, and
the winters are very long and cold,
and dark. because the sur shines only a
few minutes some days, there lives a
little girl by the name of Ahmah.
You never have heard of a little girl
by that name, have you? This little
girl is so very different from other
little girls whom you know that am
going to tell you a little about her.
Although Ahmah is 10 years old, she
is not so tall as little girls Of that age
at home. put she is plump. Her face
is very round; and she has cheeks that
are rosy through her dark yellow skin.
Her,hair is black and straight, and she
has swapping dark brown eyes and
pretty, even white teeth. Ahmah looks
quite like a Chinese. but she is an
Eskimo.
Ahmah's home is in a little place
called Main, Labrador. Ask brother or
sister or some one to show you where
it is on the map. In this village there
is a large white wooden building that
belongs to some missionaries, about
twenty Eskimo homes that are called
huts, and two or three small houses.
There are no church buildings nor
schoo, .ouses and only n small store.
In the missionaries buildings there
is a room furnished with some straight
wooden benches that is used for a,
school room, where the Eskimos are
taught their own language and how to
count In German. .
Z Then there Is another room where
on Sundays they are taught to sing.
The Eskimos have very sweet voices,
and If you could hear them sing you
would know right away what they are
singing, for they have been taught
some of the hymns that o and /
sing in our own dear churches and
Sunday schools. but o would not
understand the words.
When l first saw Ahmah she was sit
ting in front of her home with her
grandma, looking at the steamer that
lay at anchor in the harbor below
them. It was 10 o'clock at night, but
Ahmah had not gone to bed, because
something unusual was taking place.
A steamer had come to port. You
think, perhaps, thai there Is nothing
strange about a teamer anchoring III
a harbor, but when I tell you that little
Ahmah lives so far north that a steam
err goes there only twice a year and
that is in the summer. and that the
coming of this steamer was unexpect-
ed, you can understand how excited
Ahmah was, and then she was to see
strange people, too.
The Esquimos at Main had never
seen a steamer look so pretty. The
captain had ordered every light on
board to be turned on. Then he used
the brilliant searchlight, throwing a
strong light on to the shore from the
ship. We did not wonder that Ahmah
was watching the strange ship with a
great deal of pleasure.
Ahmah and her grandma took us
into their home. 1t is a small, I'M
painted wooden house with two rooms,
one a little larger than the other. In
the larger one there are two rough
wooden bedsteads. with old rags for
covering, a table and a few benches.
On the fioor on a bundle of rags an
other little girl lay sleeping. She was
too tired to stay awake to see the
strange ship and people, for she had
been helping all day to spread the cod
fish in the u that it might dry.
In the smaller room was a pile of
dried codfsh and some deer and seal
skins hung up to dry, from which will
be made shoes and mittens.
We sat dow for a few minutes. All
nah wanted to shake hands with me.
OF course / was glad TO shake hands
with her. We could not talk to each
other, for she could. not understand
anything l might say to her and I
Gould not understand anything she
might say to me. so we just smiled at
each other. A smile, you know, is just
the same all the world around
In summer Ahmah wears coarse
wooden clothing and in winter fur gar
mcnts. p
Ahmah has never seen a horse, COW
or hen. And has, never had fresh milk
and eggs for meals.
When I left Ahmah we shook hands
again and 1 said "Good-by / was
surprised to hear her say "Good-by,"
too. She had learned that one English
word.
When you are ffretful think of little
Ahmah far away in the frozen North
Mabel Howard Seymour, in Our Little
Ones.