The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-05-04

The beauty of her Norwegian home in its idyllic
set, some twenty miles from Thronhjem, in place
called Mandate, is quite contrasted from the scene
of her present home. It's adequate for her with its
several quite pleasant rooms But hardly arms
length from the farther edge of the house is the
railroad tracks There's something dingy about liv-
ing that close to them. But if you lift your eyes
above the level of the tracks the appears
the green expanse of the city park and beyond that
the tree-flanked shores of Sank Lake.
But that childhood home in Norway some
thing nicer. In horseshoe semcircular pattern,
the mountains behind cutting off the rest of the
world and hemning them snugly in. A few patches
of ground provided growth for some small farming.
But as far away across the street was the ocean
And it's sweeping tides that rocked back and forth
with the regularity of pendulum. I'VE children
used to go down to the shore when the tide went
out" she said land gather shells and stones"
She laughed frequently as we talked I presume
she transported back all that ocean; all
those years to incidents couldn't pretend to under
stand For the laughter had the tinke of youth.
Her father was fisherman and pilot, who guided
foreign ships up the rocky fiorded coast to ports
northward. Largely they German ships, and
their strange language and customs at first fghten
ed the children of the community. But they
learned they were not to be feared and often sweets
from the hands of the German sailors brought them
nearer to these foreign vessels
1t was the fishing season that was most fun for
her and the rest of the family. 1t busy time
when everyone worked for the catches had to be
made in the few weeks. Her father, she said had
popularity like many men who follow the sea
trade. He had to be first out in the morning
for fishing If he not the first boat out, then
he turned back and wouldn't fish all day. For he
believed that his luck would be good" The
little girl and her brothers used to fish too, and
the money they earned they turned to their
father I'VE had no use for it." she said I'VE rarely
wanted any candy" Though sometimes there were
when their mother would buy them little.
In those days in Norway the people of these COM
munities bought very little. In a small enclosure
grazed head of cattle and sheep and goats
From these there was milk and WOOL and the max
ings for cheese From the five cattle was milk to
drink; from the so goats was milk for cheese At
shearing time the sheep were washed clean and
sparkling white, the wool TAKEN and finally spun
into yarn and thence in to cloth. =. Cotton cloth
for the summer wear was imported. There were
vegetables raised to complement the fish and meat
diet On the mountain slopes wild flowers. in a
hundred varieties, grew
Most fun for us kids" she said, was when
father came from Thronhjem. He came loaded with
things to make clothing and things to eat. Often
he would bring for heads, and wooden
shoes for us to wear to school," She laughed
merriy when she thought of the girls today adopting
the peasant scarf for headgear. That's old finnish,
she laughed.
Travelling tradesmen, tailors and shoemakers
came around each year. That fun These trav-
cling artisans lived in the homes in which they
worked. The tailors would perch funnily on the
table with cloth spread all around them, and their
fingers working like shuttles. The shoemaker would
hammer and pound and fashion the rough leather
into shoes. And these shoes were for best-there
We're wooden shoes for school and work. -.
I'VE used to Dance too" she said. It wasn't
always easy for them to go and dance. It wasn't
like going to dances nowadays Usually at someone's
home, some old fellow would haul out his fiddle and
start the music. Their mother couldn't understand
how, after they had been tired from working they
could dance. She would say to them, But don't
tell your father" Away to a neighbor's house
they would scamper for little dancing.
mo one young died over there then" she
said. There real feeling in her voice as she
thought of some she had known here who died at an
early age. People died there when they were
old and had nothing to do" =. She didn't think of
that when she was yet girl in Norway, but in in
creasing years many things have become clear
Then one day at the age of nineteen she left
with her parents for something new, called America
across the that her father had fished and
then across one far beyond. They came to Vim
ming, Minnesota, later to this community. :.
There, in her home by the tracks, with the old
spinning wheel by her side Mrs. Jette Stubskn goes
for fall year ago or so, crippled her hip. $50
when evening comes-I can't get out much now after
my hip was broken-I think of Norway. There's
not much else to think about"
IF had wings and could fly back to the old
home, turn the doorknob and look in where lived --
The sentence broke off there, but it was enough
knew what she was thinking. She went on 1--WE
all wish lot. It's hard to forget the place of your
birth. She seemed to have finished what she
wanted to tell me- so I moved to CO. I Thought as
left she would find it much different. She loved
it then, and does now, because Of the people she
associated with 1t. That would be all changed now
with the people gone. Yet she could dredge up
some happy memories that must escape her now Sc
far away from the scene Later that day the
telephone rang again. This is Mrs. Stubskin
forgot to tell you that we had snow where
lived" g.