Evening star., 1941-03-23


little girls with their nurse to farm
outside of Oslo"
The days of heart ache and anxi-
ETY. suffered by the parents in Stock
holm while they tried for six weeks
to get in touch with their daughters
were recalled.
Farm Was Center
OF Battle for Three Days.
The little girls were on a farm
which was the center of battle for
three days" she explained. 1T was
four months before we were able TO
get them out of Norway through the
assistance of Mrs. j. Borden Harri-
man and a young Swedish friend of
ours, who motored to Oslo to bring
them back to us in Sweden"
IF you could have seen their
little stiff, white faces when they
joined us, you would know they had
seen many things too terrible for
little children to see or know" she
added.
The friendly, golde haired
brown-eyed girls chatted and played
at a nearby table as their mother
spoke in low tones of their expert
ence. She hopes with time they will
forget the unhappy past or remem-
ber it vaguely as bad dream.
The l5-month-old boys, Halvdan
and Aasmund, played happily in the
nearby nursery. fortunate that their
infancy had prevented their wit
Messing the terrors seen by others in
the family.
Feeding the Children
During the Journey.
Mrs. Skard. student of child psv-
chology. had her knowledge put tC
acid test while bringing the children
here. She believes that nursing the
baby boys perhaps saved their lives
as the journey was long, uncomfort-
able and at times unhealthy.
The childrens diet was supple
mented by other foods, Mrs. Skard
explained.
I'VE took a supply of dried milk
tomato juice, canned vegetables and
Swedish biscuits. as well as several
boxes of paper 'didies.' They were
very kind on the plane which car
ried us from Stockholm to Moscow
permitting US twice the luggage we
we're supposed to carry"
The most difficult part of the trip
was the nine-day train journey from
Moscow to Vladivostok.
I'VE had a small stateroom." she
said. and used fish nets to prevent
the children from falling out of theil
berths."
Food on the dining car, she eX'
planned, was of such poor quality
that one of the little girls was poi
soned and became quite i'll.
I'VE could not get a doctor unit
We stopped at a station midway il
Siberia" she recalled. We were
certainly happy when We reached
Vladivostok, although we were very
uncomfortable while waiting for thu
boat to Japan"
Vladivostok was described by Mrs
Skard as a city unbelevably dirt!
and insanitary
The little girls asked. Why doe
it smell so bad here?'" she laughed
Atmosphere in Japan
Described as Tense.
The family remained in Japar
several days awaiting the sailing o
the Norwegian ship which broueh
them to the United States.
There is tense atmosphere IL
Japan" she said. The people Wert
friendly and kind, but they appear
under great strain"
Food is restricted, Mrs. Skarc
said, and meals on the Japanese
ship which brought them from Rus.
sia we're inadequate.
We were given little piece o1
fish and some bread for dinner.
she continued. Rice is not giver
to foreigners, but is kept entirely fol
the japanese.
The journey from Japan to LoS
Angeles and through the Panama
Canal to New York was described a.
pleasant and tranquil.
Except for our passage through
the Caribbean Sea" she amended
We were on the constant lookout TO
Nazi raiders and were obliged twt
or three nights to blackout the ship
Happy to Be
In United States.
Mrs. Skard was happy to be il
the United States with her HUSBAND
and children. although other mem
bers of her family are widely scat
tered. Her father, who as MinisteI
Of Foreign Affairs fed Norway will
the King and the government, il
now in Canada. she said He
brother is in London and her mothe,
in Oslo.
She says she has known all he,
happiness in Norway" Mrs. Skart
explained. Now she wishes to re-
main and share the unhappines
which has come to our poor land
She was glad to have me come Il
the United States because of tn
little children"
Mrs. Skard. who holds a degre
from Radcliffe College. where sh
studied under a fellowship, will de-
vote much of her time to writing an,
lecturing. Her husband is engaged
in work at the Congressional Ii
brary and the girls are attending
the Kalorama Day Nursery, wher'
they are learning to speak English