"I come fon Germany. My moder, ce bring me. I come mit her, and mit ze
baby. Ven I come in ze America, ze flowers bees in ze garden, and ze
birds bees in ze trees, and ze opples bees on ze trees, and ze
pot-a-toes bees in ze ground. Zen ze vinds blow and ze birds go avay,
and ze opples bees in ze cellar, and ze pot-a-toes bees in ze cellar.
Zen ze vinds blow too hard and ze snow bees on ze ground, and it bees
cold vinter. Zen long time ze snow go avay, and ze leaves come on ze
trees, and ze birds come back again, and it bees varm; so long I bees
in ze America."
"And so you have been here one year? But pray, dear, where is your
father? Is he dead?"
"No, he bees not dead. He bees in Germany, mit Jeem and mit Fred and
mit my granfader."
"But, Jakey, why did your mother come away here to America, and leave
your father away there in Germany?"
I felt his little hands stir in mine; but after a moment he drew a
little sigh and said,--
"Vell, I tink I tell you. My granfader have some lands, some big lands
he have, and he sell zem; and may be he not buy it, but he get von big
house in ze city, mit vindows vay down to ze ground, and in ze vindows
he put--I not know vot you call zem, but zey have vine in zem, and beer
in zem."
"Bottles, Jakey?"
"Yes, dot bees it, bottles mit vine and mit beer in zem; and my fader
go dare, and he give my granfader ze pennies, and he drink ze vine and
he drink ze beer. Much times and all ze time he go dare, and he do dot.
And von day he come home, and he have drunk too much ze beer, and hees
head go von vay and von vay; and he say vicked vords, and my moder ce
cry. Jeem and Fred bees afraid, and zey hide; but I bees not afraid, I
bees mit my moder. And ven my fader tink he sit down on ze chair, he go
vay fall on ze floor; and ven Jeem and Fred hear him, zey run out, and
ven zey see him dare on ze floor, zey laugh; and my fader say dot he
vill kill zem, and he vill trow ze chair at zem, but too quick zey run
avay; and all ze time my moder ce cry and ce cry, and ce not eat ze
dinner, and ce make my fader go lay on ze bed.
"Von time my fader come home and he have drunk too much ze beer, and he
have sold ze piano. And von time he come home and he have drunk too
much ze beer, and he have sold ze harp; and ze man come mit him vot
have buy it; and ven ze harp go avay, my moder ce cry, and my fader
strike her mit hees hand, and he strike Jeem and Fred; and me he vill
strike, but my moder ce not let him.
"Von oder time ze men come dare, and zey take avay all ze tings vot my
moder have,--ze chair, and ze sofa, and all ze tings. Zen my moder ce
go live in von leetle house, and some ze time ce not have ze fire dare,
and some ze time ce not have ze bread. And von time in ze night my
fader come home, and he bring too much men mit him vot have drunk ze
beer; and he tell my moder dot ce give ze men ze supper. And my moder
say dot ce have not ze supper, ce have not ze fire, and ce have not ze
bread; and ven ce tell ze men go avay, zey say bad vords to my moder,
and my fader he strike her dot ce go on ze floor. Zen mit her hair he
drag her to ze door, and mit hees feets he strike her vay out on ze
stone, and her head bleed. And Jeem he see her dare, and he cry, and
Fred cry, and I cry; and my moder ce groan like ce die. And von ze men
vot come mit him strike my fader, and von oder man strike _him_, and
zey say vicked vords, and zey all strike, and zey break ze tings. And
vile zey do dot, my moder ce get up, and ce come avay in ze dark, and
Jeem and Fred come mit her, and I come mit her, and long vay ce sit
down on ze stone by ze big house; and Jeem bees cold dare, and he cry;
and Fred bees cold, and he cry. I bees not cold, I not cry, my moder ce
hold me tight; but all ze time ce cry.
"Zen long time ze man vot live in ze big house open ze door, and he say
some vords to my moder, and my moder ce tell him dot my fader have got
ze bad men mit him in ze house, and he tell my moder dot ce come in;
and Jeem and Fred zey go up ze step, and ze man he lif me, and my moder
ce come up ze step; and ven ce come in, ze man see ze blood, vare my
fader have strike her, and he go tell ze lady dot ce come, and ze lady
vash my moder's head, and ce give her ze medicine vot ce drink. Zen ce
lay her on ze bed, and I lay on ze bed mit her; and Jeem and Fred zey
go in von leetle bed to ze fire.
"In ze morning my moder come home, and my fader sleep dare on ze floor,
and vile he sleep, he make big noise mit hees nose; and Jeem and Fred
laugh, cause my fader make big noise mit hees nose, but my moder ce
cry.
"Long time Jeem bees hungry and he cry, Fred bees hungry and he cry,
but my moder say ce have not ze meat and ce have not ze bread. Zen long
time my fader vake, and ven he see my moder dare, he say dot he vill be
good, dot he vill not drink ze vine and ze beer any more; and he kiss
my moder, and he say dot he love her, and dot he vill get ze fire, and
he vill get ze bread, but he have not ze money. Zen my moder say dot ce
vill give him ze vatch vot ce have, ven ce vas mit her moder in Italy,
to get ze money mit, but ce tink ven he get ze money he vill drink ze
beer. My fader say No! vile he live and vile he die, he not drink any
more ze beer; and he kiss Jeem and he kiss Fred and he kiss me, and he
tell my moder dot ven he sell ze vatch, he vill bring ze money, and he
vill get ze fire, and he vill get ze meat and ze bread. Zen my moder ce
get him ze vatch, and he go avay.
"Long time he not come. Zen long time in ze night he come, and he bring
ze bread mit him, but he have drunk ze beer. My moder tell him dot he
have, and he say dot he have not; but all ze time hees head go von vay
and von vay, and some ze vords he speak, and some ze vords he not
speak. My moder ce tell him, Vare ze money vot he get mit ze vatch? and
he say dot he have not ze money, dot he not sell ze vatch. Zen my moder
say, Vare ze vatch den? and he say dot he have loss it, dot vile he
sell it, von man get it! But my moder say No, he have got ze money and
he have drunk ze beer mit ze bad men, ce know he have. Zen my fader
strike her von time and von time; and ven ce go on ze floor, he strike
her dare mit hees feets, and ce not move, like ce be dead, and he say
he vill kill her, he vill, he vill! And Jeem scream and Fred scream,
and my fader get ze big knife vot he cut ze bread mit, and he lif it
vay high, and say loud much times dot he vill kill zem all! But ze men
vot vatch in ze night come in, and ven zey see my fader dare mit ze
knife, zey put ze chain on hees feets and on hees hands, and zey go
avay mit him. And quick von man come back mit ze doctor, and ven, mit
hees leetle knife, he have make my moder's arm bleed, ce speak, and ce
say, Vare my fader be? and ze man tell her dot zey have lock him up,
and he vill be hang mit ze rope; and my moder ce cry, and long time ce
bees sick in ze bed."