DcatJi of iJic Molhcr. 23 



One of the books that we had there was a history 

 of America, and in that it said that money could be 

 picked up off the streets, ahnost. I have since found 

 it quite a difficulty. But that book put me into the 

 notion to come out here. So when a colony of five 

 hundred Icelanders were about to start for Manitoba, 

 I got my father to come with them. He had just 

 money enough to bring himself and one of his child- 

 ren, so he naturally chose his youngest and the one 

 that was most anxious to come. 



My mother died with consumption when we had 

 been in Iceland about a year. I shall never forget 

 the circumstances of her illness. I hated her, and 

 turned from her just as we did in Greenland. She 

 thought it was all right, and told me to keep away 

 and to hate her, for fear the bad spirit would get me. 



I said to my teacher one day: " I hate my mother." 



"Why, my dear child, you should not do that." 



" But I do hate her; she has a bad spirit in her, 

 and Esquimaux people always hate their friends 

 when they get bad spirits in them." 



Tears ran down the good man's cheeks as he ex- 

 claimed, " Why, the dear child, she doesn't know any- 

 thing ! " 



Then he took me upon his knee and began 

 to explain that my mother did not have a bad spirit, 

 but was sick. He dropped his school work entirely, 

 and for three days devoted himself to explaining the 

 Christian belief Then he made me goto my mother 

 and tell her all about it. My mother was glad — oh, 

 so glad; and she died happy. 



