The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1955, Blaðsíða 23

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
21
the main aisle in the barn, hehind the
cows.
However, Sarah saw the happy side
all through life, and laughed off the
many mistakes. Little by little she
learned to understand the daily
routine.
Late in the fall the return trip was
made on foot, but with a four-footed
companion, a young cow, representing
the summer’s wages. The little travel-
ling bag was not very heavy, only two
gingham gowns having been added to
the wardrobe. New shoes were viewed
in the window of a little store, but no,
the home-made sheep-skin shoes would
serve the purpose. Another year, per-
haps, she would return, and this time
the wages would be a little higher,
and she would not have to contribute
as much to the family home.
Winnipeg was growing and willing-
hands found work quite easily. Then
as now young people with that far-
away look were migrating to the city.
After a few years on the homestead,
Borga with her two sisters, brother-in-
law and mother moved to Winnipeg.
Everybody worked, either by the day
or washed in the home. In a short
time a laundry was started, and
though there were breaks in the family
and little nephews and nieces arrived,
the work continued.
iBorga married in 1884 and in 1888
pioneered near Grand in the Baldur
district. Hard work, thrift and happ-
iness brought the family over all
obstacles.
Old Buck and Bright, the oxen had
ploughed a few acres; the small herd
had multiplied, and the family had
increased to six girls, a happy, cont-
ented group. Borga taught them all
to see the bright side of life, and to
feel that no matter what happened
God was always with them. That
beautiful belief carried her over her
Gethsemane, when in 1898 her loved
one, the father of her little brood was
taken away after many weeks’ illness.
Help came in many ways. Neigh-
bors were kind. Some took the cattle
for wintering, others the children for
schooling, and one very kindly moved
Borga’s shanty to his own farm and
donated two cows for her own use.
With her spinning wheel and knitting
needles Borga met her direct needs,
though not alone, for each day, as in
answer to her prayers, some one or
something cropped up to render aid.
She never feared the morrow. “God
will take care of me if I do my best.”
Her daughters grew up, helped her a
little, married, and the grandchildren,
one by one, loved “amma” (grand-
mother). They loved to visit her in her
little home, where the whir of the
spinning wheel and the click of the
needles spelled happy rythm to her
contented and thankful nature.
Borga lived her three score years
and ten, and a few more in fair
health. Only the last two found her
confined to her bed, having failed to
recover from an accident. While bed-
ridden she was the same heroic person
as in the early days, and death found
her with an expression of peace and
contentment.
EDITOR’S NOTE -
The subject of this article, Mrs. Sigurborg
Gottfred, was born in Iceland in 1857. She
died at Langruth, Manitoba, in 1937.
T he hardships and privations of pioneering
life, and the noble self-sacrifice of the pioneers
are vividly portrayed in this article written
by Mrs. Gottfred's daughter, Mrs. Lena Thor-
leifson. In so far as it depicts the simple every-
day experiences of a typical pioneering lady,
and affords some intimate glimpses of every-
day incidents in the life of the people of a
half-forgotten era, it has a definite historical
value. Living in an environment of relative
ease and comfort, we can draw inspiration
from the courage of such women as Mrs.
Gottfred whose spiritual strength was the
forerunner of material progress. A. V.