The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1959, Síða 18

16
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Winter 1959
shrink and harden, and they had to
be soaked each evening.
When I was eleven years old my
father worked on the railroad, then
being extended to York ton, which be-
came the end of steel for many years.
That summer I worked for a short
spell on the railroad as a water carrier.
I carried the water in two buckets,
nearly a mile, in the broiling sun, for
a gang of about 150 men who worked
ten hours a day. My wages were seven-
ty-five cents a day. This work, how-
ever, proved too heavy for me and
after some weeks I had to quit the job.
My net income amounted to the huge
sum of seven dollars, and for this sum
I was allowed to buy a young ewe, for
my very own. I was the proud owner of
one sheep, the investment of my first
earnings.
I attended the Thingvalla school,
but only for short periods each sum-
mer, in the spring until haying time
and again in the fall, after the busy
season. The education I received dur-
ing this oft interrupted school at-
tendance as very limited. When I left
school I had started on the Fifth or
High School reader.
They were very happy, those school
days. We had a wonderful teacher.
Miss Gudny Jones (later Mrs. Magnus
Paulson), who taught us not only the
three R’s but also on days when bad
weather prevented out-door activities,
would gather us older pupils around
her during lunch hour and talk to us
about various matters pertaining ot
everyday life, and give us useful in-
struction in human relationship, hon-
esty, truthfulness, and other matters of
character building.
The school term was six months,
from May to October, inclusive. Miss
Jones taught at our school three suc-
cessive years, 1890-91-92. It was a sad
day that last day when she made her
little farewell speech, and we knew
that she would not be back again. All
of us, big and little, shed tears, even
the older boys, myself included. Un-
ashamed, we showed our heartfelt
emotions. School days! Happy mem-
ories! Do we ever forget them?
Now, on this seemingly endless
monotonous trek, various incidents,
some happy, or humorous, some even
tragic, that occurred during the seven
years that we dwelt on the homestead
in the Thingvalla settlement, were
vividly recalled, as we trudged in si-
lence behind the herd.
The settlement was strictly Icelandic
in every respect, the language, the
mode of life, the neighborliness, the
prevalent informality in greeting and
addressing the neighbor, calling each
other by the first name.
The reading matter was all from
the old country, precious books of every
description, including Jon Vidalins
Postilla, Kveldvokur (Evening Watch-
es, Piltur og Stulka (Young Man and
Maid); also all the Icelandic sagas and
rimur (ballads). The natural result
therefore was that every young person
was well versed in the language, in
both reading and writing. Certainly
all these books were read, some of
them more than once.
The entertainments or social gather-
ings were few and far between, there
being little talent that could be called
on to entertain. A play was once at-
tempted, Hermanna Glettur (Soldiers’
Pranks). This was well attended and
proved quite a success.
The Dance of the Elves (Alfadans)
was staged on New Year’s Eve for two
years in succession, to bid farewell to
the old year and greet the new. This
was performed on a -fair sized sheet of
ice, close to the Thingvalla school.