E-text prepared by Nicole Apostola
by
Translated from the Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard
Jan of Ruffluck Croft never tired of telling about the day when hislittle girl came into the world. In the early morning he had beento fetch the midwife, and other helpers; all the forenoon and agood part of the afternoon he had sat on the chopping-block, in thewoodshed, with nothing to do but to wait.
Outside it rained in torrents and he came in for his share of thedownpour, although he was said to be under cover. The rain reachedhim in the guise of dampness through cracks in the walls and asdrops from a leaky roof, then all at once, through the doorlessopening of the shed, the wind swept a regular deluge in upon him.
"I just wonder if anybody thinks I'm glad to have that young onecoming?" he muttered, impatiently kicking at a small stick of woodand sending it flying across the yard. "This is about the worstluck that could come to me! When we got married, Katrina and I, itwas because we were tired of drudging as hired girl and farmhandfor Eric of Falla, and wanted to plant our feet under our owntable; but certainly not to raise children!"
He buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily. It was plainthat the chilly dampness and the long dreary wait had somewhat todo with putting him in a bad humour, but they were by no means theonly cause. The real reason for his lament was something far moreserious.
"I've got to work every day," he reminded himself, "work from earlymorning till late in the evening; but so far I've at least had somepeace nights. Now I suppose that young one will be squalling thewhole night long, and I'll get no rest then, either."
Whereupon an even worse fear seized him. Taking his hands frombefore his face he wrung them so hard that the knuckles fairlycracked. "Up to this we've managed to scratch along pretty well,because Katrina, has been free to go out and work, the same asmyself, but now she'll have to sit at home and take care of thatyoung one."
He sat staring in front of him as hopelessly as if he had beheldFamine itself stalking across the yard and making straight forhis hut.
"Well!" said he, bringing his two fists down on the chopping-blockby way of emphasis. "I just want to say t