ss not enough. I go on de docks once more.
'No vork! no vork!' It iss de vord eferyvere. And one day, all de day
long, ve haf nothing--no fire, nothing to eat, and dere iss no more
anything to pawn, and I say, 'At last I vill steal, for vat else shall
be to do?' And I go out and down to de dock, for I know a boat going out
in de night, and I say, 'I too vill go.' But I go down Vater street. I
know it not much, for first my home iss on de odder side, but ve are so
poor at last ve are in Cherry street, and den vere you see us first. But
den I am just come, and I go by de mission and hear all sing, and I say,
'I vill stay a minute and listen, for soon nefer again shall I sit vid
any dat sing and pray and haf to do vid God.' So I go in, and listen not
much till soon one man stands up, an' he say, 'Friends, I came first
from prison, and I meant not efer to do more vat vould take me dere
again. But dere iss no vork, even ven I look all day, and I am hungry;
and den I dink to steal again. I vait, because perhaps vork come, but at
night I go out and say, "I know my old ground. Dere's plenty ready to
velcome me if I'm a mind to join 'em." And den, as I go, one says to me,
"Come in here;" and I come in and not care, till I hear many tell vat
dey vere, and I say, "I vill vait a leetle longer: I cannot steal now."
And now vork has come, and if God help me I shall never steal again.'

"I stood up den. I said loud, 'I haf nefer steal. I belief in God, but
now how shall I? My heart's dearest, dey starve, dey die before me. Dere
iss no vork, dere iss no help. If I steal not, how shall I do?' I vas
crying: I could not see. Then Jerry came. 'You shall nefer starve,' he
said. 'Stay honest, for God _vill_ care for you, and ve'll all pray Him
to keep you so.'

"And so, when meeting iss done, dey go vid me to see, and dere iss food
and all dey can. Dey are God's angels to me and to mine.

"But, my lady, you know: you haf seen my little Brita. And efery day I
look at her and see her going avay, so fast, so fast, and my heart
breaks, for she is first of all. And den she iss gone, and still vork is
not. You haf seen us. All de days dey say. 'Dere vill come vork soon,'
but it comes not efer. And one morning I look in de chest to see if one
thing may still be to pawn, and dere iss only my cap dat I keep--not to
vear, no, but only to remember. And I sit, and it iss on my hand, and I
hold de fox's tail, and again I am in Finland, and I see de foxe