“And so you have been here one year?  But pray, dear, where is your father?  Is he dead?”

“No, he bees not dead.  He bees in Germany, mit Jeem and mit Fred and mit my granfader.”

“But, Jakey, why did your mother come away here to America, and leave your father away there in Germany?”

I felt his little hands stir in mine; but after a moment he drew a little sigh and said,—­

“Vell, I tink I tell you.  My granfader have some lands, some big lands he have, and he sell zem; and may be he not buy it, but he get von big house in ze city, mit vindows vay down to ze ground, and in ze vindows he put—­I not know vot you call zem, but zey have vine in zem, and beer in zem.”

“Bottles, Jakey?”

“Yes, dot bees it, bottles mit vine and mit beer in zem; and my fader go dare, and he give my granfader ze pennies, and he drink ze vine and he drink ze beer.  Much times and all ze time he go dare, and he do dot.  And von day he come home, and he have drunk too much ze beer, and hees head go von vay and von vay; and he say vicked vords, and my moder ce cry.  Jeem and Fred bees afraid, and zey hide; but I bees not afraid, I bees mit my moder.  And ven my fader tink he sit down on ze chair, he go vay fall on ze floor; and ven Jeem and Fred hear him, zey run out, and ven zey see him dare on ze floor, zey laugh; and my fader say dot he vill kill zem, and he vill trow ze chair at zem, but too quick zey run avay; and all ze time my moder ce cry and ce cry, and ce not eat ze dinner, and ce make my fader go lay on ze bed.

“Von time my fader come home and he have drunk too much ze beer, and he have sold ze piano.  And von time he come home and he have drunk too much ze beer, and he have sold ze harp; and ze man come mit him vot have buy it; and ven ze harp go avay, my moder ce cry, and my fader strike her mit hees hand, and he strike Jeem and Fred; and me he vill strike, but my moder ce not let him.

“Von oder time ze men come dare, and zey take avay all ze tings vot my moder have,—­ze chair, and ze sofa, and all ze tings.  Zen my moder ce go live in von leetle house, and some ze time ce not have ze fire dare, and some ze time ce not have ze bread.  And von time in ze night my fader come home, and he bring too much men mit him vot have drunk ze beer; and he tell my moder dot ce give ze men ze supper.  And my moder say dot ce have not ze supper, ce have not ze fire, and ce have not ze bread; and ven ce tell ze men go avay, zey say bad vords to my moder, and my fader he strike her dot ce go on ze floor.  Zen mit her hair he drag her to ze door, and mit hees feets he strike her vay out on ze stone, and her head bleed.  And Jeem he see her dare, and he cry, and Fred cry, and I cry; and my moder ce groan like ce die.  And von ze men vot come mit him strike my fader, and von oder man strike him, and zey say vicked vords, and zey all strike, and zey break ze tings.  And vile zey do dot, my moder ce get up, and ce come avay in ze dark, and Jeem and Fred come mit her, and I come mit her, and long vay ce sit down on ze stone by ze big house; and Jeem bees cold dare, and he cry; and Fred bees cold, and he cry.  I bees not cold, I not cry, my moder ce hold me tight; but all ze time ce cry.