by Lynn Austin
"I've missed you so much, Sofia," Elin said. "I feel like I've let you down-that I wasn't here to take care of you like I promised I would."
"You couldn't help being sick," Sofia said hoarsely. "Besides, God took good care of me while you were away."
"I see that. You look wonderful, Sofia."
"And you look ... like you could use a good home-cooked meal," Sofia said, trying to smile. It was true. Her sister looked very thin and pale. "But thank God He spared your life."
"Come on," Kirsten said. "Let's get through this immigration ordeal and get on that train to Chicago."
Sofia felt hollow inside as she followed her sisters into the Registry Room and joined the long lines of waiting people. She and her sisters slowly progressed from one official to the next, each one peering at their many tags, then directing them to the next official. The last one motioned for them to sit down on one of the long wooden benches to wait for their names to be called.
Sofia had watched the procedure from afar for almost two weeks and knew that getting the stamp of approval from the men standing behind the tall desks was the last step. But all she could think about was Ludwig. Leaving Ellis Island meant she might never see him again. She looked all around the room for him, and up in the balcony where the dormitories were, desperate for one last glimpse of him.
"What are you doing?" Elin finally asked her. "Who are you looking for?"
"For-for a friend I met while I was waiting for you."
"Was she Swedish? Why didn't you introduce me to her?"
"Not Swedish, German."
"You don't speak German, Sofia. Did she understand Swedish?"
"No. We talked without words.... I can't explain it, but we became good friends. I told him that-"
"Him? You spent time alone with a strange man? Are you crazy, Sofia?"
She didn't trust herself to reply. She was going to burst into tears and then the immigration officials would think there was something wrong with her, and all three of them would be refused entrance into America. Just in time, Kirsten rescued her.
"I met him, Elin, and he's really very nice. Besides, from now on we'll have Uncle Lars to protect us, right?"
"I guess so." Elin still looked doubtful, but again, Kirsten distracted her.
"Sofia told me that she's been watching this whole procedure while you and I were in the hospital-right, Sofia? And she says it's just like the Day of Judgment in the Bible, where we have to stand before St. Peter and he looks in his book and decides whether or not he's going to let us through the pearly gates into heaven. America is like heaven, right?"
Kirsten babbled on and on, fidgeting so nervously that Sofia wondered what was wrong with her. She seemed afraid for some reason-and that wasn't like Kirsten. Elfin finally shushed her.
"If you don't be quiet, we won't hear our names being called and we'll be stuck in this place forever."
The wait seemed endless. Sofia still clutched the scrap of paper that Ludwig had given her, but she didn't dare rummage in her bag for her Bible. Ludwig's violin and German Bible were on top and she was afraid to let Elfin see them. Finally Mrs. Bjork from the Immigrant Aid Society arrived, and after talking to one of the immigration officials for a few minutes, she called them over to his desk, one at a time. Sofia went first. The official examined her tags and paged through his ledger book until he found her name, then asked several rapid-fire questions, which Mrs. Bjork translated: "Where were you born? Are you married or single? Where are you going? How much money do you have? Have you ever been in jail? Are you able to work?"
Finally, he handed Sofia a card and asked her to read it. "It's to prove that you're literate," Mrs. Bjork explained.
Sofia was surprised to see that it was a Bible passage, taken from job 1:19: "Suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
The verse seemed fitting to Sofia considering all the losses that she and her sisters had endured. Like the biblical job, they also had lost everything, yet they had survived.
Kirsten was the last one to appear before the official, and even from a distance, Sofia could see that she was nervous. She wondered if it had something to do with Tor-if Kirsten felt reluctant to take this final step and sever all ties to their homeland. But the official passed Kirsten through, as well, and Mrs. Bjork escorted them downstairs to find their trunk, which had been sitting in the baggage room all this time. Finally, Mrs. Bjork waited in line with them at the railroad ticket office and helped them book passage on the next train to Chicago. Sofia looked around in vain for Ludwig.
"I'll help you send a telegram to your family in Chicago, and then you are free to go," Mrs. Bjork told them. "All you have to do is take the ferry from here to Hoboken, New Jersey, then show them your railroad tickets and they'll put you on the train to Chicago."
"I feel like a bird being let out of a cage," Elfin said. "How can we ever thank you?"
"It's my job to help you, and I'm happy to do it. Good luck to you all." She waved as she strode away.
Sofia was still searching for Ludwig as Elm led the way to the pier. They joined the long line of people waiting for the ferry to arrive. "Just one more boat ride," Elfin said, "then one more train ride and our journey will be over."
"I wish I could wake up back home and find out that this was all just a dream," Kirsten said.
Elfin looked at her in surprise. "I would expect a comment like that from Sofia, but not from you. What's wrong?"
"I heard someone say that from now on we'll be Americans, not Swedes, and it made me feel ... lost."
"At least we're together," Elfin said. "And we will have a home again, I promise. When we get to Chicago, we can finally settle into our brand-new life."
Sofia heard the conviction in Elin's voice and believed her. But she battled her tears as she watched the ferry approach. She had been looking everywhere, but there was still no sign of Ludwig. The sailors lowered the gangway. They inspected everyone's ticket, then herded Sofia and her sisters onto the ship.
"So, this is it," Elin said. "Take one last look at Lady Liberty over there. From now on we're not going to shed another tear-promise?"
"I promise," Kirsten said softly. Sofia nodded, but she didn't know how she would ever be able to keep such a promise.
"We have each other," Elin said, "and that's all we need."
As soon as she boarded the ferry, Sofia pushed her way to the rail for one last look at Ellis Island-and there was Ludwig standing alone on shore. He lifted his hand to her in a wave, and she waved in return. She forced herself not to cry, afraid her tears would blur her last vision of him. She kept her eyes pinned to him until the island grew so small she could no longer see him.
At last she went inside and found a place to sit down. She wanted to be alone when she read the slip of paper Ludwig had given her. On it was a verse from Genesis. She opened her satchel to retrieve her Bible and slid her fingers beneath the violin's wrappings to feel the warm, smooth wood. Ludwig would find her again. The violin was his promise to her.
She opened her Bible and read the final verse Ludwig had given her: May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.
~~Offer liven yr One
ELIN'S HEART SPED up as the train's momentum slowed. They were reaching the end of their journey. They had left the farmland behind and had entered the outskirts of the city of Chicago several minutes ago. The buildings were becoming larger and more densely packed; streetcars and wagons and carriages filled the roads. Little children gathered at the railroad crossings to watch the train steam past and wave at the passengers.
Kirsten knelt on the seat and slid open the window to lean out, just as she had when they'd begun this journey back home in Sweden. "Be careful," Elin warned. "You shouldn't lean out so far." Kirsten ignored her, of course. Her hair blew wildly as it came loose from its pins.
They
passed through a desolate area of factories and warehouses. Boxcars sat on side rails waiting to be emptied and filled. They were evidently getting very close.
"I think I see the train station up ahead," Kirsten said. "It looks like a huge whale with its mouth open. We're about to be swallowed any minute." Some of the other passengers stood up in the aisles, gathering their belongings as the brakes hissed and the train slowed.
Elfin tugged on Kirsten's skirt. "Please, sit down and be ladylike. And you need to tidy your hair. We want to make a good first impression on Uncle Lars."
? "Why?"
It took Elin a moment to formulate a reply. She longed for her aunt and uncle to embrace them as their own daughters, to love them and take care of them. But she had wanted the same thing from Uncle Sven-and look where that had led. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Because we're Mama's daughters," she finally replied. "Uncle Lars was her favorite brother. The way we behave reflects on her and how she raised us."
Kirsten turned around and slid into her seat with a sigh. A moment later the train entered the station, plunging them into semidarkness.
"Look around and make sure we have everything," Elin said, even though she and her sisters had been ready for the past hour, their needlework and books stowed in their bags. Sofia sat with her satchel on her lap, cradling it as if it contained a sleeping infant.
She had seemed happier and less fearful after their ordeal at Ellis Island. Kirsten had been quieter and more subdued than usual, too. The change in both of them reminded Elfin of the transformation new mothers underwent after enduring the pain and exhaustion of childbirth. The moment they held their baby in their arms, dreams of the future erased the sorrows of the past. This journey had birthed a new life in all three of them, and although the future was still unformed, Elfin hoped that with time and patience, their lives would grow into something miraculous.
"We're here," Kirsten said when the train halted.
Elfin stood and felt her knees trembling. Part of it was the lingering weakness from her bout with typhus, but most of her shakiness was emotional. They had arrived at their destination at last: Chicago, their new home. Elfin could rest and be a sister again after trying to be a mother to Kirsten and Sofia for so long. She wouldn't have to be strong and decisive anymore. She had brought her sisters to safety.
As they stepped off the train, Elin saw many of her fellow passengers rushing forward to greet waiting loved ones. She looked around hopefully, studying the strangers' faces, searching for their uncle.
"Do you remember what Uncle Lars looks like?" Kirsten asked.
"Not really. I was a child when he left. But it seems tome he was tall and thin and looked a lot like Nils-or I guess Nils resembled him."
They continued walking, surveying the area. Minutes passed, and when no one came forward to greet them, Elin could see the disappointment on her sisters' faces. She smiled to mask her own.
"Come on, we'd better find our trunk." Carts piled high with luggage were being wheeled past them from the baggage car. Elfin beckoned to her sisters to follow her to the baggage claim area. They quickly found their trunk, but Elfin couldn't spare the money to hire a porter to carry it for them, as many other people were doing. Kirsten and Sofia would have to haul it a little farther.
"I'll be so glad to get rid of this behemoth," Kirsten said, grunting as she lifted one end of it. "It's like dragging around a dead troll with handles on his sides."
The crowds diminished, the platform emptied, and still no one came forward to meet them. They went inside the cavernous station-deeper into the belly of the whale, as Kirsten had called it-and sat down on a bench to wait.
"We sent a telegram," Kirsten said. "Uncle Lars must know we're arriving today."
"Be patient, Kirsten. There's nothing we can do but wait." Kirsten wasn't patient, of course. And Elfin had to admit, after the first hour passed, that she was losing patience, too, as her anxiety increased.
Kirsten stood and set her satchel down on the bench. "I'm tired of sitting. I'm going for a walk."
Elfin opened her mouth to caution her, then closed it again. Kirsten and Sofia had already proven that they could get along fine without her warnings and admonitions. She watched as Kirsten circled the perimeter of the room, searching the huge, high-ceilinged station as if their relatives were hiding and would spring out like children playing a game.
"How are they supposed to recognize us?" Kirsten asked when she returned to the bench and sank down again with a sigh.
"Look at us," Sofia said, gesturing to her coarse cotton skirt and embroidered vest. "Do you see anyone else in the station dressed in Swedish clothes?"
"She's right," Elfin said, trying to remain cheerful. "We do stick out like goats in a sheep pen."
"I'd prefer to think we're lilies among thorns," Sofia corrected.
"No, I think Elfin is closer to the truth," Kirsten said. "We do look like misfits. I hope Uncle Lars lets us buy some American clothes." She leaned back on the bench, but her impatience showed in her jiggling foot and drumming fingers.
Another hour passed. People continued to stream in and out of the station, and every time someone approached them Elfin would look up, feeling hopeful, only to be disappointed again.
"We have Uncle Lars' address. Can't we just go there?" Kirsten asked when they were well into their third hour of waiting.
"How would we get there? On foot? We don't know how far away he lives."
"And I'm not dragging this trunk another inch," Sofia added.
Kirsten exhaled her frustration. "Well, that stinks like dead fish!"
Elfin was frustrated, too, but she remained convinced that eventually Uncle Lars would arrive if they were patient. They waited another half hour, and the sound of Kirsten's fingers drumming on the armrest became so irritating that Elfin laid her hand on top of Kirsten's to make her stop.
"See that line of carriages out there by the curb?" Kirsten asked. "I'll bet they're for hire. Want me to go ask?"
Elfin winced. "I don't think we should get into a wagon with a stranger. We don't know our way around the city. He could take us anywhere. We would be at his mercy."
"Why must you always believe the worst about people?" Kirsten asked. "I'm sure there are honest, God-fearing wagon drivers in America."
Her naivete made Elfin angry. But the realization that Uncle Sven's treachery had caused her to lose faith in people made Elfin angrier still. "I'm sure you're right, Kirsten, but how are we going to find a God-fearing one? No one speaks Swedish, and we don't speak English."
"There must be something we can do besides sit here."
"Well, you'll have to think of it, then. I'm tired of solving every problem."
"I did think of a solution-hire a wagon!"
"Listen to the two of you," Sofia said. "A few days ago we promised we would work together from now on, and you're already snapping at each other."
Elfin remembered how happy they all had been after being reunited, and she made up her mind to try to compromise with her sisters. She waited until her anger diffused and she was certain she could speak in a calm voice, then said, "What do you think we should do, Sofia?"
"I think ... I think Uncle Lars would have been here by now if he was coming. Maybe he never got our telegram. I think Kirsten is right. We should see how much a wagon costs and how far away Uncle Lars lives."
"How are we going to do that?" Elfin asked. "We don't speak English."
"Well ... I got pretty good at sign language when I was waiting on Ellis Island," Sofia said. "I could try talking to one of the drivers."
Kirsten sprang from the bench and lifted one end of the trunk. Sofia lifted the other end. Once again, the change in her sisters surprised Elfin.
The line of wagons was indeed for hire and several of the drivers raced over to assist them, babbling loudly and pointing to their wagons as soon as the sisters emerged through the door with their trunk. Sofia paused and seemed to be sizing up
each man in her mind, finally choosing a friendly looking middle-aged driver who had the cleanest clothes and, Elfin noticed, a kind smile. He was the only one who had removed his hat in respect. His wagon was clean, too, his horse alert and well fed. Sofia's discernment surprised Elfin.
Sofia made a sweeping motion with her arm, taking in the three of them and their baggage, then showed the driver Uncle Lars' address on one of the letters he'd sent. The man nodded and pointed in the direction his carriage faced, speaking with confidence as if he did indeed know the way.
He pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket and jingled them in his palm. "He wants to negotiate the price," Sofia said. "How much money do we have?"
"Uncle Lars sent me some American money, but I don't know how much it's worth."
"Well, give me some of it-but don't let him see how much more we have." They huddled together as Elfin shook out some coins into Sofia's palm. Then Sofia turned and held out her open hand to the driver. He winced and shook his head, chattering away as if they could understand him perfectly and motioning as if their destination was well beyond the station. Sofia turned around and picked out a few more coins. After two or three tries, they finally agreed on a price.
"Come on, he's going to take us," Sofia said. The man hoisted their trunk onto his shoulder and stowed it in the back of his wagon. Then he helped them onto the seat behind his and snapped the reins.
"Finally!" Kirsten said as the wagon merged into the stream of traffic. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"I hate being at the mercy of a stranger," Elfin said. "He could take us anywhere." And do anything, she wanted to add, but didn't.
The farther they drove from the station, the more fascinating and exciting the city appeared. Elfin perched on the edge of her seat as she tried to take it all in, and she noticed that her heart was beating faster again. Tall brick buildings lined both sides of the streets as if the wagon were driving through the bottom of a canyon. Striped awnings and brightly painted signs decorated many of the buildings, along with elaborate carvings and fancy stonework over the windows and doors. Elfin saw more horses and carriages than she'd ever seen in one place, and pedestrians wearing the most unusual clothes she'd ever seen. The streetcars ran on rails and carried dozens of passengers at one time, driving right down the center of the street. The pace of life seemed to have speeded up in Chicago as if the world turned faster here than it did in Sweden.
