We were "the little girls"

"I remember a lot of stories about Margaretha too. She and I were close in age and we were the younger girls, so I think I've told you we were called the little girls.

The adults used to tell

Mom is on the right here and 

Margaretha is on the left. I'm not sure

who is in the middle. This is one of many

photos in Mom's albums where she and

Margaretha are dressed alike.

about how Margaretha had a big yellow ball when she was little. Well, one time, she happened to go out at night and see the full moon, and she thought that her ball had somehow gotten up in the sky. She begged everyone to get her ball down. Everyone tried to explain but she wouldn’t hear it. Finally she got to Farfar and said, “Can’t you get my ball down?” He told her to wait where she was, and he went and found her yellow ball and brought it to her and said, “Here. I got it down.” Then she was satisfied.

Another cute story about Margaretha that the adults used to tell was about how in summertime, there used to be stepladders out in the yard, up into the cherry trees. Us little kids were not supposed to climb on those. I don’t know if Margaretha didn’t understand or forgot or what but she had climbed up a ways on one of those ladders. One of the grown-ups saw her and went to pick her down. She said, “I was up in heaven,

but now I’ve come down again.”

Another time I remember, Margaretha had been sent on an errand to Mellangården and they had just finished a meal. Tant Maria was starting to clear the table. The men were all sitting around; it wouldn’t be thought that a man would put a plate in the sink. Margaretha though ran up and started helping Tant Maria. They got all the dishes off the table. Henning sat there musing and said, “Margaretha, you’re such a good girl. I think I’ll wait until you’re grown up and marry you.” Margaretha was so mad when she came home. She said, “Mama, I will never ever marry Henning! As much as you know it!” Mama answered, “Don’t worry. By the time you’re grown up enough to get married, Henning will already have found another girl and will be married.” In the end, Henning never did find anyone. He remained a bachelor all his life.

Another "twin" picture :)

I remember one time Margaretha and I had been to see Mormor in Grönede. One of her boys had given her a box of chocolates, and they were all eaten now. She gave us the box they came in to share. We thought it was so beautiful. And how were two girls to share one beautiful box? We argued about it all the way home. We took our case to Mama, and she said if Mormor said to share then we were to share it. She decided that we could each have it for so long; I don’t remember now if it was a week or a month or what; and then the other one could have it. Margaretha still didn’t like that though. She said, “It is so much better if I get to keep the box. I have more things than you do.”

Margaretha and I spent a lot of time with the Davidssons i Mellangården

Margaretha, 1942, 18 years old

too. I think I was 12 years old when Anderssons moved. Fru Birgersson who owned Mellangården had died and a niece inherited the place. She had recently gotten married, Ingrid Davidson and Torsten, and they wanted to move in there. Anderssons bought themselves a new farm in another parish named Hagerstad and the place was named Bröth. When Davidsons came to move in, when we got home from school, Margaretha and I, Mama said we could go in and say hello to the new people and introduce ourselves. So we went in there. Tant Maria sat by the fire because it was the custom that one person stayed on the farm until the new people came. It was not just left empty. Anderssons had bought a little house for Tant Maria on Bobergskullen in Kisa. She had served them her whole life and that was their gift to her to buy her a little house, so she stayed at Mellangården until Davidsons came. I remember we ran up and gave Tant Maria a big hug. Ingrid asked if that was our grandma. We said no. I guess the way we greeted her was so enthused that she thought it must be our grandma. Davidsons had a little boy named Rune who was only a few months old when they moved in. Margaretha and I babysat him and later his siblings when they came along."

Mom and Margaretha in Stockholm