[English version below]

Nou, gewoan! Earst wú ik nyt. Toen myn moeke sturven was, kwam de dominee. Hij ging met myn fader praten en sei dat ut beter was dat ik naar ut weeshús ging. Maar ik wú thús blive. Ik snapte ok wel dat myn pappe nyt goëd foar mij sorge kon. Beurtskipper en an ‘e drank. Dat ja, toen bin ik naar buerfrou Griet gaan of ik dêr in é hús kon. Maar buerfrou sei dat ut nyt kon. Se wú wel, maar se leefde fan de bedeling en suks was kwaluk genoeg om fan rôn te kommen.

Sudoënde bin ik naar myn broer Sietze gaan in Berlikum. Ut was un hele tippel. Want ik wú nyt in ut weeshús. Sietze en syn frou hadden krekt un kleine kregen en ik docht dat ik dan mooi oppasse kon, sudat Neeltsy wear snel op ut lân werke kon. En ik had wear plak en meensen dy foar mij sorgden. Maar ok sij seiden dat ut nyt kon.

Dus bin ‘k maar werom gaan en hè anklopt bij de dominee en seit dat ik tòch wel in ut weeshús wú. Wat moest ik anders, ik kon nergens heen. En nou bin ik in ut weeshús met dy deftuge bel an ‘e foardeur. En de tegelfloer in ‘e gang is ok su mooi.

Hyke Sophia (12) meets the wardens of the orphanage (1909) – Falls for a floor

Well, just because! In the beginning, I didn’t want to. When mother died, the vicar came by to speak with my father and he said that I had to go to the orphanage. But I wanted to stay home!

Sure, even I can see that Heit can’t properly take care of me. He’s a barge skipper and he drinks too much. So I went to neighbour Griet. But no, she emphasised that she could not have me. Certainly, she wanted to, but she had to live from gifts of poverty relief and these wouldn’t be enough for two…. Then I walked to my brother Sietze in Berlikum. Because I still did not want to go to the orphanage. They had just got a new baby and I thought, now if I take care of the little one, Neeltje can go work the land and I’ll have a home and somebody who will take care of me.

But they too told me they could not. So I went back and spoke to the vicar. And I said to him that I would live to the orphanage after all. Because I had nowhere else to go. And I like the door bell so much. It is so fancy, and the tiled floor in the hallway is so pretty too…