The Matchstick Boy: Jakob, a simple farmer, is determined to gain justice for his daughter, against the odds. by Rowena Kinread

Author:Rowena Kinread [Kinread, Rowena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Goldcrest Books International Ltd
Published: 2023-11-02T16:00:00+00:00

17

1859

Chasper, Buolf and Utz all lost their jobs at the matchstick factory. Their age alone saved them from being prosecuted by the court. Even Berta nearly lost her job, but everyone spoke highly of her and Mr Haeberlin, who knew her family relied desperately on her wages, left it with a severe warning not to follow in her brothers’ footsteps.

Chasper left Weissbruegg and found work with the Swiss Central Railway, a private company that was extending the rail line from Bern to Thun. He slept in a container that belonged to the firm, together with most of his workmates, and he got a warm meal daily. The pay was low but a little better than at the matchstick factory and at least he could keep it himself.

The work on the construction site was hard and dangerous. Experienced men blasted dynamite through rock to build tunnels and Chasper’s job was to clear the rubble away. Chasper worked hard, contending temperatures of over a hundred degrees inside the tunnel. Inadequate ventilation and dynamite fumes caused his eyes to water and made breathing difficult. The rock strata was unstable, and sometimes rock fell unexpectedly, burying workers underneath ton-weight stones. The company was always looking for replacement workers. In the summer of 1857, Buolf joined him.

Berta was glad that her two older brothers had left home. It saved conflicts with her mother and other siblings and made life more peaceful. She missed Anneli, but she came home once a month and had even found jobs for her other two older sisters, Trudi and Dorli, in service. This was a major improvement for them from working at Slaters, a rival matchstick factory. Her sisters already looked cleaner and healthier and much happier. Now Berta was alone with her mother and the twins, two years younger than herself.

The disadvantage was that her father, when he came home drunk from the pub, had fewer targets to victimise. Whenever he was at home, Berta tried to make herself invisible. His temper would roar up for no apparent reason, and if he even just saw her, she knew she was in for a beating. When she could, she tried to outrun her father, but there weren’t many hiding places. He usually got her in the end and beat and kicked her until his temper subsided. She was covered in blue and green bruises, which she always put down to falls if anyone asked, but usually they didn’t. Worse than the physical injuries was her mental state. She jumped at any unexpected sound, her schoolwork suffered, her answers when spoken to were monosyllabic and she became quiet and depressed.

An intelligent girl, she contemplated how she could change her situation, but she was only just thirteen. In summer she would finish school and her father had already said that she was to work full-time at the factory. She couldn’t go into service until she was at least sixteen. She didn’t know if she could survive that long at home.

The next day was Sunday.

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