When Mary Van Beke was growing up in the 1920s, she lived in Newark, N.J., and was the oldest of four children. Her parents were immigrants from Europe. And as Mary tells her son, Charles, her parents managed a modest life for the family, until an accident changed everything.

在20世紀(jì)20年代，瑪麗·范·貝克成長生活在新澤西州的紐瓦克市。她是四個孩子中的老大。她父母是歐洲移民。正如瑪麗跟她兒子查爾斯說的一樣，她的父母一直樸素地生活養(yǎng)家，直到有一天，一切都改變了。

Mary's father, William Luis, was just 29 when he died; Mary was 5."He worked for an electrical company, and he was standing in water — and someone dropped a wire and electrocuted him," she tells Charles.

瑪麗的父親，威廉·路易斯29歲就去世了，當(dāng)時(shí)瑪麗只有5歲。她跟查爾斯說，“他在一家電氣公司工作，當(dāng)時(shí)，他站在水中，掉下一截電線，把他觸死了?！?/span>

When William died, Mary's mother was pregnant with her youngest sister."And so my mother had to go out to work, wash clothes and clean house to try and feed four children," she says.As for clothes, the children wore whatever Mary's mother, Eva Hornyak, managed to bring home from the households where she worked.

威廉死時(shí)，瑪麗的媽媽身懷六甲，腹中是瑪麗的小妹妹。她說，“從此，我媽不得不出去工作，替別人洗衣服、打掃房子，以養(yǎng)活我們四個孩子?！爆旣惖哪赣H，伊娃·霍亞克從戶主那里討來什么衣服，她的孩子就只能穿什么衣服。

"I don't ever remember going to the store to get a pair of shoes, 'cause Mama couldn't afford it," says Mary, now 94.Still, her mother, who had grown up in Czechoslovakia, taught Mary and her siblings to take pride in themselves."I'm not saying that we looked dowdy," Mary says. "She said, 'You don't have to be dirty to be poor.' I always remember that."

現(xiàn)年94歲的瑪麗說，“在我的記憶中，我們從未進(jìn)商店買過一雙鞋，因?yàn)閶寢屬I不起?！比欢诮菘怂孤宸タ碎L大的媽媽還是教導(dǎo)瑪麗和她的姊妹們要以自己為榮?！拔沂钦f，我們看上去并不邋遢，”瑪麗說道，“媽媽說過，‘雖然窮困，也須整潔。’我對此念念不忘?！?/span>

But eventually, the four children needed more than their mother could provide. They were growing up, and there wasn't enough food to go around.Mary says that her mother "had to place me in a home where I would work for my keep. And I would come home every other Sunday. And this is how we tried to survive."

但是，母親所提供的并不能滿足四個孩子的需求。她們在成長，食物不夠吃的了。瑪麗說，她媽媽“只好把我安置在一戶人家工作，讓我自己養(yǎng)活自己。我每兩個星期，才有一個星期天可以回家。我們就是這樣生活下來的。”

"How long did you work for that family?" Charles asks.

查爾斯問，“你在那戶人家干了多久？”

"Two years, 'til I was 16," Mary says.

瑪麗說，“兩年，一直干到我16歲?！?/span>

And she has a vivid memory of her last day on the job.

對于這份工作的最后一天，她仍記憶猶新。

"Mama worked across the street from there, washing clothes. And it was a hot summer day, and she was walking down the street. And I ran to the front door and called her in, to visit with her."

“媽媽在街對面洗衣服。那天酷暑難耐，她沿著街道朝我走來。我跑到前門，讓她進(jìn)來，跟她閑談?！?/span>

The two talked — but the visit didn't go down well with Mary's boss.

我們兩人聊了下，但這次拜訪讓瑪麗的雇主不開心。

After Eva left, Mary says, "Mrs. Blaisdell said to me, 'Don't ever let the help come in the front door!'

伊娃走后，瑪麗說，“布萊斯德爾夫人對我說，‘以后別讓幫手進(jìn)家門！’

"And I said, 'Well, I don't want to work here if my mother can't come in the front door.'

“我說，‘如果不允許我媽媽進(jìn)這個門，我也不想在這兒干了?！?/span>

"And I packed my little suitcase and came home. I can remember that so well."

“于是，我整理了我的小行李箱，回家來了。這一切現(xiàn)在還歷歷在目。”

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