| with which she always announced her faith in
the dear Lord. She also announced when it was time for the chickens and
ducks to be brought into the kitchen. And if our gardener, Mr. Stoll, was
”unavailable," she herself chopped off the heads of the chickens - and
off the ducks as well. And all other women who belonged to the servant
staff of the orphanage, such as Miss Anna and Miss Ida, then plucked ”my”
chickens and ducks until no feathers remained to be plucked. The rest of
the work was then done by the cook. Roast chicken or duck - who would not
have liked to join in the eating? |
|
I was sick - and excused, and given something
else to eat in the kitchen. And that although I also liked to eat chickens
- as long as they were ”strange ones” and not my ”own.” I did not care
that much for duck. That was when I had yet to discover "canard a l'orange."
If I were to have my own duck - so I thought
to myself - it would never have to come to the kitchen; it would be allowed
to live forever and swim around in a little pond, lay eggs and maybe even
have little ducklings - those then would also belong to me - would they
not? That was a thought a bit far removed |
|
| for me at the time. My only question was if such
a duck might after all cost more than 10 Francs. Nobody knew about such
things, none of the children in the orphanage or school knew this. And
I did not dare to ask my ”boss,” Miss Lehmann. I imagined what her answer
to me would be: «Pray to the dear Lord, be a good boy and perform
your chores well and correctly; maybe your wish will be heard, and you
will receive your own duck». It seemed an easy task, asking the Lord
for a duck. But I also knew that the being ”a good boy” and doing my chores
”well and correctly” was another matter |
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