Ellis Island

He kept time with his foot as he played the opening bars of the song on his penny whistle. His friend Barney chimed in on the lively melody with his banjo, plucking away at the strings with a big smile on his bearded face. After a couple of bars Neasy took the whistle from his lips and started to sing.

Goodbye Muirsheen Durkin
Sure I'm sick and tired o' workin'
No more I'll dig the praties
And no longer I'll be cold
As sure's me name is Carney
I'll be off to Californey
Where instead o' diggin' praties
I'll be diggin' lumps of gold.

Several people joined in on the chorus. Quite a few were gathered here on the foredeck of the RMS Cedric in the predawn gloom. Many, like Neasy himself, had stayed up all night, knowing they wouldn't be able to sleep with the prospect of arriving in New York early the next morning. The little impromptu sing-song was as good a way as any of passing the time and keeping warm. As the song finished Neasy blew on his hands to warm them and then he saw his friend approaching with two tin mugs of tea.

'Lukey, me boy, ye're a godsend so y'are. Give us that quick before me fingers fall off. How are ye this mornin and where's little Sørinie?'

'I am good, dank. My sister is queuing for porridge drüben... I mean over zer... there. I like your song es ist... it is very good.'

'Ah sure it's just an oul' song, it seemed appropriate though, given the day that's in it. Did ye sleep at all?'

'A little perhaps, not much. Verdammt diesen mist, we cannot see a thing.'

Lukas' little sister, Sørine, arrived then balancing a bowl of porridge on top of two others. She smiled shyly at Neasy but as usual said nothing, he'd never heard a peep out of her, poor little thing.

'Thanks petal, ye're a little darlin' so y'are d'you know that?'

The three of them sat in the lee of one of the ventilators and ate their porridge.

Neasy looked sideways at his friend and her sister. They both looked a lot healthier and happier than when he'd first seen them. That had been the first night after the ship had left Queenstown. He had been surprised to see the little girl as he thought women were forbidden in the men's dormitory. Later he'd found out that her brother was her only family and he'd flatly refused to leave her on her own. He was sixteen so there was no way he was allowed in with the women and children so he'd been allowed to keep her with him on the strict understanding that she was his responsibility. There were a couple of other little girls without a mother staying with their father as well over the other side of the big room.

Neasy had just shrugged and forgotten about it until two nights later when he awoke to hear a couple of men having an argument in whispers. He was about to turn over and try to go back to sleep when he realized what he was seeing. Even with the lamps turned down low he could see a pair of big men, navvies probably with Cork accents who were giving a hard time to that skinny little German lad. One of them was offering him money which he was flatly refusing, standing stiffly to attention and repeating "Nein!" while glaring defiantly back at them.

It only took Neasy a moment to put two and two together and figure out what they wanted for their money. 'Well not when I'm around it's not!' He quickly sat up and rummaged through the bag of tools that never left his side. He found what he wanted by touch, one of his carving chisels and a whet stone. Nonchalantly he started stroking the blade down the stone. Ssssshhtick! Ssssshhtick!

One of the navvies turned to glare at him. 'Get lost ye little pup, this is none o' yer business.'

Ssssshhtick!

'Well I don't know.' Neasy said loud enough to be heard by at least a few of the men sleeping nearby. 'It seems to me ye're tryin' to buy that lad's sister.' He raised his voice a little more. 'A little girl no more than ten and ye're tryin' to buy her. What are ye plannin' to do with her is what I want to know?'

There were some mutterings and murmurs from the beds around him. If he had judged this right a lot of these men would be fathers and they wouldn't put up with that sort o' thing at all, at all.

'She's only a feckin' kraut! What's it to ye? Shut up and mind yer own business boy!'

But by now Neasy could sense a number of men gathering around and the two were starting to look worried through their alcoholic haze.

Neasy didn't even have to get up out of bed as suddenly there was a scuffle with several heavy blows and a lot of cursing. After a while the door to the deck was opened and the two were unceremoniously tossed out on their backsides accompanied by threats if they ever came back. As things quieted down he went over to the German boy who was comforting his sister who had covered herself with blankets and was shaking with silent tears.

'Are y'all right there son, are ye hurt?'

'Nein... no, I am not hurt dank. I am... in your debt Herr.'

'Ahh don't mention it, I've no time for that sort at all. What's yer name anyhow?'

'Lukas Morgen.' He pronounced it "Mohrn" 'Und this is meine schwester, Sørine.'

'Well my friends call me Neasy, so you can do the same. German are ye, gettin' away from the war?'

'Nein... I mean we are not German, we are Dansk... Danish... but ve lived in Deutschland. My vater vas an engineer.'

'Was? Is he.. no longer with ye?'

'Nein, he is dead, meine mutter also.'

'So ye're off to America to seek fame and fortune eh?'

'Ja.'

'Have ye family over there or anythin?' The boy shook his head.

'No? Nor me, all on me tod, no one to know or care if I'm alive or dead wha? But sure I'm grand. Off to America where the streets are paved with gold, wha?'

'Surely you are not believing this?'

'Nah, of course not. If there was the Brits would never have given it up. But what there is is work for an honest man like meself. Do ye have a trade at all yerself.'

Lukas looked embarrassed as he shook his head. 'Nein, I wished to go to college, become doktor, but then my vater... father! I must practice my English! My Father died then my mother und ve had no one so... I knew war was coming and I did not wish to be soldier und leave Sørine alone so we come to America, yes?'

'Sounds like a good plan. Ye'll need a trade or somethin' though, ye have to get work or ye'll starve.'

'You have trade?'

'Indeed and I do. I'm a carpenter, five years apprenticeship served. Though what I really love is the wood carvin', fancy meself a bit of a sculptor wha? There's some nice panels in the church in Brosna that's down to me so there is. What about you, have ye any skills?'

'Ja, I can read and write in Deutsch, Dansk, Français and English, I know mathematik und bookkeeping, I vill get vork.'

'I'm sure ye will and all.'

In the next few days they'd become good friends. Lukas had asked why he seemed to be a bit isolated from his fellow Irish men. 'Ah it's because I didn't go to mass. Most of these fella's are Catholics and I'm good oul' Church of Ireland. It's all daft ye know but we're not supposed to mix with the other lot. They don't want ye puttin' a shilling in the wrong collection plate or anythin. I don't have much time for the prayin' anyhow. I won't bother God if he doesn't bother me. What about yerself?'

'Ve are Lutheran.'

'Right... I've no idea what that is but I'm sure it's very fine... are yez Christian?'

'Ja, of course.'

'Oh, right... I mean I wouldn't mind if ye were Jewish or somethin' like... I just never heard of Luteran is it?'

'Lutheran.'

'If ye don't mind me askin'... I know it's a bit personal but what's up with yer sister, why won't she talk?'

'Meine Mutter... since my mother died she has not spoken... it is trauma... that is the word? Trauma, ja?'

'No idea son but I'm sorry about that. Maybe when we get to America she'll find her voice again wha?'

'Perhaps.'

'Listen Lukey... I wanted to say to ye... when we get to New York stick with me all right? I have me tools and I'll walk into a job so I'll look after ye until ye get work yerself OK?'

'There is no... You do not have to do this for us... I can manage, I will...'

'Listen, don't be puttin' a price on me friendship. Yer me friend, we'll look out for each other until we get on our feet. I need to build up a stake then it's off to California where it's nice and warm, I've had enough of rain to last me a lifetime. Do we have a deal Lukey boy?' He offered his hand.

After a moment Lukas shrugged, then smiled shyly and shook it. To Neasy's great surprise Sørine came over and kissed his cheek and gave him a smile of her own.

The Cedric was turning and it started to pitch and roll a little as the wind picked up. Somewhere above the fog the sun had risen and everyone on deck was straining their eyes forward. Then, as if by magic, out of the murk high above them a huge green hand appeared holding a lit torch. As the mists cleared fully they could all now see the magnificent statue of Liberty welcoming them to a new life. Cheers broke out among the passengers, they had arrived.

They had to queue for hours but they finally got to adjoining desks at the front of the line.

'Name and last address'

'Aeneas Lane, Brosna, County Kerry, Ireland.'

'Age?'

'Eighteen years.'

'Who paid for your passage?'

'I did meself.'

'Do you have fifty dollars or more in your possession?'

'I do sir.'

'Married or single?'

'Single.'

'Traveling with any other family?'

'No sir.'

'Are you going to join any family or friend in America?'

'No sir.'

After several other questions including wanting to know whether or not he was an anarchist the official said. 'That's all Mister Lane, welcome to America.'

'Thank you sir, goodbye sir.'

Neasy hung back to wait for Lukas who was answering on behalf of his sister.

'Name and last address?'

'Sørine Morgen, Dorffer Straße Sex, Aachen, Deutschland.'

As the trio left to take the ferry to the mainland Neasy looked up at the statue again.

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The End

Aeneas Lane was a real person who arrived at Ellis Island on the 30th October 1914 aboard the White Star Line steamship RMS Cedric. He had left his native Kerry and boarded the ship at Queenstown (Cobh) in Cork nine days earlier. I was not able to find anything else about him other than the date of his death in 1985. All aspects of his character are my own invention as are the Morgen siblings.

Daria and all recognizable characters are the creation of Glenn Eichler and the intellectual property of MTV/Viacom. This is fanfiction, written for fun and no money is being made.