Diary of Linnea Gord in Malax, June 24th, 1930

Nineteen-year-old piano accompanist Linnea Gord writes of the first day of the stay in Malax after travels by train for the series of concerts in a dozen cities in Finland.  Three girls slightly older than Linnea, Wilma, Tyra, and Olga, were daughters of William Malm, brother of Linnea’s great-grandfather John Malm.  Three young men their age,  Lars, Paul, and Bror, were first cousins of her mother Amanda and her Aunt Marie.  Amanda and Marie emigrated in 1896 to Tacoma, Washington, with their mother, to join John Malm, so it had been thirty-four years since Marie had been home.  Linnea reads a little Swedish, and only understands and speaks a little Swedish. 

TUESDAY, JUNE 24TH, 1930 - MALAX

Midsummer Day!  The weather was dark and threatening, it rained pitchforks, and there was plenty of thunder and lightning.  We slept until 10 o'clock and then got up and proceeded to get busy, inasmuch as we had a lot to do that day. Tyra and I washed our hair and Olga and Wilma washed clothes. 



Lottery Clipping
Background typed transcript

At 2 o'clock the lottery at the Ungdomsforenings hus started.  We arrived at about 2:30 and were immediately stopped by some of the lottery ticket sellers.  We bought some, but weren't very lucky.  You paid one mark for a ticket and those which had numbers on them were good.  I bought about 45 marks worth and I only got three numbers.  (Bror gave me one, which made four.)  For these numbers I got a note book, three pencils, shoe blacking, and a coffee sieve.  There were three programs in the hall during the afternoon and evening.  There were orchestra and band numbers, duets, recitations and talks, and some of those talks were certainly dragged out.  It certainly was tiresome to sit and listen to them, especially as the benches were just planks--and there were no backs to the benches.  About 4 o'clock in the afternoon Hulda and Amelia came from Vasa.  They said they had walked the streets there and only saw about ten people and got so lonesome that they took a taxi to Malax.  We had supper at the hall (risgrynsgröt and fruktsoppa) and later in the evening we danced…