The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-12-31
Fr0m The Enterprise.
FREDERICK STEINHURGH.
a POST OFFICE SKETCH

bl SAbbl-i- bA'''7I W. ~.
The other day. not long ago we were
| standin. ut the post Office, when an old,
grey headed man came up with feeble step,
and euquired, "Ish dere Won letter for
/ Frederick SJeiubursh 2
With eager and anxious eye he watched
the clerk as he was looking over the large
package which ne held in his hand, think
/ ing. no doubt surely among so many there
( must be one for him.
/ No: they are nearly all ezamined-none
/ for him yet; and how sorrowfully he looks
I as he sees but three or four remaining.
Now the clerk had come TO the last one.
| He stops, looks carefully at the almost il
/ legible writing, and asks, What name did
you ~ayE'
"Frelcricl, ste;nbureh. if you please"
'Ah! yos, this one is for YOU
How the old mans face frightened up
ne he took the letter with trembling hand,
and then stole away 10 corner 10 read his
precious treasure.
It was a large. ilIfJlicd letter, with post
marks and paid marks and queerforeign
looking writing Gll over it, but 10 him all
these looked beautifully, for they remind
ed him OF his native town, and Of some
loved one at the old homestead at the ri
/ land iJr away.
Ea-e, to know the contents Of his letter,
he opened it Immediately, and, on seeing q
draft therein. he burst into tears.
Does it seem strange u you that the
s'ght OF the money enclosed should affect
the oil man so? Well we happen to
know something OF his history, will tell it
70 you, and then you will wonder no
LONGER
Ten years ago that old man, and happy
family which ne had, lived in Germany;
but Tor some reason, we 10 not|lnow what,
they Lett their home for the unknown but
hope-;nsp'ring wast-ail but one sweet lit
tie gill. the pet OF the family, who used to
Chamber up in papG's lap, and. with her.
tiav. soft hands. stroke his cheeks or play
with h.- hairi then bonding oHly little
for, standing on her fathers knee, she
was scarcely taller than his head-she
would eaoUir so murir1iiy, DO hurt you,
pa? aud ,hcn when he. to Try her little
heart would make believe hurt, how
so.rovluily she would look and how gent
" she would throw her arms around his
neck. and say. so tcuderly, Poor pa did
not mean 10 hurt you;' while the big tears,
br,.h, as diamonds, would roll down her
velvet checks.
This enc, little Gertrude then, but little
not now, was LETT with her grand mother
in the 'iIthorl5al,' because she was
frail. delicate thing. and because she and
grandma had 20 entWined themselves to-
., ,hCr, that it would seem the death-blow
10 one, II not to both, to part them.
50 the old man, and one married daugh-
ter with her husband, and one son, a fine,
noble looking fclow-the mother had died
last winter time-ail went away, and after
n hard voyage across the grand, rough, old
ocean, and an uncomfortable ride in the
emigraut cars, and two weeks detention at
Chicago, because the daughter was i'll, they
came here TO our own beautiful Ottawa
A little way from town they bought a
farm, and built queer, foreign looking
cottage-we have passed it many a time
and there they lived.
Honest and industrious they were; con-
tented and happy almost. We say almost,
because once in n great while would come
from over the ocean letter Just like that
one which you see the old man has now,
and Just then they would be a little dis
conteutcd These letters would tell, be-
sides of much love and purest affection,
many things of little Gertie; how at first
she mourncd for her absent kindred and
particularly for this old man her father;
how for days and days She went sorrowing
about, and would not smile at all, and
nearly made herself sick with crying, until
Mt last, one day, Hope. Ike a kind angel,
came to her and whispered, Cheer up;
you'll see him again when few years
have fed
After that she began to smile again, and
then to make the old house ring as she
sang, in clear. sweet tones the songs which
her old grandmother had taught her
But We shall weary you if we tell you all
that we know of little Gcrtie, her father,
and friends How, in few years, the
daughter and the son, who lived in that
queer cottage, died; how, from the old
mans ignorance OF our laws, and by the
fraud of villain, he lost his farm and all
that he had; how, by doing little jobs of
work, he just managed 10 live; how, when
Gertie, now n fair young girl of fifteen,
heard of all this, she took her guitar, on
which she played well and very sweetly,
and went around to earn money by sing
ing and playing, to bring her old father
back again.
She sang 50 beautifully, she told about
her fathers misfortunes with such n sor-
rowful face, and quivering lips, and melt
ing eye, that every one gave her some
thing, and she soon had enough for har
purpose.
She sent it-iust now her father receiy-
ed it-and do you wonder any longer why
the old man cried?
TIE SIMPLE SEcEEr-Twenty clerks in a
store. Twenty hands in printing office.
Twenty apprentices in ship yard Twen-
ty young men in a village All want to
get on in the world. and all expect to do
so. One Of the clerks Will become part-
ner and make fortune One of the com.
postors VIII own q newspaper and become
an influential citizen. One of the appren.
tices will becOmea q master builder. One
of the young villagers will get handsome
farm and iiyo like a patriarch. Butwb;ch
one j. 10 zhe lucky individual? Lucki
There is 10 luck about it. The thino ia
almost rs the rule of three. The yonno
fellow who viii distance his compet;tors
Is he who masters his business, who nre.
serves his integrity, who lives purely and
cleanly, who never gets in debt, who co;ns
friends by preserving them, and puts his
money into the savings bank. There are
some ways to fortune that look shorter
than this old dusty highway. But the
staunch men of the community. the men
who achieve something really worth boy-
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