The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-07-29
THE MOTHERS STRATAGEM

One sunny morning, a few years ago, Jan
Kammerick came up from the cabin OF ms
barge-which the men were slowly working
through a lock near the quaint and ancient
city of Antwerp-and set his huge feet upon
the deck. His first act was to below fero-
cionsy at the good natured fellows who were
doing their best to get the barge through
without even so much as scraping the iresh
naint on her sides his next was deliberately
and cruelty to kick "a small boy who was ~.
ing on his back, and looking up al carved
wooden figure whose grotesque head grinneh
from side rail
Many of the louugers along the banks OF
the lock knew old Jan kammerick for mean
and cruel Flemish boor who maltreated MS
wife, his children. his bargemen, ana VINO
sometimes flew into such fits OF anger thal ne
thrashed his own sides with his round isis.
No one in Antwerp-not a marke''womah on
the shore of the Scheldt, nor bargeman on
river or canal-llked the choleric and brutal
Jan Kammerick many times the wretch had
narrowly escaped ducking at the hands OF a
mob because of his crueltes; and on this oc
casion, seeing the poor child who was kicked
begin to cry and to crawl away towards a
refuge under pile Of rope, everyone shouted ;
"Jan KammerIck! Jan Kammerlck! you
are a mean, bad man, and no one VIII be sor-
nv when vOa come To harm" or Jan ham-
merck you shall be complained OF To the
Judge of the district"
The women shook their fists at him, and
the men muttered that the boy must be taken
away from his cruel father and cared for.
Kammerick's poor wife, who was washing
her pots and kettles on deck, looked as IL she
inwardly sympathized with the people on
shore; but she ,rembled, and dare say moth
ing at all.
Ian was in such a dreadful temper that the
cries of the people on shore MADE MN more
furious.
ATS none of your business" he shouted,
chow much pound and kick this brat lie
Is good for nothing but whiting and break
ing knives Ii he carves any more OF his
budding faces out of my boat rails, Ill send
him adrlt. Then you will have what you
want! Then, neighbors, you will have pau
per on your hands; and when you feed him
In your kitchens, he will carve doll puppets
out of your table legs
Then he vanished down the hatchway
followed by the msledictons of the crowd OF
bystanders.
"If were YOU" cried one of them to the
boy, IL would run away
The barge went on through the locks, and
the boy still crouched in his corner. The
tears yet dimmed his eyes, but he had already
forgotten his bruises. There WAS no resent
ment in his mind toward his wretched father
His mind was filled with thousand beauti
full and fantastic images-delicate fancie'
when he now and then sought To emOouy ~
bits Of wood that he labOriously carved VIII
clumsy knives or chisels. He lOnged 10 bt
free from the rude work he was compelled IL
do upon the barge, aud to study, that b,
might become greet sculptor IN WOOD
When the barge passed near some oil I'M
curiously adorned old houses, OF which Their
are so many in Antwerp houses whose roofs
whose arches, whose doors were proiuscll
adorned with carvings Ut birds and foliage
of beasts aud dragons, of mystical ngure
from myth"lOgies, OF cOmlcal transcript
from everyday Dutch lile-he studied then
carefully aud with deep alteration. lie ha'
never been allowed TO 20 into the streets, ant
look at them for hours at u time, as he coul'
have wished 10 do; for old Jan, who plie'
10 and from little village on the banks o
Scheldt, at some distance iiOm Antwerp
would never allow his child to go on snor
during AIS tri-wcekly visits 10 the city. Ill
yeArned for sight of the grand chsrches o
which his mother had told him-calhedral
In whose solemn stiffness he could stand uu
disturbed all the day long, drinking In beaut,
a; every pore. The harshness and hardship
of his fife, the Dealings of his unnatural laih
er, would have been as nothing TO him II h
could have been allowed TO learn something
of art. But old Jan not only refused to ALLOW
him 10 work, but had thrown into the rive
many beautiful images uf saints, OF birds, o
dragons, which the child had carved b.
stealth when the bargeman was not near, AM
hsd then offered TO the boor, asking him 4