Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-05-26
4 GERMAN STORY.

lived, great many years ago, two
people who were of the humblest
class. They could just manage
to get a living, and their only son
was brought up in the most frugal
manner. He, however, had a great
deal of ambition, and constantly
declared that when he was q man
there should be more than black
bread and goats milk on the table,
and that they should have a COM
Portable house like that of the
doctor which stood on the hill be-
vond, or even like that of the bur-
gomaster, which was far hand
somer.
To this the old man-old even
then, for the couple had married
very late in life-would reply:
"Ah! some people are born with
golden spoons in their mouths and
some to wear wooden shoes. Luck
is not in our family"
Then he would add things that
made his wife shake her head and
beg him not to let the child hear
such words, for he had Of late talk
en- it'into his head to be very great
infidel, to believe in nothing, and
to be very fierce in his denial of
the existence Of anything greater
than himself. As for a hope of
any future existence, that, he used
to say was for women and fools.
However, Mt this time he was an
honest man, who worked hard and
cheated nobody. No one knew
whether he really meant what he
said. Certainly he had hard life,
and was too ignorant and too hope
less to escape from it but as the hoy
grew he showed energy. He
worked all day, but at night he
went to the schoolmaster aud learn
ed to read, write and cipher. He
managed to become clever in a
great many things. At last, when
he was seventeen, he took his KNAPP
sack on his shoulder, and said to
his parents:
81 am going away to seek my
fortune. When | make it | shall
bring it back to you. ! shall
never forget you, and l only GO
away that we may not live like
dogs forever. God helping me,
will return a rich man."
"Amen,' said the mother; but
the father cried: "God Bah the
old cant y
Those were his last words to hi.
son.
The boy walked away, for h'
could not afford to ride. He haC
many weary miles before him ; bu
a letter came to them at last, an,
he told them that he had fount
work. At intervals he wrote, an
still hopefully; but he had no
picked up a fortune from tn
stones of the streets, and the oil
people were poorer than ever.
At last the boy wrote them tha
he was about to sail to a distar
country, and that he hoped to bC
come rich there. Then no NOR
letters came. Years rolled o.
without tidings. The mothe
hoped for a long time the fathe
despaired from the first.
"Either he is like most youn
merf and forgotten all about u.s." /
said, cor he is dead" And Il
mother came to think as he di
after q while.
Their hair grew white; the
poor living made them break dow
before their time, and at last Il
old man slipped on the ice and il
iured his knee. This made it in
possible for him to work as he hi
TO work before, and misfortune
instead of softening, hardened hin
The neighbors who came to 81
him were shocked at his horrib
speeches, and finally the unhapI
pair were LETT to themselves.
One day they had only a smi
piece of black bread to eat for Il
whole day. The goat no long
gave milk. 1t was cold, and the
was but a scanty handful Of fuel
the house, and, when night can
no candle. AS they sat croucbil