The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-08-18
FRITZ FORTUNE.

peasant GENTLE, living near the Nor.
mon Jerusalem. owning besides his frau
only cow. Word came to his prairie
hut that the Saints were trading their
houses and lots in Nauvoo for anything
whatever that they could take away,
and that had any value to man or beast.
"For two .hOrse team" said the in
formant, Il have got as good brick
house as there is in the city; and Jim
mic Roe he has got snug little three
room house for pair of blankets
1.-The COW! the cow!' said Mrs.
Fritz, VIXEN the news-bearer had gone
his way. 'Drive her to the city and
get us house."
$50! SOL" said Fritz.
When he came back that night, Mrs.
Fritz met him in the yard. You bring
not back the cow"
1--WE have no more any COW. But we
have whole acre of ground and one
nice brick house of five rooms"
Five rooms! brick house! whole
acre. Five rooms! what would they in
Germany say? All! now we have it
good; now we have it grand! But to-
night we have only potatoes for sup
per; we have no milk; we have no
cow"
When CADETS Icarian Colony of
communists took possession of the
vacated Mormon houses, Wetzel' s
place increased in value. Before
the colony went to pieces, he traded
his city place for a neat farm, giving
his note for three hundred dollars. 1t
is commonly said that the dreams of
youth are out of all proportion to the
reality of mature years. But surely 10
peasant boy of the Hartz Mountains,
gathering faggots, picking among rocks
and scanty heritage for the keep of the
family goat, could hardly have pictured
himself lord of one hundred and eighty
acres, level as a floor and black as
charcoal.
1t was a fine farm, but to meet the
debt, Fritz and the frau had to work
hard, live poor, wake through sleeping
hours for many a long year. Some
times the crop ia led by reason of over
rain; sometimes by under-rain; and
then there would be hard work to paw
even the interest on the deferred pay
ment. One year Mrs. Fritz was sick.
and there was a doctor bill to pay and
the wages of hired woman, so the
principal was reduced by only one dol
lar. Fritz and Madam went through
the following winter on potatoes and
black coffee.
The next spring, in the midst of
planting, Fritz fell sick. Then, indeed,
there was dismay. 1t seemed as if the
world had stopped moving.
mot so much as the interest money
Fritz to the American doctor. cit is
intrest. intrest. intrest effry year. l
dhink it will get paid MEIER. 1t is
worse as to fill the rat hole frew de
floor into ones cellar. You pou', pou', ,
pou. You dink you fill it meier, meier,
meier. In Heafcn l shall be when de
note Fritz he hat paid. But dink he
pay it, meier, nefer."
He did it, however, in spite of all the
back-sets. Yet Fritz and Mrs. Fritz
were far from being heavenly happy.
That hole into which they had been
pouring was indeed filled, yet they
seemed no better off.
Ion We must go another year, living
poor" Mrs. Fritz said to her husband,
in German, It'll another crop be made.
And then, if the crop should fail!'
"And if our tenant couldn't pay"
Fritz put in.
"Ah! we have it yet bad" she said,
"bad as before.
1--WE have great land" Fritz re-
minded.
but eat the land we cannot; wear it
we cannot; cover with it this winter, we
cannot"
$50, So" said Fritz.
This was the beginning of the plant
which they interchanged through sew
eral years.
1--WE have all our money tied up"
said he.
when we want some little dollars
more, we can have it not" said she.
80. SO, we are land poor" said he.
1--WE want not so much land" said
she.
mot able am to work so muck, !"
said he, "and no children we have to
leave it to-
ITO sell some would be BETTER" said
she.
"Sell eighty acres, and we still have
hundred more than all our people in
the Old Country. They be . poor set
over there
The plan of selling they talked over,
until, by and by, q little board on a
pole announced that Fritz Wetzel
would sell an eighty-acre slice off his
fine farm. People came and went,
looking at the slice and signing for it.
At length. an offer was made for the
whole arm at $500.
TRY him at seven thousand" said
Mrs. Fritz, I" if he agree, take it; for
seven thousand is much money, it will
keep us our life."
$50, so," said Fritz.
He tried seven Thousand and the offer
was taken. As the terms were cash,
Fritz one day came home, his pocket
book crammed with greenbacks.
''Come here. Thekla," he said to the
wife, "shut the window, lock the door;
put on your specs; you are not SO young
as when l married you barefoot. Come,
shall show you so much money as you
never saw"
Mrs. Fritz fastened to make things
secure against spies and eaves.drop.
pers. She hung shawl across the
window and stuffed cotton in the key.
hole. Then she Toasted her eyes on the
0uQQf6O OOll6C Oils anu Cu0 avenues
and the tens.
2 ''Ah! now we have it easy; we have
it good, at last" she cried, cheerily.
$50, sou said Fritz. 1.-THE money
box we have got open, where our mon
ey was locked"
Nov, we have it good. But where
will you put 50 much money, tonight,
Fritz? Everybody knows that the farm
you have sold for money in hand, and
everybody knows we are out on the
prairie with nobody at all"
81 will take the money to bed with
me; sleep with it in my bosom"
'.You can take it to bed" said Mrs.
Fritz. "but you sleep not much
think" Neither man nor wife slept
much. One-half the time they were
listening for burglars, aud the other
half we're searching for the house break.
ers. Toward morning they had . nap
apiece. When daylig int came they were
glad to see it. They were to give pos
session in ten days. so the morning Wa
full Of anxious questioning. Where