Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-01

meat prOuuCLb bIo SAPOh'Ouj ~
fourth Of pork and nearly one twelfth
OF beef. But little mutton goes
abroad. The average supply per cap.
lta per snnum Ia 150 pounds against
1Ol for Great Britain and 81 pounds
for France.
ELI PERKINS ON TIE SANTA FE.
he Describes the German Emigrent In
Kansas.
Kansas City Journal.
It was a cad sight, in which was
blended tears and laughter. On the
Santa Fe train wss a large family Of
Germans go fresh from the ship that
you could smell the steersge odor.
There were fathers and mothers,
brothers and sisters and q raft Of little
ones. Some were able to crawl up
and sit on a seat. Others were still at
the breast They were all bound for
the Neosho valley. All were tired,
hungry and worn out from q four
weeks passage. They had left crowd.
cd Germany where they had been
struggling for an existence, and they
were going to their new homes In the
new world. If they started with any
money 1t gave out before they reached
Ksnsas City, for on the train they
were eating black bread and salt.
When the children cried for meat or
something better than black bread the
mothers hushed them and told them
that they would soon be in Plymouth,
beyond Emporia, where they would
surely meet Uncle Heinrich and Aunt
Lena, and when they got out onto the
farm they would all have meat and
milk.
ooh, It will be heaven" said one Of
the women, "to live In q country
where our children q have all the
milk and meat they want"
As the train passed Emporia the
poor Germans began to raise the win
dows and admire the beautiful coun.
try along the Santa Fe road. The
next station was to be the long looked
for new home. The mothers,
wreathed In smiles, began to wash the
children's faces for the last time.
Then when the rosy checked children
were fixed they took white handker,
chiefs out Of their bags and put them
around their own neoks. Poor wom-
en-! they had but one dress ON earth,
but as they were going to see brothers
and sisters and neighbors who had
been away from Germany and living
In Kansas for five years, they wanted
to look as we'll q g they could.
"The next station Is the place."
said q big, healthful German as he
tied q blue handkerchief over his old
soiled collar, land here we'll never be
hungry again. Here my little babies
can have all they want to eat"
"Will your friends meet you at the
train2" l asked, becoming deeply In.
terested in the poor but now happy
group.
"Yer, they knew We were coming
this week, and they'll be down to
every train. Heinrich's farm Is only
two miles off,"
"There they are! waiting for u.s., II
said the wife, stretching her head out
of the window; aud sure enough,
there stood a crowd OF twenty Ameri-
can Germans on the platform as the
train drew up. Soon the fathers and
mothers led the way off the train,
the children following with the doz.
ems of little packages. As they struck
the platform brothers and sisters and
fathers and children came together In
a long embrace. Every eye was
dimmed with tears. Every voice fal.
tered and every throat choked with
emotion. 1t was the pathos of great
joy. But soon they wiped their tears
away and began to laugh and pat and
smooth each other on the back. Then
the Kansas Germans led them across
the street to a hotel, where a big din.
ner was ordered. For the first time
In their lives the poor German emil.
grants ate beefsteak and tried eggs
and cake and pie and fresh Texas
cabbage. It was worth o days travel
to see these sppetites ~appeased. l
became so absorbed In this little cpl
sode that I could not keep my eyes of
OF them. 1t was a scene Of the most
heartfelt joy I ever witnessed. I
could not look at the scene without
wiping away q tea' myself, and I can
not speak of It now without my throat
choking with emotion.
When the dinner was over they all
went out and got Into new lumber
wagons with bright green boxes and
rode out to the new home on the
farm.
Having occasion to lay over In town
to meet a lecture engagement, I rode
out to the new German farm this
morning to see how the new emigrants
were getting along. I found the
Kansas Germans had had them al
over the farm before breakfast. When
I got there they were showing Their
stock. The happy emigrant would put
his hand on q colts back and smooth
1t like a kitten; then he would exam
Inc a harness; then take hold of q pillow
handle.
U"This," said the Kansas brother,
us the span of horses I've got for you,
John"
Then John would go and pal
them on their faces and look into theil
eyes.
The talk of the women In the house
sounded like a school intermission
They were showing their stoves anc