The Indianapolis journal., 1885-02-15

ACASE OF HEART-BREAK
BY HJALMAR H. BoYESEN.
copyrighted 1885, by the Author-AI Rights
Reserved.l

WIFE, presented him with number nine. he
would have liked to give the little one decently
cordial welcome, but for the life of him he
couldn't His smile turned into a scowl, and, in
stead of growing for the childs edifcation, he
groaned He had been too proud to beg hither-
to, but this newb born thing took him by the
throat, as it were, with its tiny fingers, and
forced him down upon his knees.
''Wife," he cried, suddenly, II am going to
America"
'.But me-" she answered, What is to become
Of usl"
''You will come after me-" he said. ''as soon
as l have earned money enough to fetch you
A week later he started, and within a month
he landed in New York. Then, as he set foot
upon the free foreign soil, the devil whispered
something in his Marquart turned about
and said: "Get thee behind me-" But the devil
came back, day after day, and whispered the
same thing.
''Now you are free man." said the devil;
ga fool you would be to load yourself down with
wife and nine children. when you might just
as we'll commence life unincumbered"
Two years later queer sight was seen at
Castle Garden. An emigrant woman came
trudging out of the open gate, carrying babe
on her arm. and eight children, all between the
ages of two and eleven she had tied together
with long rope, so that the youngest came first
and the eldest last Very odd they looked,
indeed, in their Morse costumes, pulling and
dragging at the rope, tumbling down and
scrambling to their feet again, staring with eyes
IS big as saucers at the new world which sur
rounded .hem. The crowd outside ieered at the
woman and roars of laughter greeted her
wherever she turned. The street boys stole up
behind the last boy in the procession, pulled his
hair and knocked his cap off He stopped
patiently picked up his cap and put it on his
head again.
Well, now they were in America. The neigh
bors had collected funds to pay their passage,
for fear they should become burden to- the
parish. euro had not heard from her husband
since he left ner, and she felt sure he must be ILL.,
He needed her care, probably, for he was very
helpless man without her. She worried much to
think that there could scarcely be a button left
Oh any of his shirts now, and scarcely a stocking
without holein it. He was such a good man,
Marquart was; she yearned TO see his face
again and to hear his voice.
euro started up Broadway with the contribu-
tion to the next census. She looked hard at
every man she met, hoping itmight be Marquart.
But strange to say, she did not meet Marquart.
He must surely be i'll, poor fellow. She must
hasten to him. Her heart bled for him-ill in
foreign land, without friends. and without her TO
care for him.
''Marquart," she said to the first policeman she
met do you know where can find Marquart,
my husbandl'
81 don't understand Dutch" said the police
man, and moved on.
1t was terrible how big the world was! She
had never seen anything like it; streets upon
streets, house upon house, the one bigger than
the other. And such heaps and heaps Of people,
700. They made her quite dizzy. She clutched
the rope with all her might and dragged it after
her Sometimes she stopped to count and see if
none were missing No. they were all there,
though the three-year-o Larl was getting
shaky Oh his legs, and fell at every tenth STEP
She stopped to pick him up. A newsboy ran
against the rope, and knocked down the whole
row, from the first to the last The crowd
pressed on. Somebody stumbled over somebody
else's legs and fell; then a second and q third
The crowd increased the sidewalk was blocked
The police came and arrested Guro and her brood
as yagrants. She thought he was taking her to
her husband and was astonished when they were
locked up for the night There was no help for
Il. There was a man with dancing bear in the
lookup There were also some drunken men,
and two women, covered all over with bruises
and scratches. 1t was queer if Marquart kept
such company. Yet she stopped with eager
eyes over each PROSTATE form; but he was
not among them. He was such good man,
Narquart was. She would have to go some
where else to find him.
The papers were full of her adventure on
Broadway, and her trial for vagrancy was
worked up into two-column romance. For
tRnately for the reporters she did not speak a
word of English, and thus in no way restrained
their fancy. People called to see her and gave
her money. Somebody who had seen the pa
pers wrote to her in Norwegian that Mar
quart was in Urbana III. That made her
Very happy. She crossed the river, and started
on foot westward She did not know how far
was to Illinois, but she thought she had .tI ~ !.
walk She had never been on railroa .e!ler
and she did not trust them. At "a a,'s saa,es; nf
week she fell down at the road side s and % could on
sept One hl fsl asleep Sleep aft ar the other and She,
Such strange pea 81. she wac goihE K 70 a1s. ue.
Shlng sr. snas Wy nied her was thai she had not
r.h ISShu 41"1 .dart He was such good man, their
Ianei s. nas, she said to her children. And they
SI0ed, not because he was good, but because
they could not fnd him. Then a farmer came
along. He put them all in his wagon, gave them
food and shelter for the night and bought them
% ticket to Urbana, III.
1t was late at night when they arrived in
Urbana, and quite dark. euro tied the children
together as before; and started up the street.
'.Marquart Hough,r she said to every one she
met; where is her Finally, boy showed her
the way 10 a pretty little frame cottage. the
windows of which were lighted up. There
surely was warmth and happiness within. How
her heart leaped with joy when she saw it!
Here was her Marquart whom she had sought
SO longingiy. SO lovingly, with such toll and
weary waiting She opened the gate, and gath
enng her flock about her, urtying them, one by
one, smoothing their hair and rubbing their tired
little faces. They must look their best for their
father, who had not seen them for two long
years. Oh, how happy he would be to see them
all again, to clasp them in his arms, 10 call them
his own once more! She knocked at the door of
ALa cnttane a rrettv aa-ao "A