The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-03-17

LOVE AND POTASH.
A Romance Ringing on the Story of
Dead Industry.
New York SUM-

Oeau
New York SUM-
There's what broke up my home and
made me come over to America.
The speaker was an emplOye in large
soap factory on the west side. He was
pointing to some drums of imported soda
as he spoke.
q was born in Bohemia among the
mountains, in little village. Our chief
industry was making I've, and sometimes
soap. 1 think half of the people made
their living that way; my family did.
When l was a little boy | was sent out
every day with my brother and other
boys to gather leaves and twigs. The
best were those of the fir, but we took
everything We'd build big bonires in
dry weather, and the moment the ashes and
embers were cold we'd throw them into
bins under low sheds. Below these sheds
were what you'd call leach tubs Some
of these were old barrels sawed in half;
some, and they belonged to the poorer
folks, were heavy willow baskets. One l
remember was square, built out of bricks,
with a door on the side. We used to fill
the tubs with ashes, and pour as much
water on them as they'd hold. When it
ran through, it would run into little
bucket. This was what used to be lie.
1t was too weak to sell or to use to make
soap, and so we'd boil it down. Some
times we'd sell it when it was boiled down
very strong, but generally we let it boil
till it was dry What was left was good
potash, and that we'd sell to a rich man
in the village, who'd send loads of it away
to foreign countries. If the potash was
gray we got good price for it, but if it
was red or brown we got less money and
also got a good thrashing from our pa
rents.
"Down the road was my fathers cousin,
who was the best sOapmaker in the barony.
He made soft soap from our potash and
hard soap from potash and common salt.
He had pretty daughter-she's my wife
now, and when she was Is she was as good
soap boiler as her father. | was about
II when times began to grow quite hard.
The village merchant didn't buy as much
potash or soap, and what he did buy he
paid less for. And then the men who'd
start out in the spring with a wagon to
peddle the same wares found things just
as bad everywhere. We thought it came
from the wars that were going on, and
that good old prices would come back be-
fore long. When got to be 20 | was my
wifes beau, and the old folks agreed that
we should marry two years after and keep
up the family trades in the old places.
Well, we married, but not there, and I've
never been there since.
"You see it came about like this
went down to the village one day with a
load of potash and soap, and called as
usual on the merchant. For the first time
he refused to buy the latter, and offered
so small price for the former that L be
gan to laugh. But when he took out of a
box some foreign soap and offered it TO
me at half the price l wanted, and ex-
| planned to me how the French and Eng
lish were making soda and potash in big
| factories out of rocks that cost almost
nothing, l saw my business was ruiued;
The news ran through the village and
everybody was very blue. l was particu-
| larIy blue when thought of Gretchen
Many tried to fight it out, but they nearly
starved. Most of us wandered away to
other countries, and l came over to Amer
| lea, where I've been ever since And a
little over year after l landed sent over
| for my sweetheart and she came over and
| we were married. "