The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-06-19


reference to himself his whole aspect stiff
Tened into a still more rigid sDlemnity.
turning to the prisoner he said with scarce
concealed impaiience:
well. Rasmussen, have yOu GOT any
thing 10 say for yOUrsrlf?"
BY this tine one citizen after another had
dropped into the courtroom until the place
was crowded, and quite a concourse Of peo
pie fingered without the door. striving to
gain some iGea OF what was going on
within All through the agents state
ment the Dane had sat silent
apparently not hearing what was said. sui,
iehiy contemplating bis handcuffed wrists
ana heavy. patched boots. When the JUS
tiee spoke 10 him, how ever. lie slowly arose
from the bench on which he sat and gaZed
ABOUT Nun on the assembly OF his DeighbOrs.
Ii seemed Tor moment as though he were
seeking for sympathy, but only vague,
o!sinterested curiosity greeted him from
every face as he glanced from one to an
other. Ills heavy features did not tighten,
ana his Jaw dropped stupidity for moment,
but at last he ulled himself together. as it
were. and began, slowly and laboriously,
ms Morse tongue occasionally having hard
work 10 adapt itself to the foreign language
In which he spoke.
" You all, mine neiRhbors. know me veil,
he said, simply, "0laf Rasmussen. | am.
In mine country, miles from here, an seas
across | read an l hrar on America. There.
they tell me, is always work TO be done. an
plenty an vTeedOm yOr the man who will
work, an l safe an safe. me an mine
woman, an bimeOy We come on the money
yOr TO pring us the seas across. So, den to
America we're comen, Ian We puy land an lif
on Minnesota, an l gifts a little home
an We do well, an haf Won two
children. But | hear always Californy,
Caiforny vas the land v0r dc man vat
wants 10 git ahead au' I wishes much I had
come on CRlifoTny. Den, one night come
to mine house FIRE. and We vas all out
purDed an afterwards | make up mine
mind ] shall come on CalifOrnv. So, den. |
sell mine little farm and We prings der chill
dren to this land. l hats no more money TO
puy land. but some man l know he sends
me this man 10, and he say to me: All
right all right. you rent now, yOu raise pig
crops and sells him for much money, and
bimeby We sells you land and You gifts ahead
fast ard mas home here in no time.
so l takes mine 20 acres an puts in
crops, an me an mine woman We work.
Ven il vas come daylight We pegin, an ven
il come dark We vas working so as slaves.
We puilds Won house, mine woman mailing
up DOES walls nit her own hands, an bimeby
We lat a shed an horse an COW an nice
home. an mine grain do veil der year. an
pays mine rent an puts py some money.
Nenefer der vas extra to do do him, an
ven a neghbOr vas hat pad luck help i'm,
an do mine duty as man-you know dat. :"
THAT'S so" said a boz in the crowd.
when my father broke his arm Olaf came
over and narrowed fer US two days, and
never charged a cent" Mrs Rasmussen
sat ND nest every night for a week, when
cur baby was so sick aud mother came down
with the grip" said another close beside me-
But the Dane went on with his story, gain
ing courage and command Of language as
he proceeded. until he seemed completely
to have forgotten everything save the story
he was telling.
Come fruit time, first year, mire work
vas all so as l could get along, an mine
woman she say she can earn money picking
cherries in Burns big orchard. | say SOP
an 60 see der boss about IT, He say work
is plenty ard help scarce; but when ! look
I see be hat a pig gang OF Cinnamon in der
orchard, and l couldn't let my woman
work nit dem, an so l say: L will work in
der orchard. an y0u stay der home pY and
dig der potatoes an hoe der corn Veil,
90 in der orchard Won day, an l notice der
Cinnamon 60 in a corner an all talk
ing ike mad, and bimeby der boss
be comes an tells me / must quit or
the whole gang will leaf l say TO i'm, Let
dem leaf and git Vite men and vnomans to
Go der work, but he tells me he haf hire der
gang much cheaper as vite men viii work,
an he can't affOId to make 'em mad. Den
] say / work der day out, an he goes eff.
Bimeby come the boss Chinaman an order
me of. l swear 60 not an den der whole
gang come on me for 10 fight an | knock
some over an vas most in pieces torn. So
the vite boss he pays me nothing vOr mine
work. as he say lost i'm two days time Of
der gang. haf never any trouble Of mine
neighbor bat what / ;ell you. You all
know il.
well, after that I goes on working an
doing veil, an haf great crop OF potatoes
dat year. Dey grow as / never before see,
an one night der agent Of der railroad be
say to ne l pedder be send does potatoes to
der city. Don't delay be say 10 me, 'Or
eferypOdy else will be ahead Of you an you
cit 0 market l hurried up next day an
gits mine potatoes der station To. an ! see
great piles, hundreds bushels potatoes, all
al station yoT 10 ship. Der agent say, All
right. ye can send plenty. l bin pOklng up der
growers. ! don't Ike 10 see mine neighD0TS
git left, an I sends on mine potatoes toder
commission men vat he recommends an
pays mine freight. an he tells me ] make
lot Of money. ! keep not back any, as
need dat money an vas thinking / might
bargain dat year to puy der land. Veil,
waits tree four days-a week. Den come
wort by does commission men dat der city
vas full of potatoes. an der papers had
been telling a week now how der potatoes
vas being dumped in der bay al der city,
an mine had been dumped in, too.
Der letter said any man vas a fool
10 ship den. | show i'm to some mems an
anyway, to git the potatoes shipped an Sc
cure his freight bnt l vas out mine crop an
mine freight money, an mine children got
DO shoes dat winter nor me an mine woman
any clothes, an it vas hard pull l
talked with dat agent, an be say mine loss
vas non his piZness. His piZnesS vas 70 do
veil py der railroad company. Dat vas vat
he vas paid vOr. | hal no trouble nit
him, but Won man vat he so fool try to Kill
i'm an' vas put in prison. You all know il.
well, next year We do better. Comes a
little felier TO mine house 10 If, bat der
crops is good and We make some money.
Den We tink maybe We can puy der land dis
year, an l hat tree hundred dollar 10 make
Won payment. | say 50 to this man here
ven he come, but he tell me his company
hat conclude not 10 sell, but to rent der
land. He say der come soon annuder road
der place through, and value will be higher,
so der company conclude TO hold, and then
he tell me lie must haf bigger rent der next
wear I tell him impossible, l cannot pay
more. an be say be hat a tenant vOt can, and
he tell me tree four Japs want der place
for nursery an vegetables 10 send TO city,
an viii pay bigger rent l tell him n0pOdy
can pay more an put up buildings, an he say
buildings are already up. W, l tells him
dem mine buildings are an mine fences, an
all vat is on der place mine, made init mine
own hands and mine yoOmans, an paid Tor
nit mine own money, but he say dere IS
nothing in der agreement about DAFT or MIN
taking off any buildings or being paid for
any improvements, an der place must
stand Just so as it vas. / could pay der
higher rent or move off and let der Japs
pay il. Den lock around on mine little
home an see dat pretty house covered
nit the vines mine woman had planted,
an der rose trees in der garden, an dat
little vineyard by der side Of der house, an
der hen yard an barn we're / could hear
mine horse stomping. an l thought OF all
dem two years an mine hard work, an it
seems like / got crazy. an | asks dat man
vas If der Law in free America, an he tell
me he had all der law on his side an der
company would uphold HIM, an made up
mine mind lie would meier lif to tell his
company about dat, an so 1 picked up a