The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-29
An O;ld story.
By Elizabeth Curaines.

10Y I~llzaDctn CurlingS)
Elsa hated to knit. She said IT made
ncr shoulders ache and her eyes smart
ana she wished she was a bow.
ana What would you do ~ you were?''
demanded her moth~s,-e-Verofy
Il would do as l like, as all BOYS do
and never knit. but ernbroider. as Lorenz
Sholtz docs
Grandmother Reiz laughed, but father
Reiz patted F.lsa's rosy checks and
smoothed her shining hair saying: ITO
do as one likes, comes TO but few,
There's knitting OF some sort for all
even bays Then he took UP his peeging
awi. and set to work upon mending a
shabby shoe; for he was a coaobler. and
worked from dawn till dark. as he said,
making buckle and strap meet" They
all worked. as became Industrious Dutch
people. Grandmother Reiz knitted many
pairS OF striped mittens which shOplS
er Tirrel sold to farmers. Mother Reiz
finished overalls. and kept the tiny home
tidy; and there was always meat IN the
pot for Sunday dinner. and Elsa had
warm. neat frocks. and blue comb for
her hair. and even a string of blue beads.
which the girls at Pastor Katts school
envied- You see she might have been
contepted. but some hearts are not Salts
fed with anything.
For America, New Amsterdam is an
old city. and Orange street. through
which the canal runs. used to be n very
fine part of IT In the old days, when half
the residents had names beginning with
Van" But the old homes. in spite OF
their quaint gables and peaks, and bits
OF garden fun OF tulips and hollyhocks.
have become tenements- Rents are cheap
in that locality; but thrifty people, most
ly Dutch, occupy II. and every spring the
boies OF the trees are whitewashed and
all the area fences. The corner house
had the most trees. There were four APP
pie trees in the back yard. and was
a pippin. Every body knew all that could
be found out about that house. for the
Van Deusans. who ow-~d II. dwelt there
Nicholas Van Deusan was very old and
could not hear, and his old wife could MOI
sec. and their daughter Mary had some
thing wrong with her back: but his sor
Suydam. known to the world Harle
quin Van. was IA his way celebrated, anc
Il seid in the shops or orange
ed In the papers. \ tall. dark and hand
some man was Harlequin. with brown
eyes that seemed always TO smile, YET
they had toe soft light as IL at times
when no one was looking. tears came IL
them Sometimes he was gone for weeks
for he had 20 travel about the country
and usually when he was seen he wore
plain black clothes like other mon; bu
sometimes the children, whose brigh
eyes see everything. saw him spring on
OF a carriage all crimson velvet and gold
lace. looking like a prince.
over the way from cobbier Reiz wa
the Shufeldt bakery. and Father Shufeld
was bringing up his four boys In the bus
mess. All OF them liked II save Otto
the youngest. and he was little spoiled
and, Il must be owned. did not like 4
work any too well. Otto was just ST,
days older than Elsa. and they wers
friends Tie grufnbied to her. and sh'
helped him In his arithmettc, an ar
rargemcnf which ne liked very much
and which she thought was natural
though she did wish ne would listen lst
tie when she talked about her knit
ting.
Fathers don't Know how boys feel
he confdec to her as they chStted in th'
grassy caln OF the canal bank. Now
want 10 become photographer. and
wait 10 play a query orass horn hik'
Peter Snoifz who besocg- TO the band
bat father VIII insist that / shall icsrF
all about the baking. ana deliver th'
bread and hen not hear OF horn. Azs