The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-03-15
ALL FOR LENKEN.


He came direct from the fatherland
to make Pineville his home. He thought
it was his duty, too, to tell everybody
he had left a sweetheart behind, and
that it was for her sake that he was
working to make home. Her name
was Lenken. She was very beautiful, he
said, and so good that it seemed almost
a miracle she had lived to the age Of 20.
1t was this loyalty to the girl he had
promised to marry and who was SO far
away that made Meyer favorite with
everybody in Pineville.
But Meyer was a slow, easy going
fellow, and the one thought about Len
ken seemed to occupy every Granny Of
his thinking apparatus to the exclusion
of every other thought. He was very
small man, and that and the wooden
leg he wore, he said, had saved him
from doing duty as soldier.
Meyer found employment with Judge
Peterkin. The wages were low, but it
was a steady job, and that was what
Meyer most desired.
During his first year in Pineville
Meyer gained little sum of money and
lost four fingers and part of his nose.
He was trying to whistle "Die Yacht
am Rhine" down the barrel of an old
musket when the gun went off acciden-
tally and carried away part of his nasal
organ. The fingers were cut off with a
small circular saw used for cutting fire.
wood.
TxxyO on hor1d ,,E2
first. When the wounded hand had been
tied up, Judge Peterkin, his daughter
Molly and Aunt Phyllis, the cook, fol-
lowed Meyer out to the woodshed to be
shown how the accident had occurred.
1t must have been a piece of pure
carelessness on your part" said the
judge, looking very severe. 'fNow show
me how it was done. :"
81 vas singing Over Die Garten
Vail, said Meyer. 'Den pick up
shtick of wood like dis''-picking one
up with his unwounded hand-"und
den hold it like dis, und den de shtick
ship like dis und den my fingers vas
cut off like dis. And that was how
Meyer came to lose the second two fin
gers.
The second year Meyer laid up an
other small sum of money and was di-
vested of part of an ear, two toes and a
good deal of his hair. The ear and toes
were lost accidentally and the hair in
cidentally from natural causes.
"Why, Meyer, Lenken won't know
you when she sees you again, you are
eIwIy 1.
day.
swell, maybe sop' he sighed, but in
a moment the confidence in his sweet
hearts steadfastness returned. ooh,
she vas SO goot, Miss Molly, und SO boo
tiful, he said, "dat it makes no differ
ence to her how look! She vas true all
de time"
Then Molly thought she would see if
Meyer would not pay her compliment.
Chow does Lenken look, Meyer
Does she look something like me9" she
asked.
"Like you?" he exclaimed. "Lenken
don't look like nobody. Miss Wiggin
look like you maybe, but Lenken vas
different. 4"
Miss Wiggin was Molly's rival beau
ty in Pineville, and the reference to her
made the latter flush very red in the
face. Meyer laughed merrily.
"You don't look poorly ven you look
like dat, Miss Molly he said.
Then there came changes, and Meyer
did not profit any by them. Judge Pc
terkin died, Miss Molly married, and
Meyer had to look out for himself as
best he could. True, Molly still inter
ested herself in him as much as posi-
BILE, but she had new cares and new du-
ties now that claimed her attention
most of the time.
But Meyer was always hopeful and
in good humor. His every thought, act
and deed was to accomplish something
to bring the day nearer when he could
write to Lenken and tell her that he
had made home for her. 1t was all for
Lenken.
Chow long since you heard from
Lenken?" Molly asked him one day.
Meyer thought awhile.
"a little over two years ago." he re-
piled.
'And when did you write to herP''
"Oh dat vas tree years ago."
meyer, you ought to be ashamed of
yourself, " cried Molly. "You must sit
down here right now and write Lenken
long letter and tell her that you are
still alive. Why, don't you know that
she is grieving all the time and imagin-
ing that all sorts of accidents have be-
fallen your"
"Maybe 80. I never t'ink of dat. -
"For all you know, too, she may
have got tired waiting and married
some one else.
That brought Meyer to his feet and
made him pranoe around on his wooden
leg pretty lively for minute.
"No no., he cried. "Lenken would
not do dat. Lenken is true. Wy, she
think 1 vas married, too, maybe" The
thought seemed to tickle him greatly.
"YOu t'ink 1 would marry anybody but
Lenken?" be, asked.
"No, Meyer, I don't suppose you
would or could, but with woman it is
different. y
"No, it vas all de same" Meyer per-
sisted.
"But are you going to write to her?"
"Maybe so, maybe not, " doggedly.
"Why?"
81 want to buy dat land you own
down on de river" he said. "You sell
me dat land. write pooty soon maybe. "
The matter was not settled just then,
but few days later it was, and Meyer
became landowner III Pineyille.
"What are you going to do now?"
asked Molly.
II make fine farm, one big garten,
und build one little house, und Lenken
und me live dere und get rich like ev-
erything.
"But suppose when Lenken sees how
crippled you are that she won t marry
your
"Und suppose ven I see how poorly
she vas / say: Come, Lenken, l love
you all de tinse. 1 lose one leg for you
long ago, und l give all de rest for you
afterward to make you happy"
''Did you lose your leg for Lenken,
Meyer Molly asked, greatly interested.
"Maybe 1 did, but some odder day
ven Lenken come you ask her. =
For once Meyer was rushing things.
In short while he had cleared several
acres of land and little later began to
build the house. When the house was
completed, he came to Molly in high
spirits.
"Lenken is coming next week! p he
cried Zach, Gott, vas SO gladl''
Molly inquired the day, but Meyer
could not tell her. He said he was going