Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-03-19
ALL FOR LENKEN.

!
/ to make Pineville his home. He thought
it was his duty, too, to tell everybody
/ he had left sweetheart behind, and
/ that il 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 III 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 a 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 Wacht
am Rhine" down the barrel of an old
musket when the gun went off aceiden-
tally and carried away part of his nasal
organ. The fingers were cut off with
small circular saw used for cutting fire
wood.
Two fingers on one hand were cut off
| 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.
at must have been piece of pure
carelessness on your part" said the
judge, looking very severe. "Now show
me how it was done
Il 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, ind 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
such wreckp' said Molly to him one
day.
"Vell, maybe sor' he sighed, but in
moment the confidence in his sweet
hearts steadfastness returned. 'Oh,
she vas so goot, Miss Molly, ind SO boo
tiful, - he said, "dat it makes no differ
ence to her how l look She vas true all
de time.
Then Molly thought she would see if
Meyer would not pay her a compliment.
''How does Lenken look, Meyer?
Does she look something like me?" she
asked.
Like you:" he exclaimed. "Lenken
don't look like nobody. Miss Wiggin
look like you maybe, but Lenken vas
different, "
Miss Wiggin was Molly's rival beau
ty in Pineville, and the reference 60 her
made the latter flush very red i'll 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-
bic, 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.
How 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 herr"
"Oh, dat vas tree years ago"
"Meyer, you ought to be ashamed OF
yOurSeH, Crleu MOlly' on lnust si'
down here right now and write Lenke1
long letter and tell her that you are
still alive. Why, don't You know thai
she is grieving all the time and imagin
ing that all sorts of accidents have be
fallen your"
maybe so. never tink of dat y
"For all you know, too, she may
have got tired waiting and married
some one else.
That brought Meyer to his feet ant
made him prance around ON his wooder
leg pretty lively for minute.
"No, no, he cried. "Lenken would
Iot do dat Lenken is true. Wy, sh'