The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-03
MRS. EicHhoRn,s STORY.

IN the style OF thirty years ago. Sl
sat in an old wooden chair and told he
: story in broken German Now and the
she stopped, took of her steel bowe
glasses and wiped the tears from tn
lenses. Then she put them on again an
continued. 1t would be useless to at
tempt to reproduce her dialect or I'll
proud way in which she told her patheti
| story
Heinrich and 1 were married fort
years ago in Hamburg We, had min
children Heinrich worked in an abstrae
Office. His salary was not big. but IL
spite of so many children we saved som
money every year. We lost six of tn
little ones all in one year with the fever
That was seventeen years ago. BY tina
time we had saved 5000 The two eide
girls married and moved away from home
Fritz. the oldest son. was in America
He came back right after the fever wen
through our house. He told my Heinrich
and me about that great America. How
there all people were honest and good
how we could take our money and bu,
a farm cut in the west and live Their,
happier than in the old home, now tina
all the children were gone.
1T was sad and lonely for Heinrich
and /, ali alone by ourselves. The Ole
house was so quiet and there was 81
much to remind US of the little ones tina,
| had gone away. We sold everything
| and came to the United States with
! Fritz. He told US Iowa was a good place
to go look for farm. We found q
farmer there in the western part of the
! state who was selling out to go away
to British Columbia We bought his farm
We settled down on the farm and lived
| happy for four years. But then the
! worst came. Heinrich had worked in an
abstract office in Hamburg and he
! thought he knew all about titles to land
! but the man we bought from he fooled
Heinrich. Then at the end of the -four
years come sharp lawyer man and go
farm away from US altogether and ,an
our money IS gone
| Mrs. Eichhorn stopped and wiped the
mist off her glasses.
| Never mind Heinrich says to me.
| We go to Chicago and L get me job
| in an abstract Office there
so Heinrich goes ahead to the city
and get the job and write for me to
| come, too. He had small job and the
| wages was smaller than those he got in
Germany. But We had enough to live
on and save just little every year. We
| had saved up 5000, and all the time we
were keeping up the payments on our
! life insurance policies.
| Letters from Germany told us that
the girls were getting along well. As
| for Fritz. we have lost track of him.
He may dead or he may alive, working
somewhere in this country-we don't
know where.
Then one of your American trusts
came along. The abstract company
where my Heinrich worked was bought
up by another company. 1t was what
they call consolidation My Heinrich
was more than 90 and whfte-haired. The
new company did not need him to work
for them. He was thrown out to look
for another job. That was hard, when
we had thought to spend all our last
years together on the farm in Iowa
Mrs Eichhorn wiped her glasses again.
But never YOU mind, Lena my Helm
rich said to me. I'M better yet than
most of these boys. | can do lots Of
things to earn much money
so we moved into one room. with the
use of the kitchen stove, to live cheap
until Heinrich got new work. He dressed
himself his long, blue coat and curled
up his white mustaches-he was always
handsome man. my Heinrich-and
started out down town.
well. Heinrich I said to him when
he came home late the first night. where
will you work the employment? Did they
keep you late the first night alreadyr
For l thought he had already found
about how it was done. But Heinrich
smiled at me.
NOT yet, Lena. but tomorrow 1 will
find him
Weeks and weeks go by and still Helm
rich is looking, going down town every
morning. reading all the advertisements
in the evening papers. and calling on
people everywhere. Finally, / was wait
ing no longer.
Tell me Heinrich l said, what Is
it the matter? You do not tell me every
thing
Lena he said. L am too old. Every
where they tell me so. No they say,
you are an old man. We do not hire
anybody over 50 years old All day
walk around fand always they say the
same thing. 4 am good writer, / says.
L speak and writes the German, the
French. the English
Yes the Imam say. L know, and I'm
sorry but we don't hire such old men.
Shall I put black dye on my hair and
mustache, Lena. or shall | take that
job as porter in a saloon.?
Il try to cheer him up. and / get me
up a scheme. 1t was time we do some
thing. That 5000 is all gone. l and Helm
rich will start employment office for
thoee German servant girls. Good scheme.
Heinrich says. ! hang out sign and start
me in. Then n policeman comes and
says we must have license from the city
hall That. he say, cost US 500. We have
no money. What shall we do?
'All the time we keep up payment on
that life Insurance. i take this policy
and go call on nice lady ] know. l tell
her how it is. We must have that 500.
Else I don't know what happens. Any
how. she can keep that life insurance
policy for securities.
I'VE buy us that license and start our
employment agency. II is not good bus
mess You be surprised how many peo-
pie that call themselves ladies and gen
tIemen call me up on the telephone and
want me to lie to those servant girls
so they go work for them. Want me to
lie and say they have nice room for the
servant girls and the lady never have
no trouble with her girls. When they
want me TO lie in that way / hang up
the telephone and will not talk TO them
Heinrich and me both work and we
make our living l do our cooking and
washing and we just get along. But
il been a year now and We have not
paid any back of that 500 Now comes
the payment on that life Insurance pol
icy and we have no money 10 pay that
Our business get no better at all. Just
keep pretty much the same. Just enough
10 pay rent and to buy food and We have
that 500 debt The lady don't ask us
for it, but we want to pay.
What shall We do7 I know. The |
old voice grew harsh and the trembling [
old fingers stiffened- Anyhow. ] know
one thing we will not do That is the /
pcorhouse. Never VIII me or my Heinrich I
go there. The time is coming when We 4
cannot longer pay our rent and eur food. !
Already Heinrich has the rheumatism in /
ils back so badly some DAYS he must I
stay in bed Maybe 81 I get sick Then I
What shall - ,io2 1 know
Write TO the girls. Every week / do. 4
Il,,+ al -herr1 for helr Hnr can l