Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-09


Gaatz and his wife, who had but one
child daughter. Gretchen. who was
the main comfort of her parents. She
and Hans Dreckel, the son of n black
smith, were brought up together, each
being the others only companion, fol-
the region in which they lived was
sparsely settled, and no other family
lived near them.
Jacob GaatZ was woodcutter.
When Gretchen was nineteen years
old there came q great commotion in
the family. Hans Dreckel one day
met Gretchen on the road carrying a
bundle of fagots and said to her:
Gretchen, have come to an impor-
tant decision. am young and strong |
and am not satisfied to remain here |
In the forest, where there is nothing |
for man to do but cut wood. One |
can earn only money enough by so
doing TO keep body and soul together, /
for if we ask a better price our en- !
ployers say to us: There are plenty
of men who would like the work at
the same price. If You are not salts
fed we will employ others in your
| place l shall go where there are Ia
| Dor unions, and, since / hear that
! there are better prices paid in the
| United States Of America, l shall so
| there"
Hans kept his eyes on Gretchen
| while he was speaking and saw hers
! gradually fall till they rested on the
ground and were wet with tears. Till
this moment Hans had never thought
of Gretchen other than as n play
mate and, after they were grown, as
Il friend. But now, when he saw the
tears gather in her eyes because he
was to leave her. new sensation was
| born in his heart, tenderness for the
maiden with whom he had been reared,
and, taking her in his arms, he kissed
away her tears.
When Gretchen reached her home
and threw the fagots beside the fire
place she sat down in chair and COW
cred her face with her hands. Her
mother, who was washing the break
fast dishes, paused and said:
What is the matter, Gretchen"
1t was long while before the moth
er could draw from her daughter that
Hans was going to that far country,
America. But Gretchen did not tell
her what was of far more Importance
to all of them-that he had asked her
to go with him as his wife. 1t was
hard for the poor girl to lose her COM
panion and, since the announcement of
his intended departure. her lover.
There would have been no cause for
sorrow, but reason for rejoicing, if she
could have yielded to his wish. This
she could not do, for it would have
been cruel for her to leave her old fa-
Their and mother, who would now need
her more and more eveIy day. She
only said that Hans was going to
America. knowing that if her parents
knew they We're Sleeping her from 60
ing with him it would trouble them
greatly
When Hans found that Gretchen
would not so with him he asked her to
promise him that if her parents died
, she would come to him. But this was
, not much comfort TO him, for on that
condition his sweetheart was not likely
, to join him for many years. And, as
for Gretchen. it meant that she must
lose her parents in order to join her
, lover.
The day Hans departed he said to
Gretchen: You know that my father
: is old and cannot live long and my
:, mother is not my own mother, but my
stepmother. Father will never come
to me in America, and when he dies
mother will go TO live with one OF her
own children But there will be moth
l ing to prevent your bringing your par
ents with you TO my new home. They
! say money is made very easily there.
A skilled labOrer gets u marks day.
Ont of that | can save marks Il day
at least and can send this money to
> you so that you may all join me in
i "Oh, Hans" exclaimed the girl. you
are so good. SO hopeful, but you must
learn to do something that will enable
you to earn so much money. and in
q those countries where high wages are
paid they say it costs more TO live
But" she added. II will come to you
= If can ever do so without bringing
e sorrow to my dear father and mother
: Hans kissed her again and again
then strobe away without once looking
y back. lest he should show the moisture
q in his eyes. which he considered un
n manly.
Eight years passed. during which thu
lovers remained true to each other. Ii
all this time there was never an in
terval Of more than a month th;t
Hans did not write to his sweetheart
and she always replied to his lette
with her whole heart. Hans prosper
r ed and offered to send her money t,
s bring over her parents, but she neve
even mentioned the matter to them
r. Nor did they know that they wer
Il keeping apart two young persons VIII
but for them might be happy togeth
er and rearing a family of children
In all these eight years Gretchen nev
d er breathed a word to her parents o
p the sacrifice she was making for then
One day when Jacob was cuttin
g wood fierce storm came up and ble1
)" a huge limb from a tree. burying bin
under it. He lived hut few days
when hts wife and daughter rtanr
- themselves without even the suppo,
o Of an aged woodcutter. Gretchen q