The daily Alaskan., 1914-02-04

they had drifted away and he would not be able to learn where they had gone.
 When he reached Anhalt and went to his old home he found strangers there. His wife had owned it, but had sold it. doubtless to obtain means to live. His wife's parents were dead. He 1 found a cousin of hers who told him that Gretchen and her son Carl had grown very poor and had gone to Der lin. but their address in Berlin the ln- dormant did not know. But Kaufman found others who had known his wife and at last got the address, but since she had gone away three years before he had little hope of finding her. Be fore leaving for Berlin he bought back his wife's former home, paying an ex- tra price for immediate possession.
 His reason for this was that he had a faint hope that he would find his family and that they might spend Christmas in their old home, ConSid- ering that he did not know that they
 were alive. this contingency was very
 remote, but somehow the husband and
 father had feeling that Providence
 would be kind to him.
 At the address in Berlin Kaufman did not find his family. They had left the place two years ago. The only comfort to Ge derived from this in
 formation w.: s that they had both been alive two years before. After inquiry of number of persons who had
 known the mother and son in Berlin
 Kaufman traced them to Leipzig. He
 tried to learn how they had made a
 living. but failed The only infOrma-
 ton he received other than where they
 had gone was that his son played the
 violin.
 Kaufman went to Leipzig, where ho
 found house in which his wife and
 boy had lodged. They had left Leip-
 zig. but no one could tell him where
 they had gone However. he gained
 here a bit of valuable information. He
 learned that his boy. now sixteen
 years olI. had earned a living while in Leipzig for himself and his mother
 by playing the violin in an orchestra.
 The father now had little hope of
 succeeding m his search before Christ
 mas. since but four days remained to
 him Surely. not knowing where on the
 globe his loved ones were, how could
 he expect 10 find them in so short a
 time? Nevertheless the feeling that
 kind Providence would help him did
 not desert him.
 He at once took hold of the only clew he had-that his son was a musi- cian. From Berlin Mrs. Kaufman and
 Carl. having gone southward, were on
 the line to Munich, which was a great
 nlace for music Would not musi- elan. be mote likely on leaving Leip- zig to go to Munich than anywhere else? Kaufman immediately started for the capital of Bavaria.
 On the night of his arrival he re- paired to tLc celebrated HOfbrau where a great dcal of beer is consumed and
 a great deai of music is discouTsed. He took a seat close to the orchestra and studied the faces of the younger players. There was but one young enough to be his Carl, and after study. ing the Goy's face for awhile he ! thought he could trace a resemblance to himself. As soon as the piece being played Was finished he went to the boy and asked Eim his name
 "Kaufmaa." was the response. "Carl?"
 "Ycs, Carl"
 One more question the father asked before declaring himself, "Is your moth 1 CT liviug?" and, on receiving an afirma- tive answer. said:
 "I am your father"
 1 Carl could not leave the orchestra
 until the evenings program was finish ed, but he gave his father his mothers
 address. and the latter hurried away. Of the meeting between the long sep aratcd couple there is no record, but | when Cur Kaufman returned to his l lodgings he found his father and moth CT together and was informed that they were all three to return 10 Anhalt in the morning to spend Christmas in their old home So Carl resigned his l position in the orchestra, and the fam ! iiT left Munich.
 1 Mrs. Kaufman had sold her house with the furniture. and when her hus- band repurchased it he bought back all ! that had been sold. When the family reached it they had only to walk in
 and find everything as they had left it. They returned to it the day be 1 fore Christmas in time to make prep arations for the Christmas dinner the next day.
 It seemed to these people that they were in a dream. Now and again some one of them would stop and wonder:
 Gan this De true? Are We after so l long a separation reunited? Are our days of poverty ended? Is this earth
 or heaven descended to earth?" On Christmas morning Mrs. Kauf-
 man found on her plate not only deed to her house. but a check for the rest of her dOwry that her husband
 had sunk in business with interest. AS for Carl, who was devoted to music, he found on nis plate a check for a sum
 that would enable him to buy the best violin that could be found in Germany.