The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-07-31
A New Amsterdam
New Year
BY f. a. Mitchell

IulthlhCil III SCtti~ aDhh' N'NA
| called New Amsterdam. early in the
| seventeenth century. brought the Gus
tom with them from Holland. On the
first New Years day in the little town
nesting about the fort on the point OF
Manhattan Island probably not a hun
dred, possibly not fifty, men made
calls.
From where the New York Gus
tom house now stands east. west and
north, for a distance perhaps Of 500
yards, which embraced the town, on
Jan. /, the good housewives having
spent the previous week in %scrubbing.
sweeping, busting and polishing their
homes, put On all the petticoats they
possessed and in cap and collar sat
themselves down in their parlors to re-
ceive callers.
Now, the day before n OF the ear
lest Of these New Years days a bar
gain was struck between Katrina Van
Gaasbeck and her mother. Frau Van
Gaasbeck wished her daughter to mar
~ Diedrich Van DuSen, a rich ship
| owner. while Katrina preferred An
thony Van Horn, a young fur trader. |
have called the former Of these men a
rich shipowner, and he certainly was,
for he was the poSSesSor of a SloOp
fully thirty feet long, on which he car
ried supplies to the settlers along the
East river as far as He'll Gate and along
the North river as far as Spuyten Duy-
vii.
The chickering's between mother and
daughter had for months past been
embittering the life Of the husband
and father, Peter Van Gaasbeck. No
sooner did he come home from his
work in the evening, pour out a cup Of
%schnapps and light his pipe than the
clatter commenced, and he was driven
distracted. On this day before New
Years that has been mentioned when
the turmoil commenced he cried out:
Settle this matter between you, or.
by st. Nicholas. ! will go back to HOl-
land on the next ship that sails, leav-
ing you two here to fight it out!'
How settle 1T" asked mother and
daughter at once.
Tomorrow will be New Years day.
Some time between morning and wen
ing Diedrich Van Dusen and Anthony
| Van Horn will each make a call here.
Let it be agreed between you that the
one who calls nearest to the stroke of
the town clock at noon shall be the
favored sutton"
Frau Van Gaasbeck was loath to &C
cept this arrangement, for she did not
trust her daughter, and Katrina was
trust her mother, but each consented,
thinking herself sufficiently sharp to
outwit the other.
Then Peter settled himself to his
bottle Of schnapps and his pipe with
great contentment.
Before 0 o'clock that night. when all
New AmSterdamerS were in bed. the
suitors had each been Informed by the
one who favored him Of the arrange
ment and instructed to make his call
Ut tUe ulOLlcIlL Tie ClOCh -
Diedrich Van Dusen arose at cockcrow
and spent the time between then and
noon watching the hands OF the town
clock. At 8 he put on a second pair OF
breeches, and every half hour after
that he put on another pair. so that
by II o'clock he was SO incased that
he resembled a hogsbead Of gin set
upon end on a couple Of bricks.
At FIVE minutes Of IL he cast a last
glance at the clock and proceeded to
the house of Frau Van Dusen. He was
received with smiles by both mother
and daughter. which made him feel
very comfortable. for his rival was not
there, It being a minute or two OF ~
O'Clock, and he had certainly won. He
did not hear the clock strike. for Ka-
trina talked so loudly that he could not
have heard n gun fired on the Battery.
but q hundred yards distant. When he
had been in the house half an hour he
withdrew, giving place to other callers.
Diedrich Van Dusen went home and
was taking off some Of his breeches,
laughing gleefully at having got ahead
Of his rival. when he heard the town
clock strike 1.
at is l of the clock" he said.
He had scarcely spoken when there
came another stroke. He stopped. with
a pair Of breeches half off. and listen
ed. There was another and another
| stroke. When he had counted eleven
he paled. and when the twelfth came
he was beside himself with anxiety.
| Pulling on the breeches that he had
half removed. be went outside and
looked at the clock. The hands stood
at IL. Running to Frau Van Dusen's.
be looked i'm through a window and
saw his rival with a sausage in one
hand and a cup Of schnapps in the 9th
err. AS he looked Anthony swallowed
the schnapps.
Diedrfch declared that something had
gone wrong with the clock. but every
body said:
How many calls had you made,
Diedrich. and how much s~chnapps had
you drunk?"
So the poor man got no satisfaction