Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-01-14
The
Enligrants
A Story For Labor
Day
BY EVELYN c. GOODRICH

A@fEA a RCRA [SNEN-S
Gaatz and bis wife, who had but one
child, a daughter. Gretchen. who was
the main comfort Of her parents. She
and Hans DreckeI, the son OF blaez-
smith, were brought up together, each
being the others only companion, for
the region in which they lived was
sparsely settled, and no other family
lived near them.
Jacob Gaatz was a woodcutter.
When Gretchen was nineteen years
old there came great commotjon In
the family Hans DreckeI one day
met Gret zen on the road carry re
bundle OF fsgots and said 10 her:
'Gretchcn. / have come TO an iuIs5r-
tant decision. / am young and strong
and am pst satisfied to remain here
in the forest, where there is nothing
for a man to do but cut wood One
can earn only money enough by 50
doing TO keep body and soul together.
forsif we ask better price our en-
pIovers say to US: There are plenty
Of men who would ike the work at
the same price. If you are not salts
fed we VIII employ others in your
place. shall go where there are la
Dor unions. and, since | hear that
here are better prices paid In the
United States of America. shall go
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 a play
mate and. after they were grown, as
n friend But now. when he saw the
tears gather In her eyes because he
was to leave her, a 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 a 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. IL she
could have yielded to his wish. This
she could not do. for it would have
been cruel for her to leave her old IA
Their and mother, who would now need
her more End more every day. She
only said that Hans was going to
America. knowing that If her parents
knew they were keeping her from GO
ing with him 1t would trouble them
greatly
When Hans found that Gretchen
would not go with him he asked her to
promise hem 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 hira for many years And. as
for Gretchen. 1t 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
10 me in America. and when he dies
mother viii 20 to live with one OF her
own children But there will be moth
ing to pref eut your bringing your par
ents with rou to my new home They
say money is made very easily there
A skilled laborer gets u marks a day.
Out OF that can save 6 marks a day
at least aid can send this money TO
you so that you may all join me in
"Oh, Haus." exclaimed the girl. ''you
are so good. so hopeful. but you must
learn to do something that will enable
you to eain 80 much money. and in
-H@NSN ~C1as FfiN8N " AFit ll-h WdEtH NV
paid they gay II costs more to live.
But" she added II will come TO you
II can eger do 50 without bringing
sorrow to iay dear father and mother "
Hans kissed her again and again.
then strobe away without once looking
back, lest he should show the moisture
In his eyes. which he considered I'M
manly.
Eight years passed. during which the
lovers remained true to each other. In
all this time there was never an In
terval Of more than a month that
Hans did not write to his sweetheart.
and she always replied to his letter
with her whole heart Hans prosper
ed and offered to send her money to
bring over her parents. but she never
even mentioned the matter to them.
Nor did they know that they were
keeping apart two young persons who
but for them might be happy togeth-
er and rearing family OF children.
- "a n. a