The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1915-03-26

tiers, which they found were searched.
and most of them read by an English
speaking German officer, who apologize
ed profusely for having to do so. Ny
kodak and pictures were overlooked,
but Cora's kodak was opened and a
new roll of film not yet exposed was
taken out and destroyed. We changed
cars several times before reaching Rot
terdam at midnight of the 25th of Aug
ust and then rode about the city for
two hours looking for rooms. We final
ly found two, on the third floor, with
makeshift beds put up for the occa-
sion, and the next day rode to a little
settlement half way between Rotter-
dam and The Hague which we had in
tended to make our stopping place but
found that papa was at last "all in" so
we found comfortable rooms at quiet
little hotel and stayed there until time
to go to Rotterdam to take the boat on
the 29th. Papa kept up remarkably
well during the journey although at
FRANKFORT We had to call a doctor and
again at Rotterdam just before leaving.
When we boarded the boat We found
among the passengers several friends
and acquaintances, among whom was a
young doctor from Baltimore who stay
ed at the same hotel We did in Bad
Nauheim and we had reason to be very
grateful to him for his careful atten-
tons both to papa and to myself. /
was very i'll for four days and the day
before we landed papa had sudden at
tack of heart weakness while sitting up
on deck. He could not be moved, so
ed to him, finally having to resort TO
a hypodermic to bring up the heart
action. No doubt you will recall read
ing about the Rotterdam" having such
an unusually large passenger list, no
third class or emigrants, but their
places filled by people of wealth and
refinement who were glad of the
chance to take any sort of accomoda-
tions in order to reach home. Fanny
Bloomfield Ziesler and Nine. Schuman
Heink were two who occupied temper
airy cabins erected in the hold, where
the trunks are supposed to be stored.
It is a long story and | am afraid l
have gone too deeply into details now
but it is hard for me to say anything
without saying all that comes back TO
me as l recall that trying experience.
But as we were on our way home and
our longings of the past month were
about to be realized and nothing else
mattered. We had received no letters
from home for such long time and
were disappointed in getting any
steamer letters, which, however, all
came back to us weeks afterwards, and
so of course, were very anxious about
our home folks, so imagine our sur
prise and delight when we beheld Will
ford waving to us from the pilot boat
which came out to meet us and bring
us into the harbor. 1t is a mystery TO
us yet how he ever persuaded the au-
thorities to grant him permit to come
out on the pilot boat to meet us, but he
did, he and three other civilians, so we
had fine chance to talk with him for
an hour or two before the excitement
of landing began,
The Twentieth Century Limited was
none too fast for us and we arrived in
Chicago the next morning to find hap
by excited crowd waiting for us. And
now when | read over the terrible
events of those first few weeks of war
it seems hardly possible that we were
actually there within a few miles Of it
all and are thankful that we knew so
little of the actual facts at the time and
also that we were at no time in any
real danger and came out Of it without
even a terrible fright
AS ever, with love,
Clara j. Sproul.