The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-12-31
The Old Year Out
and the New
Year In
By EDITH v. ROSS

The celebration of New Years day
III New York has necessarily changed
with the people who celebrate it. 1t
was transplanted to New Amsterdam
from Holland when few houses cluS.
tered about the fort and every person
i'll the village knew every other per-
son. That was a fit community for
making calls. When the people of New
York had grown from hundreds to mil
lions the custom broke down of its own
weight.
How far back dates the custom of
seeing the old year out and the new
year in is not known. Certain it is
that one night in New Amsterdam
Dec. 31-Hendrick, the watch, after
calling the hour Twelve o'clock and
alPs we'll" turned to walk to the next
corner to repeat the announcement,
when he saw the house of Killian van
Gansback in a blaze of illumination
, from fully dozen wax candles. Ham
mering with the great iron knocker,
the upper half of the door was opened,
and he saw number of Dutch girls
in many petticoats and young men in
many pairs Of breaches raising pew.
ter mugs to drink in Holland gin to
st, Nicholas, the patron saint Of the
town, MAY he grant US prosperous
yearr'
What means this invasion of the
night when all good citizens should be
sound asleep in bed?" he cried. dis
perse!'
The moment 1t was noticed that the
intruder upon the festivities was the
watch every light was blown out and
there was a scattering of the jewellers.
Bolts were shot, and in few minutes
the rooms on the ground floor were
locked and the great front door was
barred
At that time Katrina Van Gansback
was at a manageable age, and her
father had decided to wed her to old
Dedrick Beekman. more than twice
as old as she. Her mother was dead.
and she had been brought up Under
the care of her aunt, Anneke Ten
Eyck, a spinster Of fifty. During the
festivities on that eventful night the
aunt drew Beekman into a side room
for the purpose of arranging the set
Element he was to make upon her
niece and to appoint day for the
wedding
Katrina was not only opposed to
marrying old Beekman, but had a lover
in young Wouter Ten Brock. and the
young couple were at their wits end
to find way to defeat Anneke Ten
Eyck's plan for marrying Katrina to
Beekman. During the evening of the
Old-neW year cOnviviality Katrina
stood at the door listening to the ar
engagements that were being made to
dispose of her. The moment the COM
pany were gone and the lights were
put out she turned the key on her
aunt and Beekman and led her father,
who was feeble. up to his room and
put him to bed.
A loud knocking came from below.
but us the only persons in the house.
except the couple locked in below.
were Katrina and her father. and the
latter was deaf as the stone steps in
front Of the house. their ability to get
out depended solely on Katrina. When
she had seen her father in bed and
well covered, especially about the ears,
she went out closing the door behind
her. and descended to the room where
the prisoners were still hammering to
be freed
WHO'S there?'' asked the mink, pre-
tending ignorance.
Your Aunt Anneke. Let me out at
once
ANY one elSe?"
Yes; Meinheer Beekman is in here
with me.
"Oh. auntie what a talk this will
causev'
mo scandal at all unless you blab.''
MY keeping the secret will do no
good You and Meinheer Beekman
must be married
Nonsense. There's no need of the
matter getting out
Il don't want to marry Meinheer
Beekman. and | do want to marry
Wouter Ten Brock
There was no reply to this for some
time. Evidently the parties within
were consulting as to what it was best
to do Whether the woman refused to
marry the man or the man refused to
marry the woman was never known
At any rate. after conference the
aunt returned to the attack. or, rather.
persuasion. telling her niece of the adj
vantages she would enjoy as the wife
of Mcinheer Beekman, who was the
largest dealer in pelts in New Amster-
DAM
But Katrina was not to be perSuad-
ed. and her aunt was at last obliged
to consent to her terms. No written
pledge was required. for Katrina need
ed only to tell the story to set the
tongues Of the town wagging about her
To-.