The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1915-06-10
Carl Weber , S
Surprise
By EDITH V. ROSS

When the great European war broke
out Carl Weber. whose father was
baker in Berlin. being member of
the reserve, was given ten days to pre-
pare to leave for the front The rea-
son of his having been given so long
q time when there was such hurry
for troops was that the unmarried
members Of his corps were recommend
ed to take wives before going to the
war in order that the depletion Of men
consequent upon the dangers of the
service might be balanced by a crop
Of children.
Carl chose for partner for life-or
more likely for death-Gretchen. the
daughter OF Hans kOpp, who kept
grocery store next door tu the bakery.
Hans was twenty years old; Gretch-
en- was seventeen. There was no
time for courting-indeed, no time for
either groom or bride To deliberate on
the subject. Carrs father made the
proposition to Gretchen's father that
the youngsters be married, and since
both men considered that the marriage
was a duty to the fatherland a mar
riage it must be.
Neither Carl nor Gretchen was averse
to marriage. Being young they did
not consider the fact that the young
husband would probably be killed or
die Of disease A great many soldiers
who go to war return. Why not Carl!
So they were married and passed a
weeks honeymoon together, which slid
away very quickly, and Carl was oblig-
ed to tear himself from his bride to be
entrained for Belgium. The last he
saw Of his wife she was standing on
the sidewalk weeping.
Then for the first time Carl realized
what it all meant 1t was terribly Sc
rious. The first moving down Of men
by modern machinery had taken place.
and the death toll was terrible On the
way to the front he met trainloads of
wounded, and the sight sickened him.
What change in every way had come
over him! "A fortnight before he had
not thought Of either war or marriage.
Now he was deep In both. How he
wished he could return, take his weep
ing wife in his arms and remain with
her forever! But. no; very likely he
would never see her again, while she
what would become of her? Would
she weep for him throughout eternity?
We are prone to picture those loved
ones from whom we are separated as
we last saw them. Carl throughout bis
army service never thought of Gretch-
en- but that she was standing on the
sidewalk looking after him through her
tears.
Carl escaped death, but after awhile
was severely wounded. He was taken
to the rear and placed in hospital
There he fingered for long while and
at last began to mend. He was able
to be about long before he was 6t to
return to the front, so he was permit
ted to go home for the rest Of the
period necessary for him to be pre-
pared to go forth to be shot at again.
Carl wrote to his parents and his
wife that he would be at home on
certain day. He did not like to sur
prise her, for he feared that the joy
of meeting him suddenly might have a
deleterious effect uIVn her. The day
he arrived his father met him at the
station, embraced him, kissing him on
both cheeks. then led the way to his
delivery wagon, which was waiting, for
Carl was not equal to walking home.
Now, it SO happened that the stork
visited the house with ten pound boy
the very day of Carl's arrival. Indeed,
the little fellow was just fifty-fve min
utes old when the train bearing his fa-
ther rolled into the station. 1t had
been arranged that Carl should be kept
in ignorance of the fact till the last
possible moment in order that he might
have a pleasant surprise. Gretchen
had continued to live with her parents,
and his father was to take him home
and await notice just when he might
be introduced to his wife and child.
The idea Of being father had never
entered the young soldiers head. For
months he had remembered his wife
in tears, and he was possessed with
one idea-to get home and dry those
tears. When his father drove up be-
fore the bakery over which he lived
he suggested to Carl to 60 in and meet
his mother before meeting his wife.
Respect for parents is so strong IN
Germany that Carl consented, but aft
er giving the old woman hasty kiss
he broke away and hobbled to the
next house to see his wife.
Finding no one in the shop below, he
pulled himself upstairs by means OF
q ballister and tried to open the door.
It was locked. He tried the doors to
the other chambers and found them
all open, but no one was in any of the
rooms. Carl began to be frightened.
III bo5 oclyod hiS fothor inOumarahll