Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-01-28
A WORKER
Thanksgiving Day Brought Her a
Respite
By DWIGHT NORWOOD

cans detained in Europe | lost my
head entirely. l wanted John to go
abroad at once and bring our daughter
home.
He endeavOred to quiet me, remind
ing ME that Friedrich was not the child
she had been; that it would be difficult
for him to get across, still more dill,
cult to find her and much more difficult
still to get back to America He was
worried himself. though he did not adj
NIT it to me. we'll knowing that we
had been able only to keep our child
supplied with sufficient funds to pay
her way from month to month without
providing anything ahead. and she had
no means TO bring her home.
Week after week passed, and we
heard nothing from our chick. Worry
ing told on ne bodily. and was re-
duced to skin and bone. At last !
told John that if he did not do some
thing to- end my suspense he would
lose me as we'll as friedrich. He went
out at once to learn if he could get
across the ocean, and. finding that a
ship would sail next day, he took pas
sage Oh her and. procuring by loan
what money he would need. babe me
coodby. II have no doubt" he said
'fhnt Fred will be here with you be-
fore | return. Nevertheless there is
no help for it; must go after her."
AS soon as he had gone | was half
sorry had let him go. Now had the
tIU,, oP tboD1 IN IvorrI, a bnut iDctand Of
one. Besides, by this time ships be-
gan TO come in loaded with returning
Americans, and the stories of their
discomforts were narrowing. John
went over in an English ship, and
worried lest he should be captured by
one of the German war vessels at that
time rowing the sea.
When. true enough. took up q news
paper and saw that this had really
happened | was in despair. 1t was al.
could bear to think of my only child
detained without means in Germany.
and now | had the additional wOrri-
ment of her father carried about on the
ocean with no prospect of being landed
anywhere. for he might be captured by
il German cruiser, and they We're run
ming the gauntlet Of the enemy's cruis
ers and often did not put into port for
months at Il time.
John started abroad about the LIST
Of September. OF course he could not
communicate with me unless put
ashore, and even then he might be
landed on the other side of the world.
in which case. the mails being inter
rupted, it might take letter months
to reach me. At that time | ha,
only our daughter to worry about, and
now the causes of WOrriment were
tripled. l worried about Fredrica,
worried about John, and | worried be.
cause | knew that John would worry
about me. | believed that if l cOull
have thought of anything else to worry
about | would have included it. The
only thing else there was to worry
about was myself. but that didn't trou
BILE me bit. And yet there was up
parently more cause to worry about
myself than either of the others. for
had lost twenty pounds and was grad
ually sinking into the grave.
November came and not word
from either of my absent ones. | had
intimate friends. of course, who tried
III every way to bolster me up. My
'Ousin. Ellen Thompson, asked me
lbout week before Thanksgiving to
Promise that | would spend the day
with her and her large family. She
'aid that with so many of them I
would forget my troubles. | told her
nat l would be more miserable In the
midst of Il happy family than alone; ]
would spend Thanksgiving in my own
home. enduring my loneliness as best I
.ould.
The day before THANKSGIVING went
around to Ellen ThOmpson's to ask If
she had seen in any of the papers n
notice of the landing of the persons
that the German cruiser had captured.
why. Ellen. what in the world are
you going to do with two turkeys?" I
eNclhlincd. noticing pair of gobbers
lust delivered from the market.
"Oh. we've so many mouths TO fin.
'he said. that Que turkey won't do"
1T seemed to me that she had ordered
provisions enough to last her fort.
night. But said no more about IL. nnd
since Ellen said that she hadn't seen
lnJfhing to comfort me in the paners I
went home. l carried more worry with
me, for before left Ellen she nut her
arms about me and smiled at me
reckoned that she was concealing soma
bad news from me-
The next morning. Thanksgiving day
| mad scarcely finished dressing when
hearing vehicle stop before the bouse
looked out through the window. and
who should | see but John aIigbting
from cab! And the next thing l saw
was John handing out Fredrica. ran
downstairs at the risk of my neck.
and, meeting them at the front door
together they kept me from falling IN
the floor in faint.
Soon after their arrival Ellen brought
us an extra Thanksgiving dinner she
mad provided for us. for John had sent
her message from quarantine to LET
her know that he and Friedrich were
coming. We had glorious Thanks
giving. John and Fredrica narrating
their adventures. John had been mr.
ashore from a cruiser that had cam
tured him in an ont of the way Dloce
and had gone to Munich. where he