Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-06-26

allowed her meager earnings to ac-
cumulate in the hands of her en-
ployers, but the little drawn for this
purpose is all that she ever received
for the weary months of toll. AS a
result of Withholding her money she
leaves to seek more remunerative
employment elsewhere Before her
departure, however, she is sent for
| in great haste from her childhood
home, for the mistress that misused
her then is dying and calls plead
ingly for her. She comes back too
late, and the poor souls conscience
is not relieved of it's burden Of
wrong.
In the meantime, Josephine's older
brothers and sisters have worked out
their apprenticeship and both, a
sister and a brother, have come to
| the United States. The sister writes
often to the younger girl of the fair
land of opportunity, but never does
whole life has known nothing but
the weight of oppression to dream
of coming here. Years pass and
Josephine tolls on, first in one place
and then another, receiving as high
as SIS a month for her work in the
big cities. Even when girl friend
who married well offers her home
with her, she exclaims, 81 can't, I
can't, must go back!" so deeply has
the years of slavery left their mark
on body and soul.
In her twentieth year comes the
wonderful opening-the rift in the
clouds, the CLEAN of their silver lin
ing-unsought, undreamed of be-
fore. Josephine's brother, who came
to America so many years earlier and
prospered on middle west farm,
has found that by sending passage
money to old friends he can secure
farm help for much smaller wages
than he can get young men here to
accept, and sends for neighbor boy
in the old home, but at the last mo-
ment the young man gives up the
trip and turns over the funds he re-
ceived to his would-be employers
sister. Here, while working in her
brothers. home, the little German
girl meets the man she is to marry,
for he, like herself, came from the
old country on the brothers bounty,
having served his three years in the
army and desiring freedom in an
other land. A picture of the fine
looking young soldier in his German
army uniform hangs on the wall of
the little home here. Questioned
about the life of the man in the.
ranks ELECTS the exclamation, Zach,
it is awful No wonder Germany
can keep up the wara She has build
ed a. foundation of@ rock. No one
escapes the three, years of military
service. So great a. difference is
there in the treatment of the French
and German soldier, that hundreds!
even thousands, of young men as
they near military age, leave Ger.
many and enlist in the French army.
whose officers lead rather than
drive the soldiers of their command.
In the German army the over-bear-
ing brutality of the superior officers
extends down to even the humblest
of non-commissioned corporals. Fol-
lowing the years of active service,
the returned soldier is bound to APP
pear each year afterward until he
reaches middle age for six weeks of
drill. Should he be away from his
country for several years, on his re-
turn he must serve the accumulated
six week terms of the time of his
absence.
Coming back to Josephine and her
sweetheart on the prospecting broth
er's farm, finds them still under the
hard hand of the German autocrat.
Prospecting beyond the widest
dreams of avarice in his native land,
the brothers head is turned by his
success, and money becomes to him
god. The share of the corn which
is due the young German in his en-
ploy is not forthcoming, and having
driven his sister from his home, the
young couple marry with little else
than youth and love for settlement
and dowry.
And in truth it can be said that
they lived happily ever afterward,
for through the kindness and gener-
osity of American friends, the hon
est, hardworking young people, lit
tie by little, get start, and today,
in the northeast part of Webster
CITY there nestleS cOZily and happily