Show CHARLOTTE I 1 B ay r ir LOT A JL I 1 IL A STORY GATHERED FROM LIFE b by v ELIZABETH MARKUS will you come with me we can Z let el it right at the bar lie he said rolling a cigarette between his fing ers rs I 1 shook my illy head at once lie ho seemed to appreciate my motive and said ill get a bottle you anait inait ait here he retreated a 1 few steps but immediately approached pro ached again tile the boy can get it lie he murmured mur more to himself than to me and nith ith ills his hand he sunn a and ordered a bottle of fine champagne the boy zave save me a peculiar wise glance from the lie corner of his eyes I 1 blus blushed lied suddenly I 1 fer felt like running away but the man mail kept on oil talking pie he asked me what I 1 inas as going to do iu in america oh im going to be a governess and peel potatoes whatever I 1 have to do ill do I 1 isaid said with a somewhat saucy shrug of my shoulders for I 1 was pla placing ing tor for a few bystanders he kept on oil ill tell you one thing as I 1 have said before A pretty girl has no business to peel potatoes toes what shall I 1 do love lie he whispered bending toll wards me and his hot breath struck my illy face I 1 did not know whether I 1 would be justified to be insulted so quickly by a man who showed enough interest in my mother to send her a bottle of champagne so I 1 wrapped myself in silence meanwhile the boy had returned put it to my charge room number fifteen the ax s ell dressed man said 1 I had not yet found out his name and as I 1 thought it was not proper for me to ask it I 1 was still in expectance of a formal in ti tio he handed the bottle to me confused and radiant with pleasure over the liberal gift I 1 extended my hand to him with grateful enthusiasm he held it and squeezed it love rem fember my little girl love and dont peel potatoes ill teach you how to love he said with subdued passion tickling the inside of my hand never before had I 1 heard of this way of love making but I 1 felt instinctively the vulgar streak in it I 1 justified to withdraw w m my y it hand a n d abruptly and walk away from him without another word the bottle of champagne I 1 hugged tightly in my arm evidently mother was right in saying men dont want anything good from traveling steerage had not warned me also and told me men are vultures but my own alarming vulture instincts gave me no scruples deep down in my lily heart I 1 laughed to have gotten the bottle away from the man before breaking relations the wine would do mother a world of good and I 1 happily rushed to her before she accepted it I 1 had to make an eten extensive sive confession how and why I 1 had received it the lord is good to us he even gives us champagne as to the richest said mother sipping the precious stuff and giving us a taste it was the first in our lives then she corked the bottle carefully and put it under the pad of her bunk be no earthly good tomor to mor row protested paul who wanted more 1 I know all about champagne chamagne P after the spirits gone its no longer champagne what do you know about champagne you only want to show off injected Len lenchen clien scornfully I 1 often been around where they drank it like water and I 1 drink a bunch of it myself yes you did said lenchen incredulously gazing upon her older brother indeed I 1 did when rhen the people soused doused they put away the bottles half empty and then we went to it I 1 know champagnes champagney champ agnes no good when the bubbles gone but all of pauls eloquence was of no use mother had no consideration tor the bubble of the delicious beverage it would do just as much good tomorrow for champagne is champagne and she put the bottle underneath the pad at the foot of her bunk another little incident comes to my 1 y mind amongst Among the cabin passengers who were bioni their deck watching the life in the steerage was a little girl of kenchens Len chons chens SIM ale age and shape in ili fact we had bad noticed so great a resemblance between tile the two children that we concluded they could pass to tor r twin aisters one bright morning the extensive arm of coincidence arranged a meeting of tho the two girls the little girl of the cabin who had been looking down upon us was holding an orange in her hands and its as her eyes eye s had fallen on lenchen she had dropped her arm and thereby her orange and stared openmouthed open mouthed at my sister and my sister at her A dirty little brat had picked up the orange but lenchen at once was on the pol po snatched the orange away from the dirty hands and held it up to the girl on the upper tipper deck keep it she called down and Lon lenchen clien meekly accepted since this day the girl gir I 1 dropped her a dally daily tribute of fruit and nuts which lenchen generously shared with alice after a few days of these angelic donations lenchen could stand it no longer and she followed her desire to become closer acquainted with her double timidly she climbed the stairway leading to tile the cabin leek deck and immediately the girl was at her side she introduced in trod herself is as viola Rams del and soon tile the two babbled after the manner of children chila everything concerning viola seemed wonderful wonder tul to my younger sister and for a fact viola did have an exceptional life she S ii e had ba d be been e n bais ed in germany and had never yet seen her mother who was an actress and now noir residing somewhere in peu pen sylvania viola was in a state of nervous anxiety she could hardly wait until the steamer N bould arrive and she could put her eyes on her long longed for mother kenchens Len chens admiration for her new friend was so great that she seemed to have completely entered into violas anticipation after her various calls she could talk to us by the hour about violas mother within a tew few days the friendship between tile the two children had developed strangely viola promised to come to baltimore and call for lenchen to take her to her mothers country seat but suddenly lenchen Len clien took sick we had been swimming on the big pond about a week when Len lenchen cheil started to complain seriously until then she had occasionally 1 complained of a lump in ili her throat at and that it was difficult for her to swallow mother too had rubbed her with liniment but when she was taken so miserably seasick she had neglected it she had just enough to taip care of her own wrangled body besides a mother of tour four children is not worried about every little ailment mother gave Len lenchen clien some laxative and put her to bed to sweat in ili this awful smelling place I 1 played nurse though there was not much to do lenchen laid very still she always had been a patient child and we thought the next net ne t da day she would be up again the se t became very rough and Len lenchen clien started to vomit this we termed due to the rolling of 0 tile the ship we thought she had become seasick but the medicine refused to do its work and len chees temperature rose fr frightfully Ight fullY fast her little body burned like fire mother became alarmed and S sent e n t for the doctor though we did not have muc much h confidence in hin him e considered it to be our duty the doctor looked at Len lenchen clien lie he felt her pulse and then he be bade her open her mouth the child has ther he sold said she will be taken to tine ofle hospital at once whether mother objected or not cut no lee ice here where everything had to go after a system paul consoled mother saying that lenchen was much better oft off in ili a hospital than in this stinking dirty hole of 0 a place I 1 begged the doctor desperately to let me nurse her but in vain I 1 threatened to apply to higher authorities if he would not let me see my sister but it was of no use we me were in a place where we had to obey not quite two lays days later late r I 1 heard that the girl who vilo resembled lenchen so strikingly had also been taken ill in ili a way this consoled me misery likes company viola tiola also had been transferred to the hospital and we heard she had also algo a contagious disease but we could not find out nv what hat I 1 reflected if rich people lot let their children be taken to the hospital we ought to be satis lied too youth tears fears and forgets quickly all cares and tears fears I 1 went on enjoying the ocean the sleep the acquaintances I 1 had made and hoped for the best tor for Len lenchen clen why should it come otherwise had not alice overcome the disease and the reports which the stewardess brought us from the sick were not alarming nay they were ere e encouraging my sister would be well by tile the time we landed if not she would have to be t taken aken to the quarantine tine hospital of course this case woul would d be out of the question Len lenchek clien soon poon would be entirely well I 1 c consoled mother I 1 like a cat lays for a mouse I 1 would waylay the doctor to get the right front from ills his lips he often news I 1 evou would id would tease me and say if pursuing him hill aie he would put not lot stop stoll mother and the whole family in the hospital that would J just st suit me said i then I 1 could be with ditl 11 ill my i sister when can I 1 seo see her any anyway wa please to see her I 1 begged please let me go perhaps tom tomorrow orrow the doctor T left me and face sald said with a grave ha ila ha I 1 was glad and I 1 ran to mother motha r with the good news in halt half portions fite fate never dealt us the morning a after after fter this ex e change of words with the doctor he called paul not me as he be had us enily done he thought perhaps I 1 might do clo something r rash ash it he told me or perhaps he did not want to see and hear my first outcry of sorrow lenchen had lied died I 1 brought the news to mother as paul refused refuse d to do it the overwhelm ingi disaster disamto r had benumbed all my senes I 1 acted blindly in instinctively more like a machine than a human dumall being I 1 talked to mother with a 11 stern face and dry eyes it was to be lenchen had to die god had destined this end tor for her were not these mothers own words but continued on page 4 t t annc CL 6 ae continued from page 3 there was no reasoning with mother she pulled her hair she dug her fingernails in her cheeks till t they e bled lenchen lenchen Lench cn sho she screamed god has punished me her screams could he be heard from one side of the ship to the other Lenc Len henl cheni my darling lenchert Len chent client suddenly she wanted to see her arid and rose and then she sank in a heap on the floor unconscious unutterably sail sad days followed we wanted to take lenchen with us its and bury her in the earth of our new home mother wanted to be able to go and visit the place here zihere her child was at rest but amongst those people law is law yes if we could pay to have her embalmed embalm ed we were vere told ie e could take her ter with us its Is everything money in this world hy heart cried loud it at the cruel injustice of this world Is moue everything ery thing even atter alter one is dead paul counted his earnings he had made twenty marks on oil the steamer and mother had in total twenty two dollars to begin the new liew life with common sense otten chops up wilen when we face the uselessness of our wishes we could no more hep help th tin 1 I f and the living needed our m ssi meaux in the dawn ot the following fo lowing morr morn ng a i hite aged a arrel sister out oui Lenci Lenc ien atit as low ionn ered to her wet big grae the captain spoke a prayer and a brisk wind swept over the deck and carried tile the words into the far tar far distance we stood together humbly and stricken to our souls the loid and the lord praised be the name of the lord finished the captain words only words how could one praise we held each others hands as if seeking protection from each other for this last drop had made the cup overflow with me it had momentarily wiped out the baith in god and the good As the days clays went on we repeated to each innumerable times kenchens Len Lenc chens liens dream has come true wondering if this dream had been a prophetic voice from another world or whether it was nas medely a coincident strength is often derived from others weakness and when mother and alice had bad collapsed I 1 kept a stern face and was erectly at their side I 1 told them words of comfort though my knees were trembling and my heart with pain though I 1 had to bite my lips to control my tears oh I 1 was so glad that I 1 had come with them I 1 never would have forgiven myself if I 1 would have stayed at home in comfort while they would be struggling in misery for hours leour one could hear mother moaning inci alling and waiting wailing god has punished me for ni wickedness why did I 1 leave home it sounded eibi and frightful like lil e the night wind around a lonely once I 1 said to mother you are not wick wicked ed homsy no more than anybody else L 1 I am I 1 am she cried 1 I carried sinful wishes in my he heart art oh mother youre only torturing yourself yo no no and sud suddenly dealy she gral grai bed my hands and pitiably looking into my my face she said charlotte charlott will you help me what mother to be strong god will help you my mode ty prompted me 1 no I 1 r L need beed you charlotte you 11 in this moment I 1 felt strong enough to take the burdens of the world upon my shoulders A love different front from the one tor for flamed up in my heart and this flame was pure aud and powerful it seemed to uplift me to help the weak eak shall be your life for you are strong ol 01 a voice spoke within me but you dont know kitow what I 1 mean mother said tear tr trembling emblin 9 through her words yes I 1 do mother then tell roe me it you vou know Ort sky I 1 whispered tears choking me as I 1 embraced and caressed my poor mother will be only our friend in america only our friend I 1 promise you this by kenchens Len Lenc chens liens soul mother said looking at me firmly with big sorrowful eyes and I 1 believed her I 1 knew she had found herself paul also took it awfully hard he declared henceforth it would be impossible for him to play and not cry he cancelled his engagements in the canteen and stuck around us like a lost dog lenchen had been pauls pet as lie he said and as the days passed on to us it seemed that she had been the very center of our lives the only one of us worth while in memory lenchen seemed flawless to us and we delighted in recalling every little instant of her life were not her last words to father another proof of her sweet and beautiful beautia ill soul SOUI yes she had always been more of a white winged angel than anything human always contented always lovable she had bad been an all uplifting inspiration to us its and we missed her more every evera day green and inviting a shore of sloping hills was sparkling in the blazing august sun still as our ship slowly steamed into the harbor of baltimore we vere ere standing on oil deck with the mob our eyes were N ere trying to pierce through distance and smoke to detect someone belonging to us its and when we came nearer to the coast his bis hat frantically we saw a man mail waving ti and we ne recognized near him stood schmidt our former janitor and his fat wife who with a big handkerchief was wiping aping iping the j moisture front from her ter face neck and hands its IEs lot hot in america said mother indeed it is said an old woman who was standing next to her and who was also suffering g front from the beams of the noonday sun suit in was is waving to us at intervals and holding up a square basket filled with gruits of the season a 1 sni symbolic bolic greeting front from the new fatherland e for the birst time after lays days of sadness a smile glorified mothers and alices tace lace pivoted his head higher and stood on his toes Is as one who was nas searching for someone beyond our shoulders deis dels wheres Wh eros lenchek Len |