| It was about four years since we parted and during that time my sister had died and left him with a boy about three and a baby girl of about one and a half years old, all alone among the virgin forest of Maple, Beach and Hemlock. Of course, when my sister was no more, he needed a helper and one such a one came to see him one day. She was chambermaid on one of the boats playing from Buffalo, New York thru the lakes and canals to the farther northern parts, stopping ath Fish Creek to fuel. She was a widow and longed again for a home of her own. They married and not being congenial and too lonesome a place, she, after about two years, left for liberty again. I worked for my brother-in-law over one and a half years and then in the neighborhood for the balance of my stay in Wisconsin. The last three months I hired out to a fisherman to do the cooking for the crew. Being ready to go back to Germany and fishing season over, I asked for my wages. He said; "Fred, here are the fish, there has been poor sale for them, you can take enough for your wages'-which was seventy-five dollar-"or take them all to the city, sell them and send me the balance." I said; "You sell your fish and send me my wages when you do." I heard that the poor fisherman died a bankrupt on an island of the bay. Now a little private history of a young fellows wooing and disappointment during his days of hard knocks in the woods. I had saved several hundred dollars and had an eye on an eighty acre of fine hardwood timber and to buy it and settle on it I needed a partner. Being a regular attendant with my brother-in-law at German-Lutheran meetings, I got acquainted with a settlers daughter. One Sunday I took courage and went to the house visiting and politely asked for the hand of his daughter. Without any preliminaries he denied my request. I thanked him and called it settled. I had promised my mother that I would come again before I would settle down in America. On this promise my brother schemed for me at home. There lived a little way from out house a man and wife who had a daughter two years younger then myself. To these my brother and his wife went and argued my case. Getting to their consent, they argued and presented the case to me. As I also had grown up with the girl in our school days the matter looked favorable and the interested parties made their mutual promises. I would come after I had a certain amount saved. But during the interim my faithful folks kept their eye to my interest and watched the doings across the way. So one day a letter came to me saying that they observed that things were not going exactly right over there. In my next letter I released the lady of her promises. |
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