Edgerton High School - Edgertonian Yearbook (Edgerton, OH)

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4 During the days which followed, Katherine became more and more at- tached to her cousins. They, with several neighbors, Henry and Frieda Lendeng, spent many happy hours together. The days seemed to fly very quickly, and her love for the home of her forefathers began to grow stronger each day. Therefore, she said to herself one day, If it were not for being absent so long from father and mother, I should not hesitate one minute to remain here, for I know Uncle John's love for me and wish for me to stay. Marguerite entered the room just on time to hear her last few words. They struck her so, that she thought perhaps her mother had granted her request after all. However, her mother was still inclined to think otherwise. There- fore, having made arrangements to leave for America, by way of Amsterdam, on the fourth of September, they bade their friends farewell. But, alas! when they reached Amsterdam their steamer had gone. There had lDCCll a mistake as to the date of its leaving, and their tickets were useless. This was a keen disappointment, because Mr. Fink was expecting them to come on that ship. Yet it could not be helped. They had to resort to the next best thing, and Mrs. Fink said to Katherine, Perhaps this had to occur in order that you might still get a chance to remain here. These words from her mother sur- prised her greatly, but she saw that her mother was in earnest. After a 'day's arrangements at Amsterdam, the following telegram was sent to Uncle john: Our ship has gone, and I shall return to remain with you. K. lVI.f' Katherine was so much taken up over the sudden turn of affairs that she could hardly control herself. On the following day, when her mother left, she burst into passionate tears. She was so excited that when the train for Hamburg pulled into the station she had not even purchased her ticket. In her excitement, she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder, and, looking around, she stared into the face of Henry Lendeng, the young man who lived next door to her uncle. She quickly told him of their misfortune, and by hurrying. he had just enough time to purchase her a ticket and together they returned to her uncle's home. W ' After spendiii a few days there, she began in voice culture, as she had already taken up instrumental music. She had a beautiful voice. It was so full of sweetness, so clear and thrilling that those who heard her could not help but be touched by the words which were always so full of rapture. The young people of their neighborhood, including Henry, who had helped Kath- erine out of her difficulty, were often entertained by Katherineis singing, and Marguerite's accompanying her on the piano. Katherine wrote home often, and her parents were well pleased, as she told them that she loved them as never before, and how she was progressing in her music. She told them, too, of her experience after her mother left, and how kind Henry had been to her. Katherine had noticed that he lingered after the others had returned home quite frequently. After a year had passed, the intimacy between them had grown far beyond that of the first day when he so kindly assisted her. On their return home from a social gathering, one night several weeks later, Henry surprised her by asking if she thought that they might ever meet in America. Frankly, she said that she thought it might not be impossible, but that when her musical education was completed, she would return to her

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Uncle John and his youngest daughter, Marie, accompanied the family. They visited Berlin with its fine buildings and universities, Dresden and Munich, noted for their art schoolsg the great cathedral of Cologne, Leipzig, the book- publishing center, and many other places in which they were interested. XN'hen they returned after a three-weeks' sojourn, the elder daughter, Mar- guerite, and her brother, were there to join them. Marguerite had just begun her first term in teaching music, and she was very much pleased when she learned that Katherine was a lover of the same art and expected to take a course in a musical college after she returned to America. Immediately she set to work to make some plan which would induce Katherine's parents to let her remain with them and get her desired education there. Mr. Fink had planned to return in about a week, having already been absent from his business nearly two months. It was hard for him to refuse li-Iarguerite's wish, but it was very, very much more difiicult for him to grant' it. He thought of the many, many days that he and his wife would be forced to spend without the center of sunshine, without the smiling face that always seemed to inspire him with more zeal and determination in his life as a busi- ness man. Nevertheless ,he was not a man who would consider a thing once, and then let it escape his mind. He thought the matter over carefully, and when he saw that Katherine seemed to have a desire to remain, he gave his consent. This, however, did not decide the matter. Mrs. Fink, as all mothers, had such a deep and immeasurable love for her daughter that she thought what if she should get sick, or, when she would return, what if the ship would sink and she would never see her again. All these thoughts passed through her mind as she lay awake during the nights since Marguerite's plea had found a lodging in her mind. It was decided, however, that Katherine would return with her mother after an indefinite time and Mr. Fink would leave in three days. After his departure, Katherine and her mother became somewhat homes sick, but Uncle john and his wife were very jolly, so that they could not re- main in that mood long. However, something more serious occupied their attention, when, on August second, Mrs. Fink read in the daily paper that the ship Prince Edward had had some misfortune and that, if help did not ar- rive soon, the ship would sink. Vifhen Katherine came in from her morning outing, she found her mother deathly pale, in a chair near the front window. Mother, she said, what has befallen you? 'f0h! she gasped, father's ship has sunk, and we-we shall see him-no- She could say no more, and Katherine was so frightened that she scarcely knew what she was doing. After her mother revived sufficiently to show them-for all the family had now gathered around-what she had read, Katherine had gained enough self- control to convince herself that it surely was not the Prince Edward on which her father left, but the Prince Henryf, She could scarcely speak words fast enough to convince her mother of the same fact, and seemed unable to do so until her cousin, Marie, found the picture of the steamer itself, with its name. She was not altogether at ease, however, until she read in the next day's paper that help had reached thc ship in time, because she had thought perhaps some other loved one might have been separated from his dear ones by a watery grave.

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home and begin teaching, as that was her great aim. This decided answer from Katherine rather startled him, for he was intensely disappointed. His deep love for her had seemingly not been returned-for this reason their friendship was not so strongly' united for a while. But, as Katherine's last year of work was nearing its close, and she was preparing for her part of the recital, she decided to sing the song which had always been Henry's favorite. He was eager to hear her, and he knew,--yes, he felt,-that she was singing it entirely for him, a fact which made it all the more sweet and charming. He hesitated, however, to tell her all he thought, and not until the day of her departure did he whisper to her not to forget him even though the ocean separated them. After bidding her friends farewell, amid pleasure and joy, and expressing her manifold thanks to them for all their kindness, she left Germany. Amidst great rejoicing, just two years and a half after she' left home with her parents, she was within the bounds of her dear old home. Every one was so pleased when Katherine returned, and it was not long until she had a class, and was ready to teach. She was not only successful as a teacher, but often she would cheer those who were in distress or sorrow by her sing- ing. Her services in the church were appreciated to the fullest extent, and after she had spent two years of her life in her chosen work, she had made much progress. just five years from that eventful day when they had left New York harbor, Katherine received a letter from across the ocean, which somehow made her heart beat in excitement before she had time to discover its contents. It read as follows: - I-Iamburg, Germany, May 19, --- My dear Katherine: It has now been two years since I have seen or heard from you. The time has been very long to me, but I thought I would let you reach the height of your ambition, and I would attain mine before confronting you again with the question which you answered me so decidedly. I hope that your love has grown stronger and that you will answer this time in words more consoling. If I say that I will be with you by next Christmas I trust that then you will be ready to take a new scholar in exchange for your class at present. Yours sincerely, HENRY. So it was arranged that I-Ienry's wish should come true, even though it was a year after Henry wrote his first letter that Katherine gave up her class. Although she gave up her teaching, her career as a singer did not end with it. During her entire life she was always ready to do a deed of kindness, and if sorrow befell them, it was always Katherine's voice who brought back the smile of relief. ROSE C. VALET, 'l6. CK