Chapter 12 | The Return
September 15, 1786- Wolfgang had finally made a decision. It had been almost 9 years since he had left Ansbach as a Hessian soldier, and headed for the new world- America. Now he would go back to America, not as a soldier, but as a citizen, seeking a good job in the new world, and the land he had earned as a Continental soldier from Virginia.
It had not been an easy decision. What would Georg do? Even though he desperately wanted Georg to come to America, he knew that he was not yet ready for such a change in his life. And what about his friends in Ansbach, who had rallied around him when Maria’s illness began to take her life? It would have been easier for Wolfgang to decide to stay in Ansbach the rest of his life, raise his son to adulthood, and work at the mill. After all, Germany was his country. But there was more to it than that.
After Wolfgang had been discharged from the Continental army, and even though he had come to grips with the fact that he probably would not and probably should not ever see Ellie again, he continued to fight the guilt associated with his reoccurring thoughts about her. When he had decided to come back to Germany, and try to patch things up with Maria, he had been pretty successful in erasing thoughts of Ellie from his mind, and focusing on his future life with Maria. Now all that had changed.
In the many months since Maria’s death, thoughts about Ellie began to creep back into Wolfgang’s miind, and had become more and more intense. He knew how foolish it was. First, he would probably never be able to find her. And if, by some miracle he did, she would more than likely be a happily married woman, perhaps with a couple of children, who would hardly recognize or remember him. Nevertheless, he had to find out.
This kind of thinking was suddenly transfomed into action when his cousin Georg and his wife Elleka, who lived in Bayrueth and were very fond of Wolfgang’s young Georg, offered to have Georg come to live with them. More than that, George and Elleka had always wanted to come to America, and promised to consider bringing young Georg there after Wolfgang had been there long enough to get established. It was an offer Wolfgang could not refuse, and he put almost all of what he owned together, stopped once more at Maria’s grave, hugged Georg long and hard, and took off on his second journey to America.
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It had been exactly a year since Ellie’s father had collapsed while eating Christmas dinner, and died in her arms. As Ellie sat by herself, eating her Christmas dinner, memories of her father and his death flooded into her consciousness and brought a torrent of tears to her eyes. Even though she hadn’t been home for a long time, she had actually enjoyed taking care of him, and talking to him about his past. It was so different than her experience with him as a young girl, but she was so happy that she had forgiven him, and returned to care for him in his dying days.
The task of settling his estate and selling the farm had been a difficult one, but she had managed. The people in her church had been so helpful and supportive, and she would be forever grateful to them.
At first, Ellie had been sad and depressed, with a deep lonely feeling that she had difficulty shaking. But gradually, her grief began to subside, and she was ready to begin a new life by herself. She had thought about going back to Newport to live with her aunt Irmgard, uncle Leopold, and cousin Amelinda, but had chosen not to. Their offer was gracious and genuine, but Ellie had made so many friends in Waynesboro, and felt that this was her home.
So Ellie had busied herself with fixing up the small bungalow she had bought in Waynesboro with some of the money that she had been given when her father’s estate was settled. The bungalow was near her church, and also across the street from where her closest friend, Ida, and her husband Jarvis. Ida had been instrumental in helping Ellie buy her little house, and Jarvis was helpful as she worked on fixing it up.
As the year had worn on, Ellie was hired to teach a group of children from the nearby community. She loved the children, and she had learned enough in Newport to qualify for the job. To make extra money, she worked three mornings a week in a nearby pastry shop.
Ida knew Ellie pretty well, and occasionally kidded her about “finding a man.” What puzzled Ida was that Ellie, beautiful as she was, didn’t seem to be looking. Since she could never get anything from Ellie that would explain her aversion to men, she chalked it up to an odd quirk- or even maybe a physical problem. But this mystery problem notwithstanding, Ida loved having Ellie as a neighbor, and so did Jarvis.
Ellie was accustomed to rebuffing the advances of her male acquaintances; so – even though she was quite surprised and disappointed- it was not difficult for her to let Jarvis know that she would not tolerate his advances.
On a Saturday morning Jarvis was helping her carry a heavy trunk to the attic. They sat down on the trunk to rest, and Jarvis found a way to sit very close to her and, as they talked, put one arm around her and his hand on her leg. Ellie jumped up, changed the subject, and beckoned for Jarvis to follow her down the ladder. She never told Ida about it, but was very careful in the future to be selective about when and where she was alone with Jarvis. Outside of that little incident, Jarvis was a good friend, and a helpful neighbor. Maybe, thought Ellie, it was just a glitch that would never happen again.
As usual, no one but Ellie knew the conflicts and confusion that Ellie lived with every day. She was beginning to think of Wolfgang less often, and more and more beginning to recognize the futility of thinking that she would ever see him again. And, surprisingly, she had recently noticed a young man at church, about her age, who she thought was attractive and interesting. But when they talked, she couldn’t help comparing him to Wolfgang, and thinking again of the wonderful meeting she had with him at the redoubt near Newport. She was not out of the woods on her devotion to her lost love, and she knew it. But what was she to do about it?
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John(Wolfgang) knew where he would go first. After months of an uneventful but tiring journey on land and sea, he arrived at Long Island New York, and began to look for a way to get to Newport, Rhode Island, where he had first met Ellie. He knew, in his heart, that it was a very long shot, but it was all he could think of to do. Maybe she would be there. But doing what? He had to know.
John hung around the harbor where they had landed, asking questions about how to get to Newport, Rhode Island, but the only answer had could get was that he had to find someone going there by boat. He found food, and a place to stay near the docks, where he spent the night.
Early the next morning, he went down to the docks again, and continued his seemingly fruitless quest.
John might have ignored the old sailing ship in the dock if it hadn’t been for the motley group that were boarding it. They sort of looked like soldiers, wearing remnants of old coats and some hats that were worn buy the colonists in the war. And every one of them was wearing a sprig of hemlock(evergreen). “This is pretty odd,” John thought, “The war has been over for three years. What in the hell are they doing?” John went close enough to talk to one of the group. “May I ask what you’re doing and where you’re going?” John queried politely. The grizzled soldier glanced at him, sensed that he meant no harm, and said, in a loud and confident voice, “ I reckon you can, friend. We are heading for Rhode Island to join Shay boys. We’re not really rebels, you know, but you can’t let the government push you around either. We’ll help ole’ Daniel stand up for our rights!” John’s ears really perked up when he heard the words “Rhode Island” and he cajoled the man into taking him to his leader.
The leader, a farmer named Nathan Plankton, must have thought John might join his soldiers, or maybe he just liked John’s manner, but he listened to his story and welcomed him with a slap on the back. “The crew of this old sloop will only take us as far as Newport, and we got to get from there to Springfield in Massachusetts. Ain’t that a crock?” “Sounds like you’re a lucky man, though, seein’ as how that’s where you want to go.”“But you’re welcome to go with us, pay your own way by helping the crew. Keep out of trouble, now.”
As they sailed past South Hampton, and a couple of days later around Block Island into Rhode Island Sound, John had memories of having been here before. As the ship sailed into Narraganset Bay, John’s heart began to beat faster. Could he be so lucky as to find Ellie? He knew there wouldn’t be a snowball’s chance in hell that things would be the same there as when he left five years ago. But at least he would know, and that would mean all the difference in the world.
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John finally found the street where Ellie had lived with her aunt Irmgard, uncle Leopold, and cousin Amelinda. As he almost ran toward the spot where he remembered their house to be, his heart was pumping and he broke out into an unnatural sweat. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this excited, except possibly in the battle at Yorktown- but that was different. Now, he was back where he had met Ellie. And maybe he was about to see her again- those beautiful brown eyes, that wonderful “you are special to me” smile. As his anticipation heightened, his pace quickened.
As he approached the spot, he suddenly became confused. There was no house. Just an empty lot, with tall grass and some rubble in one corner. He was sure this was the right place! He remembered the brick bungalow next door, and the old two story house across the street.
In a state of shock, he tried to find someone at home who could tell him where the Gottleibs were, and possibly where he could find Ellie. He knocked loudly on the door of the bungalow, and a wizened old man opened it and peered out. “What can I do for you, son?” he asked as he took measure of John.
John quickly asked him about Irmgard and Leopold and Amelinda and Ellie. What he found out left the most empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had ever had. “Well, son,” the old man had said, “Their house burned to the ground three years ago. Leopold, my good friend, was burned to death in the fire, trying to save Irmgard. By the grace of God, she did get out alive, but not him-rest his soul.” “As for Amelinda, she had left home just three months before the fire to go to New York. I think she’s living there somewhere with a relative, but that’s all I know.” “What about her cousin Ellie,” John asked breathlessly, “ Where is she?” “Can’t say as I know,” the old man replied, “ She left a long time ago, and went back to somewhere in Pennsylvania. A good looker, that gal. Sorry to see her go.” “Does Irmgard live in Newport,” John asked, as he peered into the old man’s eyes, anxiously awaiting an answer. “Yep,” he answered, with a sad look in those eyes, “ Irm’s here, but you might just as well be talking to a post. She lost her mind after the fire, and can’t remember a hootin’ thing.” “A sad state, for sure. But what can you do? She’s in an insane asylum on Broad street, and don’t recognize nobody.”
John was devastated by the news. He hadn’t expected the situation to be the same as it had been five years ago . But he had eagerly anticipated, on his long journey back, that he would find someone who knew where Ellie was. Now, the chances of ever finding her were slim to none, and, for the second time in his adult life, he wept uncontrollably.
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John, trying to come to grips with the situation as it was, arranged to stay in a boarding house in Newport for a couple of days. He wanted to sort out what he would do, and deal with his grief in not finding Ellie. But as he awoke the next day after a fitful sleep, he knew that he must do two things. He would go to where the redoubt where he secretly met Ellie, and he would go to the asylum and, if not able to talk to her, at least see Irmgard.
John knew he could find the location of the redoubt, and as he walked out of town, remembering it as it was almost ten years ago, he saw many changes. The town of Newport had expanded, and the location of the redoubt was much closer to its outskirts. As John walked, he looked for signs of the redoubt. Then, he was drawn to a mound that he knew was the spot. There were beautiful wildflowers on the hill, and he found a few stones, partially covered with grass, that he was sure were remnants of the redoubt. As he sat on the hill among the flowers, he remembered his anticipation on that long ago day, and how his heart pounded as he saw Ellie approach.
It was not difficult for him to think about what had happened there, because he had gone over and over it in his mind a thousand times. But as he thought about her again- that beautiful smile, and those deep brown eyes- he knew he could not let her go until he knew for sure that there was no chance of being part of her life. Finding her, or at least finding out about her, would be his mission in America. He was absolutely sure about this.
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It had not been difficult for John to find the asylum where Irmgard was reported to be staying. As he entered,
he heard noises that gave him chills. They were sounds of people in anguish, who needed to express the hopelessness they felt in order to somehow cope with their lot in life.
John stopped at the small, dilapidated desk at the entrance, and asked a small frizzled haired lady if it would be possible for him to see Irmgard Gottleib. The lady gave him a quizzical look, and said “Well, you can see her, but it won’t do any good, cause she don’t know anybody.” “I’ve heard that,” John replied, “But I would like to talk to her just the same.” “OK, she has a room down at the end of this hall,” the lady acquiesced, “And I think you came at a good time, because she is usually awake this late in the afternoon.”
John was shocked as he entered her room. He had anticipated that she might have aged considerably, but he was not prepared for this emaciated shell of a person- so far from the pleasant and capable Irmgard he had met ten years ago. She had a wild look about her, and she eyed him warily from a dark corner of her very small room. “Hello, Irmgard,” John said, as friendly as he could, “I am Wolfgang Odoerfer, who stopped a runaway horse from crashing your carriage in Newport many years ago.” “I was a friend of Ellie’s, but I left with the other Hessian soldiers.” Irmgard peered at him with fear in her eyes. “You’re the one!” she shouted. “You started the fire!”
It was all John could do to quiet her down, and almost as suddenly as she made the violent outburst, she sat down in her chair and stared quietly at him, not uttering a word.
“I’m looking for Ellie,” he said quietly, “ Can you tell me where she is?” Irmgard responded to his question with a blank stare, seemingly determined not to talk. “Where is she? Where did she go?” pleaded John, but to no avail.
Now she changed before his eyes. “You look like a nice young man,” she said, almost smiling. “Have you seen my husband?” John tried to talk with her, but her responses were as up and down as a feather on the high seas, going from almost friendly to intensely angry, and making absolutely no sense.
“I have to go now. Irmgard,” said John, as she allowed him to take her hand. “I wish you could tell me where Ellie is, but I guess you have forgotten. I hope your days here are as good as possible. Good bye.” Irmgard’s eyes followed John as he turned to walk out of her room.
As he walked out of he door, he heard her utter a single, almost inaudible word. “Franklin,” she murmured, as she turned, absentmindedly, to check on something by her bedside. John dismissed the utterance. She has probably heard about Benjamin Franklin, and his work for independence, John thought. Maybe she thinks I am him.
John left the asylum very sad and disappointed. Irmgard was definitely crazy, and didn’t even seem to understand his question about Ellie, let alone being able to give him an answer. He trudged despondently back to the boarding house, wondering what he would do next. There seemed to be no easy answer.
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John awoke early, and was surprised that a plan had come to him as he slept. It wasn’t unusual for him to go to sleep with a problem on his mind, only to awake the next morning with a solution. In his lighter moments, he thought, as he always had, that somehow his guardian angel had not forsaken him, and was there to help as he slept. In his more serious moments, he had a deep sense that it was God at work in his life.
Regardless of the origin, he now knew what he would do. It was time to start a new life in America. He had remembered that people had told him before he left Virginia, that the Montpelier Estate near Clear Spring Maryland, called the John Mason farms, was a good place to look for work. He would go there for a new beginning.
He would forget Ellie, and perhaps find a new wife in Maryland. He knew it was the right thing for him to do, and, even though it was very difficult, he knew he had to come to grips with the fact that he could not spend his life pining for someone he hadn’t seen in ten years, and who he would probably never see again.
As John got ready to leave the Boarding House, he remembered his dream from the night before. He was frantically searching for his horse, Ansbach, who was given to him when he was discharged from the Continental Army. He loved that horse, and, for the life of him, couldn’t find Ansbach anywhere. He went on a quest to the ends of the earth, but, alas, no Ansbach. Even after the dream, he had felt an empty spot in the pit of his stomach, for he had awakened in despair, and with a sense of loneliness. John attributed the dream to his thoughts about finding a horse to ride to Maryland, but his guardian angel knew better.
John had just enough money to buy a horse, to buy a heavy coat for winter, and to buy food and lodging on his trip. He was resigned that he would never find a horse as good as Ansbach, and he knew that even if he could, he wouldn’t have enough money to buy it. But it was his lucky day, as far as horses were concerned, for a nearby stable had a horse and saddle they would sell for $25, and he was on his way. All he owned was in a pack on his back, and the horse and saddle he had just bought.
John, with his characteristic ability to somehow pull himself up and move ahead, began to think about the hills of Virginia, and what might await him in Maryland. As he rode across country in the fall of 1786, his mind also went back to his past months in Germany, to his wife Maria, rest her soul, and his son Georg. John also thought about the past ten years, from the time he had first left Ansbach as a Hessian soldier to now returning to America as a free man. As a soldier and a husband he had been through a lot. He had many brushes with illness and near death, but somehow had survived to start again. He had often felt the pain of loneliness and guilt, and yearned for a more peaceful life. Maybe he could find it in Maryland. At least it was worth a try.
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In a little bungalow in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, Ellie Rowe had spent the past three years just living her life. Her neighbors, Ida and Jarvis, had been friendly and supportive, but nevertheless, Ellie was a young woman who often found herself with deep feelings of loneliness. Sure, she enjoyed her teaching, and her friends at the bakery shop were friendly and kind, but, strangely, her life lately had seemed to be in a repeating cycle of feelings of ordinariness and despondency.
“Ellie, I have an offer you can’t refuse,” Ida said with a broad grin. “My friend Mary has a cousin from who is coming to visit on his way to Philadelphia.” He is heading for the Constitutional Convention- he wants to be in Philadelphia when history is taking place, and she says he is smart, young, and handsome.” “You must be his blind date to the square dance Saturday night. It would be so good for you!” Surprisingly, at least for Ida, Ellie did not reject her idea out of hand.
In fact, Ellie, in her periods of loneliness the past few months, had been thinking about how she had to turn her life around. She had almost come to the conclusion that it was time for her to move ahead, and perhaps- if she could meet the right man- who knows? And the man Ida described seemed to hold a fascination for her. What would he be like? She, too, was very interested in the new constitution. Was he really both smart and handsome?
To Ida’s amazement, Ellie agreed to her proposal. Wonder of wonders, thought Ida, What has happened to Ellie? But she was so excited that instead of trying to figure it out, she just gave Ellie a big hug, and raced to tell Mary that it was a done deal.
Ellie’s first date in over ten years would be with William Peterson from Welsh Run. William was pretty much like Ida had described. He was 32 years old, handsome, and had always been at the top of his class in school. He had been to college for two years, and loved to study government and politics. In fact, he had always thought he would like to run for public office, and hoped that his trip to the Constitutional Convention, even though he was not a true delegate, would give him some of the credentials he would need. William was just under six feet tall, with tousled black hair, and a face that showed determination and strength. When he smiled you were attracted to him, and when he held forth in serious talk, you sensed a strength of knowledge and conviction that was compelling.
William was never without a girlfriend, but there was something in his approach to them that had given him the reputation that “William never has the same girlfriend very long.” He was impervious to that accusation, and attributed the attrition to the fact that he had just not yet found the right one.
Ellie was both anxious and curious. They would pick her up in the buggy soon, and she would meet this “blind date.” In many ways, she had forgotten, or perhaps didn’t know how to deal with a boyfriend. It had been so long since she had been around a man she really liked as a suitor, and even then her experience had been short-lived. She wondered if he would think of her as awkward in conversation, as cold and uninterested, or maybe just as someone he wished he could get rid of as soon as possible.
“Ellie, this is William Peterson, and William this is Ellie Rowe,” Ida said enthusiastically, “I know you two will like each other!” As William helped Ellie into the buggy, they all engaged in small talk, and the ice was broken.
Jarvis, proud of his horse and buggy, greatly enjoyed driving them all to the dance, which was about 4 miles away. Ellie and William stole glances at each other, and both liked what they saw. It would have been difficult not to, because both were well above average in attractiveness. But, as Ellie had thought in the days she awaited their meeting, “Beauty is only skin deep,” and she wanted to know a lot more about this handsome, talkative stranger.
Much like almost all of the eligible men Ellie had met, William was immediately captivated by this brown haired beauty with the welcoming smile. He was surprised that casting out for a blind date in Waynesboro would produce such a catch.
It was, by all standards for a blind date, a very successful evening. Ellie and William enjoyed the dancing, and seemed to relate pretty well to each other. They had a good time with Ida and Jarvis, and seemed to have plenty to talk about.
Ellie did notice that William talked a lot about his own aspirations, and about the Constitutional Convention coming up soon. She attributed his preoccupation with self to the fact that he was so excited about going to Philadelphia, and she asked questions to show an interest in what he was doing.
William found himself with very strange feelings. He sensed that Ellie had not been around men very much, but he had this feeling when being around her that was different from any feeling he had ever had about a woman. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he was fascinated by it. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of being with her, even in their first meeting. And she was so interested in what he was doing. He wasn’t used to that from other women either.
When he left her at her door, he thanked her for such a nice evening, and asked if he could see he again before he traveled on to Philadelphia. She returned his thanks, and said, with her engaging smile, “yes.”
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John was so happy to arrive in Clear Spring, Maryland. It had been a long ride, and the weather had been pretty cold on some of the days. His horse, that he had named Liberty, was not the best pumpkin in the patch. He was an old gray horse who had a cross between lazy and independent ways that John had to overcome. But Liberty had gotten him there, and that was what mattered.
John’s thoughts on the long ride, and during his nights at the cheap inns, were on starting a new life in America. He needed a job and the money it would produce, and he needed to find a place he could call home. Being the optimistic sort, John seemed to know that good things were in store for him, and he smiled to himself as he thought of the possibilities.
John found the main street in Clear Spring, got off his horse, and stopped the first person he saw. He was a middle-aged man with a heavy beard whose clothes perhaps told a story about how destitute he was.
“Hello, friend,” said John as he approached his possible source of information in this new place, “Where do I find the Barnes Farms- I heard they’re near here?” “And what would you want to know that for?” the fellow rejoined, “That’s a pretty high-faluten place.” “I’m lookin’ for work,” John responded, “ And I hear they sometimes hire.”
The fellow looked at John quizzically, and pronounced “Well, I don’t reckon that you could get a job there, bein’ a stranger and all. I tried it three times, with no luck.”
John, with an emerging sense of mild despair, was about to thank the man and walk on when the bearded one queried “You got any skills?” John mentioned his ability with horses, and the fact that he had worked in a mill in Ansbach. “Now there you go,” the man said with an encouraging look on his face. “They run a mill on the farms- maybe you could get in that way.”
John got directions to the Barnes Farms, quickly thanked the man, and, knowing all he needed to know, gave Liberty his head as they rode west out of Clear Spring.
John was a strong man and made a pleasant impression with strangers. He was almost deferential, and had a disarming way about him as he opened conversations. And he gave the other person his rapt attention, making him or her feel important. In other words, he interviewed well. He was confident he could get a job, if there was one to be had.
John was amazed by the place. He thought there must have been 5000 acres, and the buildings were something else. He finally found a stream, and on it the grist-mill. He stopped to look it over, and was suddenly confronted by three very big black men asking him what he wanted.
“Friends, I mean no harm,” John said quickly, “ I’m just looking for work, and want to find the owner of this mill.” Two of the men looked at him suspiciously, almost as if they had not understood what he had said. They moved closer to him, and he wondered if they were out to do him harm. As he backed away, the third man stepped forward, and said “That would be Mr. Barnes. Yes sir, Mr. Richard Barnes. He be the owner of this mill, and our boss. But he don’ need no help. We got this here mill under control.” John smiled at him, and that seemed to help. “No problem… I just want to meet him. Where might he be?” “ Well,” said the talkative one of the three, I reckon’ he be up at that big house on the hill. But don’ get into a fight with his big dawg of his- he might get the best of you.” His friends laughed pretty loudly at this, and went back to their work. “Much obliged, thanks for the help,” John said, as he offered his hand. Not being used to shaking hands with a white man, the worker mumbled a version of “you’re welcome,” and quickly moved away.
John headed for the Barnes mansion, and after taking some time to make friends with the big dog in the yard, used the heavy knocker to knock on the door. After persuasive time with the servant who answered, John was finally shown into the parlor to wait for Mr. Richard Barnes.
“What, may I ask, is the purpose of your visit?” Mr. Barnes asked John with a penetrating, but not totally unfriendly look. John took note of the short, graying man, impeccably dressed for a farmer, who had addressed him. He quickly realized that his own clothes, and his slightly unshaven look might not be quite appropriate for the visit, and tried to make up for it with what he said.
“ Sir, I have been traveling for several days from Newport, and haven’t had time to get new clothes, get my hair cut, or to shave. I have heard that you often hire men to help you on your farms, and I am greatly in need of a job.” Mr. Barnes looked carefully at this bedraggled man who presented his case so directly. He could see a sparkle in his eyes, and a sincerity in his voice- things that, to him, overpowered the man’s appearance. “What can you do?” Mr. Barnes asked quietly, “ I don’t need any unskilled labor right now. My slaves take care of most of that kind of work.”
“I know how to run a mill,” said John confidently, “I worked in a mill for quite a while in Germany. Mr. Barnes ears perked up with John’s pronouncement. He could use someone to help Tom in directing the work of the slaves at the mill. He asked John several more questions- how he came to be here, who would vouch for him, was he married, and where he was living.
John gave him the name of Frederick Stuber, who he had worked for near Winchester, Virginia, but Mr. Barnes did not recognize the name. John knew he did not have much to recommend himself, but he continued to put his best foot forward. “ I am a hard worker, and I am always loyal to the person who hires me” John said on his own behalf. “You will not be sorry if you hire me, and I pray to God you will. I don’t have a wife or family, so I can put in extra time at my work.”
Perhaps it was his looks, perhaps it was his directness and sincerity, or perhaps it was his natural reference to the Deity, but something clicked in Richard Barnes mind, and he decided to give this unknown man an opportunity.
“I’ll give you a try at the mill” said Mr. Barnes, “Report there Monday morning, and we’ll get you started. I can pay $15 a month, lodging in the house with the servants, and food. Will that be OK?” John accepted immediately, and was overjoyed with the offer. He thanked Mr. Barnes profusely, and was immediately taken by a servant to his new quarters. He had a job in America! And he vowed to live up to the promise he had made to Mr. Barnes.