Stegers, the 23rd of Feb, 1894 Much loved parents and brothers and sisters, We have duly received your dear letter and I was very happy that you, dear father, write me the truth. I was in tears and cried out while reading and if America weren’t so far away you would’ve heard and I still cry day and night as do we all that my Franz has to rove about in the mountains as he is not made for heavy labor. Even though he was always strong he does have rheumatism in his back and when he worked hard one day, the next he wasn’t able to bend over to reach the ground. It sure can’t be necessary what good is stubbornness. Martin lies in bed all the time and the skin on his entire body looks like raw carrion such is his rash. And the two little boys. And the doctor also says, you can't count on him anymore, he will never do any work again. How am I supposed to do this? There were such profits this winter and each of our neighbors has already earned over a hundred Thaler [page 2:] and our horses are standing in the stable. We have a boy, 17 years old, who receives a wage of over 30 Thaler, but he can't do anything alone. I am worrying myself sick. Dear father, I am innocent. I had a loving relationship to my son Franz and have never once uttered an ill word to him. But Martin regrets it enough. But they were always like that. Two hard rocks grind poorly. This winter we could have earned at least 200 Thaler, if Franz had been home. And if he were to see his father now, his heart would break: his head is so white and his face so gaunt even when he sits up he looks like a dead man. But I don't feel all that sorry for him. Every day I say to him, it's your fault that Franz has to rove about among other people. Dear father, do write a rather heart-warming letter to him, to my brother and my son, that he might take pity on us, and would please come home as soon as possible. Oheim's Max came home four weeks ago and he went away with him back then. If he doesn't have a penny to his name we'll send him something right away. He ought to have pity on me [left margin:] Please please I ask for a prompt reply [page 3:] and both his brothers, who still want to eat. I can’t run away. We would like to leave him the farm even if we have some outstanding debt, but it’s no reason to run away. It is doubtful he will meet his father again, which worries him. And even if he shan’t die this soon he surely doesn’t get any healthier. He’s had it for two years. He used to be on his feet still, but now he has been bedridden since Christmas. Our chief constable, who is leasing the hunting grounds, visited him yesterday and said, what are you going to do without your son? So I said to him, he's afraid of the military. He said, that's what I'm for and when he comes home and they draft him, you should get him right back within 14 days, that's what I'm for. When spring comes, who's going to order everything outside? Dear father, my brother wrote that he had his money in a bank, and Franz also had 300 Thaler already. If that got lost, I will send him travel money, so he can come as soon as possible. Do write him all this, show us some pity, as I don't have an address for him. Dear father, here in [hole] the best time for poor people of the [hole] 5 Mark [page 4:] Potatoes 8 silver pennies and over the summer the blueberries brought four thousand Thaler to our village of Stegers. There were two fellows who came from Hamburg and would give 6 to 7 silver pennies for three quarts and the whole village helped picking. Our little Alois and Paul went there early midday and got 30 Mark. And anyone who is 70 years old receives 10 Mark a month, and anyone who employs someone has to pay 7 Mark a year, and whoever goes to work has to have a certificate from the chief constable and pay each week. Everything goes into the fund which the old people then receive. And whoever's life estate brings more than 50 [30?] Thaler gets nothing. These are flourishing times for poor people. On the 12th of this month we had such a storm it wreaked such havoc all over, and destroyed half the woods. I will also enclose my sister Emma's letter about what she experienced, you can read for yourself what she wants. I cannot help her. Our barn was also damaged on one side but it still stands. [hole] can't open the barn doors until we [hole] until build. We already have some wood [hole]