Page 165 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

A new baby and a new business

I must say, that although we were not so fortunate to have a nice
house and furniture, the most fortunate thing for a poor man in such
circumstances is for the mother and child to be well and strong, and
not need doctoring or medicine. Fannie went through childbirth with
courage and felt well, and the baby did pretty well, too. At home,
Fannie was weak and lonesome, and had very few facilities that are
needed to take care of the newly born. Hot water was out of the
question. We had no wash tub, and not enough dishes. “A friend in
need is a friend indeed”—that old saying is understood only by those
in need, and how well we needed a friend for Fannie, who had her
first child, with no experience, and no mother close by to help her.
Then came a friend, in the person of Mrs. Goot, who sold us the
furniture. We had become friendly with that Jewish family, and Mrs.
Goot, who was twice as old as Fannie, became very motherly. She
offered her services and help, taught Fannie how to handle the baby,
how to feed her, and was just like a mother to her. We remained
friends all these long years. A few months ago I went with Hilda to
Mrs. Goot’s funeral. She passed away at eighty-four years of age, and
to me it was a great loss. Her husband, who was killed by a car
several years earlier, was also a fine Jewish man, and a good friend.
In a short time Hilda became a regular visitor in my store.
Whenever Fannie went away she left Hilda with me, putting her
down by the window, which had a wide sitting space. Hilda sat there
playing and learned to wave to people who passed by, and they
waved to her. Mrs. Goot had a little girl, too, about ten months older
than Hilda. Her name was Ida, and when she was about two years
old, she would walk by the window and Hilda would call her name.
Hilda was of a good nature, sociable, and always had a smile on her
face. Where we lived there was no yard, and she had to stay in the
house or in the store. Also, at that time, vitamins were not known.
Neither was orange juice or cod liver oil. She lived on milk and
cereals, not even pablum was known then. But she was an early
walker and talker.
When I was traveling to work and back on a bicycle, I hooked up
a little wire basket on a board on the handlebars for a seat, and took
her with me to the store, kept her there the whole day, and brought
her home in the evening. She was very content in the store, playing
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