She knelt alone by the tiny grave, sobbing uncontrollably as the summer sun set behind the West Hills. "Mein Liebling, mein Liebling," she cried in her anguish. How could she ever have been so foolish, to trust such a man! How, oh how, could any man alive do such a thing to an innocent child, to his own precious child!
So different her life had been these past few years, than the life she had imagined when she had come to America as a child, full of hope. Not that it all had been bad. The first few years had been difficult, with so much illness and death haunting the family. Then for a time, life here seemed so exciting, so wonderful, so, so... but years of hard work to build a good life in America had worn her down. She was tired and discouraged when she left her husband and children in Kansas for a visit with her sister in Oregon. Just a short break, and she would be ready to face her everyday life again...
Then she had met him, and now she faced this unbearable grief. As her cries of anguish turned to muffled sobs, she thought back, farther back than she had remembered in a very long time. How did this terrible day come about? How did such a hopeful future turn out so hopeless? When was it that she made the fateful choice that led her to such pain? As she thought back over the years, she remembered her own childhood, far away from here...
This tragic but true story is currently in the research stage. If you have any information concerning Catharina, her Prince family, the Soper family, or any other relatives, please contact me.