CHAPTER III
Legal Experiments.—1855-6
THOSE happy days could not last forever. On the
contrary, I felt it to be my duty all the time to keep
looking about for a suitable position. I consulted with my
uncle and my other relatives regularly in regard to my
hopes and wishes in that respect, and they were likewise
on the lookout. As I could hardly expect anything but
ordinary manual employment, I was anxious to find it out
side and away from Belleville, as the social position of my
relatives would have made it embarrassing to all. Week
after week elapsed, however, without my obtaining any
thing to do. One Saturday, in the latter part of March,
1855, my cousin Scheel informed me that an American
acquaintance of his, a Mr. Case, who held in Clinton
County, Illinois, the same official position that Theodor
Engelmann had — that is, Circuit Court Clerk and Recorder
of Deeds — had requested him to find him a clerk to copy
deeds in the records. He thought that I might serve the
purpose. I had doubts as to my qualifications, inasmuch
as, firstly, I had made but little progress in English,
owing to my wholly German surroundings, and, secondly,
because my handwriting was very bad. But he felt sure
that I knew enough to enable me to copy instruments in
writing. So we agreed that he should write and inquire
about terms. Mr. Case replied that the copying would be
paid for at the rate of twenty-five cents a page. I at once
made a trial in Theodor Engelmann's office as to the time
it would take me to write a page of one of the ponderous
record-books, and found that I could write one in less than
an hour. After further deliberation, it was decided that
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