Read Online The Dutch by Richard E. Schultz - Free Book Online Page A

returned from school each day, his mother demanded he review his lessons and carefully prepare for the next school day. Sometimes, during his apprenticeship, when he chiseled meticulously to join two timbers at difficult angles, the work reminded him of the repetitious movements his mother required when Henri’s quill formed a single letter of the alphabet. His mother believed the quality of each letter impacted the meaning of each word. When expensive paper was plentiful, she would write him a letter in her own wonderful penmanship and expect a prompt, flawless reply. She would reject his correspondence until his final response was free of imperfections in form or content. Henri thought her heartless at times, but eventually, Henri learned to write attractive and well-constructed letters.
    Yet what he remembered most about his mother’s prompting always followed the evening meal. His mother always encouraged her husband, who was a brilliant shipbuilder, but could hardly write more than his name, to play a role in their son’s academic education. After dinner, Henri would have been handed a piece of chalk and a slate and asked to draw something. His father had a shipwright’s respect for smooth lines and could certainly recognize a good sketch. He knew the ability to draw was becoming more important in his trade, so willingly, at his mother’s urging; his father became the family’s resident art critic. Henri sometimes manipulated the outcome by drawing sketches of sails or ships, rather than gardens or houses that drew harsher criticism from his father. Looking back, Henri’s most vivid image of the family’s dinner table was the pleasure on his mother’s face. She loved observing the interaction between her husband and son, knowing that these sessions had improved Henri’s drawing skills and also served to bind father and son even closer together.
    On the day after his initiation as a shipbuilder, Henri Roulfs was summoned to the magistrate’s office for an unexpected accounting of his late parents’ estate. He discovered the magistrate was a good and honest man who had settled the estate, as was his public duty, and invested the surplus wisely on Henri’s behalf. The inheritance had grown substantially. The money was enough to fund a shipbuilding venture. The magistrate’s decision to terminate Henri’s academic education was driven by the magistrate’s perception of what Henri’s father would have desired. This honest man became a close friend and lifelong advisor; a man Henri could always trust in times of crisis.
    With his new status as shipwright, Henri’s life changed dramatically yet he remained a stable and cautious young man. Instead of rashly funding his own independent project with his new found wealth, he committed to a joint shipbuilding venture with his old master. The agreement called for him to construct a cargo vessel, while receiving wages and sharing the profits with his former master. The decision left his inheritance in-tact and gave him time to pursue other personal objectives. Henri soon found lodging with a retired merchant-captain who took in borders. Most of his fellow residents were foreign ship captains awaiting repairs at local shipyards. The accommodation even included an evening meal of Dutch delights like hutspots and koeckens served with an abundance of alcoholic beverages. The sea captains came from a variety of nations, but most were fluent in Dutch or French and enjoyed sharing their sea-going adventures in a host of salty language. As a group, they were internationally oriented, favoring peaceful conditions to practice their trade. Yet these mariners were independent spirits, with strong views about explosive subjects such as politics and religion. They had little fear of expressing their opinions, particularly following a meal where alcoholic beverages were consumed. The captains liked young Henri and respected his