Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1915 — HAPPENINGS in the CITIES Lives as a Hermit in Fashionable Neighborhood [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS in the CITIES

Lives as a Hermit in Fashionable Neighborhood

OMAHA, NEB.—Jut across the slier north of Dodge street and east ol Thirty-fifth street Is a humble little cottage in which Theodore Harden|yir»r lives alone. For one score years this venerable German has maintained a residence at. this location

and ho is the last of a colony of squatters who settled on a tract of land which was owned by Dr. G. L. Miller. Surrounded on every hand by comfortable and commodious homes, he enjoys life in the three small rooms which he calls home, sweet home. He Is a striking example of the verity of the statement that happiness may be found in the most humble of places. Mr. Hardenhecker is eighty-five years of age and happy,

reads bis German papers, smokes his pipe, takes a walk every morning, has triends, cooks his own meals and expects to live to be one hundred years old. gome years ago the squatters were ordered from this tract, but this old man declined to move without first making an effort to stay. He bad grown used to the little habitat which he fashioned with his own hands. Dr. G. L. Killer became Interested in the man and arranged to allow him to stay as long as he lived. He pays no taxes and is sure of his home until the final summons shall come. ) lfr. Hardenbecker makes picture frames for He has built up a nice little business, enough to supply his few wants. He never worries and he takes a keen interest in affairs, considering his years. He believes in the old saying, "Early to/bed and early to rise, makes a healthy, wealthy and wise.” He says he is healthy and wise and even wealthy, because he has all he really needs. He retires at 9:30 o’clock and gets up at midnight for a soothing pipe of tobacco. After his midnight communion with Lady Nicotine he goes back to sleep and is up again at six o’clock. He seldom misses a morning walk. He does all of his own housework except the laundry, which he sends out He has no kin in this country. His wife died a few years ago. He has a daughter in Germany and the other afternoon he said that this daughter has four sons in the European war. This same daughter has seven girls.