The small town of Bad Mergentheim in which Droozy was born was as beautiful as a picture postcard. It had a big park in which you could stroll for hours. Travelers would come from all over Europe to vacation there and to drink the healing waters of the sulfur springs. These waters were said to be healthy and would help people with all sorts of illnesses like stomach, kidney and liver problems. Droozy would sometimes walk there with her parents on a weekend afternoon.

There were also many little shops in the town; they were all around Droozy’s house. There was a bakery which sent wonderful smells of fresh baked rolls and bread through the air. There was a butcher shop, a candy and ice cream and pastry place, a pharmacy, a tavern, and many other interesting stores. Of course, there was the Abners’ shoe store, which sold boots and all kinds of sturdy shoes for children and adults. Farmers would come from neighboring villages and towns to buy work boots and shoes for themselves and their families. There was also another shoe store, “Iggersheimers”, a short distance from the other shops which was stocked with fancier and more expensive shoes.

Some distance away was the schoolhouse. It was scary. Sister Fanny didn’t mind it.   She didn’t seem to care when morning came and it was time to get up, get ready and go to school. One day Droozy was taken there to attend kindergarten. With heavy steps she held on to her mothers hand and walked the short distance to school. She said goodbye to Mama and entered the classroom where many children were already sitting at desks with chairs attached.

Droozy stood for a time near the door and after a few moments while children were coming in, she stepped out. She hid behind a wall outside of the classroom. When the door opened to let some more students in, Droozy quietly mixed with the crowd and slipped out the door. Once outside and away from the building she ran as fast as she could away from that hateful place called school. To Droozy it seemed like a jail, a prison where one had to sit still. Droozy was a free spirit who liked to run, to play and to have fun. She liked the out of doors, the trees, the parks, the flowers. She liked to look at the market place in the center of town, near her parents’ house, where the fruit, vegetable and flower vendors sold their wares. She liked looking at the tourists who walked around with glasses of the healing sulfur water in their hands. All that fascinated her, but to sit in a schoolroom, with no fresh air and a bunch of strangers seemed too much for her to bear.

After leaving the school Droozy went past the pastry shop and breathed in the delicious aroma of those artfully decorated cakes. What she liked best were the “marauds”, chocolate covered pastries with mounds of whipped cream peering out of the top. She could just taste them in her mind’s eye as her mouth watered. She walked past the colorful stalls with the fresh looking apples, pears and grapes and past the pharmacy with its large window which contained a small bronze scale which gleamed in the sunlight. Finally Droozy stopped in front of the fancy shoe store. There was a display of the most beautiful shoes she had ever seen, beige and red sandals and a pair of black patent leather children shoes with straps and a button to close them, not the ugly high tie shoes which she had on her feet, and which she had gotten from her parents’ store. She stood in front of that window for a long time and when people came by she would point to all of those elegant shoes and say: Pretty shoes, pretty shoes!

   It was not too long before Droozy was hungry. She slowly walked home. Her parents had not noticed her missing because by this time all other children had gone home from school as well. Much later Droozy’s parents learned of their young daughter’s adventures and that she had advertised the shoes of their competitor’s store.

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Introduction
Pork Dumplings
Please Don't Eat the Goldfish
Pretty Shoes
Blueberry Cake
Sukkot
The Garden
Maxel
The Red Rabbit
Passover
The Lost Bathing Tickets
What Shall I Do?  The Double Message
Pieces of Gold
Aromas of the Sabbath
The Birth of a Brother
Green Apples
Herr Kübler
The Broken Leg
Boarding School
The American Calendar
Suse Puppe
Shirley Temple Eyes
Kristallnacht Nov. 9, 10, 11
Aunt (Tante) Mathilde
Ice Skates
The Cologne Cathedral
The Escape
A Belgian Holiday
Gas Balloons and the S. S. Washington
Papa
The Statue
A Bad Dream
A Pencil Thief
The West Virginia Hills
Thanksgiving
Ice Cream, Grieben and Baked Spaghetti
The Gypsy’s Song
Venetian Blinds
The Deaf One
Dimmed Lights
Marryyayo
Friendship
Norma Mae
The Spelling Bee
Run, Thief, Run!
Chances
The Candy Store
The Birthday Party
Deep, Shallow Waters
Red Riding Hood
Small Mama
Droozy In Love
Eskimo Pies
Apple Picking Time
Working Days
Easter Baskets
Valedictorian
Farewell
Blind Joe
Lessons Learned From Parents
About the Author