The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-12-02


And you'll ne'er want friend
Till you no more can lend,
And yourself need to borrow a Dollar or
two.
THEY MET AND PARTED.
About twenty years ago steamboat
sailed from a European port to this
country. Among those on board were
q French Huguenot gentleman and a
Young English lady. They had never
met before; but no sooner did they see
each other than an attachment sprang
up between them, which soon ripened,
upon acquaintance, into mutual esteem
and enduring love. The vessel, when
seven days out, struck upon Cape
Rock, and became total wreck. Most
of the passengers were saved, among
them the persons alluded to, and land
ed, in small boats, at Chance Cove. a few
miles north of the cape. Here they re-
mained for several days, living la
Robinson Crusoe, until they were OBJ
served by coasting vessel and taken
off in small parties to st. John, New
Foundland. At this place the subjects
Of my story were united in marriage.
The only means of getting away from
st. John was either to wait for the re-
lief steamer, which the captain Of the
wrecked vessel had (by way of st. John,
New Brunswick) telegraphed to his
port of destination in the United States
for, or take the fortnightly mail-steam-
er to Halifax. AS this latter course in
volved the payment of passage, and
most of our shipwrecked people had
lost. their all on the sharp-pointed rocks
of Cape Race, but few could avail them
selves of it. On the other hand, to-
await the relief vessel involved a fur
ther detention at St. John of, it was be-
lieyed, fully two months-not very
pleasant prospect in such a place. In
this dilemma our hero resolved upon a
ruse. He and his wife hid themselves
in different places on Board the Halifax
steamer when she was ready to sail.
Their plan was to remain concealed un.
Ill she was ont at sea, and then to dis
cover themselves. The gentleman had
friends at Halifax, and knew he could
obtain funds when he arrived there.
They were both young, giddy creatures,
and hardly understood the foolish nature
Of their enterprise. y. s-g.,i i
Well,.thesSessel put to sea and, after.
raSfeW hours sof seclusion, the French
gentleman made his appearance. This
WAS the signal for a volley Of curses
from the captain of the vessel, and a
cruel order condemning the stow-a-way
to the martyrdom Of q coal-bunker.
But our hero cared nothing ior either
the heat of the furnace or the. smut of
the coal. He had gained his passage
and his misery would be over IN Two
days. The only thing he cared about
was his wife. Sc he went to work al
stoking coal with will, determined
first to allow the captains rage to oloW
oyer, and then to search out his hidden
sweetheart.
Imagine his horror and despair when
he heard, shortly afterward, from
brother stoker, that his wife had been
discovered before the vessel left port and
put ashore. In vain had she called up
on her husband, who could not hear
her; in vain she asserted to the infu-
rated captain that her husband was
slowed away on the vessel, and that she
would not be parted from him. She
was heard with derision, and treated as
all unscrupulous and vicious person; so
THAT she was doubtless landed in st.
John not only minus a husband, but
also minus character for rsspectability:
At least, this was the conclusion to
which her unhappy husband arrived as
he looked over the trackless waters
about the vessel and cursed the repeated
misfortunes they had visited upon him.
However, there was no help for the sit
nation until he could reach Halifax.
Next day, or the day after, he was
kicked rather than put ashore, and
found himself in the streets Of Halifax
in euise SO suspicious that, but for his
obvious air of gentility, he would not
have been received at the Arcadlan Ho-
tel, where be had the courage to apply
for board. :,
To make the story short, he succeeded
in finding his friends and having his
drafts honored, a thing he could not ac-
complisl in Newfoundland. Then he
offered to pay for his stolen passage in
the steamer, an offer which was impu-
IDENTIFY refused by the agents. He final
ly took passage back in the same vessel
for St. John, with the view of resculng
| his wife from her uncomfortable ana
perilous position there.
But new troubles were In store Tor
him. When he arrived ut st. John he
found that the relief vessel from the
States had arrived before she was ex-
pected, and that his wife had taken pas
sage in her. She had left letter be-.
| hind for him, explaining tnat she had
deemed it best to pursue this course
rather than lose the only opportunity
that promised of getting away from a
place 80 odiOus, and where she had no
! friends; that she could not be certain of
the success of his enterprise to Halifax /;
that she had written to him at Halifax,
and to their common port Of destination
| in the States, to the same effect; and
that she would await his arrival at the
last named place at the house of the
friends with whom she was travelling,
AS it subsequently, turned out, 1t
seems that this inexperienced young
creature had made two very important
mistakes. In the first place, the relief
vessel did not 60 to the port to which
the wrecked vessel was bound; in the
second place, her friends did not live at
the last named place, but somewhere
else, supposed to he out West, 30 that
5twhen, after many detentions, our heart.
broken Frenchman found his way 10
the port of destination, he could discoV-
er no trace Of his wife.
| Among the requirements OF the State
laws upon immigration Is one that de-
mands of each alien passenger his
name, vocation, place of destination
etc. After some weeks of knocking
tabopt the seaport, our Frenchman heard