Middletown transcript., 1883-12-21
ALL DONE BY WIRE.
A HAPPY MARRIAGE BROUGHT ABOUT
BY ELECTRICITY-so NEW
AND ENTERPRIsING IN THE COURT
SHIP LINE.


5 SHIP LINE.
Several years ago there died in St.
John, n B., manufacturer of paper
boxes. The deceased was named Odell,
and, after his estate was settled up,
mortgages satisfied, and lawyers paid,
the widow found herself without money
enough to live except in the most
meager manner. She had one child.
The child was daughter, whose name
was Minnie A. j., and in order to aid
her mother, the young lady undertook
to learn telegraphy. She mastered the
art, and in a year was engaged by the
Western Union Company at st. John.
She remained in the company's employ
with satisfaction for year without
anything happening to change the cur
rent Of her easy and uneyentful life,
until about eighteen months ago. AT
that time a man went into the sub
office where she was employed to send
a message to Forth Worth, Texas
The young lady took it and transmitted
it to its destination. The operator at
Forth Worth, who received it, also had
history. He was young man, whose
father was a Virginia Shareholder and
colonel in the confederate army.
His name was Allingham, and he was
killed during the war, leaving a widow
and young son. Young Allingham,
whose name is Henry H., by peculiar
coincidence chose telegraphy, as Miss
Odell had chosen it, more from neces-
sity than inclination. He received the
message which was sent by the young
lady from st. John, and something in
the mechanics of its translation at
tracted his attention. He telegraphed |
back to know who was sending it. |
The answer was returned " A young
lady" With natural CALAMITY young
Allingham replied "You send we'll. -
Not to be outdone, Miss Odell replied
"And so do you." Naturally, and
just as two persons would fall into a
conversation in a parlor after an intro
duction, the st. John young lady and
the Fort Worth young man fell into a
conversation over the wires. They de-
scribed the places where they lived,
they told who they were and many
other things. In time the wire from
Fort Worth, it was noticed, was pretty
much always "hitched on'' to the wire ,
from st. John, when the Texas opera
tor had nothing else to do. In like ;
manner it was observed the st. John :
young lady was talking very frequently ;
with the other end, almost, of the an :
tipodes. This thing, after several y
became alarmingly frequent. Il
The Fort Worth young man called on
The young lady in st. John before .
(by wire). a
He called her up at midday to take 9,
lunch with him (by wire), and in the =
evening he sat on sofa with her, r
,lasping her fair form with his sturdy !,
light arm, and pressing her heaving 6,
BOSOM against his starched shirt.front :,
by wire). These devoted attentions =,
the advantage, at least, of se
)eing prompt, and one may believe it ~
II not-the sequel proves its truth
he st. John damsel and the Fort =,
Worth youth fell in love (by wire. It
vas in the nature of the case that pho IT
ographs should be exchanged. Here A.
he far-separated couple were obliged
o waive the use of the wire and en-
10y mails. The letters which accom- dl
,anied the interchange of photographs ID
we're the only ones which the pair ever OF
wrote to each other. They aeknowl- Sc
dyed their receipt by wire, and for m
ONE months after their loves ripened ki
long over the wire. As easily as Sc
hough it were done in the parlor of her st
home, Miss Odell last Sep in
ember received what she had long ex- IL
,ected and hoped for. Over the wire di
rom young Allingham came the ques-
ion: "Will you be mine ?" Answer hi
vas returned in the affirmative by wire, N
nd the happy day was set for Novem-
,er 26. Several messages passed by Fl,
wire as to where the wedding should a,
axe place, and as Mrs. Odell could not n,
ravel to Texas, it was finally decided I,
o split the distance and meet at -
'oint midway. The point selected was h,
Jhicago, and on November oath a fr
old lady and bright, viva q,
ious girl, with brown eyes and wavy, hi
.olden hair, appeared at the Briggs 70
louise and registered as Mrs. Odell so
nd daughter, st. john" On the 26th "
good-looking young man, with a sun II,
face and an easy carriage reg m
stored "H. II. Allingham, Fort nj
Vorth,o and inquired for Mrs. Odell or
nd daughter He was shown to -
heir room, and the bell-boy who led a,
he way tells of the meeting between a,
he young couple who had never met, he
ut who were soon to be man and wife.
'he young lady had been anxious and
inpatient all day, and as the brown sa
aced young man entered Mrs. Odell's Ei
oor, the young lady, radiant and low he
lg, ran forward to meet him. be
Harry p r,
6 Minnie ~ he
II should have known you in frc
minute by your picture . gi
And you." oil
Then," said the boy, she jumped in
lto his arms and he gave her hug E;
Ike bear, and then the door closed to
nd had to go down stairs without be
eeing the fun" It
A few hours later the Rev. Mr.. Bur- ag
d.,