Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-01-23
An Arctic Romance.

Owing to the atmospheric infunces,
courtlng In Greenland Is conducted on
a somewhat different plan from what II
Is in this country. However, Cupid
gets his work In pretty much the same
as he does In countries where the cli-
mate 10 sultry.
A young Esquimanx loved . young
Esquimauxess, so TO speak, and his AZ
feation WAS lavishly reciprocsted,
Ii was her father who failed to rscipro-
cate. The young lover was poor, aad
consequently this Arctic Morosini had
a very poor opinion OF him. la Green.
land the would-be husband has 70 pay
for his wife. The brides father re-
ceives . certain quantity Of fish oil and
bear skins. In Greenland daughters
are source Of revenue to their psrentsl
Ii is hot as IL is In civilized countries
where the young ladies In order TO cap
ture husbands are required to have
money or In other words men have to
be paid TO marry them. In civilized
countries wives arc usually sold, badly
sold, by their husbands alter they get
married. In Greenland they are sold
before marriage.
But Ia resume. The young lover had
TO assets for ish oil, aud he was short
on bear skins. He was poor fisher
man. The only hsh he caught were
those that got away, hence the girls
father refused to cooperate. The would
lie bride began to pine, aud although
she lost her appetite, she took her biub-
Der regularly every day. Al last the
old nan partially relented. lie con-
sented that the marriage should take
place upon the groom giving his note
for the fish oil aud bear skins, at ninety
days, the father retaining a vendors
lien, SO to speak, on the daughter.
Tie young couple were married, aud
moved into M ice house on the opposite
side OF deep ravine that separated them
from the residence OF the brides father,
a natural bridge Of Ice forming the OILY
means OF communication.
Bad luck seemed TO pursue the young
man. Owing To the fact that he spent
most OF his time at home. cultivatins
the donestic virtues, he was not very
successful la the chase. His wife, more
over, encouraged him In his habitA Of
idleness.
One day after = brief absence, tho
young husband on returning TO his hut
discovered that Il was vacant. During
his absence the grasping fathsr-In-law
Che note having run out) had forsclosed
the vendors lien on hls unpaid
daughter. The grief aud despair OF the
young husband might have drawn tears
from the eyes Of the tax collector. The
long polar night was just beginning to
set In. and he could not hope 70 redeem
his wife before daylight, which Was six
months OF. How could he be able ~
spend the long winter evenings alone
without his wife 10 cheer him upf
Finally, be makes up his mind TO at.
tempt something desperate. A. aoou
as IL had been dark for about u week or
10, he sneaks up TO the hut Of his faith
er-in-law. In that country everybody
sleeps sound. The young wife 10 re-
posing not far from her grssping father.
rhe husband slips into the hot whIch
is dlmly lighted with small oil lamp.
He seizss his sleeping wife, and carry
Ing her noiselessly out, places her In his
sleigh drawn BY reIndsers, and La less
time than IL takes to narrate Il, 'be 10
over the bridge Of Ice that scans the rs-
vine. Being once on the other side,
and borrowing MI axe from = nrigdbor
he destroys the bridge made OF huge
blocks OF Ice, thus cutting on all CON-
munication with the house OF. his W.
natural father-in-lsw. Weeks aud
monlhs must pass over before the bridge
can be restored. Then he carries bis
beloved wife, who Is still s:eepius, into
his hut. BY the light Of his nIckerlng
oil light he bends over his captured
beauty to imprint kiss upon her lips.
He recoils IN horror. Then emits
wall that startles :he polar bears within
mile Of the North Pole. Deceived by
the similarity Of dress--oh and young
dress alike in tho Arctic region --hs had
Inadvertently abducted his mothsr.ln-
hw.-Tszss SVfiags