The National tribune., 1900-09-20
Romance of the Barge once.
AiusTee's

There seems to be manifold oppOrtuni-
ties among the immigrants coming to
America on shipbOard for falling in love,
particularly on the slower steamers, when
people are thrown together for period of
from II to Is days. In this case, a wor-
thy young Russian was cheated ont of
Il very pretty bride by likely Italian fell
low-traveler of the maiden. Strangely
| enough, she knew not one word of Italian
nor he n word of Russian; yet the brides
| cOuntryman was Tilted, and the pantomime
lovers were married, and set forth gayly
and confidently to learn each other and
the great New World they had entered
at one and the same time. Another case
was equally udicrous. A Swedish mai
| den of somewhat tickle mind fell in love
with fellow voyager, without apprising
| him of the fact that she was betrothed
| TO another man whom she was to meet al
the Barge Office and marry. 1t was her
intention to hurry ashore with her new
lover and outwit the former by a prior
ceremony; but the red tape of the office
prevented that, and the first lover came
| to welcome his bride. She then as prompt
| ly fell in love with Number One; but when
Number Two pleaded and threatened, she
| could not decide which one she loved the
better, SO she was detained while the two
men haunted the Barge Office, glaring at
each other. When the detention time had
elapsed, the bride, still not knowing her
mind, was sent unceremoniOusly back on
the same steamer that brought her over.
both Tilted lovers abandoning the field in
despair. But on arriving on her native
soil once more, the maiden dared not face
her people; so back she came, having just
money enough to pay her passage. and
sent for Lover Number One, declaring
that she loved him the better. He re
piled that he was very much obliged; but
as he had already married handsomel
girl in the interval, he was compelled to
decline to come for her. The maiden then
sent word to Number Two to like effect,
but he declared that he had had enough
If the tickle feminine, and thus in defeat
the maiden was transported back again
to face the leers and jeers of her native
hamlet.
Barge Office assertions are painfully
common. Too often men allow their wives
and children to come to America, where
they expect to be received with open arms
and the latter discover that the husband
and father has, in the interval, attached
himself to mettle more attractive, and the
deserted ones are deported. Like cases
occur with the aged, and these are truly
pitiabe When the old people become a
burden to the children in Europe. they
are sent with seant ceremony to their chill
dren here. The latter are perhaps too
selfish to have regard for the old folks,
and too often they are depOrted, perhaps
only to be shuttlecOcked back again with
in a few months. One old woman was
shuttlecocked across four times within a
year, barred out on both sides of the
water, and died at sea, homeless and
friendless, with children in both CONT
nents prosperous and well able to make
her declining years at least peaceful and
calm.
OF runaways there are scores every
year at the Barge Office. 1t seems that
whenever a married man has deserted
wife and children for a cOmely young girl,
or married woman has fOresaken an ell
derby husband for a younger lover, they
make straightaway for New York, as if
it were the universal haven of refuge. In
flee manage to get at the exact truth; for,
having no marriage papers, husband
and wife" are separately questioned as to
the time and the place the ceremony was
solemDiZed. AS both are lying, their stOr-
les frequently do not agree. 1t is usually
the man who is first to confess the runa-
way. This is because the woman has
everything to lose and the man everything
to gain, for he can desert her at will,
even as he deserted wife and children
abroad, and with even less conjunction
of conscience. The woman, and some
times the man, suffer deportation. If the
latter has money, he is allowed to remain,
since there is no law to prevent him, I'M
less, of course, the wife across the water
has caused her husbands arrest through
the foreign consul here. There is usually
property as well as a personal crime in
these runaway events.