The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1901-05-03
A SHORT STORY.
MARRIED, WITH AN OCEAN BETWEEN.

MARRIED, WITH AN OCEAN BETWEEN.
or the "American Abroad" Of
whom Charles Battell Lomis is writ.
ing In the Century, one Of the oldest Is
Jonathan Tainter, who loves his wife
at long range for thirty years, the
broad Atlantic keeping them separat-
ed all that time, but interposing no
barrier OF their mutual affaction.
"The amount OF seasickness she
saved by s,ayin' to hum," says iona.
than, couldn't be reckoned 'thout l
was a scholar, which l amt took
to my berth before we was out Of
sight Of land, an cf the brimstun oi
the future is any wus 'an l suffered !
don't want to die. But wished !
could die all the way over. l come
right here to London, because there
was man l knew comm here, too,
an wrote to Cynthy to come right
over as soon as she could, an we'd live
aour lives aout here; fer bad as it was
here, nothin' on top OF creation could
temp me to go back, not even her
pretty face"
He stopped u minute and half,
closed his eyes, and l fancy he was
calling her pretty face back through
the thirty years.
swell, well, that was hard lines" F."
said l.
"Yes, but it was wuss when got
her reply. She told me she hedn' t had
a happy minute sence l left, although
she had gone up to SaratOgy, but the
water tasted like something was into
it., an she'd come away after one day,
aD' was now on the farm at Good.
speeds Landing. An she said tlet II
Id ben so sick she'd probably die, an
SHE couldn't bear to think OF bein'
hcaved into the Atlantic, an must
stop where she was. Ah, me! Since
then we've BEN as lovin' as we could
be, writin' reg'lar an rememberin'
each others birthdays an aour wed.
din anniversaries: but we hain't sot
eyes on each other. an won't until
we're both safe on that other shore
they tell US abaOut. An l hope tl,ct
trip'll be a smooth one"
sand what does Mrs. Taintor do all
alOnc?"
He knocked the ashes out of his pipe
and put it into his pocket before he
replied:
"SEc runs the old farm as l never
could have run it. She's a born farm.
er, that wife OF mine Is. She has a
hired man to help, but she does good
share Of the work herself. an every
year she sends me half the airnings;
an l live on here, hatin' II all an
hOpin' for the time to come when the
Ocean'll- either dry up or freeze over,
or that Cynthy will-HvercOme her dis.
like to the trip. Married life amt
e'zac1y pleasant Sc fur apart, but l
GIN truthfully say we've never quar'led
sence come here. an l amt seen a
women scnce landed thet could hold
a candle to Cynthy. Cynthy Is a
pretty gal"
Shortly afterward the old man re-
tired to his own room, and then my
friend, who had not spoken since w
came out, wickedly limited that may
be Mr.. Taintor only imagined that h.
loved Cynthy, and that they wert
happier separated, but l hate to spoi
idyls In that way. 70 me It Is yer,
beautiful, the thought Of that dea'
old lady IN Copnecticut, who runs th'
farm and writes loving letters to hel
expatriated spouse and sends him
share of the profits, but who cannot
overcome her antipathy to the un
stable sea. And when l think OF Mr.
Taintor as he appeared that evening
| 10 Bloomsbury, with his honest Van.
kee face, and his loyalty TO Yankee
traditions, and his ardent love for his
absent wife, say, "Hurrah for both
OF them"