The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-02-25
WHAT THE BOOMER saw.


The newly built town of D. in a
newly opened country in the far west
was composed of about 500 people.
There were a number of good men
among them who were without wives,
and there were no women for them to
marry. Nudge, the man who had laid
out the town and was booming it, saw
these bachelors grow dissatisfied. and
they were beginning to leave. The
success of the enterprise was being
jeopardized, and Nudge was not long
in learning that it was on account of
the scarcity of women.
The boomer pondered all one night
over the situation and the next morn
ing sent telegram to philanthropist
in the east asking for hundred good,
healthy young women to be sent to
the town for wives. The hundred
girls arrived and were received at the
station by the whole village, the most
interested spectators being the single
men. The girls were provided with
boarding places, and marriages began
at once.
Among the bachelors who looked
upon the arrival of the women was
Lars Jacobson, a middle aged man
who fifteen years before had left his
native Sweden to make nest for
himself and Katrina Hollander, to
whom he was betrothed. He was a
hardworking, frugal man, had gather
ed together sufficient funds for his
purpose and was about to send for
Katrina, when the bank in which his
savings were deposited failed, and he
found himself as poor as when he first
came to America. Discouraged, he
wrote Katrina that she had better
not wait longer for him, and their
correspondence was dropped. Later
he made more money and wrote for
Katrina, but no answer came. He
was informed that she had left her
native village, and it was supposed
that she was dead.
Jacobson went to the station not to
choose wife, but from curiosity, for
his heart was still with Katrina. He
stood with the crowd watching the
girls alight, some of them being joined
by the bachelors, others going away
with married women to be lodged, a
few going to be at once married, most
of them either smiling or blushing or
both, while still others, finding their
position repugnant to them, wore for
bidding visages. Among them was
one much older than any of the rest.
Something about her reminded Jacob
son of his lost love. One of the
bachelors approached her, and Jacob
SOD saw by her manner that the man
was proposing marriage. What the
woman said was probably not en-
couraging, for the wooer left her
somewhat crestfallen.
There was something so pitiful in
this woman's situation, older by ten
years than most of the others, that
| Jacobson heart warmed toward her.
He had given up hope of being re-
united with Katrina. Since he could
not have his old love, why not take
this desolate creature into his own
desolate heart and bring an occasional
smile to her wan face? Nudge went
past him scanning typewriter list
of names. jacobson stopped him and,
pointing to the woman he had noticed,
asked her name. Nudge looked at
the woman, then at his list. To each
name was attached brief description.
Josephine Smithson,' he replied
and went on.
Every day Jacobson thought he
would surely go to Josephine Smith
son and ask her to marry him. With
in week after the influx of girls all
were married except this one woman,
and, though Jacobson feared to put
off his proposal lest she should be
married, he could not make up his
mind to abandon his dream of Katrina,
whom he remembered as a young
girl. One day he spoke to Nudge
about Josephine Smithson. Nudge
told him to let her alone. She had
been in Jail. The reason why she
had been included with good girls
was because the philanthropist who
had sent her believed her innocent OF
the crime of which she had been con-
victed. This put stop to jacobson S
| intentions.
Several of the men confessed that
| they had proposed to Josephine Smith
son and had been refused. Indeed,
she showed that her intention in COM
ing to D. was not matrimcny by set
ting up small store. Jacobson met
her several times on the main and
only street of the town, but she had
never raised her eyes to his. But one
day when she passed him she noticed
him and quickly gave him second
glance. The next time she met him
she gave him a prolonged look.
"Why do you look at me in that
way?" he asked.
Because you resemble some one
have known"
And you resemble some one ]
have known. If you did not bear
another name would suppose you
were she.
"I met with a misfortune"-her
voice tremb1ed-''and was told il
would be best to change my name. "
"Who are you 7"
"I am woman of Sweden. My