Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1905-03-29
WHAT THE
BOOfIER SAW


Tie newly Dullt town or u IN
newly opened country In the far west
was composed of about 800 people
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 1t, saw
these bachelors grow dissatisfied, and
they were beginning to leave. The sue
cess Of the enterprise was being jeop-
ardized, 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 a telegram to a philanthropist
In the east asking for hundred good,
healthy young women to be sent to the
town for wives. The hundred girls ar
rived and were received at the station
by the whole village, the most interest
ed spectators being the single men. The
girls were provided with boarding
places. and marriages began at once.
Among the bachelors who looked up
on the arrival Of the women was Lars
Jacobson. q middle aged man who If
teen years before had left his native
Sweden to make q nest for himself
and Katrina Hollander, to whom he
was betrothed. He was a hardwork-
ing, frugal man, had gathered together
sufficient funds for his purpose and
was about to send for Katrina, when
| the bank In which his savings were de-
posted 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. Lat
er he made more money and wrote for
Katrina, but no answer came. He was
informed that she had left her netive
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, |
few going to be at once married, most
Of them either smiling or blushing or
BOTH while still others, finding their
nj 70 fzx
bidding visages. Among them was one
much older than any of the rest Some
thing about her reminded jacobson of
his lost love. One of the bachelors APP
preached her, and Jacobson saw by her
manner that the man was proposing
marriage. What the woman said was
probably not encouraging, 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 ia
cobson's heart warmed toward her. He
had given up hope of being reunited
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 scan
ming typewriter list of names. ia
cobson 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 at
tached brief description. {
Josephine Smithson." he replied and
went on.
Every day jacobson thought he
would surely so to Josephine Smithson '
md ask her to marry him. Within I
week after the influx of girls all were q
married except this one woman, and, 4
hough Jacobson feared to put Off his {
proposal lest she should be married, he ?
'ould not make up his mind to aban- '
lon lis dream of Katrina, whom he re- q
rendered as young girl. One day he
poke to Nudge about Josephine Smith d
on Nudge told him to let her alone. e
The had been in jail. The reason why a
he bad been included with good girls Ii
'as because tie philanthropist who Il
&d sent ier lciicYeG hor innocent of
lie crime o? which she had been con- Il
lctec. This put stop to Jacobson's Il
Intentions. 81
Several Of the nlen confessed that o.
hey had proposed to Josephine Smith Il
on and had been refused. Indeed. she Il
bowed that her intention in coming to s.
}. was not matrimony by setting I'D b,
small store. Jacobson met her sew
raj times on the main and only street
the town. but she had never raised
or eyes to his. But one day when she Is
assed him she noticed him and quickly 81
ave him second glance. The next tr
me she met him she gave him q pro- re
'nged look
"Why do you look at me in that W
'ay?" he asked. at
Because you resemble some one I Sc
ave known" br
And you resemble some one l have so
nown. If you did not bear another w
anne l would suppose you were She" DC
Il met with msfortune"-her voice m
embled-"and was told it would be br
EST to change my name" be
"Who are your
Il am woman of Sweden. My be- CT
othed came to America years ago. w,
e was at first successful, then unfor- as
mate, and released me, but / believed lie
needed me and followed him, In an
ew York fell among thieves who To-
ok all my money and made it appear br
at had committed crime they had ha
themselves" 40
'Your betrothed was"-
Lars Jacobson" tb,
Nudge, the boomer, was standing on he
G opposite side Of the street and saw wi
cobson take Josephine Smithson into SUI
5 arms. ca,
That oldlsh girl has gone at last" WI
said. I'm glad some ones caught thu
cobson-if she is Jailbird. The ter
Wn cOlIldn't afford tn loae him III.