The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-10-04
The Ocean as
A Matchmaker.
IOriginal.]

| Workaday world, but few proportion
ately to those occurring in fields more
propitious. One of the most prolific is
the ocean steamer Sail ships in their
day must have been even more so.
But even with steam there is some
thing invigorating to sentiment for a
couple sitting in coy corners in steam
er chairs or leaning over the rail, look
ing down into the depths of old ocean.
| Tom Roundtree, a citizen of the
United States living in Australia,
found it impossible to get any woman
across either the Atlantic or Pacific
ocean to keep house for him. He was
methodical fellow and did every
thing by plan. Intending to return
some day to his native land and being
prejudiced against Englishwomen, he
did not wish to marry one Of them.
He wrote his sister in America to
come out to him. She consented, but
when she landed at Melbourne Tom
found her engaged to be married to
one of the officers of the ship in which
she came over. He then got up cor
respondence with one of his old flames,
proposed, was accepted, and, as 1t was
inconvenient for him to leave, or, rather,
to save his making two trips instead Of
the girl making one, she consented to
go out and be married in Australia.
She was poor, and Tom not only sent
her money for the trip but for her
trousseau. On the way out she fell in
love with an officer of the British army
and married him before she left the
ship. The money Tom had expended
was never returned.
Tom was angry. He swore a great
oath that the next girl he got engaged
to he would not trust on the ocean,
but would go home and marry her.
A third time he tried. He advertised
in the matrimonial column of a news
paper In America for wife. The adj
vertisement caught the eye of n very
worthy young woman who was making
her own living and pining for a man
to make it for her while she took care
Of his home. The two exchanged ref
erences, and, both turning out salts
factory, they exchanged photographs,
wrote number Of long letters, then
became pledged to each other.
Tom, mindful of his resolution to
trust no woman again on the ocean,
appointed a time for his going to
America for the girl. But when he
was ready to sail business affairs that
he had not counted on made 1t sim
ply impossible for him to leave. He
cabled funds and directions for the
girl to come to him. Then just before
the steamer in which he had engaged
passage for himself sailed a new COM
pleXion came over his business af-
fairs, rendering his absence possible |
He had just time to cable his betrothed |
to remain at home and to catch the |
steamer himself. Having sent the ca
blegram, he hurried aboard and soon |
after found himself on the waters of !
the Pacific.
Tom was used to active business |
and, finding time heavy on his hands, |
made the acquaintance of others of |
the passengers. He played shuttle
board, whist, dominos. He sat on deck |
moonlight nights with parties of men
and women, chatting, cracking jokes |
and singing songs. Among the pas
Sengers was a Russian family. Tom
had always regarded Russians of all
the people of the earth the most bar
barous, but one night when the moon [
light was pouring down on the fea-
lures of one of the family woman
Of some twenty-eight long Russian
winters, he got it into his head that
she was not only beautiful, but q
saint. From that time he wished he
had not to marry some one else when
he reached port.
On landing in San Francisco he was
approached by gentleman, who intro
duced himself as the brother Of his
betrOthed. lie told Tom that his ca
blegram had come an hour after his
sister had sailed for Australia. Here
was a pretty pickle. Tom had come
into port determined to break off the
match with her and marry the Russian
maiden. This slip rendered such a
course a hundredfold more difficult.
uOuOEuDle |
fellow, felt that he could not bring
himself to go back on a girl who had
gone all the way to Australia to mar
~ him. He could do nothing but wait ,
Ill notice was received of the arrival
1T Melbourne of the ship in which she ]
lad sailed.
The agony of the situation was ter
'ible Every day Tom became more
infatuated with his Russian. In love.
lis betrothed gone many thousand
niles to marry him, anxious to get !
pack to his business with wife he
Wished that the woman he was bound r
o might meet with some mishap to
elieve him of her.
Then came news of the wrecking of
he vessel In which she had sailed. .
t was reported that every soul on @
board had been lost. Tom, secretly {
ejoicing, married his Russian. The t
CEREMONY had scarcely been performed !
When he was handed a cablegram. +
lasting his eyes at the signature, he q
ound that it was from his betrothed. \
He turned white as a sheet and q
aught at the back of a chair; then he 5
cad the dispatch: e
Saved. Forgive me. have married the S
urser
Tom fell over into the arms of his +
rife.
After his own detection on the water 4
ON Roundtree ceased to blame the S!
7omen whom he had tried to get to
australia for housekeepingpur He
) q L. e. 20.