Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-07-27
The Wedding Day
A Tale Of New Amsterdam
BY HELEN NGLEHART
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

/
Oh New YORK. Dutchman they were
all Dutchmen there then-named Peter
Van Gaasback. Peter had II daughter
hatrina, whose eyes were ns blue as
me vault OF heaven. whose cheeks
were like two roses floating In pan
or milk and whose hair hung down her
back like lovely woven flax rope.
| Now, there were II people not far TO
the east OF New Amsterdam who were
pf English extraction and Of an entire
different makeup from the Dutch.
| These were the Yankees. Whenever
lhe TWO peoples met for trade-they
never met for anything else except to
dght-the Dutchman invariably went
home with nothing, while the Yankee
had twice as much rs he had before
it Is not to be wondered that the for.
mer hated the latter.
PARDON Langdon. the Yankee who
had won Katrina's young heart, was
'ong. lean, hungry looking youth who
walked with a slouchy gait. drawled
his words and did not appear to know
enough to go under cover when It
ralned. Nevertheless he was not to
De shaken from his purpose to marry
Katrina despite the refusal of her IA
her ana mother and the principal citi-
| ,ens OF New Amsterdam. These prin.
lpal citizens, including her father.
net TO take measures to prevent the
ROBBERY of one Of the most beauteous
Oh their lassies by a Yankee and her
transfer to the cabbage fields of Con
necticut. A great deal of schnapps
was consumed, and many pounds of
'ooacco were smoked-for Dutchman
couio not deliberate without both henT
'he council came to the conclusion that
the best way to prevent Katrinas mar.
rying Yankee was to marry her TO n
Dutchman.
NO sooner was this decision reached
man every unmarried man present fput
forward a claim for the position of
| hatrlnas husband. whereupon her
rather announced that she should be
welded to the man among them who
'ould. show the largest number OF pelt.
| ries-for that was the sole business of
| he town-and old Dietrich Van Grin
| lie. some sixty years old. baldheaded
| ma with the palsy. having shown that
! ne owned more skins than any other.
was selected to save Katrina to the
community
ms was too much for Katrina's
| mother. who from this time sided with
ner daughter. But Katrina's mother
was the stupidest woman in New Am.
! ierdam. Katrina told Pardon Lang
Ion all that had happened and that
II n hn
! Crincle on the fifteenth day of June
'omlng. Pardon told Katrina to per.
'uade her father to promise her that
she was not married to Dietrich Van
| Crlncle on the 10Th of June. l641, she
/ should not be forced to marry him at
| all. but should be permitted TO marry
| whomsoever she liked. Katrina, aided
| oy her mother. spent week persist
emily entreatinS the old man to grant
| this request. and he. worn out BY their
| opportunities. finally gave I'm. But he
| told Van Crincle what he had done
and warned him to surely be on hand
on the appointed day to claim his
| bride.
when Katrina reported the success
Ut her and her mothers work done
upon her father he told her TO tell her
mother to meet him that night Mt the
base of the tower wherein was the
town clock. The mother did so, and
| Pardon, opening the door for her. told
her TO go up and set the clock back
twenty-four hours. This was done. and
Pardon instructed her that on the 18th
OF June she should tell her husband
what she had done.
The result OF all this was that on
the morning Of the appointed wedding
Peter Van Gaasback called the council
together, told them OF his promise 10
his daughter, of his wife's turning the
clock back twenty-four hours. and that
Katrina now claimed that the day for
the wedding had passed. What should
he do?
Anthony Ten Brock, the clearest
headed man In New Amsterdam. arose
and attempted to prove that. though
the clock bad been turned back
! day, no day had been lost. But he
became involved in his own argument
and sat down In confusion. Others
endeayored TO set the matter right. but
met with no better success than Ten
Brock. Then the bridegroom expect
ant attempted 10 show that the day
appointed for the nuptials had arrived.
but he only succeeded in proving that
a day had been lost by the turning
back Of the clock and 1t was now the
10th OF June. As the schnapps and
tobacco smoke mounted TO the brains
of the Dutchmen the confusion be-
came greater, and the debate lasted so
long that some OF them went to sleep.
while others went home to dinner.
after dinner the discussion continued
I'll it began TO grow dark. and all went
home 10 supper and 10 bed
The next morning Katrina went to
her father and claimed that the 18th
Of the month had passed while the
council were debating and she was
now entitled to marry whom she
pleased.
| The old man yvoa coffofod fbof 10