The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-07-01
The Wedding Day
A Tale Of New Amsterdam
By HELEN INGLEHART
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

There lived in the town of New Am
sterdam, which is now the great city
of New York. Dutchman-they were
all Dutchmen there then-named Peter
Van Gaasback. Peter had a daughter,
Katrina. whose eyes were as blue as
the vault of heaven, whose cheeks
were like two roses floating In pan
of milk and whose hair hung down her
back like lovely woven fax rope.
Now, there were a people not far to
the east of New Amsterdam who were
Of English extraction and of an entire
ly different makeup from the Dutch
These were the Yankees. Whenever
the two peoples met for trade-they
never met for anything else except to
fght-the Dutchman invariably went
home with nothing, while the Yankee
had twice as much as he had before
1t is not to be wondered that the for
mer hated the latter.
Pardon Langdon, the Yankee who
bad won Katrina's young heart, was
long, lean, hungry looking youth who
walked with slouchy gait, drawled
his words and did not appear to know
enough to go under cover when it
rained. Nevertheless he was not to
be shaken from his purpose to marry
Katrina despite the refusal of her ia
Their and mother and the principal citi-
zens of New Amsterdam. These prin.
cipal citizens, including her father,
met to take measures to prevent the
robbery of one of the most beauteous
of their lassies by Yankee and her
transfer to the cabbage fields of Con-
necticut. A great deal of schnapps
was consumed, and many pounds of
tobacco were smoked--for a Dutchman
could not deliberate without both when
the council came to the conclusion that
the best way to prevent Katrina's mar
rying Yankee was to marry her to a
Dutchman.
No sooner was this decision reached
than every unmarried man present put
forward claim for the position of
Katrina's husband, whereupon her
father announced that she should be
welded to the man among them who
could show the largest number of pelt.
ries-for that was the sole business of
the town-and old Dietrich Van Grin.
Gle. some sixty years old. baldheaded
and with the palsy, having shown that
he owned more skins than any other,
was selected to save Katrina to the
community.
This was too much for Katrina's
mother, who from this time sided with
her daughter. But Katrinas mother
was the stupidest woman in New Am
sterdam. Katrina told Pardon Lang
don all that had happened and that
she was to be forced to marry old Van
Crincle on the fifteenth day of June
coming. Pardon told Katrina to per-
suade her father to promise her that
If she was not married to Dietrich Van
Crincle on the 18th of June, 1917, she
should not be forced to marry him at
all, but should be permitted to marry
whomsoever she liked. Katrina, aided
by her mother, spent a week persist.
emily entreating- the old man to grant
this request. and he, worn out by their
opportunities. finally gave in. But be
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
of her and her mothers work done
upon her father he told her to tell her
mother to meet him that night at 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 to
his daughter, of his wifes 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 had been turned back
day, no day had been lost. But he
became involved in his own argument
and sat down in confusion. Others
endeavored to set the matter right, but
met with no better success than Ten
Brock. Then the bridegroom expect
ant attempted to show that the day
appointed for the nuptials had arrived,
but he only succeeded in proving that
q 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 coptinued
till it began to grow dark, and all went
home to supper and to 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 was satisfied that it |
was now Mt least the 10th Of the |
and he was not quite sure but
It was the 18th. Katrina's mother got |
so mixed in her calculations that her |
was lost entirely. The IA
her hainp satisfied that Mhatever WAS |