The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-29
A Singular
Marriage
By DONALD CHAMBERLlN

r
erson l little thought that within five
DAYS she would be my wife and we
would be married in way such as no
couple had been married before.
/ was going abroad to establish a
wireless telegraph station, wireless te-
Biography being my profession. | kept
away from the wireless office on the
ship. fearing TO make known my inter
est in wireless matters, and | did not
care to have what | might say re
ported. But a time came when this
did not deter me.
We were steaming along through a
thick fog one afternoon when suddenly
/ felt n shock. We had collided with a
vessel, which passed out of sight, leav-
ing us with big hole in our ships
bottom. | ran TO the wireless office
and from that time till the vessel went
down l alternated with the operator
calling for help. Meanwhile the ship
had been put on a course toward the
shore, and when we We're left on the
water we were not far from it.
| was picked up by boat that had
left the ship with but few persons in
her, and during the exposure that fol
lowed they all died. How kept body
and soul together | am at loss to
know. | have hazy remembrance of
the boat being overturned and l ex-
pecting to he drowned. But later l
found myself lying on a beach. This
seemed like life to me. and ! made an
effort. Sitting up, | looked about me
and saw only bodies of those who had
been washed ashore from the wreck.
1t was a grewsome sight, one that
shall never forget And I was Cypress
ed with the thought how narrowly
had escaped like fate.
Presently | arose and staggered
about on my feet One of the first oh
iects to confront me was the girl |
had seen on the steamers deck-Hel-
en- Timerson, | supposed she was
dead. | approached her and saw that
she breathed. | had flask in my
pocket with top well screwed on, and
had refrained from taking the last
revived her
Looking about me. | discerned at "a
distance the antennae of Il wireless
station. Expecting that there would
be persons there, took Miss Timerson
in my arms and carried her there
What was my surprise to find the
place deserted. Why no one was there
is another story, too long to be giver
here. Leaving the young lady on Q
lounge, | went on the roof of the sta
ton building and saw that we were
on an island, though the mainland
was dimly visible. There were pro
visions in plenty. and | prepared some
thing for Miss Timerson, feeding he
carefully.
Well, to make long story short. WI
were the only two persons on that Is
land for a week. Others started to e.
there, but were turned from thei
course Within a couple of days o
our arrival the young lady and | hat
quite recovered our strength, and
noticed that she seemed concerned a
the equivocal position in which sh
was placed being alone with man
told her that the circumstances II
which we were placed would preserv
us from scandal. She replied tina
they should preserve us, but the.
would not. There were always pei
sons who would take advantage o
: such IA situation to cast Il slur.
| told her that if she felt that wa.
about the matter there was but one re
course for us-to be married. Ate
much wondering without reply to thi
she said that she did not see how W
could he married. since there was II
one to marry us and no witnesses.
plan occurred to me for Il marriag
ceremony that would be legal, but
seemed SO wild that | said nothing I
her about it at the time.
: The next day | led Miss Timerso
into the operating room and began t
call for ships out at sea. | soon cam
in touch with tramp steamer 80
miles distant and asked If there was
clergyman aboard. The reply being |
the affirmative, | called for him an
asked if he would marry couple b
wireless. He assented. and then toll
Helen what | had done.
We were an hour talking the matte
over, at the end of which time W
agreed to be married. l called the shi
I had called before, gave the parse
our names and such other informatio
as was required, and we went throug
.. n marriage ceremony by wireless tele'
raphy. The minister was requisite
to send the certificate to her address
duly witnessed by two persons G
board the vessel
The day after our union boat a
rived, bringing persons to take chars
of the station and the same boat toe
me and my bride to the mainland. @
reaching it we learned Of the gre'
= commotion excited by the loss of Il
Is Arganda and that we had both been +
: ported among the missing.
, Before going among our friends N
e wife requested that nothing be sa
u about our marriage until she could a
t certain how our being together on
l. deserted island would be received. 81
. soon had cause to announce to t
l. world that we were man and wife.
II Although our marriage was for Il
purpose of avoiding a blemish, it tur
'r ed out to be very happy union. v
u have been blessed with numero
ID progeny, and nothing has occurred
cause us to regret the step we took.
Perhans That's Mhv He's Boss