The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-03
A Singular
Marriage
By DONALD CHAMBERLIN

for the first time among the passen-
gers who were recovering from mai
de mer and getting out from the ships
smells TO help them do so Helen Tim
erson 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 time came when this
did not deter me.
We were steaming along through a
thick fog one afternoon when suddenly
| felt a 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 | alternated with the operator
calling for help. Meanwhile the ship
had been put on a course toward the
shore, and when we were left on the
water we were not far from it.
| was picked up by boat that had
left the ship with but a few persons in
her, and during the exposure that fol
lowed they all died. How | kept body
and soul together | am Mt a loss to
know. have hazy remembrance of
the boat being overturned and | ex-
pecting to be drowned. But later
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 grewsome sight, one that
shall never forget. And | was oppress-
ed with the thought how narrowly
had escaped a like fate.
Presently arose and staggered
about on my feet. One of the first OBJ.
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 RETAINED from taking the last
drink. This | gave to the girl, and it
revived her
Looking about me, discerned at a
distance the antennae of wireless
! station. Expecting that there would
| be persons there, took Miss Tlmerson
4 in tod ho
| What was my surprise to find the
! place deserted. Why no one was there
Is another story. too long to be given
here. Leaving the young lady on
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 her
carefully.
Well, to make long story short, we
were the only two persons on that is
land for week. Others started to go
there, but were turned from their
course. Within a couple of days of
our arrival the young lady and had
noticed that she seemed concerned at
the equlvocal position in which she
! was placed being alone with man.
! | told her that the circumstances in
which we were placed would preserve
us from scandal. She replied that
| they should preserve us, but they
would not. There were always per
sons who would take advantage of
such a situation to cast slur.
told her that If she felt that way
about the matter there was but one re-
course for us-to be married. After
much bordering without reply to this
she said that she did not see how we
could be married, since there was no
one to marry MS and no witnesses. A
plan occurred to me for marriage
ceremony that would be legal, but It
seemed so wild that l said nothing to
her about it at the time.
The next day | led Miss Timerson
into the operating room and began to
call for ships out at sea. l soon came
In touch with tramp steamer 500
miles distant and asked IL there was a
NiNh r,S AAiui hbOdhhs hC ItDlN DtiIk Ill
the affirmative, | called for him and
asked II he would marry a couple by
wireless. He assented. and | then told
Helen what had done.
We were an hour talking the matter
over, ut the end Of which time we
agreed to he married called the shin
| had called before gave the parson
nd OIL s,,f
as was required, and we went through |
marriage ceremony by wireless teleg- |
raphy. The minister was requested |
to send the certificate to her address.
duly witnessed by two persons ON
board the vessel
The day after our union a boat ar. |
rived, bringing persons to take charge |
Of the station. and the same boat tool,
me and my bride to the mainland. On |
reaching it we learned of the great |
commotion excited by the loss of the |
Arganda and that we had both been re |
ported among the missing.
Before going among our friends nv |
wife requested that nothing be said |
about our marriage until she could as |
certain how our being together on A
deserted island would be received. She |
soon had cause to announce to the |
world that we were man and wife.
Although our marriage was for the !
purpose Of avoiding blemish, it turn |
ed out to be very happy union. We
have been blessed with a numerous !
progeny, and nothing has occurred to. /
cause us to regret the step we took.