Year: 1875

/


! The strange incidents related in the follow


ing sketch are ,vouched tor as strictly true py


q gentleman who arrived at New York on the
steamship Rotterdam, of the Rotterdam and


Antwerp line:
The vessel left Rotterdam August 7th, and


among the passengers in the cabin were
man apparently thirty five years OF age,


named James n Van Seller, and young


lady apparently fifteen years younger, named


Maria Reuter- From the time Of leaving
| port, the two mentioned, attracted much at
| tention, the man for his graceful bearing and


handsome looks, and the young lady for her


beauty; of such a spirituelle type that the
| gentlemen, in talking about her, styled her
''The Madonna"


The ship had not skinned over the dark
blue waters more than two days when the


conduct Of The two excited the curiosity of
the passengers to a still greater degree. They
sat separate at the table, and never while at


even acquainted But in the morning, even
| before the sun had reared its crest out of the
bosom of old ocean, and long after he had
sunk beneath the waves, the objects of curl
osity could be seen engaged in conversation
| in such manner as left no doubt OF their
! being man and wife or lovers shortly to be
| married. But why the necessity Of acting SO
strangely toward each other when in COM
! pany? The female occupants OF the cabin


were on nettles, and determined to solve the


mystery. Whispers prejudicial to the fair
fame Of the Madonna were whispered from


ear to ear and soon they reached the ears of
| the young man.


He was indignant, but spared the young
| lady the recital, and, in order to save them
| from future annoyance, he told the writer's
| informant that he was engaged to be married,
| and that his intended bride thought there
| would be something so romantic about mar
| riage in mid-ocean that he acceded to her


wish. Their acting as they did in the cabin
was so that when the time arrived for their


marriage they all, as his intended said, might
enjoy genuine surprise.


The sixth day out from port was set down
as the time for the auspicious event, and the
! ladies in the cabin were wild with excitement.


On the evening preceding the marriage, as


the sun was dipping its lower edge into the


western horizon, the passengers on deck were


startled by loud shrek from the after part
| of the hurricane deck. They rushed to the
! spot from whence the sound proceeded, and
saw Miss Reuter- stretched on deck, while at
short distance her lover leaned against the
gunwale, his face ashy pale, while upon its
very liniament was depicted an agony that a
man can feel but once in his lifetime.


What dire discovery led to such sublima-
ton Of sorrow? What upas tree, with its


malignant breath, had poisoned the atmos-
phere of love that they but a few brief mo-


ments before had breathed? There stood the


groom of tomorrow, speechless and motion
less, and the head of his intended bride, in
stead Of being nestled in his arms, lay where
it had fallen-upOn the deck.


ho and


strange sight, were amazed, and wondered
| that her lover, whose agony was SO apparent,
did not approach the PROSTATE form. But
the reason would be made apparent soon
enough, and their hearts would bleed for a
grief that had no hope, for blank despair
that can never this side Of eternity be irradi-
ated with one CLEAN Of sunshine.


The young lady was removed at once to her
cabin, and was attended by the ship surgeon,
but it was long before she was restored to
consciousness Her intended husband was
finally induced to enter the cabin, but his
presence brought on paroxsym OF weeping
which threatened the young lady's life, and
he at once withdrew. A few days after the
strange events related had occurred, MIR. Van
Seller, with much hesitancy, related to the
writer's informant circumstances which fully
explained the events of the preceding days.


When boy of ten, he ran away from his
parents, who were residing in the city OF
Amsterdam, and found employment as cabin
boy on ship bound for Java. For five years
he sailed to different parts of the world, and
had accumulated considerable sum OF mon
ey. He concluded, finally, to visit his pa
rents; but on arriving at Amsterdam he heard
that his father was dead, and that his mother
had again married and removed to differ
of %hn IN hoor 10
decided at once to ship again, and since then
has sailed over the world. Ten years ago he
engaged in business in Western town, and
became rich. Two months ago he visited
Europe, and in the city of Rotterdam met
Miss Reuter-, who had been engaged as q
governess A mutual feeling of respect ended
in love- and his proposal of marriage was &C
cepted. She said her parents were dead, and
she had no one to consult in relation to any
step she took in life. He desired the mar
riage to take place before leaving, but, provi-
dentially, the romantic girl wished it to be at
sea, which delay, grievious as the results
were, saved them from fate much worse
than death.


On the evening previous to their intended
marriage, Miss Reuter- spoke Of her mother
as having once lived in Amsterdam, and that


she had been married twice. This fell upon
his ears as the knell of fate; the name of his
father. the circumstance of her half brother


running away to sea when he was 10 years


of age, his reported death by drowning on


the coast of France, and the strange coinci-


dence of his and her lost brothers name be-


ing the same. Not noticing the intense agony
depicted on his face, she drew forth locket,


and their mothers portrait was displayed be-
fore them. With voice sounding as if from


the grave, he grasped her by the arm and


said: ''My God. you are my sister-my own


mothers daughter?' She gave one wild, in