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The Seaforth News, 1958-05-08, Page 2Beer Bottle Note Brought Bride Itwas a golden spring day and the Australia -bound liner was passing a lonely groupof sparse- ly inhabited islands in the In- dian Ocean. Leaning over the rail was, a vivacious, suntanned Australian girl Wistfully she gazed at the island and wondered whether somewhere on one of them lived her ideal,anan. "He must be tall, dark; strong and very handsome," she told herself. "Shall. I ever meet him?" Strangely, she could not over- come a conviction which sud- denly seized her as the islands began to recede. She felt con- vinced that the man of her dreams was living and working there. When she went to her cabin the sight of an empty beer bottle on the table gave her an idea. "I'll write to him and seal the note up in this bottle," she de- cided, "and perhaps it will drift ashore and he'll find it." "What a silly thing to do!" ex- claimed her elder sister when she told her at dinner what she had ' done. She ridiculed the whole business. Some time later, however, on the beach of one of the islands, a young man saw a bottle bob- bing about in the water. He waded in and found the note in- side. It was addressed to "The handsomest man living on any island in the Indian Ocean," "That's me," he muttered, smi ing t0 himself. "If you are really the man for me, Mr. Unknown, write to me and tell me all about yourself and enclose your photograph," the note said. "I'm pretty but I'm intelligent, too, and I only want to hear from a bachelor who has brains as well as brawn and good looks. Here is my ad- dress in. New South Wales. • ." When the young man told his bachelor comrades at the island cable station of his discovery, they drew lots, after failing to agree as to who was the hand- somest among them. The win- ner was a young Englishman not the man who had found the bottle. He wrote to the girl. During his next spell of leave he met the girl in Sydney. He 'had all the qualifications needed to ensure that he would be a perfect husband. And she was even lovelier than he had dream- ed. In len, than a year they had married and settled down in Britain. That is a true but extraordin- ary story, When bottles are used as Cupid's messengers, however, the unexpected invariably hap- pens. Time and again messages en- trusted to the sea have resulted In courtship and marriage. A beer bottle found on a south i""Th!e dish of green tea should get you ready for the big parade." coast beach had inside it an ad- dress and the following mes- sage: ,`.`Applyto the above ad- dress for a very fine specimen husband. Disposition mild. Ap- pearance not ° unprepossessing. Habits - inclined to sail, but this could.be cured. Any unmar- ried lady or widow niay apply." Lots of women accepted the in- vitation, enclosing their photo- graphs, and the man who had advertised for a bride by'fling- ing the bottle from a liner was inundated with letters. It took him, months to make up his mind whom to choose. A young unmarried barrister was wandering along the sea- shore at Studland, Dorset, when he picked up' -a wine bottle. Sudg- ing from the date of the love letter inside, it had been floating. in the sea for two years since being first consigned to the waves by a romantic French girl living unhappily with her fos- ter -parents near Cherbourg. "Englishmen fascinate me but I have not met many," said the letter. "My temperament is ard- ent. I ani well educated and pretty and I want to fall in love with a nice man living on Eng- land's south coast. If I do, I can make him very happy. I am at present unhappy, but I have a 'good income." The barrister was on holiday from an inland city, but he de- cided to reply to the letter al- though he suspected it might be a hoax. He enclosed his pass- port photograph and gave his address, He heard nothing for ten months. Then an attractive, beautifully dressed young French woman called at his flat one evening and introduced herself as the writer of the bottle letter. She reveal- ed that since writing it she had married, but her husband had died in a train crash and she was now a widow. Her charm and obvious sin- cerity as well as her prettiness captivated the barrister. He took her out to dinner and proposed. To -day they live in France and have a family of three. Not all romantic bottle mes- sages have happy sequels, how- ever. A note asking the first girl who fouhd it to write was bot- tled and thrown into the sea off the north-west coast of Ireland by a young man who said he hoped that it might be found by someone he could "love and cherish for ever." It was picked up on a North Wales beach about a year later. The girl who found it wrote to the address, only to hear that the young man had been drowned six months earlier while on holi- day. Love letters sent care of Father Neptune sometimes take a long time to reach their` destination. To win a $250 wager, a high- spirited ighspirited young business man liv- ing in the Midlands "posted" four identically -phrased love notes at different points ,,i the North Sea during a yachting holiday. Each was enclosed in a bottle and addressed to "The Un- known Foreign Beauty who I'm sure will find this." He stood to win the wager only if all the girls replied. Three years passed. Then he received replies from one of the girls who invited him to spend a holiday with her in the Scandinavian resort where she lived, during the following summer. He did not accept her invita- tion because he had married an English girl in the meanti. . MOST DIABOLICAL EYES -Parisian model Luce .Bona shows off , "the world's most diabolical eyes". The "Committee of the 'Black Hand", an association of French mystery writers, gave the comely lass the devilish title. ' MAKE A NICE TOY A scale model of the new liner, "France," which will go into service in the North Atlantic in 1960, is floated in the test basin at the Marine Ministry in Paris. The ship will be about 975 feet oing and have a top speed of, 31 knots. .r ! TABLE TA1KS.:. Vii' Ir., cJat e And. As I have enjoyed reading many fine recipes in the Monitor, it occurred to me that your read- ers might be interested in a couple of favorites of mine, which we enjoyed our home as long as our mother was with us. You see,my mother who was born in Germany, came to this country as a young woman, never used a cookbook. When we would ask her how she meas- ured, sh replied: "Mit Gut Den- ken," literally translated "with good thinking." So that is what I had to do when I made "Kartoffel Salat" (Potato Salad) and Potato -Pan- cakes, and my friends found them delicious. Here are the, recipes as I have worked them out writes Alma B. Geiser in The Christian Science Monitor. POTATO SALAD 3 large potatoes boiled in their jackets 4 slices bacon cut in small bits Vs cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon sugar ✓ cup vinegar 1 cup water Salt and pepper to taste. Frybacon and onions to a delicate brown, add sugar, vine- gar, water and seasonings, and, when boiling, thicken slightly with flour. Peel potatoes and cut in cubes or slices. Pour hot dress- ing Over them and let stand in warm place for several hours, the longer the better, even .un- til the next day. Chopped celery, sliced cucum- bers, and even radishes may be added to the potatoes. This makes a most delicious salad. My moth- er used this dressing on cooked green beans as a salad and on finely chopped raw cabbage. * * * POTATO PANCAKES 3 large potatoes 2 eggs 1 teaspoon salt, or snore to taste Peel and grate raw potatoes, add unbeaten eggs and salt, and beat until thoroughly mixed. Put about 4 large spoonfuls in hot greased skillet (bacon grease is wonderful) and use plenty of grease. Fry slowly with cover on, and when edge is crisp and brown, turn and fry on other aide. When done, put it in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest. This makes 3 large pan- -cakes. Leave in oven for 10 or 15 minutes — this makes them light. Never use flour—it makes them heavy. My mother always served canned sour cherries or hot applesauce with these pan- cakes, spooning the fruit right on them. We never had meat with these pancakes. * * * As well as being greens time, spring is fresh fish time. A number of varieties of fresh fil- lets that have been in hiding all winter now beginto appear on the markets. Next time you plan, to serve fish, try combining frseh fillets and greens in 'this colourful fish bake. We think you will agree that it is a very fine platter of fish. SPRING FISH BAKE 1 pound fresh fish fillets Salt 1 cup chopped green onions and tops IA cup chopped celery IA cup chopped parsley 2 tablespoons melted butter Ya teaspoon paprika Sprnikle fillets with salt. If they are large, slice into serv- ing -size portions. Combine chopped green onions and tops, chopped celery, and chopped parsley. Cover the bottom of an ovenproof platter orshallow, greased baking dish with the mixed greens. Arrange fillets on top, overlapping the pieces slight- ly. Drizzle them with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a hot oven (450°F.) for 10 minutes. Makes 3 to 4 serv- ings, * * * Catching fisli may be a matter of luck. It is said that if you step over your fishing pole — or your line — your catch is jinxed! Using your left hand to bait your fishhook is considered unlucky. But, picking up fillets, even with your left hand, can be lucky if you baste them with a flavour- ful sauce and broil them. Here is the' good luck formula which is sepecially successful with freshwater fillets such as pick- erel, bass, or whitefish. GOLDEN BROILED FILLETS 2 pounds fresh fillets 1 tablespoon grated onion 2 tablespoons lemon juice cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt Dash pepper •- IA, teaspoon tarragon Dash paprika 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Combine onion, lemon juice, butter, salt, pepper and tarragon/ Arrange fillets on a greased broiler pan, skin side down, Brush with the seasoned butter. Place in a preheated oven about 3 s inches below the source of heat. Broil 6 to 10 minutes, 'de- pending on the thickness of the fillets, basting once during broil- ing with the remainder ofthe seasoned butter. Do not turn. When the flesh flakes easily on testing with a fork and has lost its watery appearance becoming opaque, remove to a heated plat- ter and garnish with paprika and parsley. Makes 6 servings. The Traffic Bureau of Mexico City has banned wheelbarrows from downtown boulevards as a menace to motorists and pedes- trians. Officials complained that barrowmen ignored signals. Even a cellophane wrapper, if unbroken, can prevent food from being contaminated by radioac- tive fallout, according to the Fed- eral ederal Civil Defense Administra- tion. Radioactive materials may be washed off the cellophane, al- lowing for safe use of the food. Kitchen Aids A little instant MINCED 'ON- ION added to the milk for SCRAMBLED EGGS gives deli- cious flavor. This conveniently moisture free Onion is mild and sweet enough for delicately flavored foods. * * * Decorating a meat dish with RAW APPLE WEDGES makes for pretty serving, while the tart crispness of the fruit brings out the flavor of the meat. * For added flavor, add a BAY LEAF TO THE SAUCE FOR SWISS STEAK, And remember, bay leaf is one of the indispen- sables of the well -seasoned beef stew. TIiICKENING A SAUCE? "One tablespoon of cornstarch is the equivalent of two table- spoons of flour. Nylon Fabric Stain Removal Spots and spills are inevitable, but most of the stains they leave behind may be lifted easily front a nylon fabric. Secret of stain removal is, quick action, of course. Spot* that are fresh disappear more, readily than these that have be- come set. And knowing what caused them is helpful in apply- ing the ` correct treatment Experiments on removing var- ious stains from nylon clothin at time intervals of fresh, 1 hours, and six days, show tha the most .. common stains which occur may be lifted easily froni a nylon fabric by rubbing thent vigorously with warm water and soap, or with warm water alone.. Stains that may be washed out with warm water and soap in- clude fruit juices, tea, coffee, cat- sup, chocolate, powder and lip- stick, as well as shoe polish, fountain pen and duplicator inks, rust and grass stains. For comlete removal, blood or chocolaty milk stains require washing in warm water only. A grease stain may be lifted while fresh with warm water and soap, but if it, has been al- lowed to set for some time, the stained fabric should be placed on a blotter and treated with trichiorethylene. A fresh iodine stain will respond to a weak solution of javel. A ball-point ink stain will disappear if treat- ed with a cleaner called "Var- sol". Fresh mustard stains will wash away with warm water and soap,. but if they are allowed to stay in the fabric for some time, they cannot be removed completely. Stains from ordinary house paints may be lifted while fresh with turpentine or a cleaning solvent.' Alkyd or resin -based paint stains may be removed with a lacquer thinner rather than with turpentine. Washing nylon fabrics call* for warm rather than hot water. Temperature should be no more than the hand can bear. MAKING DOLLY HAPPY For the doll 'who has everything, a• toy firm has come up with something which is certainly ,un- usual and expensive. It's a solid mink baby carriage valued at about $3,000. FIRST MATE, FIRST LOVE -From the time he was a little boy Clark Hawley dreamed of playing the calliope, the musical trademark of inland waterways steamers. He'd sit for hours on the landing and listen to the oom-pah-pah of the''tally ope"floating from the decks of the Avalon and Majestic which stopped in Charleston each summer. At night he would practice on the family parlor organ, imitating the style of the calliope playeron such tunes as "Cruising Down the River", and "Alexander's Ragtime Band". In 1953 he jumped at an invitation to take an Ohio River cruise on the Avalon. But for "tally-ope" lover Clark it was a sad day. No music. No crew member .ould play the caliipce. Clark volunteered and from that day on has; spent every excursion season aboard the Avalon:. Now at 22 he is believed to be the youngest first mate .on the Mississippi River system Although his new: duties keep him quite busy, h still manages (above) to find time occasionally to beat out' :Cruising Down the River" on the 32' battered steam whistles of the Avalon's calliope.