LINER ROMANCES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16869, 16 October 1920, Page 5

LINER ROMANCES.

HOW THEY BEGIN—AND USUALLY END. Within a very short time two stories illustrating the changes apt to take place in a girl’s heart under the influence of a. voyage in a liner have aroused public interest, writes an “ExPurser” in the London Evening News. First there was the case of the young girl going out to America to be married. On hoard she met a more fascinating soldier, and, having had experience of his kindness, she decided that she would marry him instead of her first choice. The other case was of a woman who met a man while they were both on the way to Peru. They were married by a friendly parson before the ship reached port. Every ship’s officer knows of many cases of this sort; but as a general rule steamship romances end with the voyage. In ships bound for the East or Australia they stand a better chance of lasting, and are usually of a rather more violent nature than in Atlantic liners. This is partly duo to the longer voyage and partly to the more romantic seas through which they pass and the more wonderful skies overhead. But it docs not require q^long'journey for a steamer flirtation, and after the first day out the deck steward usually gives up trying to keep in their proper order the chairs which he has so carefully numbered and labelled. If ho has had had experience ho omits the numbering process to save himself trouble. BROKEN RULES OF RESERVtt Common sense says that in order that the ship shall not ho a place of utter misery everybody on hoard; must .unbend and forget the orthodox rules of reserve. Wore it not so the monotony would he so appalling that nobody would travel at all, and either instinct of the experienced traveller tells the novice so as soon as he stops on board.

■Therefore a stage of intimacy is arrivofl at in hours which would require months or years on shore. The busy, commercial man plays practical jokes, and consumes alcohol, and joins card parties and yarns in a way that ho would deem impossible anywhere else. And the young people who have no taste for horse-piny, or alcohol, or cards, naturally spend their time flirting.

•The cynical experienced traveller will toll you that the worst cases of shipboard flirtation centre round young girls -who are going out to be married. It is certainly true. Disapproving elders seem quite incapable of putting any sort of a damper on sbip-board romances, and it is only short voyages and rough weather which prevent the steamship companies ruining all Cupid’s shore-made plans.