The Matchmakers

Jill, Tina and Jennifer celebrate Elizabeth's engagement.

The Matchmakers: Tina

Tina is caught on the mountainside and is spotted by a troop of baboons. This story is the only Jane Shaw short story set in South Africa. It was published in the Collins Girls' Annual 1959 and lavishly illustrated.

The Matchmakers illustration

An illustration from the 1959 short story, The Matchmakers, the only short story set in South Africa. Tina's plan is to pretend that she is drowning so that James will rescue her.  However, it turns out that  in the strong current of the stream, no acting is required.

The Matchmakers illustration

A family of baboons take an interest in Tina, forcing her to climb so far up a rock that she can't find her way down and needs to be rescued. From the only short story of Jane Shaw's set in South Africa, The Matchmakers.

Quote of the Day

The three girls were lying on a flat rock overhanging the river. The hot African sun warmed their backs, below them the clear waters of the Umlambonja rushed by, round them towered the great mountains of the Drakensberg, the Horns, the Bell, the Cathedral Peak and opposite them the Baboon Rock: well-named, for the girls had often seen an old baboon crouching in just such a way on the mountain slopes while the flightier members of his family played around him. There were no houses in this remote spot among the mountains, only the hotel hidden in a fold of the hills, and, up and down the valley, the  native kraals with their round thatched huts like old-fashioned bee-hives. The sky was a deep and cloudless blue, nothing disturbed the stillness and the peace except the noisy brawling of the stream below, and far across the valley, a native boy on a Basuto pony was threading his way up a tiny mountain path.

Things were not quite so peaceful with the girls, who had other things on their minds besides the beauty of the mountains. They stared moodily at their sister Elizabeth, who was sun-bathing on the other side of the river, and at the young man who was sitting hunched beside her, his hands round his ankles, his chin on his knees. He was staring moodily at Elizabeth too. Sisters! Jennifer thought. The young ones aren't so bad, she thought, glancing at Jill and Tina, because mostly they do what they're told - eventually. But the ones old enough to get married give you nothing but trouble. "We'll have to prod her on," she said aloud.

"I should think so,"said Jill. "She could have been married twenty times over by now. I could have been a bridesmaid ages ago."

From THE MATCHMAKERS, Jane Shaw's only short story set in South Africa, published in 1959.

The Matchmakers (2)

A happy ending to The Matchmakers as Elizabeth shows off her engagement ring and her sisters rejoice that they are going to be bridesmaids. I would like to express my gratitude to Beth Drysdale, who provided me with all the scans used in this and the previous post. A very welcome contribution to this site. Below, a high resolution scan of the Collins annual in which the story was originally published.

The Matchmakers (1959)

The Matchmakers was published in the Collins Girls' Annual 1959 and marks something of a turning point in the writings of Jane Shaw. Besides being the only short story of hers that is set in South Africa, it also introduces an element of romance into her work that hadn't appeared before. Jennifer, Jill and Tina wish that their big sister Elizabeth would hurry up and get married, as they all want to be bridesmaids. While they lie sunbathing, they watch Elizabeth and James on the other side of the river and decide that he needs some "prodding" and concoct a plan. Tina will pretend that she has fallen into the river and is drowning. James will jump in and rescue her and Elizabeth, who cannot fail but to be impressed by this brave deed, will marry him on the spot! 

But either Tina's acting deserves an award or things have gone awry! But not to worry, Tina is rescued, but to her surprise by James's rival for Elizabeth's affections, Paul.

Next day, Tina tries again by getting lost in the mountains to give James a second chance. But a troop of baboons have spotted her and look set to chase her!

Tina escapes the baboons but finds herself out on the steep mountainside, unable to crawl back to safety. And Paul comes to the rescue again!

But this is a Jane Shaw story, so all will end well! Elizabeth gets engaged to James after all and tells Paul's admirer, Jennifer, that she can have him for herself. The wedding is not in the story, but the artist provides us with a glimpse of the happy couple, with the bridesmaids in tow.