The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-08-09
A PEASANT MARRIAGE IN IlESSE.

A wedding makes great stir in a Hes
sian village and one Sunday two weddings
were solemnized together. One bride was
the old mason's daughter, who married q
weaver from Burschla; the other BRIDE
groom was our old cowman, Adam, poor,
miserable looking object deaf, short
sighted, and looking half id otic. He was
the ono who slept in the cow-house, and
he used to be seen about the yard in the
smallest amount of clothing compatible
with German notions of decency-his legs
bare from the knee, or incased in cold
weather in footless stockings reaching but
half way up. 1t was Il wonder that such
IN Adam could ever find an Eve to look at
him! Yet we were told he was a decent
creature, when not in his cups, and was
supposed to have saved some money; so an
evil-looking widow captured him, and he
came on the Saturday to invite us to his
wedding. We stood at the window while
the bells rang, for the bridal procession as
it crossed the farmyard to the church door
was most comical sight. First went the
mason's party; but that was quiet we'd
ding, and need not detain us long. The
cowman was the hero of the day. band
of music preceded him and his bride, and
nearly all the village followed them, the
younger women with flowers in their hair,
the elder ones wearing the queer little
peaked cap of black satin with long bows
hanging down behind--the holiday coiffure
of the Hessian peasantry But the men
were the most wonderful objects They
were attred in hats and coats of marvellous
orkmanship-heirloom which had been
treasured up for generations-long blue
coats with tails sweeping the ground;
black beaver hats with nap an inch in
length, never made for the heads they
then adorned. One had his st on the very
crown, no persuasion would induce it to go
on further; another rested on the tip Of
the wearers nose, and his companions led
him along blindfolded in the festive
throng. In church the couples stood in
front of the altar while the wedding hymn
was sung; rings were exchanged, and the
clergyman made long speech about their
reciprocal duties. While we were at our
early dinner the happy pair marched in to
ishing huge tankard of ale, Eve carrying
some cake of her own making. We were
expected to partake of both refreshments.
The baron, wishing him Joy, drank Adams
health and handed back the tankard, but
he strobe up to the table, and fourishing
it high in the air shouted, "Die Weibsper-
sonen sollen trinken !" With great diff.
Guilty he was made to understand that the
English ladies drank nothing but water-a
most amazing weakness in his estimation.
All that day and all the next the village
was mad with excitement, dressing up and
going from house to house, dancing, drink
ing and shouting. As they did not belong
to the house they were received on the.
steps, with all the idlers of the place form
ing back ground. They were not SO grand
as Adam, and brought their refreshment in
a black bottle, which the baron, after
making speech, put to his lips, thinking
it was beer, and found, to his consterna-
ton, that it was strong schnapps. Hs
could not affront the merry makers, so he
had to gulp it down as best he could, irving
hard not to look ruefu as he did so.-AH
the Year Bound.