Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1879-01-25


And, to tell the truth, / didn't, for
pretty long while after that day
Ddvid Ker, in ST. Nicholas for February.
A French Country Marriage.
Madame Lesmontagnes was kind
enough to give me description of the
wedding of her daughter. When
young man here wishes to become ac-
quainted with young woman, he men,
tions it to some friend of the family,
who applies to the parents for leave to
introduce him. If this is granted, and
the parents afterward conclude that he
is not suitable, they tell him not to come
any more. When young man comes
to demand a young lady in marriage,
the parents first interest themselves in
the family, whether it is respectable one,
and in the young man himself, whether
he is sage, or well behaved. The young
people are never left together without
one of the parents being present, even
when there is a talk of their being mar
ried
At last the parents of the two young
people will meet to plan the marriage,
this parlement being held at the house
of the young woman, where, after hav-
ing had good dinner, after having
drunk we'll, and talked upon a quantity
of other subjects, the rest of the family
will leave the parents together, under
standing very well what business is in
hand. Then the young mans father
will speak in this manner: "We have
not come here to do nothing; we have
come to speak of the marriage of our
children" adding, If he is rich enough
landholder, 81 give twenty-five thou
sand francs to my son; how much can
you give your daughterP" If her par
ents do not give about as much, the
marriage agreement will not be made,
and the parties. will separate. How
ever. about one time in ten it will be
found that the young people are too
much attached to each other for the
parents to continue their prohibition,
and they are allowed to marry. And
sometimes it will happen, when the
young people are of age, and the par
ents entirely refuse their consent, that
the former will make to them the three
respectful summons, and then they can
marry without the parents consent.
Such case will happen in this COM
mune perhaps once in three or four
years.
Madame L. gave her daughter, on
her own part, and from the fathers es-
tate, vineyard of the value of eighteen
thousand francs, and she is to receive
more. The young mans parents gave
to him a piece of land worth twenty
thousand francs, and the young pair oc-
cupy two rooms in his parents home,
where they can keep house, if they
should prefer it. Madame L. added that
the young mans mother gave him a
furnished bed, and of sheets, table
cloths, towels, and napkins, each a
dozen; also three dozen shirts of hemp
and flax. 81 gave my daughter" she
added, "two dozen sheets, two dozen
table-cloths, two dozen napkins, and
two and a half dozen towels; with a
furnished bed, a cupboard, asmetse, and
a night table. The young mans par
ents gave him a large bureau, and he
bought the rest of the furniture. The
young people are well set out, well
matched, and both are industrious. He
is, besides, merchant of sabots, buy.
ing these shoes from the makers; and,
as he has wood of his own, he employs
people to make them and twice week
he goes to - to sell them"
The only legal marriage in France is
that at the Mayors office, and there is
Mayor in every commune. Madame l..
tells me that this marriage does not cost
any thing, but at the mass the cure mar
ries them, and puts the ring over the
first joint of the BRIDES finger. For thi;
marriage he receives twelve francs
(All the religious and all the fashionable
world have this second marriage. Free.
thinkers in Paris-I met none in the
country-make a merit of opposing it. }
Madame l.. tells me that there were
eighty guests at her daughters wed
ding, and all these go to the mass, com
ing to dine at the house at noon. She
herself did not see the ceremony; she
heated the oven while the others were
gone, "for somebody must take care O
things" There were three women
however, to do the kitchen work, anC
three to wait upon the table.
"And what did you have for din
ner?"
az can not tell you-all sorts OF gooG
things-perhaps twenty courses"
"Did you invite the curep"
"Some do; we did not. We haC
ham and beef bouilli-we took 40 pound
of beef-we had calf's head, stewet
chickens, ducks with turnips, roast LEI
of mutton, chickens with rice; we hat
eight ducks, eight turkeys, four geese
and Pierre and one of his comrades
who was invited to the wedding, wen
hunting the day before, and l suppose
altogether we picked a hundred birds
We had a course of little birds-fg
peckers, sparrows, larks; and we hat
three pies (Uol-au- cent? made from tn
livers of the poultry and the little birds
We had food enough for week after
besides giving to the relations. Th'
pastry-cOok of the village prepared s
complete dessert, and we made pies
They give splendid entertainments hert
at weddings. There was a piece of wine
drunk [about A gallons1. We als'
had Champagne and Bordeaux, bu
there was not much used, and we hat
other liquors, but nobody got drunk
That is all, madame, believe. Their
are people who don't make weddings
on account of the expenses; perhap
only one-fourth of the people max
weddings"
This great amount of TODD was neces
sary, on account of the guests staying
to three meals.
The two musicians were paid by tn
young men guests. Dancing was KEEP
up until about three in the morning
when the party sought little res
wherever they could get it; some goinl
to the barn; the little children and tn
hired women went to bed; and Madam
l.. got two hours rest. She added
"On Wednesday we had the breakfast
and then all went away about ten. ~
Phebe Earle Gibbons, in Harper's Mage
zine for February.
Five provincial journals were trie
on Dec. 27 by the Paris Correctional Pc
: lice for libel on Madame Paul de Gas
slgnac, consisting in false represents
ton that she had instituted suit fo
separation from her husband, accomp'