The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-04-02
Cape Breton Marriages.

sary preliminary to marriage. TO
begin at the beginning: When a
young man decides that he will
marry, he often first builds a
house; and it is no trivial matter
here, where most Of the lumber is
sawn by hand in a pit. A man maybe
said to be in earnest when he begins
his suit with months of SUN hard la
bor--and that, too, from a disinterest-
ed motive, not having the faiatest
idea, perhaps, as to who Will be the
mistress of the house. We saw a. num-
Der OF such expectant buildings, in all
states and of many ages; for some,
failingto get a tenant, stood without
windows or doors, the image OF q des-
olate and empty heart. Johns
young man duly prepared and deter
mined to marry, had set out the pre-
vious week with his spokesman to get
a wife. He had no particular preference
for any one, but they decided to 60
first to the house of Mary -, one
of the brightest girls of the parish,
whom he had often noted, but with
whom he had never spoken. When
they entered the house, a hint OF their
object was given to Mary, and she re-
tired from the sitting room. The
spokesman then delivered mis- speech,
IN Which he praised the personal quail
tiles, the fortune, the social position,
Of his friend, and asked the hand of
Mary for him. AS tile father had NO
objection to the offer, he at once con-
scented to leave the matter to his
daughter. She was called in, and the
spokesman conferred quietly q while
with her In q corner, and she consent
ed to the marriage. The spokesman
then led her out to the middle OF the
floor, and John came from his corner
and took her by the hand; thus the
contract" Was accepted, under the
usual penalty of FORGETTING twenty dol
lars in case the engagement was brok-
en-. The evening was spent in dancing;
but if any of the deacons had had
wind of the affair, it is probable that
they would have come and changed
the festivity into a prayer meeting.
The young man afterward engaged
the priest to publish the banns forthe
first and last time on the following
Sunday. But Mary had herownplans
In all this; she knew that the affair
would reach the ears of SANDY,
for whom she had a strong preference,
and perhaps bring him promptly to q
proposal. Sandy did come, and the
upshot of it was that he and his father
went late ON Saturday nigat, reused
the priest, and had Sandy'sname sub
stituted in the banns for that of APP
plicant number one.
This new shutting OF the cards was
common enough, SO that it canstd but
q passing smile among the friends OF
the parties most interested. But a
certain young man who heard the
banns went home in such depression
that he asked his father for ten dol
lars. When questioned he explained
that the girl whom he had always in.
tended to marry was to become the
bride of Sandy, and he raj
going away to the States. "Well,
and why don't We carry her
off and marry her yerself, Malcolm2
I'll give we the upperfarm this minute.
Go get yer brother, see the girl, and
bring her home here. Well keep her
safe Now it happened that Malcolm
was the richest Of thfee applicants, be-
sides being, I will suppose, for charlty's
sake, a good fellow. Suffice 1T to say
that they brought the girl home bag
and baggage, by stealth, that Sunday
night, mounted a guard that prevent
ed the success of any strategem On
either her part Or the part OF the 9TH
ers, and they were married on the
following Tuesday.
These persons were by no means OF
the lowest ranks; the girl was describ-
ed to me by an old fisherman as q
undetermined lookin' girl, sir; q fine
specimen OF the highland craft" A
man is all the more highly esteemed
for such q feat. The rejected fellow
does not lose heart; he generally
keeps on with his negotiations
day after day, house after
house, until he finds q partner. An
intelligent woman, while admitting
the general predominance ofthe world
ly interests in these matters, and the
suddenness with which marriages were
very often made, said that unhappy
families are nevertheless are among
this people.
Thedomestic life of the couple even
to-dayi in most of the peasants homes
will beexceedingly primitive, the wom-
an will do the spinning, weaving and
knitting required by the family; and
the man will make nearly everything
needed in the house and on the farm.
A farm and family viii require about
two hundred dollars worth oil iced,
food and sundries, and this amount
represents the average production, Of
the little farms of Cape Breton, to-
gether with the fishing that many do
at odd times. In the spring, actual
want is sometimes felt by many fam
lilies until fishing begins and the cows
| rive milk once more Rnt the island