Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-03-19
Cape nreton Marriages.

Oourtship s by no means a necessary pre-
liminary to marriage. To begin ut the be-
ginning When young man decides that
he will marry he often first builds a house
and this il no trivial matter here whore most
Of the lumber is sawn by hand in a pit.
man may be said TO be in earnest when he
begins bis suit with months Of hard labor,
and that, too, from a disinterested motive, not
having the faintest idea, perhaps, as to who
will be the mistress of the house. We saw
number OF such expectant buildings, in all
states and of many ages for some, failing to
get a tenant, stood without windows or doora,
the image Of a desolate and empty heart
John --, young man duly prepared and
determined to marry, had set out the previous
week with his spokesman to get wife. He
had no particular preference for any one, but
they decided to go first to the house of Mary
-, one OF the brightest girls in the parish,
whom he bad often noted, but with whom be
had never spoken. When they entered the
house, a hint Of their object was given to
Mary and she retired from the sitting room.
The spokesman then delivered his speech,
in which he praised the personal qualities,
the fortune, the social position, of his friend,
and asked the hand Of Mary for him. As the
father had no objection to the offer, he at
once consented to leave the matter to Mary.
She was called in and the spokesman confer
red quietly awhile with her in a corner, and
she consented to the marriage. Tue spokes-
man 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 forfeit
ing $50 in case the engagement was broken.
The evening was spent in dancing; but If
any Of the deacons had had wind of the af
fair, it is probable that they would have come
and changed the festivity into prayer meet
ing
The young man afterwards engaged the
priest to publish the bsnns for the first and
last time on the following Sunday. But Mary
had her own plans in all this she knew that
the affair would reach the ears of Sandy -,
for whom she bad strong preference and
perhaps bring him promptly to a proposal.
Sandy did come, aud the upshot OF it was
that he and his father went late on Saturday
night, reused the priest, and had Sandy's
name substituted in the bsnns for that of ap
plicant number one.
This new shuffl ng of the cards was com
mon enough, 80 that it caused but a passing
smile among the friends of the parties most
Interested. But a certain young man who
heard the banns went home in such .depres-
sion that he asked his father for $40. When
questioned he explained that the girl whom
be had always intended to marry was to be-
come the bride of Sandy -, and he was
going away to the states. "Wel and why
don't ye carry her of and marry her yerself,
Malcolm I'll give ye the upper farm this
minute. Go, get ye brother, see the girl, and
bring her home here. Wen keep her safe"
Now it happened that Malcolm was the rich
est Of the three applicants, besides being
will suppose for charitys sake, good fellow.
Suffice it to say that they brought the girl
home, bag and baggage by stealth that Sun.
md moi II NknN
vented the success of any stratsgem on either
her part or the part of others, aud they we're
married on the following Tuesday @ II.
Fdrnham In Harper's Maaazihe.