Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-24

| the hand of Mary for him. As the father l had no objection to the offer, he at once con. sented to leave the matter to his daughter. She was called in, and the spokesman con- ferred quietly while with her in corner, and she consented 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 for feiting twenty dollars in case the engagement was broken. The evening was spent in danc- ing; 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 prayer meeting.
 The young man aiterward engaged the priest to publish the banns for the first and last time on the following Sabbath. But Mary had her own plans 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 a proposal Sandy did come, and the upshot of it was that he and his father went late on Sunday night, reused the priest, and had Sandy's name substituted in the banns for that of applicant number one.
 This new shufhing of the cards was com mon enough, so that it caused but 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 ten dollars. When questioned he explained that the girl whom he had always intended to marry was to become the bride of Sandy - and ne was going away to the States. s'Well, and why don't ye carry her off and marry her yersel, Malcolm! I'll give ye the upper farm this minute. Go, get yer brother, see the girl, and bring her home here. We'll keep her safe" Now it happened that Malcolm was the richest of the three applicants, be- sides being, I will suppose for charity's sake, good fellow. Suffice it to say that they brought the girl home bag and baggage, by stealth, that Sunday night, and mounted a guard that prevented the success of any stratagem on either her part or the part of others, and they were married on the follow ing Tuesday.
 These persons were by no means of the lower ranks; the girl was described to me by an old fisherman 'snoble- minded look in girl, sir; a fine specimen of the Highland craft" man is all the more highly es- teemed for such feat. The rejected fellow does not lose heart; he generally keeps with his negotiations, fday after day. house after house, until he finds partner. An in telligent woman, while admitting the general predominance Of worldly interests in these matters, and the audiences with which mar riages were very often made, said that un- happy families are nevertheless rare among this people.
 The domestic life of the couple even to-day in most of the peasants homes will de exceed lnSly primitive; the woman Will do the spln- ing, weaving, and knitting required by the family; and the man will make nearly evesy- thing needed in the house and on the farm 4 farm and family will require about two hundred dollars worth of feed, food, and sun- dries, and this amount represents the aver age production of the little farms of Cape Brston together with the fishing that many do at odd times. In the spring, actual want is sometimes felt by many families until fishing begins and the COWS give milk once more. But the island is generally free from paupers.