The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-04-15
QUEER CoURTSHIP.
How the Young Men of Cape Breton
Woo and Win Their Wives.

Woo and Win Their Wives.
Courtship is by no means a necessary
preliminary to marriage. To begin at
the beginning: When a young man
decides that he will marry, he often
first builds house; and it is no trivial
matter here, where most of the lumber
is sawn by hand in a pit. A man may
be said to be in earnestwhen he begins
his suit with months of such hard labor
and that, too, from a dlsinterested
motive, not having the faintest idea,
perhaps, as to who will be the mistress
of the house. We saw a number of
such expectant buildings, IN all states
and of many ages; for some, failing TO
get tenant, stood without windows or
doors, the image of 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 of
| the parish, whom he had often noted,
but with whom he had never spoken.
When they entered the house, 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 quail
ties, 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 his
daughter. She was called in, and the
spokesman conferred quietly awhile,
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 .'con-
tract was accepted, under the usual
penalty of forfeiting twenty dollars in
case the engagement was broken. 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 prayer-meeting.
/ The young man afterward 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 Saturday night, reused
the priest, and had Sandy name sub
stituted in the banns for that of appli-
can't number one.
This new shuffiing of the cards was
common enough, so that it caused but
passing smile among the friends OF
the parties most interested. But GER
tain young man who heard the banns
went home in such depression that he
asked his father for ten dollars. When
questioned. he explained that the
girl whom he had always intended tc
marry was to become the bride Of
Sandy -, and he was going away tc
the States. sWell, and why don't ye
carry her off and marry her yersel'
Malcolm? I'll give We the upper farm
this minute. Go, get yer brother, see
j the girl and bring her home here
Well keep her safe" Now, it hap
: pened that Malcolm was the richest ol
,, the three applicants, besides being,
will suppose for charity's sake, a gooC
fellow. Suffice it to say that they
brought the girl home bag and bag
, gage, by stealth, that Sunday night
and mounted guard that prevcntet
+. the success of any strategem on eithe
her part or the part of others, ant
they were married on the following
Tuesday. M
These persons were by no means o
the lower ranks; the girl was describes
: to me by an old fisherman as a '.noble
: minded Iookin' girl, sir; fine specl
. men of the Highland craft. = A MAJ
is all the more highly esteemed for sue
feat. The rejected fellow does no
lose heart; he generally keeps on wit
4 his negotiations, day after day, hous
after house, until he finds partner
3 An intelligent~ woman, while admit
ting the general predominance G
t worldly interests in these matters, an
d the suddenness with which marriage
o were very often made, said that unhaI
: py families are nevertheless rare anon
T this people.
+ The domestic life of the couple eve
q to-day in most OF the peasants home
It will be exceedingly primitive; th
g woman, will do the spinning, weavin
; and knitting required by the famil,,
s and the man will make nearly ever
e thing needed in the house and on I'll
farm A farm and family will requil
:. about two hundred dollars worth I
e feed, food and sundries, and th
e amount represents the average pr
It duction of the little farms of Cal
Ii Breton, together with the fishing tn
IS many do at odd times. In the sprin
I. actual want is sometimes felt by mar
b families until fishing begins and, Il
|. cows give milk once more. But Il
island is generally free from paupers.
&C. II. Fdralia,n. IN Harper's s Magdzik
"a "A German writer says: .Humor