Telegram-herald., 1890-08-19
QUEER WEDDING RING.
An Humble CouDls tzarr.sd oy rne
Key of = Church
A h1x&l De@a Nae Carried OGt tbs ChaEee
st EAsi-ad Ritual CaasF Dlrnegiries
The Departure 81 Bride ADd
Groo1a znd ths ParsS1's Zee

=
.'COuze over % tho church IN hzn al
hour Alyra A couple aEe % Be m~r-
riee then Il nay smase yoa % see enc
Of cur provincial eszsmon les
Ny grandfather VAS q sursi dean near
Perls Zodiac. or - they called II n ne
veraseglzF, 5scket, ~rl-es
sirs. II. L. Rzyne, in the Detroit tres
Press, and Is would be hard - imagine
= simpler life. or one more remote from
The fashion which paSseth away. Ine
little stoGe church was old and pictef-
esque, ana the people who worshlpea
there were as quaint and original As y
they had stspPed out Of anocher century
When J reached ths Oh urch The wed
ding party had already arrived II con-
sisted OF the party themselves. as muen
alone ss were Adam and Eve az their
bridal in Eden. They had arrived on
horseback. and tae UHhltched animals
each saddled over q flowing white
sheet, which made them look Ike
equine ghosts in the twilighs-wera
browsing about amo,g the grave stones,
disturbing nothing but The long t4ngle1
grass and the sWeetbriar roses that grow
wild there. l hurried past them into
+ the vestry, where the dean was strug-
( Cling into his white gown
+ "You can be my cCrate for this occs-
5ion,7 he said, as ! peep"d IN at the
door. You viii be needed for wit
ness and bridesmaid, 20 assist with the
ring"
me- 1l,,5 a., tNa .fs1a ~ The little
I chanel and sat down in one Of the high
backed peWS and tried - see what man
ner OF folk they were who had such
/ queer bridal customs.
Not young. And both were hard, OF
the humblest rustic type. The woman,
brown as Gypsy, wore lowered mus
lin dress that was coarse and badly
made. A string of beads and white
cotton vail were her ornaments. Both
wore white cotton gloves, and as their
hands were immense the effect was al
most grotesque. Their faces expressed
bashfulnesS and certain rude disdain
OF what other people might think. They
clutched hands as if they weS deter
mined that no power on earth should
separate them at this crisis.
After they had been instructed where
to stand. they took their places, the
bride ewing ne with some disfavor as
possible intruder.
''Who giveth this woman to be mar
ried TO this mani"
st this moment stepped forward TO
make that part Of the ceremony COM
plete.
Il don't know She" said the bride,
edging away, but the dean paid no at
tention to her and repeated the sacred
formula for them to follow with him.
81 viii now take the ring" said my
/ grandfather in a low voice.
'Reeng?" echoed the groom. II know
nobbut reeng. Hast any like reeng,
Mathilde?"
TIE rafters rung with his whoa.
Dobbin," tone.
II never thocht o. the like. Happen
we'll ne'er mind sech a'leetle thing a
that" said the bride, with look of
genuine terror in her eyes, as il she
might lose her gallant at the very
altar.
Take OF your ring, Myra, we can uso
that for the ceremony" said the dean,
who carried out the Church of England
ritual to the letter.
Alas, held up my gloveless hands as
destitate of rings IS those of the bride
herself.
What was to be done? The dean would
not have considered those good people
properly married if the ceremony Of the
ring were omitted. He glanced down
a. lis own white hands, holding the
sacred book, then he turned hurriedly
10 me:
$50 and bring me the key of the
church, nc said.
"Wh2t il tEe world is he going to do
with it?" l queried to myself as 1
obcycd.
Taking the large. brass key in his
hand, he gave it to the man, designating
the loop at the end Of the handle. He
then instructed him To slip the ring
over the brides finger. Inearly laughed
aloud as 7 saw the expression of sur
prise on the poor things face. as the
key dsn1led en- her finger, while the
bridegroom lumberingly repeated after
tho dean: "With this ring, thee wed, >
&c.
As soon as they we're married I re-
stored thc KEY 20 the door ald tho groom
handed a rudo parcel 20 my grandfather.
'It's the pay L weddin'," he said,
b~isalv.
The dean thaakod him courteously
wi.ho1t having an idea as to what the
parcel might contain.
Tbcro aas horse block at the door,
oa which the b-ide mounted with her
dress tucke3 uP about her. Only one
horse with is tapping bridal scooltre-
uent1 was ~ siclt.
"Richl-5.7 screamed the new wife,
"vhere's M beast27
Richcrd had taken OF his white
gloves and was cantering roana among
TIE rraves-o7es looking TO- the "beast. .
J. was soon found. and after we had
shaken hsnGs vita tho -wo and wished
them JOY, the queer pair rode oT in fne
style
Wnen nv granifsther opened the
pa-ceI &c found the soft. silky skins oi
a dozen u-asz-rsts-a princely zee from
s1-h q source