The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-07

Z
wedding guests, and there were evident
/ preparations for a night of restivity. The
bride was modest, shy-looking damsel,
with dark dropping eyes and graceful pose
OF figure. 1 was utterly taken sback by
what followed. As soon as the marriage
ceremony was completed, the bride
voice: 'Please, sir. will YOU bsptize
/ the babyp and at the same moment one of
| the women lifted a child from the cradle.
! In my Innocence I asked: Whose baby is
it| and the bride. with face scarlet with
blushes, meekly answered: "It's niue, sir.n
! What could dos Why should the innocent
child be denied the Christian sacramento
| The infant was placed In the arms of the
| bridegroom father, and, with an extra
| touch OF pathos that sincerely felt, l SOL
EMMY commended the babe to the care of
him who said: Suffer little children TO
| come unto me.n
| have had some experience Of marriages
south OF the Tweed. Here there are no home
marriages. The ceremony takes place in
church, and Is often witnessed by a large
congregation. 1t is the etiquette for the
bridegroom to be first on the spot to well
come the arrival of the bride. once
othciated at marriage In the north Of
| England in which bride was placed in a
most trying position She was led down
the aisle of the church by her father, a
venerable, handsome looking gentleman
followed by bevy of bridesmaids, aud they
| took their places In front of the communion
rail. But the bridegroom was nowhere
/ to be seen, and no one could account for his
absence. The church was full of eager. in
/ terested spectators, and obser we'd the rus
| tie and futter of a growing excitement as
| the whisper went round, ''Where is the
| bridegroom / suggested that the ladies
| should retire into the vestry, but the bride
| declined with a gentle firmuess, as much as
| fO ha has 10 ~
and am not going to run away. Besides,
| am sure my beloved will be
here Immediately" But minutes
that seemed drawn out into unusual
length passed away, and he did not
| come. 1t was time Of intense aud
painful suspense. The father and mother
| hdgeted and flushed, the bridesmaids were
III the nervous borderland between laugh
ing ana crying, and the congregation talked
| in buzzng whispers. / engaged the bride
n conversation, and INDUCED in a little d.
verting pleasantly. ''Be brave" said /;
keep up your heart; don't faint on my
| account; but If you wish to indulge In that
innocent luxury. do it gracefully. Lean
your head gently on your fathers shoulder,
and take care not to disarrange that lovely
| WREATH" She bore up splendidly, and
was the most self-possessed of
| the whole party. The crisis was passed as
| the congregation rose to watch the entrance
|
beaming with satisfaction. walked down
| the aisle utterly unconscious that they had
been the cause OF any awkward waiting
| and they were both astonished to find the
| bride had already arrived. The ceremony
proceeded in the usual way, and all ended
| happily. The blunder ar 1se by the driver
| muddlfng his orders. Instead OF going first
for the bridegroom, according to his in
! struotions, he went to q different part OF
the town for the bride.
The putting on of the wedding ring is an
important part Of the ceremony in the En-
glish service The ring is placed on the
book out of which the service is read and
the minister, handing the ring 10 tho bride
| groom, instructs him to place it half way
| on the third finger of the left hand of the
bride and holding it there, to repeat audi
bly, the following formula; with this
ring, token and pledge of the VOW and
covenant now made betwixt me and thee,
thee wed, In the name Of the Father and of
the Son and Of the Holy Ghost" 1t is a
curious fact that though this formula Is
| usually broken up into eight fragments
| for the sake Of easy repetition, it l. rarely
repeated with perfect accuracy. The great
stumbling block is the phrase, snow made
| betwixt me and thee" Though the words
| are put Immediately into the mouth of the
! bridegroom, 1t is invariably rendered Be-
| twixt thee and me-" This is the rule in my
experience. 10 is an exception when il Is
| repeated accurately-"Me and thee" The
| bridegroom is then asked to place the ring
fully on the finger; and this Is not always
| easily accomplished. I have seen 10 done
| with such facility and neatness as indi-
| cate that there must have been some pre-
| vious practice Of the art But sometimes the
ring is very obstinate and difficult Of ma
nipulatIon, and have seen the hurried pair
get into an excited ppcker in their desperate
efforts to push the refractory symtol over
the second joint. | remember a case Of this
kind once occurred In Lancashire, where |
was marrying a couple of mill workers.
The RUG seemed wedged with little wrinkles
at the second joint, and the combined ef-
forts Of bridegroom and bride TO slip it
down the finger were unavailing. The
man grew red in the face with his exsrtions,
and was greatly afraid be would dislocate
the finger. l whispered: "Leave it where
1t is and let us proceed" No, he was not
going to be beaten with q bit Of a ring.
Baffied at all points, he at last said sweet
it, weet It'll" The bride at once stuffed the
finger into her mouth, as If it wsre a de-
licious sweetmeat, and thus fabricated the
stubborn ring was at length satisfactorily
adjusted.
On another occasion, when we came to
the ring part Of the ceremony, the bride ak
tended her hand and there was no third fin
ger-it had been amputated. The bride
groom had given me a hint Of this singular
fact before the marriage. The ring was
placed on the second finger. and have not
heard that anything dreadful happened in
consequence. 1t must be some comfort 10 our
lady readers to know that even the loss Of
the marriage finger Is no bar to matrt-