Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-06-03
WHEN THO ARE MADE ON e.

ceremony.
That is time when he is reasonably GER
tain to appear at disadvantage and to SUI
fer by comparison with his bonny bride.
There is no doubt about it. "The groom as
a rule is the more embarrassed of the parties
to marriage ceremony" said Justice
Haughton, the amiable bachelor who confers
upon so many pairs the jov he has thus far
denied himself And one thing you may
set down as certain, have never seen a
widow show any ditfidence at such time
never"
When the Justice set out on his career as
man of marriages he began with a pair Of
sooty and corpulcnt blacks. With due SOL
emnity and reverence he pronounced them
man and wife and felt very we'll satisfied
with himself for promoting the welded hap
piness of an evidently worthy pair. -Four
days later he met a lawyer friend of his who
is as busy in untangling matrimonial knots
as the Justice is in tying them. "Moses Hop
has applied for divorce" said the lawyer,
land he tells me you married him." "The
black fellow? Oh, nor said the Justice.
ooh, yes,' said the lawyer, and the man Of
marriages went back to his Office with q
new sense of responsibility.
One of the Justices most nervous male
subjects called him into the outer office be-
fore the ceremony and said, wiping the per-
SEPARATION from his face on that cold January
day, ''see here, Judge, I'll pay you any money
ifyou put me through once or twice out
here. This is the first time I've been mar
ried and don't want to make no breaks in
front OF her" The Justice declined the
proffered remuneration, but rehearsed the
marriage formula used by him, very brief
one, by the way, and had the satisfaction OF
seeing his pupil through the ceremony with
out any "breaks in front of her"
Many couples who appear before the JUS
tice ask whether it will not be possible to
suppress the news as far as the press is con.
cerned. A negress of about 40 years who
had just been made bride through his of.
fees had fears on this score, but they were
of different nature.
do you think this will be printed in the
papers, sir?' she asked anxlously. 81 don't
know that it will, madam" said the Justice,
politely. 1T is matter of public record and
is only question of whether reporter
happens to drop in and get it,
do get it in" she begged. "1'll pay you
for it, We are afraid the other coons won't
believe we are married if they don't see it In
the paper" She left a dime on the Justices
desk to remind him Of her request.
The Justices male patrons are not as
careful as to their nuptial attire as are the
female. Not long ago he went out to Papin
street to make pair one. He found the
bride dressed in white and wearing flowers
in her hair. Her sister was similarly attired
but the groom wore an air Of noncholance,
q shirt with crumpled bosom, pair of bag
gy and not over.new trousers and slippers
that were down at the heels. He was guilt
less of coat and vest and he had forgotten
the little ceremony Of shave.
Too much clothed was young fellow who
came to the office the next day to enlist the
Justices professional interest, for he insisted
upon wearing his silk hat, to all appear
ances a late acquisition, and keeping Gig
ar between his teeth during the ceremony.
1t is a very common experience in the
Justices office for bridegroom to run short
on cash and have to be supplied with the
balance due by the bride. The customary
fee for license is 81 and the grooms mind,
operating by the law of association, arrives
at the conclusion that the Justices fee is the
same. When he finds it is double that
amount his air of bravado deserts him. He
looks appealingly at the future custodian Of
his cash and she dutifully comes to the res
cue.
II remember once attending q wedding and
beginning the ceremony, when the deor.bell
rang sharply, and in came a young man, a
friend Of the contracting parties, who walked
rather noisily into the room, and the cere-
mony stopped Short" said DR.. Frank G.
Tyrrel. "He finally made it clear that he
wanted us to wait awhile, till he could 20
and bring in some other belated guest to
witness it, but as he stood there looking at
the wedding group he said II see the doctor
knows a good thing when he sees itr was
nonplused, and wondered if the man was
drunk, but it finally dawned on me that he
was referring to fraterdily badge which
wore. If lie had addressed such words to
the groom I should not have been SO much
surprised, though might have had a differ.
ent opinion.
"When living in small city, surrounded
by fine agricultural section, q young man
called at the house one day and rather BASH
fully told me what he wanted / assured
him should be happy to serve him and
asked where the lady was. She had fingered
outside at the gate. He went out, and after
much entreaty succeeded in persuading her
to come in. She came, not smiling, but
weeping though am sure she had never
been married before. In a few moments she
recovered her composure and the double
bowknot was safely tied"
DR.. John Matthews tells the story of a
good, plain couple of the homespun variety,
coming to his study in Kansas City to be
married. The bride was short of stature
and very slight, the groom very tall and
given to corpulency. The ceremony pro-
ceeded with due solemnity, but when the
final words We're pronounced the groom
caught the little woman from her feet, kissed
her loudly and said: my dear Mrs Brown,
I conoratn tata Won urTha hrida cold moth.