The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-12-21
BRiDEGROOMs WHO FAIL.
rhcy Eun Away. I.id, themselves or 10
come $50 'rss


come src '.ss.
Possibly every l4,, :.hout 10 mar
~ experiences i rol,l inward Nu.-
ter when the critical hrul. arrives
md brings the altar into >ial.t. hu.
it is not often that one hears us II
prospective husband whose nerve
deserts him 60 the extent that he
fights shy OF The ceremony nt The
last moment and allows the brj,isto
leave the church without hayinr
changed her name liitchcs of tl,i:
startling kind do, however, now ana
then occur. The bridegroom has not
the courage to face the public ordeal.
and the situation becomes both hu-
mOrous and dramatic
A most amusing attack of
nerves" of this order was witnessed
by large crowd ut II country church
not long since. Tho bridegroom was
late in arriving. When ut length he
came abreast of the church gates
heated and tlurried, the sight of his
white robed life partner in tho midst
of an imposing party fairly scatter
ed what courage hc had ch,lrncd foI
the occasion. He t,nr.d AMI made
of across country rs fast as his shak-
ing legs would carry him. The
crowd and Il number of his in.li il
nant friends pursuing him. he took
refuge up tree, and no rcmon-
stralccs would induce him to de
sccnd and 30 through with the core.
hony. He paid rather dearly for his
cowarlice, however, for the bride
promptly Tilted him and walked to
tho same church with n holder man
81 few months later
AT another church in tho neigh
borhood IL number of people who
had flockcd to SEQ q '>Npular local
couple made ono. s,uriolls!y dis
appointed. When it came to tho
turn of the bridegroom to give ut
terance to his vows, he WAS found to
be tongue tied by sheer nervousness.
The longer they waited for him to
recover tho worse ho became, and
finally, white as ghost, he wheeled
about and ran out of tho building.
AS no amount of jecrs or encourages
ment Served to induce him to at
tempt the ordeal Il second time, he
perforce remained i'll single misery.
Plenty of humorous instances have
been recorded where the intended
husband, brave enough in his WOO
ing, has found himself unable to
stand and be publicly married. One
gentleman became SO unnerved at
sight of the swelling assembly and
the preparations that he slippcd into
the vestry and locked himself i'll un-
til the registrar lost patience and
the ceremony had to he abandoned.
III another case Il missing bride
groom was discovered locked. in his
bedroom at home, and sheer forco
had to be used by his friends before
he could bo induced to walk to the
church. Asst turned out, he was too
late. Tho bride felt herself justified
in declining to fulfill her part of the
contracc with so diffitlent Il partner.
But perhaps as unique an example
of what may be termed "altar
fright" as any known was one which
caused quite n sensation in q mid
land town some years ago. The cir
cumstances we're peculiar enough to
bear repetition. A young man,
standing at the altar with tho future
participant OF his joys and sorrows,
suddenly tainted when asked to de-
clare his willingness to tako a wife
and had to be carried homo in cab.
Later he essaycd to enter the
lists of matrimony with more sue
cess; but, strange to say, his nerv-
BUSINESS again reached such a pitch
that he swooned at precisely the
same part of the proceedings When
on third occasion the same weak
ness overca'ue him as soon as he On
tered the church, it became evident
that his physical courage was not
equal to the ordeal. Whether the
bride declined to look foolish. for q
fourth time, Or whether tho cere-
mony was subsequently performed
in private, did not transpire.
Brides, it is interesting to note, do
not appear to suffer from any such
backwardness. Their nervousness
seems to be Of different order, and
it is seldom never that one hears
of case W w~re the lady has failed
to come up to the ''line" through
mere dread of publicity Happy
Thoughts.
The Carlyles' Maid.