The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-17

age, may lawfully marry.-The Code,
see. 1909.
Is marriage contract with girl
under fourteen years of age legal?
The question is to be tested here az
the next term of court. Though there
seems to be little doubt about the Illegal
" of the contract, still it suggests some
interesting sociological problems; and
then the story of the marriage that the
suit is brought to annu IS not uainter
esting.
The suit has been instituted by Mrs.
Martha Denning, of this city, 10 have
the marriage daughter. SINE. 10 Walter
Lee, of harnett county. declared null
and void. The summonses were served
yesterday. and. as it is understood that
Lee will not resist decree of court,
the case will probably come up at the
next civil term of court.
When the marriage was solemnizcd.
SINE Denning was thirteen years ana
FIVE months old, and Walter Lee was
nearly seventeen.
They lived together only a week. then
Lees wife left him and they have not
seen each other since. This was in the
summer of 1896.
CHAPTER /.
SINE was very young then. She didn't
know anything about heroes except what
she had read in her books at the public
school She had a secret idea that some
day knight would come along with
magnificent armor. riding fiery steed
and carry Ger away to a castle in Far
away land. For in Sinie's mind there
was no definite idea of any place mag
nifcient enough for her and her love.
Thus she read and dreamed, but the
knight didn't come, though in the story
books he always made an early appear
ance. Then SINE began to doubt
whether, after all, she was to be a
heroine. Six moths more and she would
be fourteen years old-a real young lady
and still no hero had appeared.
In the meantime all of Sinies friends,
to whom she had conided the dream of
her life, We're getting married. First
one and then another came telling her
Of the new happiness; and her friends
would say, ut will soon be your time
Sinie.'' And her deep brown eyes would
smile with pleasure, though she would
throw back her head with its wealth of
black hair and declare she never expect
ed to wed.
Her hero had not come yet.
CHAPTER II.
Then it was vacation. The city
schools closed she went to visit her
aunt, Mrs. Susie Lee. in Harnett county.
There she met Walter Lee, a relative
of Mrs. Lees husband. There was
nothing of chivalry about the bashful,
gawky young fellow. He did not come
clad in armor and with n blare of
Gi,.sn Mint
but he came to the house often lolline
along the path in a leisurely way
Sometimes he brought a handful of
wild flowers, sometimes it was a squirrel
or bird he had killed during the morn
ing's hunt. Always he was kind and
thoughtful. When Sunday came they
drove to the little country church togeth,
er, and though the neighboring farmer
boys looked ON with envy, their timidity
kept them from approaching the hand
some young girl.
1t was not long in truth it was hard
~ more than a week, before everybody
was saying Walter Lee and SINE Den
ming were engaged, for gossip flies like a
feather.
There was nothing romantic about
Walter; nothing poetical; nothing TO sig.
gest the heroes she had read about in the
story books. but / thought / was des-
perately in love with him. she explained
yesterday.
CHAPTER III.
The courts-Ap was a short one. When
a girl is under fourteen and believes she
is in love, and hcr friends also keep
insisting that she is and ought to be,
she's not likely to show much reasoning
power. Sinie didn't show much, and
nd ,snl,t
there was a wedding at the home where
Sinie was visiting, and she was Mrs.
Lee.
For day or two the girl was daze1
by the new relationship. Then came
the awakening. Things she found, as
so many others like her have discovered
were not what they seemed. Life was
real and earnest and love and song
and roses constituted a very small per
cent of it. With the new relationship
came new responsibilities. Love-making
must now be laid aside for bread-mraking
Poverty had crept in at the window
and love went out at the door, and
with it went Sinie one day while her
husband was absent. She returned to
her mother in this city. Not word of
farewell did she say, not a line was
left to tell where she had gone. But
Ulle nelgnDofS knew ana tOd the nus
band, who telegraphed asking her to
return. She did not even answer the
dispatch. Then came letter; this she
answered telling Lee that she had no
love for him and did not care to see
him again.
He took her at her word and the
bride of q week is now asking the court
TO formally declare her free to wed
again.
CHAPTER ".
"Why did you leave your husband?" |
she was asked.
simply because | found that didn't
love him. He was deformed and un-
able to work, besides he showed no dis
position to work and make support