The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-09-21
WANTED TO MARRY.
THE BOY Is ONLY SEVEN.
- WOULD BE WIFE SIX.
ioangest on Rseord-Had Hoes sweet
hearts Ever STAGE They Coaid Teddie
aad Decided IL Was TINE They
shoa'd Marry. 6

NsauNt DctAs A&eu years. OF SO
Wyoming street. and little Miss Grace
r. Fry. aged s years. Of &i0i. Market
street. applied TO Clerk Augustus FIJI
ley Thursday for a marriage license
says 81 Louis PAPER. The aus;ere
and unsympathetic clerk declined ~
issue the document. but he couldat
preyec, them from establishing A rec
ord a. the younges; couple that ever
made formal application TO the re
coTcer OF deeds CT st. Louis for per
nave been piayma;es sine. they were
old enough 10 walk. Their parents are
friends. and the earliest memory OF the
children is OF days spent in playing
| housekeeping and other games IN
which children delight In all these
sports Claude assumed the role OF
lover and said sweet things and i'm
agined he performed noble deeds for
grace, who was his contented little
| sweetheart. This arrangement at play
pleased Claude so well that he vowed
he would have no wife but Grace. and
he asked her to promise to marry him
when they were Old enough TO get a
marriage license. Grace was willing
| and said only Claude could have her
| heart and hand. The babies informed
their parents Of their childish be
trothal, and were much chasrined
when their papas and mammas de-
clared It to be great joke and laughed
| heartily at them. Well fool them. :
said Claude. Grace will have no
| sweetheart but me, and will have no
sweetheart hut her. and we'll marry
| Maybe they'll think then we are not
Joking. Claude AM Grace were not
bashful about acknowledging their
engagement and it was soon a sub
Ject OF much amusement among the
friends of their families. Claude
dressed himself in his best suit OF
clothes Thursday and went to Grace :;
home to spend the day. She knew he
was coming and was wearing her pref
test dress in honor of the occasion.
He saluted her with kiss and they
were soon romping and playing about
the yard. They discussed the kind OF
house they would live in when they
were married and criticised the ar
arrangement of the furniture in Grace !;
home. Suddenly Claude declared it
was high time they be married Il
think we are plenty old enough, and
| am tired of waiting. ] want home
OF my own, where l can do as | want
to. and l want you to live with me.
Cant we be married today?" Grace
said she thought she was old enough,
and declared she knew Claude was
She wanted to marry too. Just then
Thomas Hand, friend of the family
walked into the house and inquired
about their love affairs. They told hin.
they had just decided to be married
but didn't know what to 90. Mr. Hand
said he would help them. and re
quested them to take walk with him
He led them to the court house and
presented them to his friends as thu
youngest couple that ever visited the
marriage-license bureau on business
purposes. Each wore. a roset:e. fur
nished by Hand. The 10y explained
his errand, and Gus Filley, with sol,
emn look on his countenance. drew
toward him a block of application
blanks, and began to ask the usua
questions. The boy gave the Hecessar,
answers that he and Grace were sin
gle and unmarried" and were not re
lated He then signed the apsl!catio,
in large hand, peculiar to one VIII;
has just learned how to form letters i,
writing. The writing was very p!ai:
and unusually goou for boy of his ge
Grace was not able to write her name
and her intended husband signed fo
her. Filley omitted the prelinlinar,
In regard to collecting 81, and informe,
the couple that that was all that wa
necessary. You must keep that. mis-
ter said Claude, as he and his fiancei
were about to leave, until l aIa .
years old, and then l will come and &c
it and We will be married." The,
smiled as they went home an,
chuckled in glee as they contemplated
the surprise which they would caus
in their respective homes. Il am glat
We are to be married." said Claude
Grace is good little woman. and
like her. She has a nice little pian,
and a stove, and l think we can d,
housekeeping if they will let us.
Grace was too modest to say anything
Did you go on a wedding tour?'' sh,
was asked. She nodded her head i;
assent. Where did you go?" ITO tn,
drug store" What did you get Their,
soda water?" No, we got ic,
cream" Grace is a pretty child, an>
| feefs the dignity of her nosition