The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-08-21
MARRIAGE IN FRANCE
1T NEcEsSITATES THE USE OF LOTS
OF TIME AND RED TAPE.

French city.
"Why did you come over?" chorused
the three intimate friends.
The girl who had lived abroad for six
years rolled her eyes heavenward and
made tragic gesture eminently French.
"To rest" She said with slow empha.
sis.
"But you didn't expect to come when
you wrote four weeks ago."
THAT" said the returned pilgrim in a
weary tone, that was before we married
Elizabeth. Now the family has nervous
prostration."
"And Elizabeth
"She has all the symptoms of utter
idiocy So has Bruno. That's her hus-
band. They are so ridiculousy love smit-
ten that in our present weakened state
we couldn't stand them, so they went to
a haunted castle in the Tyrol and we
took the first boat to New York"
Don't you like him?"
"He's a duck. If Elizabeth hadn't
married him, l would have done 1t my.
SELF just to keep him in the family"
as he poor?"
"1e's rolling in money, and he and
Betsy can play pussy wants corner all
over Italy, with his estates as bases."
'Was there the voices took on a
hopeful tone, twas there any scandal-a
past, you know? These Italian counts
BLESS your hearts, no. He's an angel
newly dressed, save wings, for heaven, Is
Bruno. If English tailors had recon-
mended wings, he'd have had the wings.
He's more English than the English.
Everything he wears comes from London,
even to his accent"
"Well, then, what made you so tired?"
"The wedding silly. 1t lasted two
weeks and three days after we got fair
start, and there was q good deal Of jock.
eying before the start.
"You see, Bruno was italian and we
were American and the wedding was to
be in France, so all three laws had to be
followed. Oh, such business!
"First, father had to own property, so
he just went out on the main street one
morning and bought house, furnished
and we moved in. Then the lawyers got
down to work. They wanted Bruno's
certificate of birth and Betsy's baptismal
certificate and couldn't have either. FL
nally they patched things up and cleared
that hurdle.
"Then they demanded mothers mar.
rage certificate, which was packed away
In tea caddy up in grandmother's Cam.
ing him for his genealogy back to Adam
and for EYES marriage certificate before
they got through. 1t was dreadful. Some
days things didn't bulge an inch. And
the religious bothers!
Father had been getting madden every
minute. The rock he finally split on was
such funny one. They were discussing
the noon civil ceremony, and fathers Sec
rotary, who was a Frenchman and was
trying to smooth our path mentioned
that the men must wear dress clothes.
FEATHER just went up in the air. Wear
dress clothes at noon? Not If he knew
It, not to save Betsy's life-no sir! He
stalked up and down the floor with his
fists clinched, breathing fire and smoke.
Bruno came in, and we told him what
had raised the row. He was as bad as
father. Wear dress clothes at noon?
Nevah, No Engishman would DO it.
No. 1t was not possible AS a matter
Of fact, you know, their tempers and
nerves had been tried too far, and those
dress clothes were the last straw. They
actually wore frock coats.
1.-THE next excitement surged round the
mayor. Father thought he would have
the civil ceremony at the Hotel de Vile
on Thursday. The secretary said he
couldn't. Father began to bristle and
asked why.
"'Because the mayor is never in town
on Thursday
"'Where is hep
"'He goes to his country place on
Thursdays
Fathers face began to get red.
"'Is there a law to that effectT he
said, with an awful and portentous calm.
1.-The secretary didn't know, but it was
custom. The mayor had always gone to
J his country house on Thursday. From
time immemorial there had been no we'd
! dings at the Hotel de Vile on Thursday.
'"This is where they begin, said ia
Their. They've rammed their idiotic laws
down my throat. Now I'll stand by their
law instead of by reason. They've edu-
Gated to that attitude.
HE called in the notaries. We over
worked two notaries In those two weeks
and made them rich for life. They said
that there was no law allowing the may
or a holiday, but custom, etc.
Father didn't care what he did to Gus
tom He had reached his stubborn mood
: and was calm and immovable as the pyr-
amlds. There was terrible row, but
/. he stuck to his point, and the poor fat
mayor was done ont of his holiday and
kept at home to marry Betsy.
"You can just imagine how agreeable
that mayor and his officials were, girls,
when we filed down to the Hotel de Vile.
Daddy did give him check for $500 aft
erward, and that Quieted things down a
bit, but he married the couple as If he
were sentencing them to be hanged by
the neck until they were dead.
"When it was all over and we had put
the happy couple on the train for the
Tyrol, we all collapsed. Father didn't
say a word for hours. Then he came out
of his trance and said:
"'We start for New York tomorrow
"Then he turned on me.
"'Frances, If you ever think Of marry
ing foreigner I'll chloroform you. The
only part Of your name I'll let you change
is your first name. i don't like it. 1t re-
minds me of this internal country
$50 we sailed the next day, and here
we are."-New York Sun.
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