Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1902-04-03
ODD wAYoFl cETrIMcsA WIFE.


J.
* Love-Making,. s., "a, ( ~
Between. Christmas and Lent dane
ing in the Farce islands reaches its
culminuation ingfrequency. On Christ
! mas night the great saga of "Oluva
Kvadet" is sung. The unhappy Queen
eOluva's faithfulness to the king, which
is the theme oflthe song, is doubtless
intended as reminder to young
couples who engage themselves during
dancing time, says q London journal.
As if in defiance of the warning
youths and maidens seem to prefer.to
link their lives together under the very
notes Of the OLIVIA refrain. At any
rate, the great majority of betroth-
ais occur during dancing time.
There being no parlors in Farce cot
tages, nor corners to hide in and tell
the fairy tales of the heart, the young
people are obliged to do their, court
ing in the open, that is, as the dance
goes on. and under the eyes of every
one partaking. Ifyou have been court
ing Faroese girl for some time and
wish to get her ''yes'' or mo- you
will have to line up alongside of her
in the dance and make your proposal
then.
Take care that sharp eyes do not de-
tect your secret and your purpose be-
fore you have got what you want the
girls Eyes" If they find you out be-
fore you succeed they will point their
fingers at you, and sing ditties with
sarcastic little filings at you.
At the same time, the tempo of the
dance will be increased, and if you
don't withdraw, it is likely to develop
into sort of native can-can. Of course,
as soon as the ditty making sport of
you begins to circulate among the
crowd the girls all prick up their ears,
and the particular girl you may be
heading for gets out of your reach at
once.
If you are shrewd man you will re-
treat; you can always try again. Ifyou
are obstinate, you may always be sure
of refusal, for no Faroese girl will
take a man who is too clumsy to get
hold of her hand without other peo-
pie noticing it.
Absolutely nothing is said during
the counting. The man says nothing,
and the girl says nothing. If he can
but get hold of her hand-that is his
only chance.
A slight pressure from hers, and
he is accepted. Then both are sup
posed to blush and clap hands.
The dance stops. With smiling
faces and expectant looks the crowd
faces the lovers in deep silence to see
that the first kiss>is bestowed accord
ing to Faroese nruie. The dance is
then renewed with vigor.
That's a neat and handy and
straightforward way of counting.
The Faroese style is well suited to
people who know their own mind,
and marriages there are happy, di-
vorces exceedingly scarce.
A refusal is even more prompt.
The young man, having secured the
girls hand, she quickly snatches it
away from him, and turns her back
on him. There be stands then, the
target for shower of sarcastic
speeches, the blushing. awkward VIC
tim of the cold shoulder literally.
A Faroese wedding without dane
ing before and after was never heard
of. Not infrequently the priest gath
ers up his long sable robe and joins
the dancers. The dancing and sing
ing are sometimes kept up for sew
eral days after the wedding, but no
orgies ever occur, as the Faroese is
q very sensible man and moderate
drinker. \