The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-18
THEaNIINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL.
u ! herr he 1aiidens
~ Do the Wooiin1

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saa heresis at; least one place in the
twill certainly be her misfortune and
mot. hersfault, and that is the Belgian
sy Y lllage of Ecaussines Lalaing, about a
dozen niles as the crow flies from the
HISTORIC field of WaterloO.s Il 80
w hilesI other maids resignedly wait.
Tor lovers to come a-Wooing, and fslet3
concealment, like worm i the bud.
feed on their damask cheeks the girls
Of Ecaussines realize that their mission
/ nsalfe is to secure husbands, and that
s b. aies men are. backward in, coming for
7fard IT, is their duty and prerogative
to- take the initiative and toHcoax or
compel them to come to them. u
|3< FOR many a year these resolute spin.
STEERS have made their pilgrimages to a
Wa8yslde shrine to pray for the husbands
who are so coy in coming; but a couple
of years ago they decided that in this:
particular matter works were probably
more effective than faith, and they
changed ;la1 their plan Of campaign. They
determined fe! "a to try the arts Of bold ai-
vertlsement; and with this view they
arranged q banquet to which, by widely
circulated notices and press paragraphs,
they invited all the coy bachelors in
The district for many miles around their
maiden village. ''1o1-
In the place, on the bank of the
Sennette, were spread the tables for
this feast of love-an banquet of quite
s { 'S% simplicity, for it consisted
but t, OF coffee and confectionery; but the
coffee was to be drunk from bowls
Wreathed with roses, and the dainty
tables We're lavishly decorated with
bright and Eod orous flowers.
Long. before the hour fixed for the
l5sYmp os1um the anxiously awaited guests
I4began to stream into the village. From
every pointssof the compass they came.
and in every guise. Loutish farm-la.
sborers arrived in their Sunday clothes:
splck -and-span young farmers s drove
EIslbraveiy upSin their gigs = dapper assist
f2ants from the shops Of Brussels, Mons,
and nd many another neighboring town
trooped in an their gayest attire, SPORT
ing enormous bouquets and twirling
their canes with the air of conquerors-
until the place' swarmed with DO
tential husbands for the maids of
Ecaussines.
At the crucial hour of as if by a.
concerted signal, the sixty fair host
esses ,converrged on the place. and,
with heads held high, marched thru the
ranks OF their guests, as queens might
march thru the obsequious ranks Of their
SUBJECTS. Each maid then took her seat
at one Of the many fower-decked ta-
bles, leaving suggestively vacant place
at her side; and as if moved by one
Irresistible impulse the waiting guests
rushed to these empty seats, and al
most in the twinkling of an eve everv
table was full. But, alas! those bid
den to the feast far outnumbered the
places provided for them; and hundreds
were compelled to play the passive and
disappointed role ofa.lookers-on. #@2:.s
Then began the fun of the feast. To
the slipping of coffee and the munching
of cakes every Jack found his tongue
loosened and began to make love to the
adjacent Jill. Under the stimulating
influence of flashing eyes and smiling
lips the coyest and most awkward
bachelor of them all was quickly con:
ISverteds into an eloquent and ardent woo.
Fer; and long before the feast came to
an end fourteen of the guests had ire:
vocably lost their hearts.
| OF the charming speech made by the
principal hostess, Of the witty and gal
liant responses Of the leading bachelors
of the love-songs, the presenting of
bouquets, and many another pleasant
incident Of this unique love-feast, there
is no space to write. Let. it suffice to
say that the banquet far exceeded the
expectations Of its providers; that four
teen weddings followed it; and that
| this novel experiment in husband hunt.
| ing is, now permanent fixture in the
calendar Of the maids Of Ecaussines
--Tid-b bits. -. 4 "a. -.