The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-07
WASPS IN HIS HAT
 UPSET WEDDING
NEST IN THE DRAGONS OLD BEAv- FIR AND COME OUT TO STING THE BRIDEGROOM AND THE GUESTS.

Special to the New York World
 Slab City, Vt-Deacon Jonathan Ross inadvertently contributed to a good deal of excitement at the wedding of his grandson Ephriam the other day as he was taking to wife Miss Betty Porter, d pretty young woman of the village. For time it looked as though the cere- mony would have to be postponed.
 The deacon lays all the trouble to his good spouse Martha. who, he declares. insisted that he should wear his fun eral" beaver hat. The venerable dea- con protested that the tile was suitable for funerals only, but Mrs. Ross insisted that she had frequently seen in the news papers pictures of men wearing them to fashionable weddings in Boston and that 1t would be highly improper for him to go in his rusty felt
 So the hat was brought from the attic, where 1t had been reposing for upward of three years: the exterior was brushed by his near-sighted wife and the pair set out for the home of the bride. The deacon almost rebelled after the third neighbor had solcltously inquired as to whose funeral they were going, but he stuck it out and in due time arrived at the Porter homestead.
 The ceremony was to be performed in the parlor, where chairs were set in a semi circle, and as they were close rela- tives and is Mrs. Ross could not see any distance with comfort, they were placed in the first row. The deacon put his hat under his chair and soon began to enjoy the proceedings immensely. The other chairs were soon filled and then, at the signal of the best man, the church organist struck up the ''Lohengrin' wed- ding march on the melodian and the we'd ding party entered.
 The parson had asked the usual ques- tions and was about to pronounce the couple man and wife when the groom emitted a sharp crp of pain and clapped his hand to his head. Almost instantly he yelled a second time, jabbed his eye and began to dance a hornpipe. The bushing bride turned pale and started to
 weep; the guests fidgeted in their chairs ] and the parson looked amazed.
 Just then the deacon leaped out of his chair and running his hand up his trousers leg to the top of his boot Dir , ouetted in circle and losing his balance came down flat on the floor.
 'Wasps!" he shouted, withdrawing his hand and holding up crushed insect in his trembling finger
 Every one was on his feet in an in- stant. Women held their skirts close and famed the air with their handkerchiefs l The bridegroom danced about in a circle tearing at his hair, and the bride gath cred her veil closely about her face. The wasps about twenty in number, buzzed here and there, their flight marked by | hysterical shouts from the feminine guests. Then, circlng slowly, they made a bee line for the deacon's beaver. l Inside the hat neatly glued to the roof, 1 was Ia small conica1 wasp's nest and l into it the insects finally erawled one by one. When they had all got home the deacon immersed the hat in a tub of water and the interrupted wedding went on At the reception the bridegroom i couldn't see out of his left eye and sev- eral of the guests suffered in divers parts l of their anatomies.