Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1909-05-07
SCOTCH
MARRIAGE.
copyright. 1899. by American Press Asso
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waits. Billy was about uine and Fan
was about seven. though there was no
record OF the birth Of either and no
parents about to testify in tie cases.
What had become Of their fathers and
mothers does not pertain to the story.
Billy remembered that once when he
was put into the public schools for a
few months he was known as William
Burke. Fan had spelling book in
which was written Fanny Shaw.
Billy and Fan met one hot summer
night in City Hall park. where each
had gone for the purpose of sleep
ing on the benches. Billy had
nickel In his pocket, and Fan was
crying because she was hungry. Billy
took her over to vender of wafles
on Park row and appeased her hunger.
This was the seed Of love-a kindness,
1t was not planted in a gentleman's
garden. but any soil to produce fruit
requires manure
So 1t came about that Billy and Fan
became chums There were societies
organized to take care of stray chill
dren, and Billy and Fan were dread
fully afraid that some of these socia-
ties would take them and separate
them. Billy confided his fears to his
friend. MacCluney. who drove a cab.
MacCluney facetiously told him that
to prevent this they had better get
married. Billy took the advice in ear
nest and asked how the knot could be
tied.
"Ofm Scautchman meser," replied
the cabman. "1n Scautland if two peo-
pie stand up before third and says
they marries, that ties EN-
'S'pose Fan and stand up before
you and say that?" said Billy
The cabman laughed. and Billy went
of and called Fan, who was selling
papers at the time. The two returned
and asked for q "Scautch' marriage.
MacCluney. thinking it a good joke.
asked the necessary questions and,
having received affirmatory answers,
with guffaw pronounced them man
and wife,
But the "Scautch" marriage didn't
save them from the societies. One
night when they were sleeping in
coal yard band Of summers came
down on them and carried them off.
They protested that they were mar
. ried, which brought smile to the
faces of their abductors, but received
no further notice. After all, they we're
separated.
Billy was sent of to a community Of
farmer boys. Fan was provided with
parents by adoption. Both grew up
in the west. Billy as a tiller Of the
soil, Fan as the daughter Of q store
keeper in country town. Billy,
though he would not have forgotten
his wife, would have forgotten that
her name was shaw had he nI't held
on to the spelling book with til" name
written on the fly leaf. There were
Just as many tears shed by both for
months after they were torn apart as
If they had been children Of wealth.
At first both sighed for the parks, the
coal and lumber yards. sheds and 9th.
er places where they had slumbered,
not because they had been comforta-
BILE, but because they had been to-
gether in these retreats. AS they grew
older they conceived horror of this
part Of their past, but they did not
forget each other Billy grew to man.
hood with one idea. He would "save
up" to enable him to regain his wife.
Fan grew to womanhood wondering
what had become Of her pal. And,
remembering the "Scautch marriage"
when she was old enough to under
stand what it meant it made Billy an
object Of great Importance to her. She
was continually dreaming Of what he
was like as q youth. wondering where
he was and if she would e:"r meet
him.
But Fan grew to be twenty-four
years old. ard there was N sign or
Billy. She had several proposals or
marriage, but answered all suitors
alike-that she was married already.
One of them asked lawyer II there
was anything in such a marriage. He
received the reply that only the courts
could tell, but so long as neither claim
ed the other there would be nothing
illegal in either marrying some one
else.
One day a man drove up to Fans
home in buggy and asked for a
young woman named Frances Shaw.
Fan was sweeping at the time, with
towel over her hair She tried to get
upstairs, but was too late. The man
approached her and said:
"Fan!'
"Are you Billy?'
eyes"
"How did you know meT"
Il wouldn't have known you X
hadn't known you were here. AS It
is see a resemblance to my little"-
He took her by the hand. She turn
ed her face away, but did not with.
draw the hand.
-"wife," he added.
Billy had bought farm, and as
soon as settled upon it he had written
to New York asking information as to