The daily Alaskan., 1909-04-16
SCOTCH
 MARRIAGE.

l Copyright. 1909. by American Press Asso-
 Ciatior,l
 l Billy anG Fan were two New York waifs. Billy was about nine and Fan was about seven. though there was no record of the birth of either and no parents about to testify in the 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 few months he was known as William Burke. Fan had a 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 q vcndcr of watllcs on Park TOW and appcascd her hunger. This was the seed of loyC-a kindness. | It was not planted in 2 gentlcmans garden, but any soil to produce fruit ! requires manure.
 So it came about that Billy and Fan became chums. There were societies organized to take care of stray chil- drcn, and Billy and Fan were dread' ] fully afraid that some of these socie- 1 ties would take them and separate them. Billy confidcd his fears to his | friend, MacCluncy, who drove a cab. 1 NIacCluncy facctiouSly told him that to prevent this they had better get married. Billy took the advice in car nest and asked how the knot could be i tied.
 "Orm q Scautchman mcScr," replied ] the cabman. "In Scautland if two peo- pie stand up before a third and says they marrics. that ties 'cm.'
 "S'posc Fan and l stand up before you and say that?" said Billy. ! The cabman laughed, and Billy went off and called Fan, who was selling papers at the time. The two returned and asked for "SCautch' marriage. ! MacCmucy. thinking 1t good joke, asked the necessary questions and, ! having received alIirmatOry answers, with a guG'aw 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 l They protested that they were mar 1 ricd. which brought a smile to the l faces of their abductors, but received no further notice. After all, they were separated. ;,
 Billy was sent of to community of farmer boys. Fan was provided with narcnts by adoption. Both grew up in thc west. Billy as a tillCr of the soil. Fan as the daughter of store keeper in a country town. Billy though he would not have forgotten his wife. would have forgotten that her name was Shaw had he not held on to the spelling book with the name written on the fly leaf There were just as many tears shed by both for months after they were torn apart as ir thcv had been children of wealth. Al first both sighed for the parks, the coal and lumber yards, sheds and oth- ar places where they had slumbercd, not because they had been comtoria- blc. but because they had been to- rethcr in these retreats. As they grew oIdcr tlcy conceived a horror of this nart of thcir past, but they did not forget each other. Billy grew to man. hood with one idea. He would save uD" to enable him to regain his Wlle' Fon grew 10 womauhood wondering wbot had become of her pal. And remembering the "Scautch marriage, whom 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 ne was like as a youth, wondering where he was and if she would ever meet him.
 But Fan grew to be twenty-four | years ClQ. anu luS'S ""' ' | Billy. She had several proposals or merriagc but answered all Suitors aIlkc-that she was married already One of them asked lawyer if there was anything in such 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 man drove up to Fans home in a buggy and asked for young woman named Frances Shaw. Fan was sweeping at the time, with a towel over her hair. She tried to get upstairs, but was too late. The man approached her and said:
 Fan"
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