Willmar tribune., 1909-07-07
4 SCOTCH
Z MARRIAGE.

lSVpyEA6nts 4SSs Oy American 4reS0 A10o.
ciation.l
Billy and Fan were two New York
waits. 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 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 a
nickel in his pocket. and Fan was
crying because she was hungry. Billy
took her over to a vender Of waf1les
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 it 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 socie-
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 mesel'," replied
the cabman. "1n Scautland If two peo-
pile stand up before third and says
they marries. that ties 'em."
"S'pose Fan and l 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 "Scautch' marriage.
MacCluney. thinking it a good Joke,
asked the necessary questions and,
having received afflrmatory answers,
with a guffaw pronounced them man
and wife.
But the "Scautch" marriage didn't
save them from the societies. One
night when they were sleeping in a
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 were
separated.
Billy was sent OF to 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 store
keeper in 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 fol
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 "savf
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