Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-04-13
SCOTCH
MARRIAGE.

| walLs. Billy was about nine and Bal
was about seven, though there was n,
record of the birth Of either and n,
parents about to testify In the cases
What had become of their fathers anC
mothers does not pertain to the story
Billy remembered that once when b.
was put into the public schools for 1
few months he was known as William
Burke. Fan had q spelling book II
which was written Fanny Shaw.
Billy and Fan met one hot summer
night in City Hall park, where eacl
had gone for the purpose Of sleep
ing on the benches. Billy had q
nickel in his pocket, and Fan wal
crying because she was hungry. Billy
took her over to a vender of waffief
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.
"Orm a Scautchman meseI'," replied
the cabman. "In Scautland If two peo-
pie stand up before a third and says
they marries. that ties EN-"
"S'pose Fan and l stand up before
you and say thatY' 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 a "Scautch" marriage.
MacCluney. thinking 1t good Joke,
asked the necessary questions and,
having received afirmatory 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 a band Of summers came
down on them and carried them off.
They protested that they were mar
ried. which brought a smile to the
faces Of their abductors, but received
no further notice. After all, they were
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 a 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
after they were torn apart as
II 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,
the "Scautch marriage"
when she was old enough to under
ltand what It meant IL made Billy an
inject Of great Importance to her. She
vas continually dreaming Of what he
vas like as youth, wondering where
he was and II she would ever meet
linn.
But Fan grew to be twenty-four
fears old. and there was no sign OF
BILLY. She had several proposals Of
but answered all suitors
IlIke-that she was married already.
)ne Of them asked q lawyer IL there
vas anything In such a marriage. He
eceived the reply that only the courts
'ould tell, but 80 long rs neither claim
d the other there would be nothing |
legal In either marrying some one
Use.
One day a man drove up to Fans |
lone In q buggy and asked for q |
'oung woman named Frances Shaw. |
ran was sweeping at the time. with a |
owel over her hair. She tried to get |
lpstairs. but was too late. The man |
her and said;
''FanP'
"Are you Billyr'
ssYes.s
slow did you know meF'
Il wouldn't have known you II I (
ladn't known you we're here. As 1t |
8 see a resemblance to my little
He took her by the hand. She turn \
a her face away. but did not with ,
raw the hand.
--''wffe." he added.
Billy had bought = farm, and as
Ioon as settled upon It he had written
Q New York asking information as to |
where Fan had been sent. The rec Il