Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-12-23
CIVIL MARRIAGE.

1t ilaS IdIuC0 XII NAy 6tiu ioN IL 10
getting dark The avenue is wet and
sticky with mud and the wind is howl
ing through the branches OF the trees.
From the little brightly illuminated
church comes the sound OF organ and
singing
Marius is sitting at his desk in the
little cottage opposite the churca end
in spite OF the wind and drizzle cut
side he has no. closed his window. It
seems to him he needs storm and cold
and the weather outside agrees with
his state Of mind.
He and lngra, who is at present IL
Finnen to learn housekeeping in his
uncle's home SO that she may know
how TO make both ends meet with his
annual income OF 4,000 crowns-~~he
and Ingra have decided to marry.
They want civil marriage. 1t is so
simple. so easy, so human and SO de-
lightfully unconventional and mo fern.
The quarrel with his mother, father,
sisters, aunts had been hard enough.
They he'd threatened to disinherit
to perdition.
The father had ordered him to move
ont of the little cottage he had rented
from him at bargain. His mother
and sisters had come to him without
the angry fathers knowledge and had
imrlored him on their knees. The
aunts had weDt and cried over the
telephone and in their letters
But his-and-and Ingras convic-
ton none Of them had been able to
shake, and in the end the family had
had to give in,
We cannot take upon lis the re-
sponsibility OF driving nim still farth-
er into the arms Of crime" the moth
err had said TO the father land the
father, who remembered how, in his
boyhood he had stolen apples in the
neighbor's garden and made faces at
an old woman, replied: Il suppose it
is the unfortunate inheritance from
me. Let us save him by love and pa
tience."
In trent OF Marius. on the desk,
was the printed blank informing the
minister that he desired TO leave the
state church. He himself had gone to
the sexton to get il.
Il want to leave the state church."
he had said. to the sexton and had
hoped to see an expression Of pain or
sorrow come into the old mans face,
but instead this inferior material
minded person had said TO him with
his most amiable smile: with the
greatest of pleasure. young man"
Then he had given him the blank
which was to be filed out and he
bowed him to the door as if the whole
thing was a common, everyday affair.
For the fifth time he picked up the
blank and read it over aloud
AS he had done the other times, he
stopped when he had come TO this
point, laid down the paper and
ieges may be-"
OF course. he did not know what
these privileges were. but to give
them up-fOr Ingras sake, who was,
after all, only q woman and not as
firm IN her convictions as he. He
had been free-thinker ever since the
minister had confirmed him in that
church-but worfren-they are more
more changeable than we men and he
must take that into consideration.
Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense!
When lnga stood shoulder to shoulder
with him, she, too, would feel strong.
Privileges He looked sarcastically
toward the old church door. After all,
one must let the people keep their re-
ligion Religion has its value the peo-
pie must believe
He picked up his pen, dipped it en-
ergeticaliy In the ink-well as man
does when there is no reason why he
should hesitate. and ran his eyes over
the paper: Il give UP alp
Just then cold gust of wind struck
his face and he shivered. He turned
dIOuiiI tuI!OuS, pAchSu up inc pCI
orce more with trembling hand, and
while beads OF cold perspiration came
on his forehead he wrote mis- name in
a hand which looked strange and un-
familiar to himself.
Now it is" done,'' he said aloud and
thought at the same moment OF
schoolmate he had long ago forgotten.
What was the matter with him? Oh,
now he remembered-he had forged a
note,
He placed the paper in an envelope,
wrote the address outside in large,
impudent letters, blew out the lamp,
took his hat and went quickly outside.
A moment later he heard the letter
drop in the empty letter box on the
corner of the road.
There was a policeman on the side
walk, who stared at him. He wonder
ed If he knew already. Oh. nonsense,
it was no bomb, only a letter.
Nevertheless, he went towards the
light in front of the church door. He
ctCnnod end Looked in How amusing