The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1912-02-01
A MOCK
MARRIAGE
By r. d. Ci1ATSWORTH
Copyright by American Press Asso-
ciatlon. 1911.

hood. The first freshness OF youth
has gone out OF him, and vision OF
home enllvened by wife and chill
dren looms up before him.
Walter Nixon had reached this age,
or, rather, in his case. it was standing
between the period OF thoughtless
youth and thoughtful middle age. One
day he was skylarking with lot Of
young men and women when some
one proposed that they should have
mock wedding.
I'll be the BRIDE" said Jaqueline
Woodruff, girl who was always Gr5t
and foremost in any PRANK.
"And I'll be the groom" said Walter
calamity since he was standing be-
side her at the moment, and all eyes
were turned upon him.
Few young people realize that It is
dangerous TO trihe with wedding,
but it is
So Walter Nixon and Jaqueline Wood
ruff stood up. one of the young men
Of the party asked if they would take
each other for husband and wife
Walter took seal ring off his finger
and put it on that OF Jaqueline, the
man who was officiating pronounced
them man and wife, and, amid many
jokes and much laughter. they re-
ceived congratulations from the others.
No one considered it anything more
than an escapade, and when new
amusement was proposed the specta
tors forgot all about the first.
A few days later Miss Woodruff, on
opening her mail. read n note from
Walter Nixon, beginning my dear
wife" 1t contained an invitation to
the theater and several facetious re-
remarks us TO her duty toward the
writer as her husband. 1t was all
very funny, and somehow it sounded
rather pleasant. She was OF mar
riageable age and since she was TWEEN
ty-two years old thought it high time
she should be married. Nixon was a
good fellow, able to support n wife
and generally acceptable. Jaqueline
did not know how much Of joke and
how much of earnest there was in his
letter, but she felt at liberty to reply
in kind So she began her letter MY
dear husband" and signed it Your
loving wife"
Soon after this Nixon was telling
Cummings, Il lawyer friend. about
"the joke" as he called il. Cummings
looked trific serious, whereupon
ha
thing of import could come Of it.
1.-THE lady" replied the lawyer, "if
she were disposed To claim you as her
husband. might make it very unpleas-
ant for you
"You don't mean it, exclaimed
Nixon
"You have addressed her as My dear
Wife which Is pretty good evidence
in law that you have married her.
Suppose she says she considered the
marriage Il contract. What are you
going 10 do about il with your letter
in her hands,"
"By love. | never thought OF that
What shall do!'
"The only thing YOU can do Is to get
your letter and destroy II"
"I'll do it at once"
That evening Nixon called Oh Miss
Woodruff for the express purpose Of
returning her letter and getting pos
session of Ills own. She was IN n
very becoming costume and smiled on
him pleasantly.
"I'm glad you've come, dear" she
said, with twinkle in her eye. I've
been in an agony for fear you had
met with some accident. How could
YOU remain so long away from me?"
How pleasant that sounded! Though
the words were In fun, he thought he
would like to hear more of their kind.
He would keep up the pleasantly for
awhile before mentioning the matter
of the exchange OF letters. So he said
10 her that he considered
proper for husband to say to wife.
forgetting that it was more appropriate
for lover. and It was all SO funny
that they kept it up for some time.
Before departing he said:
MY friend Cummings says that IL
YOU really choose TO claim mel mean |
il | really choose TO claim you for my |
wife, might put you to a lot Of trou-
BILE"
What trouble
We'll, might insist that our mar.
riage was serious.
"Well?"
"And you might Tie stopped.
"Put YOU to Il lot of trouble" She |
looked down on the floor, apparently !
much panied.
"Not that. You might
might whatT'
Her voice trembled little.
ooh. | cant get it out. Don't feel
hurt. l didn't mean to say anything
should be sorry for-that Is, nothing |
you should be sorry to hear. I'm aw
fully ashamed. There's nothing TO cry |
about
There seemed to be an irresistible at
traction in the girls waist for the
mans arm and an equally Irresistible
attraction in the mans shoulder for