The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-01
A MOCK
MARRIAGE
BY r. D. CHATSWORTH
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.


has gone out of him. and vision OF
a home enlivened 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 be 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, a girl who was always frst
and foremost in any prank.
"And III 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 1t is
dangerous to trifle with wedding,
but 1t 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 a seal ring off his finger
and put II on that of Jaqueline. the
man who was officiating pronounced
them man and wife, and, amid many
Jokes and much laughter, they re-
ceiyed 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 a note from
Walter Nixon. beginning my dear
wife" 1t contained an invitation to
the theater and several facetious re-
remarks as to her duty toward the
writer as her husband. 1t was all
very funny. and somehow 1t 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 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, a lawyer friend, about
"the joke" as he called it Cummings
looked a trile serious, whereupon
Nixon asked him If he thought any
thing of import could come of 1t.
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 itr' 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 a contract. What are you
going to do about 1t with your letter
In her handsf"
by Joye ! never thought Of that
What shall doT'
1.-THE only thing you can do is to get
your letter and destroy IL"
"Ill do It at once
That evening Nixon called on Miss
woodruff for the express purpose of
returning her letter and getting pos
session of his own. She was In
very becoming costume and smiled on
him pleasantly.
"rm 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 meF
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 Tor
awhile before mentioning the matter
of the exchange Of letters. So he SAID
something to her that he considered
proper for husband to say to wife,
forgetting that it was more appropriate
for q lover. and 1t was all so funny
that they kept it up for some time
Before departing he said:
My friend Cummings says that II
you really choose to claim mel mean
If / really choose to claim you for my
wife--I might put you to lot of trou-
BILE"
what troubleT'
well. might insist that our mar
rage was serious"
"WellT"
"And you might He stopped.
"Put YOU to a lot of trouble" She
looked down on the floor. apparently
much panied.
mot that. You might
might whatF
Her voice trembled little.
''oh, / can't 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
the girls head. There were few in
coherent murmurings. and the cart
was harnessed before the horse. In
other words. their wedding had pre-
coded the engagement.
Their friends declared that there
was no need of another marriage, for