The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-11-23

HIS EUGENlC WEDDING
BY cAPRoN PARKER.

-Ye remember the day l was mar
ried?
1t was the day before that went up
to see Father Flanagan, to rehearse q
bit, SO as to be in trim for the big
event.
by the way" says Father Flanni-
gan. says he, have ye your marriage
license yet?'
"License?" says I; whats that for?
never knew one had to have license
for gettin' married"
The idea didn't suit me at all, any
how
do they think I'm dangerous"
thinks |, ito be needin' license? I'd
not have Katie know this for ten dol,
lars. She'd never take me at all If she
knew / had to be licensed"
l kept me thought to myself, for
Father Flannigan's mild, decent
man, an / didn't want to worry him.
It's all right, Tim," he says, seeing
what l was thinking about. "All We
have to do is to go down to the city
fix it out for We in minute"
Barrin the idea of it, that seemed
easy, SO l buttoned up me coat and
started off, not lookin' for any trouble,
as We well know, if We know me at all.
/ walked into the big door of the
city hall, and / spied boy with but.
tons that looked like he belonged to.
the place. an says to him:
Where's Schmid's officer"
IT'S right before your eyes," says
the boy. pointin to the next door an
hurryin' off before any one else could
come in an bother him.
walked into the doorway, and
there was three or four smart-lookin'
clerks sitting round. doing nothing
unless wishin' 1t was noon / walked
up to one and said:
I'm lookin' for Schmid Is he INF"
The clerk stared at me out of his
goggles and was goin' to say something
when he could think of 1t, when a
stout man came out of the next room
and, seeing me waitin', he says, point
In to chair:
Come over here and sit down"
l sat down an he sat down by a
desk, an the clerk with the goggles
came an sat down at the other end of
the desk, with piece Of paper In his
hand yard long.
yer manner" says the stout man.
"O'Toole," says /.
Il want your full name," says
Schmid. Eyer names Timothy, isn't
it?"
1T is" says I. Goggles put it down
on the paper.
How old are ye?"
None of yer business" thinks I,
but / said: "Twenty-seven."
Then he wanted to know where I
was born and all about it, the clerk
takin' down me answers every time.
Then he asked me ha6 l ever had
the measles an the mumps and the
scarlet fever and the ricketts,, an had
ever had any trouble of any kind.
/ answered all his questions as fast
as I could. and all the time Goggles
was taking them down.
Now" says Schmid, Wed like to
know something about yourself" The
clerk turned over the page an got
some more ink in his dish.
Better spit on yer hands," thinks
/, lookin' at the clerk. TITS hard work
an ye're not used to it. / hope you'll
last till the end of the job"
All right" says 1; ask away"
DO We drink" says he.
l never in me life heard the ques-
ton asked in that tone of voice. an
didn't know how to take it. There
was nothin' in sight. anyhow.
Il can't exactly say l do says l,
riskin' that much, but not quite seem
me way ahead
"Ye mean by that" says Schmid,
that We do use liquors somewhat now
and again"
You've hit it exactly" says /.
Nov and again l do in the way Of
sociability, but not regular like some
/ know"
THAT goes against you, 1 suppose
ye know" says he. You'll have to
knock that off entirely" says he.
I was askin' him where he got his
information, but thinkin' of Katie
again made me hold me tongue.
DO you chew tobacco?" says
Schmid.
Very little" says l, land stopping
now and again for day or two to
show me strength"
TT would be better If you didn't use
it at ALL" says Schmid.
Knowing kind of critter," thinks l.
There was no end to his questions,
and some of them was very imperti-
nent. Some of them l answered with
the truth, and some of them / an
swered the best could, not knowing
what he was at
That will do for today. Tomor-
row afternoon We can come in for the
reading and the writing examination"
Tomorrow" says l. Tomorrow
afternoon! The weddin's to be the
first thing in the morning, and | must
have that marriage license tonight if
I'm to be havin' it at all. which don't
believe you're intendin' in the least"
Marriage license!" says he. What
have got to do with yer marriage IL
cense?"
Il should say We had a great deal to
do with il" says l, by the way we've
been goin' on the last two hours. And
If 1t wasn't for Katie I'd never stood
your insolence."
Look here" says Schmid. we come
in here to get examined for the force,
didn't yet? and yen have. to take the
same examination we put all the men
through"
What force is that?" says l, trying
to speak easy and maxim a bad fist