Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1918-12-06
MAY Be MARRIED
ISN'T A BIT SURE
YOUNG DUTcHMAN IN KANSAS
CITY AWAITING NEWS OF
PROXY WEDDING IN
HOLLAND
WAR WAS CAUSE OF THEl DELAY
Manufacturer Q Son Studying Business
So He Can Return and Run His
Fathers

Fathers
Kansas City, Mo.-Victor de Bont
Is ready-even eager-to be a bride
sroom Caroline Zegers is ready
probably eager to be a bride. Maybe
they are such, but il so De Bont does
mt know it, hence the anxiety that he
carries ever with him, smiling pleas
antly, hopefully the while.
De Bont is sojourning in this city:
his bride to be-maybe his bride-is
In Holland.
The Indebtedness in the matrimon-
ial situation Of this couple is due to
the unsettlement arising from the
great war, with Holland on a war foot
ing and its army being shifted from
point to point, according to exigencies.
A lieutenant in that army is to stand
I'D with the young woman instead of
tie man she is actually to marry. 1t is
to he a proxy marriage-maybe has
been.
Every detail essential to The cere-
mony by proxy has been attended to
and II came to the sole point OF the
army man finding it practicable for
him to represent his friend in the
United. States before the authorities
in Holland having to do with making
Miss Zegers Mrs. de Bont. Cable COM
munications are slow, those by mail
vastly slower-about three weeks. The
bridegroom to be-or the bridegroom
in actuality-must wait, with such pa.
thence as he can command to learn.
De Bont who is 25 years old, is the
son of a former very prosper'os candy
manufacturer a. Breda, Holland, who
is dead His fiancee-maybe his wife
is II, daughter of a former Lieuten-
ant in the Dutch artillery, who also is
dead. Her home was until year or so
ago at Breda, but the family removed
to The Hague. At one time wealthy,
her family is now in only moderate
circumstances.
The couple met three years ago at
the annual bal masque at Breda, and
young De Bont was sorely smitten
with the charm of the girl who at
tended the affair as the Pied Piper of
Hamlin. He was introduced, paid ar.
dent court to the girl and an engage
ment to marry followed. His mother
opposed the match.
After his fathers death young De
ness but found it too much for his
knowledge and organized a close cor.
poration, with his uncle as president,
to take control. He went to Amsterdam
20 take charge of the export end of it.
Then came the war, with its heav, car
go upon shipping, and he came to this
country. Here De Bont conceived the
idea of equipping himself for active
management of the business establish
ed by his father, and for this purpose
ne is working from the ground up in
factory in this city.
During his sojourn here De Bont al
so resolved to make Miss Zegers his
wife at the earliest practicable mo-
ment, which meant a proxy ceremony.
First he won his mothers approval,
which under the Dutch law is essen
tial if the marriage is to take place be-
fore he is 80 years old. Then he went
to the Dutch consul here, obtained the
necessary document, which he for
warded to Holland with request of
Lieut.. Oscar Veltman to obtain the
Queens consent and to impersonate
him before the town clerk at Breda
and in the state ceremony over there.
Lieut.. Veltman cheerfully complied.
explaining however that it must wait
upon opportunity, which in the pres
ent circumstances is something differ
cult and uncertain.
When the ceremony has been per
formed in Holland De Bont knows that
he will be advised by cable. Then his
bride will leave for the United States
by the first steamer. The expectant
bridegroom-or maybe bridegroom
has already rented a flat but has not
furnished it. THAT is for her to do he
explains. But she will come soon now
and pick the furniture" When she
does there will be a religious marriage
ceremony, not by proxy.
The more n woman has in her