The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-12

sons in the parlor ana all were waite
Ing for me. / donned my surplice
quickly. and briefly the pair were
made one. After the ceremony the
bridegroom followed me into the dark
ened hall and explained that he was
an Englishman and had a fondness
for gold money he preferred to hand
me two sovereigns for my trouble. SO
saying. he slipped two shining coins
i'll my hand and bowed me out. Only
after had reached home did ] dis
cover that he had given me two quar-
tiers that had been washed with gilt.
81 admit that / felt annoyed. and
next morning l sent the coins back by
messenger with note that there had
teen some mistake. The messenger
came back and reported that he could
not find the English gentleman and
he was not known in the building. /
watched the newspapers for a mas =
riage announcement of the couple but
none appeared.
Bad checks have frequently been
given to me, but in general these have
been made good. An amusing incident
Is connected in my memory with one
OF these. ! had married a couple in
the parsonage and the groom gave me
check for S25. ! was awakened at
o'clock the next morning to receive
a. Geographic despatch which read:
Please do not present wedding check,
! as in my excitement 1 made it out on
| the wrong bank. Will send another
Did he send the other? Well, If he
did L never received It,"
"sOft boiled Eggs" for Parson.
Young men as q rule never expect
TO marry and rarely try to learn any
thing about the wedding ceremony, at
least in detail, when they attend a
wedding. They content themselves
with laughing at the manifest i'll at
easeness of their friend the bridegroom
and rarely put themselves in the place
OF this other good man gone wrong"
Consequently when their own time
comes 1t usually finds them unpre-
pared. What to wear, what to select
for presents for best man and ushers,
what to pay the preacher, especially
what to pay the preacher. We speak
now of the ordinary one-stepper and
not of the tango performer. The
former has to do everything in the
way Of preparation for bliss by him
self and he early asks those who have
preceded him along the flowery path:
What is 1t customary to pay the
preacher"
In the one-step class the rate Is
ten dollars and the persons who have
hisl interest at heart will strongly ad-
wise the coming married man to have
the fee ready In cash.
Don't be nasty nice about it," these
good friends implore. Don't imagine
the preacher will dislike seeing the
real coin and so hide it away in a
fancy purse. AS fact the man of
God looks askance on fancy purses
and sealed envelopes. He likes to feel
sure of his fee and he will put twice
the JUNCTION in the reading of his lines
II the money is in his pocket before
he opens the Book"
And for heavens sake" cries an
other friend, don't work off soft boiled
eggs on the preacher; it brings bad
lucM
What do you mean by soft boiled
eggs'?"
That's the expression used in the
under world when they tip the priest
a something Unacceptable in the shape
of money. A 'gink' did this to a rev.
erend friend of mine. He handed him
a roll of tobacco coupons done up In
a one dollar bill and when he came
back from his bridal tour II was to
learn that he had been fired from his
job. All sorts of i'll fortune have fol-
lowed him throughout his married life,
the last of which was twins. All due
to oft boiled eggs for the preacher"
1t is common error to suppose that
because a marriage in the Catholic
faith demands that II be performed
in some part of the holy edifice If
not in the main church a fee Is pre-
scribed, otherwise no nuptials. On the
contrary. in sacristy or church, be-
fore the great altar or In a side
chapel marriages go forward almost
daily in the various Catholic churches
OF this city for which the church re-
ceives no fee whatever. Talking on
this subject delightful priest said:
ut must not be forgotten that the
priest is only witness to a marriage
ceremony and the persons involved
are the high contracting parties. They
are the profs Nsors OF I VIII f1d u