Year: 1869

ent; matrimony was another thing
entirely, not being strictly matter OF
money.


/ l courted my wife, generally speak
ing, in church pew, over the rough
edge of an old singing-bOOk. From
where she sat L could now and then
catch her eye, as 1 squinted over the
/ top of the book, and, though / am in
1 principle opposed to cOurting in
| church, couldn't very well help it
I then. What cOurting was done at her
house was mostly in the presence of
/ the family. Once in n while, hOwev-
er, got the best of the old gentleman
and his wife, and had a surprise party
with the girl in the front room. These
/ isolated cases were interesting. l sup
pose there has been no change since
that day in the general aspect of front
room cOurtship. The beauty of the
| thing wasn't so much in what we said
as in what we didn't say. / have
heard a good deal of conversation
about popping the question, as if it
/ was q sort of crisis in matrimonial
| work to be dreaded-where a timid
man had no business-but my expert
ence never revealed anything serious
in that direction. If there was any
popping done, it went Off gradually,
and was engaged to marry the girl
before knew it. l don't have any
recollection of squaring myself for a
! speech to the young woman on that
particular topic. All l know, about
it is, that both of US, without any
| dramatic effect, came to the under
standing that the thing was fixed. l
say, therefore, that the dividing line
between waiting on a girl and being
\ engaged to her, is as difficult to find
as it is to discover where q lamb ceas-
es to be lamb and become q sheep
1 stop the comparison right there, be-
cause / have known men who were
engaged to be married to sweet little
| lambs, who not only after marriage
got to be sheep, but were first-class
mules into the bargain. To be lamb
courier is one thing, wife Hammer IS
another.


"Well, as II was about to remark,
my engagement being a fixed fact,
Maria and myself decided to be mar
ried in church. The banns were pub
Iished accordingly, and that was a
very good arrangement, which, / am





fashion. But suppose it saves con-
fusion in these days; for many times,
as the world runs now, 1t wouldn't be
safe to announce a marriage week
ahead, lest there should be some mis-
take about it. Then again, there are
so many married folks nowadays,
who don't know that they are going
to be until somebody tells them of it,
that upon the whole, perhaps, it is
the best that the advertising business
should be dropped.


To be married in church forty years
ago was an event not to be passed by
without special notice. By the way,
1 take to myself the credit of being
the first man married in the sanetu-
ary in Connecticut. Certainly, the
thing had never been done in my
town up to the date of my first ap-
pearance. OF course the affair was
noised all over town for n fortnight
before the ceremony took place, and
the attendance was immense. The
editor of the Eagle, a local paper of
the place, sat upon the gate-post out
side, and jotted down in his note book
the styles as they swept by. He, L
am happy tosay. was the first newspa-
per man in this State who so thorough
iy comprehended the duties Of his pO-
sition as to make a specially of styles.
He has often told me that his enter
prise in that direction increased the
sale of his paper a dozen copies some
weeks. When I passed in and saw
him sitting on the gate-pOst 1 little
thought he would one day be the au-
~ 8 H.


"rm seated on a stile, Mary


He was the identical chap, though
As his report of the affair is probably
the Genesis of the whole business of
matrimonial reporting, it will delight
l am sure, the whole community, at
this time, to have the privilege of
reading what he said. quote his
entire article:


"a BIG THING"


"On Thursday evening last the
meeting house was crowded with peo-
pie to witness the first public mar
riage which has taken place in this
town. The bride was Maria johnson,
a square shouldered, red-haired girl,
daughter of old Johnson, the soap
maker; the groom, Mark Marks, twin
brother of Luke Marks, the cross
eyed chap who ran away with Squire
DobsOn's youngest daughter, Sal,
about three months ago. Mark, as he
walked up the broad aisle, trotted
along as if he was stepping on eggs;
but Maria struck bold gate, and was
the admiration of all spectators. Alto
sether, the march up the aisle was q
success. Joe CrOcker, son of the cam
dy peddler, and John simpson, known
as the gay boy with glass eye, acted
as ushers, and slung themselves with
perfect looseness in performing their
duties. For down right style, Joe
and John can wear the belt. Our re-
porter, who was present, dressed in a
brass coat and blue buttons, and car
rying a gingham umbrella, noted
down the names and harness of some
of the persons present, which we give
as a matter of special interest:


Mrs. Job Cutie wore a braided
straw hat, made for the occasion by
Mrs. Jones, milliner; and it is not too
much TO say that the latter can make
the best millinery of any woman in
the business. Mrs. Cuttleis dress was
striped giDgham, with an outside gar
ment of the same material. She was
the observed of all observers.


"Lucy johnson had on a green ber-
age dress, with pantaletts of nankeen,
edged with twO-cent edging, and
made a very fine appearance. Her
pantalettes, in particular, fitted re.
markably well around the ankles and
displayed her shOestrings to good ad-
vantage.


Mrs. John Balding looked exceed
ingly pretty in a large plaid silk,
which, we understand, was cut over
from a dress worn by her sister En-
ma, deceased. For a cut over dress it
was'one of the best we ever saw.


Lydia Race had on low. necked,
sorrel cOlored alpaca, friZZed with
brown ribbon and her sister Jane
wore a low-necked, yellow print, with
a good deal of tuckings. Low necks
become this family.


1--WE have the names of several 9TH
ers, but the want of space compels us
to omit them. After the ceremony
the newly married couple returned to
the home of the bride, and one who
was present informs us that the way
mince pies and cider suffered during
the evening was caution to dys-
pepties. Only one incident occur
red to mar the pleasure of the oc-
casion. John SomeTs, who is court
ing a sister of the bride, got walnut
meat in his wiDdpipe, and nearly suffo-
Gated before relief was obtained. Bar
ring this mistaken swallow, the recep- |
ton was a success. ."-HdrJOrd COur- !
ant.