Show A PEASANT WEDDING Mrs Alec Tweedie in her Journey Ings lags through Finland appears to have displayed a a. happy aptitude for tor forming friendly relations with all sorts ant an ant conditions of ot people At one cottage of the poorest sort where she stopped to buy a bowl of ot milk she fell into conversation with its mistress A t Avery very clean and apparently very aged woman clad in a short serge skirt a loose white chemise and a a. striped apron of many colors these colors these simple garments being all of ot her own ing Over her head she wore a black cashmere kerchief Her face might have belonged to a woman of a hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred or a witch of ancient times It was so wrinkled and tanned her hands were hard and horny and yet after half an hours hour's conversation we discovered she was only about fifty fifty- five Hard work poor food and life in dark ventilated ill smoky cottages age the peasants fast at seventeen many a girl begins to look like an old woman The old or middle aged woman was a cheerful and friendly soul and was soon beguiled by the visitors visitor's comments on a woven band hanging in sight into narrating an episode of family history It had been one of the presents given by her son II on his marriage to to his groomsman He had married a girl of ot another village vil vil- lage asking lage-asking asking her hand in accordance with immemorial Finnish custom through a or spokesman a kind of preliminary best man who must do all the talking while the suitor suitor suitor suit suit- or himself sits dumb Being accepted he be exchanged rings with his betrothed and gave her father the usual What Is that thaU the visitor asked Why it is a sort of a deposit given to the girls girl's father tather to show he really means to marry the girl a girl a cow or something of that sort A two years' years engagement during which the young people were earning their household household household house house- hold equipment was followed by a grand wedding celebrated as usual in Finland at ot the bridegrooms bridegroom's house It Is a very expensive thing to get married said the mother and my myson myson myson son had to give many presents to the law in mother-in-law mother bridesmaids bridesmaids bridesmaids brides brides- maids and groomsmen To all the brides bride's maids he gave stockings that being the fashion of ot our country to the groomsmen he gave shirts to his mother-in-law mother a dress to the father- father law in-law a belt and to other friends head handkerchiefs In short she confessed that the occasion was a very serious drain upon the family resources But oh It was a lovely time she added A wedding Is a splendid thing We had a a feast all one day and the next and then the priest came and they were married Every Everyone one we knew came from miles around Some brought a can of ot some of Pf them brought corn brandy and others brought porridge and Johansen had been to town so he brought back with him some white bread Aye it was a grand feast We danced and ate and sand and made merry for tor two then we all walked with my son and his bride to that little cottage on the theother theother theother other side of the wood and left them there where they have lived ever slI since ce |