COWBOY WEDDING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 413, 23 January 1909, Page 15

COWBOY WEDDING.

;'-V :^: ''V/"VpIcfUREBQUE'-SOENES- : AT.-SHE'I*PER-: V"^ ; '-v-.-TQN,'- ; ..--''- :;; ; / v :--: v BRIDAL • ■ f: v''■::'•■ v■ : ;. : .:>- ;: ::■;■■•''■:■■ ; v;';■ ■ PAIR.■ -. .:' ;■:■•■ • ■;-; '■;■' -'■ >A^village?wedding 1 niost "typical of the, : : through whole :, 'of "•the; Thames Valley from Hflmptoii;.C<ra]rt; to, Choftsoy." on Decembers. Ajiud a, fusillade of revolver shots, instead of a merry; peal of church bells, and with wild prairio,whoops and whip cracking, instead of modest British cheers and showers of confetti, Captain Cecil Morgan, the head. of tho lmpo'rial. School .'of Colonial Instruction at Shepperton,;, was "quietly" married to Mrs. Skerry;"widow" of Mr. 'Fred Skerry, of Thames Dittori. The cowboys' collego. has been established recently it Shopperton,; and it is-said'that the love of adventure has iiicreased at;any rate'among the village: boys. Tho object-of: : the.school, is;to send youths out across, the seas equipped for the strugglo thathes'ets eyery : nowcomer to; the colonies. .'•.;' ' . This cowboy wedding was arranged with a complete sense of tho picturesque that would havo made- Buffalo"Bill's'-heart' throb with envy. About half-past;, ten a clatteringcavalcade of a dozen cowboys and'a reinforcement of representatives; of- the .Legion :of Frontiersmen rode through the which was a Wazo of flags, -on their way to St. Nicholas' Church; where the wedding was to be celebrated; The • men wore their sombreros,, their red and blue'shirts, their leather trousers .:• and woolly chaparejos and ' large Mexican 'spurs; : l.sheir' heavy 'revolvers,. bandoliers, and bowie'knives, with . '-their lassoes resting 'on':the.peaks of their Mexican saddles, .;They came galloping along the road cracking their ■" whips; as though they were on the prairie setting out to herd cattle. Conspicuous in thV bridal party two Toxans, ohristened "Deadly Dillingham' and "Lively Lynch", by tho small; boy s of. Shepperton. . '...;;'i'v.' •'■■.,:.''■'■': ;■'' '; Prairie Champion, ;; , Dillingham is theiworld's.champion at the prairie gamo of "rope throw:-and tie." He can capture a wild steer at full gallop, lasso it, throw it oh its back,, and. tie it up ready for branding,in twehty-onojs'econds. Lynoh can perform the feat .in twenty-six' seconds. ShoppertorT went ;intb/,ecstasies over ■.the wedding. Outsido the l ivy-clad church' the cowboy cavalcade halted,and formed• a doublo line leading tothe porch, and here. they_ sat on their horses! awaiting the birido. dreds of people came in motors and carriages, and on horseback and bicycles, by'rail and on foot to' .cattle. ranges of tlio .world..were.;represehted.'.Thore , were men from.'Argentihe, v ]?atagonia, ; Texas,. Peace River, :Mackenzio'Baßin, Mexico,, Australia, mid New 'Zealand.'"' '.' ;"''?'. ''l-', r ..'".' To make the (scene'more realistic, .the cowboys rolled up,their sleeves, /-exposing arms tattooed with;, symbols,'of; the prairie,;and when the bride'arrived-in'a -motor "car, -they gave a heirty cowboy, whoop, and reined in , their horses so -'that' theyvreared- gracefully; Captain Morgan .was;noy,'.droßSod;ih" cowboy kit, and both, lib" and'the'"best" mahj. Mr.. E. French, a famous the church in the orthodox frock,'coat;,Thei bride wore a dress::of■ r paloVblue ■crepe, de chine.; When the' bridal; : pair-j'appeated , nt--;ino porcli aftor theVcer'emonyjthcro'.was,an,.immense crowd, of .people ■outside^ The inquisitive; .i-throng;;'was; -.reinforced; by huntsmen and huntswoirieiY; arid'grooms and farmers on horseback. The cowboys; did not 'enter .the church/''is : .it>was;coiifessed inadvisabld to "ta,ke;a;circti'suiito'ia,h'oly;:place'." But as tho bridal pair.: drove .off, they, were greeted w ith;a succession' of whoops on the part "of tho cowboys v and' the" : crowd."-JyThe bronco-busters ■ threw; their' hats;'in.. the ;air, and, spurungtheir:horses, galloped-afteir''tho bridal motor, firing their, revolvers in the : 'air as they "rode';".-';i". .;■'.;■";;;.- 1-T? -X* -,■':'•;■■•'■. ' : ; '■'..;".. : .:'.' , •'■ / -' ,;.".';- Gallop Across Country. :■ Thon there'; was, a mad, gallop across country to "VI 'Aparcjo,'.:which",;is: the .School of Insthictiou, where', the, ■brcajjf ast-was; served. *?rp?' r i!~i'(?' : ?^yV!n'^ :^';:^

,';:'; '; ,'.';;'; tie,motor; : and:tlie'_excite<l. villagers brought, .:;up.-tliorear.'. .{Sqg isighals.weriirp.laced ( on.the ... ;.;.railway' and:an-engine driven; oyer-them. V: . ":";'.-'.;? I":-i" , 'ftV-.'.':-' ; -' + . J V. :i -.'";SV'-:'_-' -^-i l -- -:-y ■V There isVan;air:of;the -Western prairie l and; - , ; .a feblihg\bf;isolatibn.'"abbut'.'"EL A'p'arojo"^'.,'. ;■'which/is Spanish for", "saddling-up"—but; the ■'•''■'. cowboy-settlement ;Kad .-assumed a merry asr pebtV.-Ov'er^the-fdrgeVwa's>emMazoned---the ■ "■;-,. sign,^"lsiidery i -Wvi3; ■ treo ; ; ,'; •': ;..'; say.the.least,■.beeanse.there was. ; ..,;no tree of kind.:noM r if.' ";But ihisdoub'tV.'less js'a prairiorjolre. vlri the''bunk.roohl," --. -/ whichi.-was .decorated .with; revolvers," ..stocks, , ,:. and and.' spread - ; about the grounds ■-"•;'' ; were all kinds of impediments -connected with the training of ..cowboys;. '..The : breakfast was '".•■'■"' served inside a vast"'marquee,; and. the giie'sts ■ were, seated around tables.:; The bridegroom: ; • , : ; made a speech in • reply .'to'.! his ;health, .and , then; just at:tho. moment when it:seems;as -~ if; one of the bronco-busters would lasso the ; ;'; : wedding- cake, or: cnt.-it-' in; twain .'with -:his .trustywhip, 'the : 'men':.suddenly ''leaptto their ■■;■." feet,;; and after .'singing .for ""He s a'/Joll)v '. Good.■ Fellow,", held:'tjioir revolvers ;aboye , ../their heads'" and.'fired'a : deafening fusillade of 1 ■:.good.cheer.■'.'■ '■fc-jr,&l:':-'.J:*'#f£-~;jyj : y ,;,/. '■"'■.;;. :■'..: ;. ; It;was a unique, wedding,.and the cowboys - ;'■ 6 a ve. ...the? enthusiastic ;.•;.:successioh.'pfiwlioops'. as'they;]''.started .for ; ; : ;; London, for.thehonoymopn;-iri a motor-par; ■ hearing a wedding mascot''on\ the; bonnet in ' '■' the- shape-'pf a little.blapk'dog.;; A:meraor- •.'.' able 'day,, hi: Sheppertonended in: the school : fields with a wonderful;display of cowboy ;; riding,vshoPting,.lassbingiVandtuckjumping.