A Sailor's Wedding.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 59, 19 July 1884, Page 4

A Sailor's Wedding.

A few years ago a ship came into harbour at Chatham to be paid off. One of the sailors being ashore, soon prevailed on a young woman of Rochester to accept him as a husband, and pi'evious to returning to his ship left money with a friend to pay for publishing the banns and all other incidental matrimonial expenses. It watf proposed that the marriage should take place on the fourth Sunday following, and on the preceding Saturday the honest tar asked leave of his captain to go on shore, which was peremptorily refused. Jack remonstrated. "Captain, "exclaimed he, "I am going to be married to-morrow." The captain told Jack that the business of the ship in his department was most urgent, and positively forbade him going on shore. Unwilling to disappoint the girl and lose his money, Jack wisely determined to marry her by proxy, and proposed to Will Treadway, his messmate, to undertake that kind office. "And you, Will," said he, "stay with her on shore, and when the gangway is cleared from stem to stern I will ceme to you." Will went on shore, and, informing the girl of his friend's situation and proposal, she instantly consented, and was actually married to Will as the proxy of Jack ; nor did the minister discover the mistake till Will wrote his name in the book — Treadway instead of Salmon. The clerk cried out, " You are not the man asked in church with this woman;" to which the honest tar replied: "I came here to prevent my messmate being cheated, aud I only marry the girl for Jack Salmon, my messmate, till he comes on shore." Three days afterwards Jack came on shore, when he received his spouse from the hands of his proxy, and lived in as much peaoe and tranquility as if he had originally tied the matrimonial knot in propria persona. —"Scraps."

The smartest mantles are short and full at the back, with plenty of lace and beads about them. A great many have long ends in front. Some of the beaded balls that trim them are as large as small oranges, but being of cork, are quiet light. The short basqued close-fitting jackets will be, and are, mnch more general than mantelets. Several are boned, to render them more close-fitting to the curves of the figure, and some are padded under the basque to make them fit without a crease. The brocaded velvet, with full chenille fringe, the plain velvet with frills of black lace, and the stockingnette, with frayed silk ruche, vie with' each other in popularity; while the most dressy are those entirely of jetted lace, fitting like a ouirass, with fall of plain lace, sprinkled over with tassels of jet beads,