THE MATCHMAKER.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1941, 26 December 1913, Page 3

THE MATCHMAKER.

Old Pat and I ■ went out to ".'catcir shrimps in the rocks below tho' cliffs,' and after a riiorniii&'s linrd work, .we caught about a dozen! ■'■,' ' - "I never saw the like of it," said ho thrusting his net under a rock as he spoke, and then withdrawing it m dis-. gust. "There's no vacancy in it at all.It's in a vacancy you get them!".. Ho examined tho contents, of tho net.. "There's one, anyway," ho said, throwing the twisting shellfish towards me. Ho threw'' two little green fish with large heads on the sand. "There s any amount of them things," he exclaimed, and then suddenly threw his net do"'"; and running towards a large rock, fell on his knees, and began to pull at a great red crab. "There's something, anvway!" Wo packed the crab into tho basket, and covored it with seaweed, and, tints deluded, it remained quiet. I told Pat I did not think it was much good trying to find any more shrimps, and he agreed with me. So we sat down on the rocks a while and gossiped. 1 have, forgotten how we came to discuss marriage and match-making, • but I knew that I soon understood that- ol'd Pat himself was a-match-maker, though I had manners enough to pretend that I was unaware of tho fact. -in. liCsi -;,:x'- ■'■ \ "Does the match-maker got paid for his.services!'" I asked as diplomatically as I could. - "Ah, no," ho replied,,"ho docs not." "Doesn't ho get anything?" "No. He's a well-wisher of the young fellow, mebbo. That's all. He doesn't get nothing for it. A young fellow with a hit of land, now, might bo wanting a girl with a good fortune, and mebbc tho woll-wishor would know of a suitable persons for him. The yotlllg fellow puts a bottle of whisky into his pocket, to draw down the discourse, and then the woll-wisher goes to the girl's house, and passes the bottle round, and when ho finds out what the girl's da'll give her for a fortune, he goes away, and tells the young fellow, and if the young fellow think it's enough, tho two of them goes round the nest night and settles it. That's the way it's done." I asked what the amount of a girl's fortune might be. ■ ' "- "Ah, it difforsl Mcbbee, a hundred or a hundred and fifty pounds. Sometimes it's more!" "Have all the girls about hero got fortunes?" "Well, if they haven't, they have tho poor chance of getting a man. Lots of them goes til Aliierica, and earns a fortune in five years, and then comes back and marries'a farmer. There's-plenty hero.has tho V'ankcC: talk!" ' 'I asked'himtb teli'mo whether.any of tho people over married for love. "Och, indeed, they do!" ho replied, in tho voice of one who admits that thero is error and folly in the world, "lint 1 can toll you the best man, good or bad, is the man that has tho wannest farm, and the- best.woman is tho woman that has the most money. That's what I think. They're as happy that way as any way. There's maiwa couple doesn't see each other hardly to tho day they're married, and they gst on well enough!" He told me of a young man who wanted to marry, but was too busy to look for a wife for himself, "Tho match-maker told bim of a suitable girl, and he left the arrangements to him, and a week afterwards they were married. You can get- married hero with throe days' notice. He never sot eyes on her until he saw her in the church, and they're as happy as any person 1 There was a man over at I)J— ],ad four daughters. . They're .all married now, and doing well. When they were at home with 'him ho used to dress the first oik* up in great style, and left the others all anyhow. He let it be known i:hat her iortinie. was £1-30, and when she was married lie dressed up tho second one; and kept the other two'the way they were. He did that with the lot of them. They had £150 each. They weren't long looking for husbands!" I asked how tlio amount of the for. tunc was arranged. • "Ah, there's a deal of haggling about that sometimes. The young Jellow'H inebbeo want- rnore'n the girl's da h willing to give,' and sometimes you'd be at" them all'night near to get them to agree.on a' price!" "I suppose," said.l, "sometimes the negotiations aro broken off because the parties can't agree on terms?" "Ah, that doesn't often happen," ho replied. "Tho girl's pcople'll not- let vou out of the house if they can help it. It would bo a slur on the girl that lier da wouldn't give her enough of a fortune, and the young fellow wouldn't have her. They couldn't let that happen. I've known eases! ..." !t » * . ' . • "Doesn't the girl object to being dis-' posed of in this fashion?" "Sure, it's the custom of the country, and what would she object for?; They're as happy that way as any! other way! It's a great, comfort to a'i man to have a woman with money, and j it's a great comfort to a woman to have- i a man with land. There is some does-: be marrying without land or money,'| and God help them, they soon find outtheir mistake. It's poor comfort being in love is when the rent-time comes, and you have un money to pay it!" I discovered that old Pat was not. very happy about tho generation of; this dav. Young men, it" appeared, j had lately developed a tendency to;; make matches for themselves. '■'■'' "And sure they haven't half the ex- ! perience that's needed!" lie said. hut. lie was happv to say that, although tho young men had take'u this great workon themselves, they had not, been silly enough to give up asking for fortunes with their wives. "Though you never know what they'll do, onco they begin making alterations!" Wo ' started to walk Ironic, and on tho way a young girl passed us, giving.-' us a civil greeting as she did so. f s: -*»l "That's'a fine lump of a girl, now-!" said old Pat, when she had gone by.?-! "That girl has a fortune of £150 by ; her, and she's looking for a man.'. I. know a young fellow would suit her ! rightly, too. Ho doesn't live in this j parish at all. but another place. I j wouldn't wonder now but ho might take-1 a notion of her if I was to go over onSaturday, and tell him about- her.. He's got ii tidy farm, r-quel to her fortune;' and the two of them together would make a fine couple! I'll go over this Siturdav itsr-li, and seo.-will hevhave" her."—St. John G.-- Krvino, "Daily News." . ■.-:.;-.. '^Is^