CARRIAGE AMD ROMANCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 13 October 1914, Page 7

CARRIAGE AMD ROMANCE.

FOUR SISTERS BRIDES

Four sisters were married in St Barnabas's Church, Roman Road, Old Ford, recently, and thus ended happily, and to the seeming joy of the whole neighborhood, a very pretty story of sisterly affection (says a London paper;. The brides and bridegrooms were: Miss Elizabeth Bradley (25)- and Mr. W. Thomas; Miss Florence Bradley (23) and Mr. Arthur Heffernon; Miss Jessie Bradley (21) and Mr. Thos Cobb; and Miss Julia Bradley (19) and Mr. George Skeggs.. Seldom has such interest been shown in a wedding at St. Barhabas's. Girl friends' of the brides left their work at the neighboring factories to attend the service, and ■everybody who had the least acquaintance ; with' the contracting. parties seemed to have determined to be present. One of the brides (who/were all attired;in white) admitted afterwards that' getting-into 4 the church "reminded her of the squash at the gallery door of, a theatre. One of the brides,: Mrs. Heffernon, afterwards gave a Daily* Telegraph representative a clue as -to why Old Ford should appear so delighted, at the wedding of herself and her sisters. The brides were, she explained, amazed that the public should have paid any attention to what was intended to be merely a happy family arrangement. The sisters were married together.because they did not see how they could do otherwise without impairing the financial stability of the old home which they have struggled bravely to keep together. Their father was left a widower 15 years ago, and times were often hard for himself and his family of five young daughters. In due course the girls one by one became wage-earners,. and the family in its modest prosperity moved into what is locally known as the "big house" of Norman Road. Again there was a crisis. Some years ago Mr. Bradley died. Though the chief financial prop of the household was thus; removed, the girls determined that they would, by sticking together, maintain . their old home, which, despite the local method of-referring to it; is \ not a very lai'ge house, and has a trim and very pleasant garden. As the youngest of the sisters is even yet only 17, the girls saw clearly that if one of them withdrew to get"married, the whole financial scheme,' which made their lives as pleasant as they could be in a'Somewhat drab quarter of London, would collapse. Though the bargain was fcithfully kept the difficulties were often very great, for.their employment was in the clothing trade, the bane of which is the frecraentlv recurring periods of slack trade and unemployment. (Finally, a solution of their problem presented- itself. Four of the sisters i found themselves, in the course of years, engaged to be married, and they decided to end at a stroke what they state was a happy period in their lives.-