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Pretty, Romping, Mrs. “ Willie” Kersten Suddenly Puts [/
Aside Dolls and Short Skirts and Is Making Every Day I
Life in Her Little Bird's Nest Elat an Ideal Honeymoon. i
WHEN little fourteen-year-old Rena
Tappenden, of Chicago, ran array
and got married last month, people
said :
"How foolish!”
But Rena, now Mrs. William Kersten, la
now “keeping house" In a flat at No. 8635
Fnullna street In a way that would put to
shame many a newly married woman twice
her age
Little Mrs Kersten set to work to make a
real home for her husband the next day
after her marriage The young couple had
the foresight to pick out and furnish a neat
little flat beforo they eloped- In this re
apect. too, they showed discretion beyond
that of many elderly persons who have seen
fit to give them advice.
William Kersten, the young husband, is
twenty-one, and a manly looking fellow. He
works for a contracting Arm.
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**Mps. Kersten bustled in from the
kitchen aand welcomed her visitor."
•
He and bis little sweetheart bad planned
very carefully how they could marry and
live comfortably and happily on the sls a
week which he was earning.
Now they are proving that they really can
do it
The little bride was only a child when
Willie Kersten first met her a few months
ago She dresssed in short skirts and
romped and played with other little girls
with childish light-heartedness
Bur new she Is suddenly transformed into
a real little woman She has put aside her
dolls and childish playmates, and has be
come a model little housewife.
She gets up at half past six o’clock In the
morning, cooks a nice breakfast for her hus
band, doe* her housework in the forenoon,
bas a luncheon promptly at 12 o'clock, and
a hot dinner ready for him when be coqu-c
borne In the evening.
“It Is ever so much better than playing
housekeeping with a doll's house." saya Mrs
Kersten. and then adds: ‘ Besides, my hue
band says I am the best housekeeper In the
world ”
As soon as she was married »'rs. Kersten
promptly laid aside her short skirt .ml
tonoed a young woman’s long own.
How to manage a long skirt was one of
\
# NE YEAR AFTER MARRIAGE.—The God of the Japanese has blossed
this union. A small aubjact of tha Mikado hat mean born, and a
scribe has been eummoned to write down the record of the birth,
Tho ceremony ie very simple, and absolutely private.
the worst trials of her newly mar
ried life. But a few days of practice
when going out with her mother en
abled her to manage her skirt like
a real grown-up young lady.
After that when she went out
walking she held her little chin very
high and walked haughtily by her
former playmates with only a conde
scending smile of recognition-
"We married folks can’t play,” she said
disdainfully when a group of her former
playmates besieged her to play bop scotch
on the sidewalk. “I have more important
things to attend to.”
WTien a friend of the family called one
day Just before dinner time, expecting to
find the little housewife In a mixed-up state
of affairs and In need of advice and en
couragement, she met with quite a aurprtee.
Mrs. Kersten bustled In from the kitchen
In a tidy apron and welcomed her visitor
without a bit of concern.
"Oh, being married Isn’t said the
little wife archly. "After you get used to
the idea It keeps you busy all the time. I
like married life much better than going
to school and playing all the time. 1 don’t
see why folks think It Is so strange that
1 got married. I always Intended to marry
when 1 was fourteen."
The marriage of the pretty Rena Tappen
The Queer
Mil. TATSLMA KIATO. of Toklo, n
young studont »t the university, hav
ing completed hla atudles. dreamed
of establishing a home.
Faithful to the patriarchal law, which
bas all the force of law to a good Jap
anese, our young friend approached his
father most respectfully «#ne *ne Aiorulag
A Photograph of Mr,. Keeton Taken a few Montha Before Her Marriage.
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den reveals a strange list of esrly mar
riages by elopement In tb» family from
which she springs.
FTer mother was but fifteen years old
when, as Nellie Demo rat, of a small town
near Detroit, Mich., she eloped Ith George
Tappenden, a wealthy farmer of a nearby
town.
The grandmother of the yotinjr bride wns
another heroine of n sensational elopement
As Miss Georjrle Keyes she wns the belle
of the sninll Mlchlgnn town In whleh she
lived, nnd when sixteen years old eloped
with a clerk In her father's business stab
llshment. The pair prospered and were the
drst to send their »ood wishes to young
Mr. and Mrs. William Kersten.
The little wife who started out so bravely
In matrimonial life is a dainty hit of a
lady. She haa a mass of glorious blou!
hair, the sweetest of pale due eyes anti
rosy, enrved and saney lips. No wonder
young Kersten fell In lore with he.
nnd Just couldn’t wall till she grew up
But then, Bonn considered that she was n
young lirdy already—and that there was
no need for waiting.
Way That Quaint Little
and In aome well-turned phraaca ohaerved
that, now being twenty yeara of age, he
thought It about time to marry and ael
up a home.
His father raised no iusuperahle ob
jections. Really, was b« not anxious to
see that rac# of which ho was so proud
perpetuated!
Japanese families visit each other very
little, and be did not know which of bis
friends had any marriageable daughters
PREPA P.JNLi rOH THE CERE
MONY.—Aaaisted by her mother
and maid of honor, tha bride
drastea for tha caramony with
infinite precaution and cara. It
is absolutely necessary to eon
form with tha lawa of etiquette
In each and every particular.
“ ‘Wo married folks can’t play/ ahe said disdainfully, when a yrnip of her
former playmates besieged her to play hopscotch on tho sidewalk.”
or which would be acceptable, never having
aeon them.
Ho It happens that resource must be had
to the professional marriage broker, who tit
once opens the campaign 4n aearch of n
desirable maiden. He baa to act with furt
and patience, for hla reputation a* a
“niarrler" would be irremediably ruined
If he brought Into a noble family tuty
young girl whose aneeatora had laat them
selves to any wrongdoing or h id been Iden
tified with trada.
At laat the broker announces that he
has found a maiden worthy of entering
the honorable house of Klato. Armed
with full power from both families, he
makes the formal demand, obtains the
answer and fixes ths date for the mar
riage. generally the young couple do not
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THE ARRIVAL OF THE BRIDE.
—The bride comes to her hua*
band's home in e kind of palan
quin. She bee reached the house,
the porters have placed the pal
anquin on tha ground, and look
on while tha "marrier'e" wife
helps bar to come forth.
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Miss Chrysanthemum Gets Married.
have a single meeting -It Is enough for
them flint their parents are agreed
But there la no rule without uu esc*p
tlon certainly rind least of all In love.
And the broker, sided by bln wife, some
times arranges for n meeting between the
young people In the house of some friend,
but In ths presence of the young girl s
father.
However, those to he married are not
permitted to converse during this Inter
view; the nn»*t that 1 permitted * a fur
live interchange of gliiri««w ff the father
of Mias Chrysanthemum Is not satisfied
with tho mental nitiilumeota of Mr K 1
ato, be expresses the opinion In pollsbad
phrases that "hi* daughter Is too Ignorant
and stupid to be< no the wife of ho dls
tlnguishod and elegant a young 1111111.“
THE FIRST IN TER VIE Wc--Th* young people meet
for the first time. They mav look at each other.
At the hack, to tha eighth, it her father; next la
tha “marriar,” and to the left the bridegroom.
Snapshot of Little Mrs. Willie Kersten, When Out for an Afternoon Walk.
There seems to hnro boon n fixed Ides in
her determined young mind that alio would
do an her mother and grandmother did, and
inarry very young.
With n seriousness quite beyond her
yearn, she hna eat about to nuike herself
mlNtrcaa t»f every detail of housewifely art.
The child wife's rooking experience up to
now' In somewhat limited, hut If the con
tinued training Mho receive* from uer
mother, niintH, cousins and friends nvall her
nriythlng she will have iirrompllahed every*
tlilii k flint a houeewlfe should.
Him keeps her little flat 1n spick tnd
span order. What la odious work to many
an older bride acenis *o be nereiy lay for
her fur It*m nil done for dear “Willie."
There Nee mu to be n continuous honey
moon In this little blrd s-nest tint, for the
young wife auya :
“My husband Is never cross at table, nnd
always I say always kisses no good by
when he goes and again when he cornea
home. He’s much better than a lot of h"*-
txiud* I've seen, who never seem to kiss
their wives at all.”
“As soon as 1 get altogether used to
being a married lady." she nay*, ”my bus
hand and myself are going to make a trip.
W,. never bad a honeymoon like married
folk 4 ought to have. We were too *"»’)
trying to gat married before mamma caug-u
And tlimi th. broker *t»rl» Or nnollier
girl. , .
From very Infancy the Japanese boy and
girl air* trained hi self control, to preserve
their cn I tit no matter what happen*; never
t» betray their Inner feelings, and do evety
thing with an amiable smile, always tha
same, cvtmiiig their good will to every
one, but giving no hint of their Intention*.
I',veu tho engaged young man and woman
lend tbeinaeho4 to the little comedy with
perfect ease. For a long time he and she
hare known what they were to do under
these dr.’ll instances and have prepared
lliemuihe. therefor.
The Jfnpiesslofj produced at their first
Interview la muturill/ satlsfaciory. Then
preparation* go on spare. The priests are
request ad to fix a propitious date for the
wedding, according to th" position of moon
odd stars, And tho bride's family gets
us, nnd then ws had to come right bad
homo."
The marriage of the child wife waa an
event that startled ('hlcngo a month ago.
On file plea that she wished to go to an
amusement park tlio girl left her livms
on a Saturday afternoon.
Instead of vtidtlng the amusement park,
little Mlnn Tappenden, together with her
flanco, chaperoned by Mr. and Mrs. Kre«l
Arms, friends of the young pair, icu.rded
a boat for the Western Gretna Church,
St. Joe, Michigan, and there were married.
Worried at the continued absence of
their child, the parents of the girl started
a hunt for her. In whlifh the Chicago polio®
entered with much zest. The pursuers
were (lone on the truck of the newly
wedded when the following message reached
tlie girl's mother:
I tear Mainnm WIU and I got married
at St. Joe. Will not be homo until
Monday noon. Ito not worry. We hope
you will forgive iin when wu come home.
Your loving daughter, lIENA.
'I he pursuit wns called off, nnd wuen the
young couple returned from the Michigan
roNorl they were forgiven.
Ho muiiy hoy and girl marriages result
qub Uly lii sorrow and feparntlon that
many people predicted Mint the young
Kcrsteas would noon come to grief. Bat
Instead each of I hem took up the burden
of innrrled life with such good will and
loving heart that even their commonplace
ill.- luia been the sweetest
kind of M honeymoon.
reedy her white wedding gown, of pure
sl’k. with sleeve# over thirty inches long,
no old or ornamented belt, forming a kind
of cushion tit the back, several yards long,
and other things. All la regulated strictly
according to etiquette.
The treat day comes at Inst, or rather
the great evening for « Japanese marriage
umst bo celebrated Just a little before sun
dowr/. Leaving her relatives In a palan
quin, tin* young maiden hsa thrown her
dolls and other playthings Into a hrasler
might at tnc door of her home. A sym
bolic ad! Hhe will henceforth have no
other concern than her husbandt
Then, followed by her relatives end
friends and the friends of the bridegroom,
she start* for the home of her parents In
tow, preceded by servant* laden with prea
ci»f* ft,i h“i future husband, and with
lighted lanterns.
While relatives and friends 4 exchange
compliment« Mis* chrysanthemum Is seated
and tier mother In law to lie offers her tea
inoHf ceremoniously, In the presence of the
marring* broker’s wife. Khs Is then con
ducted Into the sacred room of the house,
where her mother In-law gives the bride a
sent and then covers her head with u largo
hound of white silk, and 11 kind of veil
to cover t tat fare which the groom Is
deemed never to hat* seen, even though
he has already seen It.
Here Into tills room, decorated with eym*
bollr ohlwcl ! and flowers, conic the ftOdnL
the fathers hnd mothers, the “fnarrlef"
ai d tit - 'Vlf' and flic hv . butterflJee. tho
young girl* wlm pour out the The In
vited goafs remaining In the adjoining
room chant the ■ (Hie marriage fivrnri).
The • . airier' prostrates himself before
the couple unking th** formal demand
Tills Is the moment at which the prlo*
rlpn formality b , rrformed The two But
terflies offer to tile young people It) turn,
Still on v cngn.o d. three little cups of dlf
feient 1 mtfllnlng sake trice wlucj,
ntid from * blch each should take three
swallo-vs in sticccssluß 'i'lis third cup liclog
emptied, tne oirrler” announces that th#
marriage Is finished
Now that she Is Mrs Klsto, the young
women may lift bar veil end speak to her
bus Miid One year after the marriage, if
the tifn l of Ihe Japanese has blessed the
uuloii and a small •üblect of the Mikado
has In 011 born, a scribe is summoned to
writs down tb« rgcord of the birth Th#
ceremony is very simple, and *bsolut«4f
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