Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/349

343 everywhere and whose large, angular person was in everybody's way. At home she would not have allowed a single pea to be thrown upon the floor, but when the guests began to throw handfuls of peas and wheat at each other, she herself threw some at the groom and bride, saying: "May God so shower his blessings upon you." But the peas and wheat were not trampled upon; Grandmother had noticed how the tame pigeons were picking up everything from the floor.

Dinner was over; many a heavy head swayed from side to side; each one had before him a generous allowance of food to take home, and if he was not able to take care of this himself, Mrs. Tomesh saw to it that he fared no worse than the rest. It would have been considered a disgrace to come home from a wedding empty handed. There was an abundance of everything, so that whoever went past the inn got as much to eat and drink as he wished; and the village children who came "hanging about" got their aprons full of buns and kolaches. After dinner they gave the bride money "for the cradle," and she was not a little astonished to see silver pieces falling into her apron. The groomsmen brought bowls of water and towels to the bridesmaids to wash their hands, for which service they were expected to throw a piece of money into the water. As each girl wished to be thought liberal, nothing but silver gleamed at the bottom of the dishes; this was spent the next day by the young men in dancing and drinking with their partners.

The bride and bridesmaids went to change their dresses again, for the dancing was now to begin.