When Sandy Horn and Archie Hill met years ago in Wilkinsburg, she was taken by his sense of humor.

"He had me laughing," Ms. Horn said. "We laughed all day that day."

And then he asked her out to dinner.

"That made me nervous," she said.

Her anxiety grew when he arrived for the dinner date wearing "a really nice suit." She took one look and thought: "Oh, oh, this is a drug dealer."

But he wasn't.

They went to the Top of the Triangle for dinner. Mr. Hill showed her his postal employee identification card to assure her that he was gainfully - and legally - employed.

"I told him it could be a fake ID," she said, laughing. "But I found out he was - and is - a really good guy. He has a wonderful personality. He's a very caring, giving person. He loves children. He will do anything for anyone who needs help. He's always been there for me."

Ms. Horn moved into Mr. Hill's split-level Penn Hills home in 1996.

In January, she retired for health reasons from being a caregiver for a McKees Rocks company that cares for mentally and physically disabled people. She has had back and abdominal pain for several years, a condition a physician believed was caused by a pulled muscle that may have occurred while she was assisting residents.

It turned out the pain was caused by colon and ovarian cancer. She underwent surgery at West Penn Hospital on Jan. 30, remained there for two weeks and now is recuperating at home.

Ms. Horn, 60, and Mr. Hill, 64, who retired from the postal service in 1999 after 32 years of service, had talked about marriage over the years and recently decided to elevate their relationship to that status.

Mr. Hill said a Social Security representative encouraged them to marry because matrimony would make each of them eligible for the other's retirement income - his pension and her Social Security.

So what's the problem?

Obtaining the marriage license.

When Mr. Hill called the Marriage License Bureau in the City-County Building, he was told he and Ms. Horn would have to come in, fill out the license application, pay the fee and return in three business days to obtain the license.

"I told them that was impossible because she's bedridden and I've got bad legs from constantly standing at work all those years," he said. "I've got bone on bone in both knees. That's why I had to retire earlier than I wanted to. And now I've got heart and lung problems, too."

Mr. Hill called the bureau on two other days, hoping to find someone who would help them. Each person said they would have to come to the office.

"That's when I decided to call you," he told the Post-Gazette. "Why can't they make an exception for people like us? We'd go down there if we could, but we can't."

I explained the couple's problem to Eric Feder, deputy director of the Allegheny County Department of Court Records. He referred me to Marty Madigan, manager of the department's Wills/Orphans' Court Division. The Marriage License Bureau is part of that office.

"We can help them," Mr. Madigan said. "We've gone out to hospitals and hospices and even the county jail to help couples get their licenses."

"Sandy and I can't thank you enough for all your efforts," Mr. Hill told me earlier this week. "We really appreciate it. We're going to be married tomorrow evening in our home."

My congratulations to the bride and groom.

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