Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-11-10
EVENING STAR.
THE BRIDE OF HORN ISLAND.

the waters, old Harry Waters lives and -four
ishes with his family. Harry, however, is not
the hero of our tale so much as Harriet, his
his daughter, is our heroine.
Harriet is beauty without paint-one of
natures own unsophisticated children. OF
art, science, and philosophy she knows no
more than did the ancient daughters of the
Paseagoulas, and to the rigid rules Of fashion
! she is ever less slave than they were. Roam
| ing around the island, and swimming and fish
| ing in the blue waters of the Gulf, were her
constant pastimes and if beauty unadorn.
ed" be indeed most adorned, her adornments
were certainly Of perfect order. Her hair,
innocent of comb, spread over her SUM- brown
ed shoulders like mantle, and no other gar
| ment did she wear save one loose robe Of un-
bleached cotton. With the gaudy streamers
Of artistic vanity, and
"-cumbrous silk, that, with Its rustling
| sound,
Makes proud the flesh that bears it,"
she was wholly unacquainted They were to
her like the stars, things of beauty, far, far
| beyond her island world, and she could not
comprehend them. She had seen the stars,
afar off though they were, but earth's gilt
| tering gewgaws" she had never seen; and,
if anything, she knew more of the stars than
of the gewgaws, for she watched them alone
at night, along the island s marge she strayed,
| listening to the seas ceaSeless melody. Not
| IMAM sue was inc uOLllneu SIoGu OF the
Arabian deserts, and not freer from guile was
the rose of Sharon. A strange, wild girl was
Harriet.
The island Of Horn is but seldom visited by
those who live on the main land, and Harriet,
of course, had seen but little of life, if we ex-
cept the life Of her fathers herds, life in her
fathers boat and life piscatorisl. In skif
she was the perfect Grace Darling, aud in the
water mermaid. ..... .
4 did Harry tha fafhar -
whisky-loving wight; her mother, stout,
straight, careless woman; and little Harry.
her brother, but plaything. Such at least
was the case two years ago, when Harriet un-
expectedly became 4 bride
1t so happened that jolly old wag belong
ing to this city, with plethorie purse and an
ample corporation. while cruising at midsum-
mer for the benefit Of his health and the en-
| joyment of fresh fish and oysters, turned his
prov Horn Islandward. He had with him, in
| the capacity Of cook, sailor, and servant gen.
eraily, a . broth of boy" with most per-
suasive brogue; and he stayed on the
island several days, his Patrick and old Har-
ry's Harriet became quite partial to each
ether. Now, as our friend the wag, had
| plenty of whisky, this for him served as al
| open sesame to the ancient Harry's good
| graces, and the time passed pleasantly enough,
| being rendered golden by tender and spiritual
| sympathies. Each day the wag would get up
| a foot race, he entering Patrick, and old Har-
ry entering Harriet, and such fun was never
| seen as turned up between the betters and the
racers. These races were of q somewhat am
| phibious character, being one day terrestrial
| and the other aquaceous. For feet of foot as
Harriet was on the land, she could only make
"t;e'' 1T best with Patrick; but in the
water Patrick couldn't hold candle to her
at length Harry began TO suspect that Har-
riot and Patrick were getting over fond, 50
| one morning he p,raded all his implements OF
war on the table Of his tenement, and sum
mOned the lovers to appear in his presence.
They came and Patrick, when he saw the
| fearful array Of weapons, and the star cham
| Der countenance of the paternel judge, trem
| bled from head to foot, and his heart failed
within him.
What are your pretensions to that gal
there, - your" inquired Harry.
I'd marry her." said Pat, '' if was only
| q citizen; but haven't got my papers out
yet, your honor
| marrying her when you ain q citizen % que
ried Harry, " but citizen or no citizen, you
| shall marry her, by thunder"
Patrick said he would, if he must; but a
stout Norwegian, who rushed in at the mo-
ment, swore by the gods of his fathers that he
shouldn't. HI quoth the Norwegian, whG
was known among the oystermen Of the Gull
as IT, anu WHO SOI0ellmSS Dlau cl1luSsLlnN
visits to the island, '' hi lubs Harriet mineself
| hand mine poat and my heart hi gibs to her
| Hoy sters his nice, put not more nice has Har-
| riot and dOlphins, wen You catches dem, hic
| purity, put not SO purity has she is. uo, mine
| iubly Harriet, rush 20 thine Peters harms 80
Old Harry, Harriet and Patrick were al
startled by tho theatrical and earnest manner
| in which Peter delivered himself, and after
certa in explanations were made, the case wa:
subm, tied to the fair one herself.
She innocently observed that if she had tc
get mar. led she would as soon have Peter a:
any BODY. She had been on board of his boat
MANY tin. &C when her father knew nothing
about it: and as for Pat there, he was well
enough to run races a,Pd swim with, but that
all she cared bout him Such, IN substance
were Harriot's remarks.
Old Harry, Sc sing how things t>ere going
swore that it was all right and ,dninis'
tered to each horn of whisky in honor u ~'nS
coming nuptials, and after this Harriet a,
indeed rush to her Peters "harms -
Our obese friends pleasure yacht was called
into requisition to take the wedding partv TO
Biloxi, where the nuptial knot was to be tied.
and queerer party never set out on such a
mission. The bride was arrayed in coarse
factory wrapper, with neither bonnet to her
head nor shoes to her feet; but she showed no
consciousness of any imperfection, or want Of
completeness in her bridal habiliments. She
was clad in a robe of native Innocence. and
was as free from hypocrisy as the cooipg dove
when the party arrived at Biloxi, some
city ladies took it upon themselves to put the
bride In more fashionable trim, ald while
they were preparing her dress she was anus
Ing herself with an accordeon she had picked
up, and wondering at her image in the hotel
mirror.
Eventually her long locks were ccmbed out
and put into form, rings were placed on her
fingers, and white raiment on her person, and
when she looked into the glass again, she
hardly knew herself She was then led TO the
altar, and she and Peter became " one flesh"
Time would fail US to tell how the bride and
groom were accompanied back to the Island
by our fat friend and number Of city ladies,
and how the wedding fste was kept up amid
fun and frolic for many day and night Long
may the descendants of Peter and Harriet
flourish on Horn Islsnd,-N. o. Picayune,
SALARIES OF CLERsrxKS.-In reply to a
complaint of the cost of clergymen's salaries,
n friend of the clergy pertnenily inouires.