Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-11-02
EVENING STAR.
WEDDING AMONG woop.cHopppRs

WEDUla9 AMONG W00D.CH0PrERs
4 Marriages in high life" have often bee
| described with great skill, and q wonderful
acquaintance with fashion and millinery die
/ played by the reporters But a wedding in ,hs
ba:kwoods, among the wood-ahoppsrs, is nos
often reported in full in the papers. As nsysI
ty then, we give the following. The time 70 the
h(fry month Of June, and the sesne-an sc-
tual one-is laid in the woods
The festivities were conducted in an sx-
tremeiy free, off-hand manner, and whoso.ve
chose to participate in the same, Was welc me
| so to do, whether he had been especially iu-
/ vited or not :
The BRIDES father, and likewise tie yroouii,
and are known in the forest as axe men and
! shingle-m akers, of mere than ordinary thrift,
and the friends Of the bride (who is q SUM-
burnt, moon-fsee lady Of twenty yet assert
! that none are better fitted than she To fli she
duties Of a helpmate, ins0mueh as "she knows
nothing but hard work, and is able at all times
| to earn her dollar day, either at basket
making, gathering sumsch-leaves for the
store keepers, or cutting hoop-poles in the ma
! pie swamps.
The nuptisls were cele brated in the one s,o-
| ~ 'ten-by-six" log built mansion Of the
| brides father, at which place the guests be.
gan to assemble with the approach Of sun.
! down; ard ere long, merry, smirking eroups
Il brown, bare footed foresters, in their shirt
sleeves, and brown, barefooted forest women,
| dressed in gay calicoes, thronged the hoase
! and blocked up the door-ways.
The groom, who was . weil-Iooking fellow of
about tsc -aDd-twenty. had arrsyed himself in
| pink and white calico shirt, and new psir
Of shining black satinet pantaloons. the bot
toms of which were rolled up for the better
display of his handsome pepper and salt stock
ings and slippers. His thin, swarthy yissgs
| had been shorn that it fairly glistened, while
his we'll creased sandy hair was disposed on
the top Of the head in the figure Of short
ram S horn he was evidently becoming i'm
| pressed with the solemnity of the occasion,
Tor he preserved most serious expression of
countenance. answered all questions with ex-
| treme brevity, and while one hand was cl lutched
in that of his lady love, who sat BY his side on
the end of the bed which occupied one corner
of the dwelling with the other he held small
Methodist hymn-bOok upside down before his
face from whose pages he scarcely once averted
his eyes.
Beside pair OF stout cow.hide boots q
naked pair Of huge red-arms. and q string Of
! scarlet sealing wax beads about her neck, the
bride wore nothing which showed that she had
attempted the use Of any unusual display, and
| with subdued air Of intense delight, she
steadily contemplated the yellow sprigs which
| relieved the blue ground OF her =, Merimac
calico" frock "
While the twilight was yet at its height.
| the jokes and fun of the merrier portion OF the
| company were sti!led for the Squire fvhc is
an elderly fore handed" farmer, and who.
In the absence Of a clergyman, holds authority
| to perform marriage ceremonials) made bis
appearance In magistsrial black, and bssr-
ing several p0rtentiOus-locking Law octavos
and bible, partly wrapped mp In his bandan
| handkerchief.
Of all dighitaries known on earth, none are
| so feared and venersted by our country pso-
pie as one Squire. For this reason a com
piete and attentive silence pc~ prevailed
throughout the company. and after the Squire
had steadily looked about him for q few mo-
| ments, he gravely laid lis books opOn the
dresser, spit out his tobacco, wiped his ,pecta-
cles and placed them upon bis pose, ell Of
| which dsings siguifed that the ceremonies
| were about to begin.
Ibe preliminary rite consisted CT a prayer
which the Squire, drawn up TO his fullest
height, ferVently read from o tract sssreted
| IL the corner ot bis hat, although be pres.nd-
ed 10 keep bis eyes shut all the while, asai
durirg the recital of which, those who pos-
! scssed aprons and hats, reverently buried
theis faces thsreis, and those who were with
out, leaned their foreheads against each 9TH
ers shoulders Having finished the prayer.
the Squire invited the betrothed esuple 10
rise, aud In an Impressive speech, ia which
Law phrases and apt quotations from the Bible
sonOrously aboundsd, he discussed the nature
and beauties of the matrimonial com pact for a
full half hour or more
At the close Of tie hOmily, the bride hung
her head and pInchsd her arms, the groom be-
came perceptibly nervous, and the quests
crowded toward the Squire, whoso coolness
and happy demeanor was most ensh snting
with intense eagerness depicted on their
countenances, for the climax as obyieusly al
hand.
In few minutes, all was brought to the
happiest termination; for the Squire read
few sentences from one of bis law books with.
out the smallest accident or interruption, and
the lovers were now m an and wife much 20 the
satisfaction 81 the bride, who received the
congratulations Of her friends with the broad
eet grins, while the groom again strangely sat
on the bed, and gazed about him with the
same distracted air, as if he had lost his Jack.
knife and was trying to bring the time 10 niud
when he had last seen it.
Another short prayer concluded the Squire'e
duties, when the brides thin, wiry, shrill-
tongued mother appeared on the scene, who
directed the men To construct table of planks
and barrels. beneath q olump Of oaks in front
of the dwelling, and led a train OF girls and
matrons TO little smoking clubhouse near q
hand, whence numerous plates Of boiled pork
potatoes, fried GELS, loaves Of ghger-brs
pots Of coffee, jugs of molasees and whisky
board.
In the meantime, the boys had made sever
al fires os pine-knots within a comfortable dis
tsnce Of the table, and at length the gueets
sat themselves thereto with marks Of high sat
isfaction. F
When the Squire had rapidly but largely
partaken Of fried eels and whisky and " ster
he borrowed n plug Of tobacco Of the brides
father, and after reminding the company that
he had "got good ways to Co. and en-
gaging the groom Whose pensiv eness, by-the-
by, still oontinued) to do couple days. shoe
ing" (Which service everybody UNDERSTOOD
the Squire intended to accept as compensa-
tion for performing the banns,) he departed
for the place whence he came.
Relieved Of the awe-inspiring presence of
the Squire, the guests at one delivered them
selves up the freest revei and jolity. Discor-
dant tunes, TO the accompanying words TO
which the mandarin singers suddenly forgot,
were bawled out over the whisky, and peels Of
the loudest laughter at nothing rung over the
pork and eels, With the Disappearance OF
the victuals, the fiddle announced itself, at
which signal the jewellers set to sprawling
through various rude high legged reals .rd