Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-04-02

giles, Aunt Sonora, and all. Great prepara-
tion had been made in the way of eatableS.
The Squire was rugged in new suit of
"home-made," (made by Mrs. Longbow,
too, in her life.time,-a white vest, and he
wore a cotton bandana neck handkerchief,
with heavy bows, that buried his chin, and a
pair OF pumps and clouded-blue stockings.
Aunt Graves dress cannot be described
She was a mass of Auttering ribbons, and
she looked as though she would take wings
and fly away.
Bigelow Van Slyck and Ike Turtle con-
Quoted the marriage ceremony-the one took
the ecclesiastical, the other the civil man.
agement. When the couple were ready,
Turtle sat down in front of them with the
statutes under his arm, with Bigelow at his
right hand. -
Turtle examined the statutes amid pro-
found silence for some time, turning down
one leaf here and another there, until he
found himself thoroughly prepared for the
solemn occasion. Finally, he arose, and
with gravity that no man ever put on be-
fore or since, exclaimed
"Miss Graves, hold up your right hand
and swear"
Miss Graves said "she was a member of
the church, and dar'sent swear"
Ike said it was "legal swearing he wanted,
'cording to the staterts-not the wicked SOFT
he wanted her to swear that she was over
fourteen years of age-hadn't got no hus-
band living, no where-warn't goin' to prac-
tice no fraud nor nothin' on Squire Longbow
and that she'd jest as good right to get
married now as she ever had. ~
Miss Graves looked blank.
Squire Longbow said "he'd run the risk of
the fourteen years of age and the fraud, and
finally he would of the whole ont. The
staterts was well enough, but it warn't to be
presumed that Justice Of the peace aoould
run agin 'em. Some folks didn't know 'em
he did"
Ike said there was something another in
the statert about wimin's doing things, with
out any fear or compulsion of anybody and
he guessed he'd take Miss Graves into an
other room, and examine her separately and
apart from her intended husband" This
was joke of Turtles.
The Squire said "that meant married
wimin-arter the ceremony was over, that
ere would be very legal and proper"
Mrs. Swipes said, "for her part, she
thought the oath or.ter be putt would be
an awful thing to see a poor cretur forced
into marriage"
Sister Abigail thought so too.
Aunt Sonora hoped there wouldn't be
nothin' did wrong, $50 the people could take
the law on 'em."
Turtle said "that they needn't any on EN-
fret their gizzards-he was responsible for
the la of the case"
Bigelow then rose, and told the parties to
jine hands, and while they were jined, he
wanted the whole company to sing psalm.
The psalms was sung
Bigelow then commenced the wedding
process. esquire Longbow," exclaimed
Bigelow-'this is your second wife and some
folks say the third, and hope you feel the
awful position in which you find yourself"
The Squire said "he felt easy and resign
ed-he'd gone inter it from respect to his
woman who was now no more"
"You do promise to take this ere woman,
to eat her, and drink her, and keep her in
things to wear, so long as you and she lives?"
Il do that very thing" responded the
Squire.
"And you, on your part" continued Big
Glow, turning to Aunt Graves, "promise to
behave yourself and obey the Squire in all
things?"
Aunt Graves said "she would, Providence
permitting"
This marriage ceremony, I believe, is near
ly word for word.
"Then," said Turtle, "wheel yourselves
into line, aud lets have dance" and draw
ing out his fiddle, the whole crowd, in five
minutes, were tearing down at most furious
rate; and when departed, at about mid
night, the storm was raging still higher, the
whiskey and hot-water circulated freely,
Turtle looked quite abstracted about his eyes,
and his footsteps we're growing more and
more uncertain, Bulliphant's face shone like
a drummond-light, the voices of the females,
a little stimulated, were as noisy and con-
fused as those of Babel, and your humble
servant-why, he walked home as straight
as gun-of course he did-and was able to
distinguish ay-stack from meeting g-house,
anywhere along the road.