The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1857-05-12


"wewere ali p,sp arinsy r sai1 In, JosD,
roi . to lake tSs Ssby al ccss II dr.ss
the baby, could not End the baby's shirt. I'd
laid q clean one out Of one Of the drawers
on purpose. know'd jist where I'd put IL !;
but come to look for il twas gone.
"For nascy's sake 20 says ], gals" says
|, s'has any on ye seen that babyss shirt?"
"Of course, none OF Fem had seen Il and
l looked, and looked, and looked again, but
twant nowhere to be found. RS the strang-
eat thing in all NATURE" said l, 'shere had
the shirt 10 my hand not mors'n ten minutes
ago, and now it's gone, and nobody can tell
where. l never seed the beat. SCALE, J" said
|, "do look around, can't YEP" But fret
ting wouldn't find it; so gave it up, and l
went to the bureau, and fshed up another
shirt, and put it onto the baby, and 1T last
VIC were ready for a start.
Father harnessei up n double team we
drove the old white mare then, and the gals
and oil was having good time, going to see
Mary Ann married, but somehow | couldn't
get ever that shirt 'Twant the shirt 90
much but to have anything spirited away
from under my face and eyes 50, 'twas pro-
vokin'!
"What ye thinking about, mother ?" says
Sophrouy "what makes you look 80 sober"
says she.
sI'm pestered to death, thinking about
that ere shirt. One Of you must have took
it, am sartain," saysI.
Snow, ma" says Sophrony, "you neein't
say that, and "a I'd laid it onto her good
many times, she was beginning to get vexed,
and 80 we had it back and forth, and all
about that baby's shirt, till we got to the
wedding.
Seeing company kinder put it out Of mind,
and was getting good natured again, though
| could not help saying to myself every few
minutes, "what could have become Of that
shirt ?" till at last they stood up to be mar
ried, and forgot all about1t.
Mary Ann was real modest creature, and
was more'n half frightened to death when
she came into the room with Stephen, and
the minister told Thorn to Jine hands. She
6rst gave her left hand to Stephen. "Your
other hand" says the minister; and poor
Steve, he was so bashful, too, he didn't know
what be was about; be thought twas his
mistake, and that the minister meant him, 90
he gave Mary Ann his left hand. That
wouldn't do, any way, left handed marriage
oil around; but by this time they didn't
know what they we're about, and Mary Ann
joined her right hand to his left, then her left
hand with his right, then both their hands
again, until was all Of 6dget, and though,
they would never get fixed.
Mary Ann looked as red AS turkey, and to
make matters worse she began to cough, to
turn it of, suppose, and called for glass
Of water. The minister had just been drink
ing, and the tumbler stood right there, and
! was so nervous, and 10 such hurry to
see it all over with, kstched up the tumbler
and run with itto her, for though. to good
ness she was going to faint. She undertook
to drink don't know how it happened, but
the tumbler slipped, and gracious me, il be-
tween US we didn't spill the water oil over
her COLLAR and dress.
was drsadfally fuster ed, for / thought il
looked as though it was my fault, and the
frst thing did was to out with my hand
kerohief and give it to Mary Ann; it was
nicely done up and she took it. The folks
had held in pretty we'll up to this time, but
then such giggle and laugh as there was
didn't know what had given them such .
start, till | looked and seen that I'd gies
Mary Ann that babys shirft"
Here Mrs. Jones, who is very Aeshy wo-
man, undnlated and shook like a mighty
jelly, with her mirth, and il was some time
before she could proceed with her narrative.
"Why," said she, with tears Of laughter
running down her cheeks, "I'd tucked It into
my dress for . 'kerchief. That came from
being absent minded and in fdget."
"And Mary Ann and Stephen were they
married after all ?'
"Dear me, yes" said Mrs. Jones, ssand il
turned out to be the gayest wedding that
ever attended"
Sand the baby's shirt, Mrs. Jones ?"
"La me-" said Mrs. Jones, show Young
folks do ask questions. Everybody agreed /
ought to mike Mary Ann present ont"
"Well, Mrs. Jones?''
s'Well," said Mrs. Jones, ss'twnnt long
fore abe had use for it," And that's the
end Of the story.