Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-05-25
STORY OF 4 WEDDING.

going, the gals was gong, and W.
was going to take the baby. But
come to dress the baby, 1 Lcouldn'
find it's linen shirt. Id laid
clean one out of the drawer or
purpose. / knew jest where II
put it, but come to look for it, i
was gone.
"For mercy's sake, said /, "gals
has any of you seen that baby's
shirt p 81 lsEBf
Of course some of 'em had
seen it. and l booked again ; but il
wasn't no where to be found.
j ats the strangest thing in ali
natur," seq |; "there l had that
shirt in my hand not more'n ter
: minutes ago, and now its gone
nobody knows where. Gals" sel
i, "do look around, can't YET"
But fretting and tuning
wouldn't find it, so | went 10 the
bureau and fshed up another shirt
and put onto the baby, and at lasl
we was ready for a start.
! Father had harnessed up the
double team, and the gals was all
having good time going to see
Mary Ann married but some.
how | couldn't get over that ba-
Ey's shirt. 1t wasn't SO much the
shirt; but to have anything sper.
rited away right from under my
face and eyes, twas TOO provok-
ing.
"What be you thinking about,
mamma ?" seq Sophronia. "What
makes you so sober?'' seq she.
I'm poster dto death to think
about that baby's Shirt" sez l.
"One of you must have took it
sartin," l sez. ,r..
/ eNow, ma sez Sophrony, SEE
she, "you needn't say thai"
And, as I laid it onto 'em a
good many times, they was begin
ming to get vexed, and SO we had
it back and forth all about the
baby's shirt till we got to the wed.
ding. @a
Seeing company kind o put it
out of my mind, and | vas get
ting good natured again, though /
couldn't but say to myself every
few minutes, what become of
that baby's shirt till they stood
up to be married and / forgot all
about it.
Mary Ann was real modest
tcreature, and was morn, half
frightened to death when she came
into the room with Stephen, and
the minister told them to jine
hands. She first gave her left
hand to Stephen. "Yonr other
-hand,p seq the minister and poor
Steve, he was SO bashful, too, he
didn't knew what he was about.
He thought twas his mistake, 60
he gave Mary Ann his left hand.
That wouldn't do any way but
by this time they didn't know
what they were about, and Mary
Ann .jined her left hand with his
left and then the left with his
right, then both their left hands
again, till ! was all in a fidget and
thought they would never get
/ fixed. q
Mary Ann looked as red as q
turkey and to make matters worse,
she. began to cough, to turn it off
/ s'pose, and called for a glass of
water. The minister had Just
been drinking, aud the tumbler
stood right there. | was SO ner.
vous, aud in such a hurry TO see
it all over with that | ketched up
the tumbler and ran with it to her,
for | thought to goodness she was
going to faint. She undertook tC
! drink. l do not know how il
happened, but the tunbler slipped.
and, gracious me! if between us
both we didn't spill the water all
over her collar and sleeves.
l was dreadfully frustrated, fol
lit looked as though twas all my
fault, and first thing | did was to
out with my handkerchief and
give it to Mary Ann. 1t was
nicely done up. She shook it out.
The folks had held in pretty well
up 80 this time; but then such a
giggle and laugh as there was
| didn't know what had given
them such start till l looked
and see. / had given Mary Ann
that baby's shit.
I Here Mrs. Jones who is a big
fleshy woman, undulated and
shook like a mighty jelly with
mirth, and it was sometime before
she could proceed with her mar
rative.
"Why," continued she, while
tears of laughter ran down her
cheeks, I'D, tucked it into my
dress pocket instead of a handker