Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-05-06
TALE OF TWO WEDDINGS.

| WAS young then, for the first wedding
| am about to describe took place forty
five years ago. [ was the minister's wife,
and my husbands parish was in the north.
ern part of the State of New York, Just
yerging upon the Adirondack region. Our
people were mainly simple, hOme-spun
Scotch folk, and our church belonged to
what was known as the "Seceder'' per-
suasiOn. Many of the people talked the
Gaelic, and all of them retained the Gov
enanter prejudice against hymn-singing
and instrumental music in the house of
God. On Sabbath the precentOr stood in
the little stall made for him beneath the
pulpit, and, tuning-fork in hand, led off
the Psalm, reading every two lines.
Though all the people had books not all
of them could read-and those who could
would not have been willing to see the old
ways forsaken and the reading of the line
abolished.
A little north of us was a COLONY of
Dutch folk who had no regular settled
minister as yet and were dependent on the
missionaries sent out by the Dutch Re
formed Church. Thesepeople came some
times to our meeting and usually counted
on my husband to attend their buriaIs and
perform the marriage ceremony at their
weddings
The winter of 80 was very cold, and the
deep snow lay upon the ground from Oc-
tober until nearly the first of May One
bright, moonlight but bitter cold even
ing, having finished my days work cf
housekeeping, mending and writing let
tiers, and my husband having finished his
work Of sermon writing and committing
oh! what a work it was to write a sermon
an hour long every week and then commit
1t to memory!-fOr our good Scotch folk
would not listen to a read sermon-and
having brought in the wood for the night
and foddered the cow, we were sitting by
the cheerful hickory fire, roasting apples
and cracking nuts and talking over our
affairs, when out on the clear, frosty air
broke the cry: HallOOl HallOO the
housem " There's somebody for me-"
said my husband, and, opening the door
he answered: +" Halloo! what do YOU
want?" A team and big open sleigh, or
rather sled-for it had no sides-stood at
the gate and voice from it answered:
" Good evening, Dominic; [ came down
to get ye to tend weddin' up in the
clips (cIffs). Jake Consall wants to
jine Sally Ann Linkumfilter, that lives
down to Squire Houghtalin's, and they
want you to come and splice 'em-there's
a couple of dollars in it, sure. VIII We
Gomez" aye, ave." responded my hus-
band, "I'll be out in few minutes"
Coming in, his eyes twinkled with fun as
ne said: IN warrant that fellow is the
Yankee that has come up from Albany to
teach the cliff school. He's an eye to the
main chance, too. Did you hear him
clinch the invitation to go out this cold
night with the prospect Of two-dollar fee ?
Well, with salary Of only $500, and the
bairnie there to educate, every dollar
helps" The bairnie was our baby-girl
about six months old, lying asleep in the
cradle. go Malcolm, > said I, Task the
man to come in while | change my dress
and get ready. Do take me and the baby!
| have never been to one of those Dutch
weddings, and tits so lonely in this great,
old house without your
But, Susan, it is so cold, and the wee
bairnie-what'll you do with hers''
She isn't undressed vet, and her slip is
clean; III wrap her up well and tuck her
into my muff."
Well, of course he consented: and in
ten minutes we were out on the sled, sit
ting down in the straw, and well covered
with bear-skins and butfalo-robes. The
mutfs we wore in those DAYS were very
large-they'd be a curiosity now-and the
baby was very small so, as l promised. [
tucked her into it and she slept all the
seven miles.
When we arrived, the guests were as
sembled; sitting-room and great kitchen
full. The house was an old-fashioned
one, with four rooms on the first floor.
with the same above, and over all great
garrett The sitting room was furnished
with old-style plain mahogany furniture,
straight backed chairs, heavy tables and a
great bureau nearly five feet high, orna
mented with brass handles, and almost as
black as ebony with age Brass fire-dogs
bright as rubbing could make them, re
hected the objects around them, n brigh
nfe gloWed ID the ample fireplace, aDc