The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-01-25
THE WEDDING OF THE cEDARs,

SAY. A->QH Il 4--QL+ 4 -Ay
1t was someone calling after me, As
walked rapidly one day along the
streets OF the CRY in the Southwest
which WAS then my home. turned.
and saw that il was nons other than
Squire Surge. the very last man in all
that region who, as / had thought.
would have wanted any thing Of me.
waited. wonderingly. Is he hurried after
me. putting and blowing. for be had
hailed me from considerable distance
and with such a vigor Of lungs IS IL ar
rest the attention " all the passers-by
The Squire was BY far the oldest man in
all that section He had shot deer and
hears and had fought the Indians there
for 50 many Years before civilization ar
rived thst. in point Of age, the State
might be considered s0rf 81 grand
child Of the venerable frontiersman
During his long life he had never
known any thing other than his rough
way II living He was ingrained there
with a. an aged oak would be with it.
gnarledness-was, in fact, . charac-
ter
=. WAS coming 70 see you. Passon. =
the old Squire said. when he Joined me- .
:. and ~he told me I must fx up first
But what j. the use' happened u see
you going along. and it will sAve .
mighty deal Of trouble 70 tell you about
II now. 80 a. not 10 have 10 tx UP at all
Can YOU guess what it isl want with
you,''
could not The Squire took of hi-
dilapidafed old hat, which looked a. ii
be had worn il through half century
Of storms, in order 70 look upon me
with the more triumph. Except rng
Of long white hair. his head was bald
and far from clean; his bronzeG cheeks
were stubby with coarse beard: the
corners u his mouth were yellow with
the oOze Of bis tobacco. and, although
he was broad shouldered enough and
not without an aspect Of sturdiness,
there was an aroma 81 bad whisky about
him which was in keeping with his APP
pearance a. being an extremely old and
particularly disagrceable person. an inn
preston which was not improved BY the
0Aths which were a. natural 10 him -
his breathing
y. 4 am ~ year old. And now guess \
be said. replacing his hat and layin =
hold upon the lapel Of my Coat But /
could not
~ have been married three times. =
he continued, with increasing energy.
My wives are all dead, but NV chill
Gren and their children and their chill
dren's children--ever so many u them
don't know how many-are scattered
all over the State half . dozen States
Can you guess now what want Of vous
Come, give try"
The ccnundrum was beyond my
power.
..Perhaps you want me 10 preach
your funeral.'' I yentured, the rough
ness of the joke being adapted 70 that d
the questi0ner.
\. N0t much, No. sir" he replied.
abandoning nv collar 10 seize upon my
hand. :. You amt smart enough, smari
a. You think yourself. sir. NARY mar
Ia this town i smart enough BY long
-hot % guess what | want with y0n
What want you % do Il 10 marry me
SIR he said, with an energy increasing
with every sentence. = 10 marry ms
tomorrow night. sir. To marry me al
her house. sir. TO marry me, sir. III
Mrs. McGregor.r
~ 49, NAAAA1A1r An W hAAt AA%rtk AAANlih NtAA
minated upon the last announcement, a.
well 4 might. Mrs MctregOrl WA
almost boy myself ia those days, has
just got through reading Sir Waite
Scott, and this last-naIncd lady was *
me a. II she had stepped 0ul " one D
those volumes into real life. have no
The least idea of how old she then was
nor had any one else. She was white