The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-06-04
BEFORE THEY SLEEP" "
HOW DOUBTS as. TO A COUNTY,
TTNE PESTERED 4 PREACHER.

HOW DOUBTS as. TO A COUNTY
LINE PBSTERED 4 PREACHER.
A very innocent and amusing story is |
founded upon the marriage, by our good |
friend Elder - of the Methodist Church, |
South, of a couple recently at Rogers |
Vile junction, which proves bis purity
of morals as well as fealty to law. We'd |
nesday afternoon he was called upon to |
unite in matrimony an industrious and
popular young merchant of the junction
to one of the blooming and accomplish |
ed young ladies of that vicinity. The
ceremony was performed at the Central
Hotel, in the presence of large number
of invited guests. By the time the bride
and groom and visitors had partaken OF
the elegant dinner prepared for the oc-
casion by Mr.. Peter Smith, proprietor OF
the Central, the six o'clock eastern bound
train came laundering up, and Elder =
having performed all that was expected
OF him, bestowed his final advice and
good wishes on the bride and groom aud
took his departure on the train He had
proceeded five err six miles when he was
seen to suddenly raise his head and open
wide his eyes-then quick thrust OF
his hand into a side pocket and the dis
interment of handful of letters and
papers. One was selected from the bun
die, unfolded and eagerly perused. Then
a moment of deep reflection. Then hur-
riedly leaving his seat he approached
Charlie Vance, of Bristol, with an earn
est inquiry if he knew whether the hotel
at the Junction was located in Hamblen
or Hawkins county. Charlie was i'm
pressed with the belief that it was in
Hawkins. "Then, my goodness, it's all
wrong and them folks are not married +!
NOT married at all according to law
Listen here (reading from the license in
his nervous hand this to be used in
Hamblen county, otherwise to be null
| and void Goodness must ge back
must marry them folks according to
law before they sleep tonight Where
| is the Conductor?' And the troubled
and excited Elder made for another
coach. He soon found Mac Parker, the
| Conductor, and met him with "Stop her,
Mr.. Conductor! stop her! Pull the bell
rope and let down all the brakes! I have
| married them folks in Hawkins county
when it ought to have been done in
Hamblen! Let me off I must get back
to the Junction before they go to sleep"
| When the train came to halt, the good
Elder stepped from it, having exacted
promise from the Conductor that he
would telegraph from Midway to the in
terested parties at the Junction not to
retire for the night until he (the Elder
returned. He was seven miles from his
objective point. Summer nights are We
ry brief and bed time in country hamlets
comes earlier than in cities. Gould he
make the trip in time-would the tele-
graph inform them he was on his way
back-would they wait for his arrival
even knowing he was coming, were pro-
badly few of the thoughts that rushed
through his troubled brain as he swiftly
stepped from cross-tie to cross-tie in the
direction of Peter Smiths hotel. AS
walkist the Elder had made no very as
tonishing record as to time or endurance.
| He felt the urgent necessity of faster
! locomotion. Fortune favored him, and
after few miles measurement of the
ties an obliging farmer on the line furn-
ished him horse equipped for the emer-
gency. Then fresh hope filed his bo-
som and mounting the animal he finish.
ed his journey at Gilpin speed. Ar
| irving at the hotel he found bride and
groom and guests wide awake and duly
| clothed, amazed and COMPOUNDED by the
telegram, impatiently awaiting his re-
turn to explain the enigma. As calmly
as he could he inquired if the hotel build
ing was not in Hawkins county. The
genial Peter Smith stepped to the front
and with his blandest smile and softest
voice assured him that it was not-that for
reasons satisfactory to himself, and now
more SO to all parties present, he got
| tho last legislature to so change the line
| between the two counties as to include
the hotel in Hamblen county. "Well, !"
] replied the now smiling and blushing
Elder, 81 am very much relieved. After
had gone some distance on the train it
occurred to me that your house was in
Hawkins county, and if it was the IL
cense was null and the marriage void,
so determined to come back and marry
you according to law before you went
to sleep, if / could keep you up till got
back" A perceptible smile, it is said,
then spread over the faces of the harder
portion of the audience, while the gent
! Ter sex used their fans with an industry
not justified by the temperature of the
| night. Soon afterwards, however, the
house was closed and darkness and 81
lence reigned supreme. 1t is to be hoped
| that all of the inmates enjoyed refresh
/ inn nlnnr, and rnlanSaraE dreams