Litchfield enquirer., 1879-12-04

''But want in no hurry about gettin' mar ried. And SO things run along for quite a while, till it got to be almost summer, some thing about the middle O May,-when things took turn we weren't a-lookin' for.
 s'You see, I'd been drinkin' right along all this time I never used to drink days when 1 was goln' up to see Dick, but all the rest O the time, was pretty full. used to gamble, too, for all that was out.
 "One day, it was the 18th O May,-Pd been playin' draw poker all day long, and it seemed that day as though the more 1 drank the better luck had. Just about dark, got orders to rig up train O wagons, and go down the country, across the river, for forage, that night. So got out, and was just about ready to start, when one O the boys came to me and says, George do you calc'late to ever cage the canary O your'n up there on the hill :? If you do, you'd better be about it; for heard today that the old man was in town, and that he allows to run her off to-nightH It beats every thlng, stranger, how some such thing as thatll brace feller up when he's full. l was as sober as an now inside of two min- utes. I turned round to the feller that told me, and says I, Charley. you take this train down the river, and get the boys to loadin' up, and I'll be there sometime in the night, to come back with you We'll, rode right off to the house where Dick was stayin', hitched my horse, and went in. AS good luck would have it, the old man wasn't about, and Dick come runnin'to me as pale as sheet, and trem- blin' like leaf, and told me that it was true her father was goin' to run her off. Says |, Dick, look here. Do you want to marry me, just as am, and to-nightF And she just come up and put her arms around my neck, and hid her face on my shoulder, and says, George I'll marry you any time, and the soon- kl, LnHtD F,, I ha kaI again. Says l., That's all right, little girl /! Just you put on your bonnet, so as the folks wont think nothin about it if they do see you, and go down to head quarters, and I'll go and get the chaplain
 "Well, as soon as we got the thing fixed up, I took her down to the hotel, ,-they'd just got little house started there, and 1 gave the landlord hundred dollars told him that was my wife, and that he must keep her till come back, for I'd got to go and there might be some trouble; but if there was he must see her through. Then went with Dick to her room, took off her bonnet, kissed the tears out of her eyes, and then mounted my horse, and struck out.
 "The old man come down after was gone but he found out it was all over, and no use raisin' row, so he just made the best of it., and gave Dick his blessin' like a sensible old davy as he was. You see, such old fellows hate to get beat, like the very devil, but just you clean lem out, on the square, once or twice, and they'l come down as handsome as you please.
 ''Dck and staid at the hotel for couple O weeks or so, and then we went to keepln' house. You see, the chances was that we should have to stay where we was for good while anyhow, and Dick wanted to keep house, so let her. l was pretty f1ust for 8 xul, i1o Flor n' lJok and made the most O what got on that haul. We got nice little brick, that 1 could rent cheap, and bought lot O condemned Reb furniture, and set up in good style. The furnitEre was some of it Al We had mahogany bedstead biz high head board, you know, and tall posts for curtains. and a rosewood dresser and fine chairs, and all that sort O thing. It was just hobby and the way Dick used to fix up that house was caution, tell you. got q nig- ger woman to do the work, and the first thing we knowed, why here we was, all Set up, as if for keeps.
 But you see I kep on drinkin pretty steady all the while. That night when Dick and was married, and went ridin' off alone, down the river there, 1 got to thinkin' over this drinkin' business, and about concluded I'd quit ; but when got back, of course the boys made me set 'em up for the weddin', and that got me started again, and when feler gets start ed once, stranger, you sec it's pretty hard to stop. But l took it kind O easy, and was careful never to get chuck full, and got along So well, that way, that just about begun to think 1 could do that thing, right along, just drink enough, and let the rest alone. But tell you, stranger, if a feller thinks he's agoin' to play that game, and win, he's fooled, sooner or later, you bet; it'll beat the oldest man that ever lived.
 But everything went on smooth as a dol lar for about three months, and Dick grew better and better, every day, and we was as happy as the day was long, only my drnkin'.
 But one day, along in August, it was all- killin hot, and got to goin', and was full afore knew it, and the boys took me home at night drunk as the devil! Oh, my God, stranger! it don't seem as though it could be true, but it is: 1 was just beastly drunk mad drunk. Iyelled, and cursed, and tore round gen'ally. But Dick just got the ooys off that had brought me home as quick as she could, and then she got my feet into hot water and bathed my head, and bound it up with cold cloths, as tender as though I'd been baby After while she got me quiet, and 1 went to sleep, and slept like a log, till morn ing
 ''Whe2 I woke up, about four o'clock, I was lyin' on the front side O the bed, wiLh my face to the back. There was lamp burnin' and soon as ever 1 opened my eyes, 1 saw Dick lyin' there lookin' right at me, and she says, George do you want anything ? just as though Twas the weakest and sickest man in the world, and she just dyin' with pity for me. My head felt as though it was about as big as the moon, and my throat was as dry and hot as the road to hell. So told her I'd like a drink O water but that I'd get up and get it. But afore 1 could stir, she'd bounced out over the loot O the bed. and had it for me. It was the first time Dick had ever seen me drunk, or anything but jest as kind and gentle as 1 knew how to be but she never said cross word to me. She never cried and took on, the way some women does; but was just as kind and lovin' to me- as though was the best man in the whole business. Oh, tell you, Dick'sa woman, she is!
 But stranger you can't have much notion O how felt, about that time. You see if a woman snarls Hround and cries, and snuffles, and calls in the preacher to pray with you, and talks to the neighbors about such things, why, then, it kind O gives feller some ex- cuse for goin' to the devil; but to have her do as Dick did, ,-never say one word O blame,- why, then, you see, it don't give feler any, thing to go on and it just cut me up worse'n anything ever 1 struck afore in my life.
 Well, we got up and got some breakfast
 
 and took Dick on my lap, and pulled her head down on my shoulder. and put both arms around her, and then I couldn't stand it any longer; and just broke right out, Oh, Dick ; but that was as far as I got, for then we both broke down and cried Lord, stranger Ito think O Dick doin' that, and my maxim her do it. --.'.
 "After while said, Dick, by the ever Twin God, this shall never happen again ? but she put her hand over my mouth, ,and says she, Hush, George. Don't say such an awful thing You see Dicks religious, and she couldn't bear to hear me say such fearful oath. Don't say so,' she says, for if you can't keep such VOW, don't make it and break it, for that will only make bad matter worse And then says she, George, you know it will just about kill me to have you drink so, but don't care, for that it'll kill you, too. So, if you can quit, do, and I'll do everything in the world for you' And then she hid her face again, and cried. Oh, it seemed as should go wild Ilsat there and held her, as she sobbed, and cursed myself, to myself, for heartless devil. I couldn't find cl1rsns had enOiirh f0r mo hut tho ,,,,oro r