The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-02-26

1COIlIc G1tlc tueu- -ttllu pdfG OIL GIIt
time with a sister at Newman, going
from one to the other by private con-
veyance-there were no railroads, you
know"
WAS Atlanta here then?"
IF it was it was so little | never
saw it!-No, my dear, the trees were
cut down to make room for the first
houses in Atlanta somewhere in the
forties, [ think. There was no such
town when [ was a young girl
"Where were you married, Aunt?
''In Newman, Jessica. 1 ought
never to have married Mr.. MacAllis-
ter, you know. | was engaged to
somebody else. But, eh, dear! My
husband was so handsome, and he was
so wise not to let me go after ! had
promisedr'
"Tell me-do tell me about it, Aunt
MacAllister"
Il was gay young girl, and, peo-
pie said, very pretty, as you know. |
had had a great many offers and re-
fused everybody. My sisters were al
ways telling me that this was a fine
match and that was the best chance
I'd ever have, and would still declare
that I'd never marry man unless
loved him. Well, while | was with
my sister near Rome, [ had no less
than six lovers, the best that were to
be had; and there was one older than
the rest, who came and came, and |
never suspected that he came to see
me, for | had elder sisters in the house,
| Of 4ho
At last, one day, he took my married
sister aside and said, Mrs. Moore, [
have been coming here for long time
to see Miss Barbara, and | wish you
would make me an opportunity, for |
love her, and | am resolved to ask her
to-day to marry me- Sister put lit
tie niger on horse and sent for me
to come home; and it frightened me
nearly to death; [ didn't know what
could have happened | galloped my
horse all the way home, and came into
the house breathless. What is the
matter? Why am [ sent for?' | asked,
running to the parlor, where they said
sister was, all red and white from hur-
ry and fear, and blown about by the
wind. Sister went out at one door
and l came in at the other, and there
| stood to be courted, all a-tremble as
| was. Wasn't that hard in her?
And he-well, | am an old woman to
be telling such tales as theser'
Go on, go on, Aunt MacAllister,"
| cried, eagerly. do tell me how
he talked and what you said
"Oh, he talked as the men do talk,
my dear, and promised me everything
in the world He was worth [ don't
know how much; he owned a gold
mine right near us-that was what
brought him to Georgia-and they
were taking out gold all the time; and
then he had plantation and several
hundred negroes in North Carolina,
and lands in Georgia. I knew what
sister wanted me to do, and oh! he
promised me everything! | hung back
for day or two, and bargained that
he was not to take me away from sis
ter, and never should take me to live
in North Carolina; and promised to
have him. He had to go home and
settle up his affairs in North Carolina,
and in three months that was to be
done, and we were to be married and
settle in Georgia; but the three months
[ said was too short time proved to
be too long [ went down to New
man to pay last visit, and Mr. Mac
Allister was there. Now, I never did
mean to be a firt, Jessica, though |
had the name Of one; but | had so
many lovers that | had to laugh and
talk with them to get along at all.
One day Mr.. MacAllister and [ were
in party that went to Stone Noun
tain for a ride and picnic, and that
settled it for me. He gave me no
rest till I engaged myself to him, and
| couldn't say no, that day-he was so
handsome, and so much younger! We
came home from the picnic engaged,
and he gave me no time to think; we
were married in ten days. The worst
Of it was that I never even wrote to
my old beau to tell him about it. It
was downright shabby in me. Sister
wrote, though, and told him [ was
married, and he wrote back to know if
my next oldest sister, Gordon's moth
er's mother. wouldn't have him; but
she refused, because she was just about
to be married herself; and then he
wrote for Ada, the oldest Of us un-
married girls, but she laughed at the
idea Of taking a man her sisters had
left. 1t was very foolish in her"
Aunt MacAllister soberly said, ''for
he was much better match than the
man she afterward took"
perhaps, like you, she preferred to
N, o,.,.1v fo,, lOvo 7 cyrracto5
but he was great catch-a mil
lionaire,' Aunt MacAllister insisted,
querulously. 4 did very wrong-yery
wrong"
Poor Mr. MacAllister! His hand
some face, his spendthrift ways, his
dissipation of every sort, were tradi-
tional in the family; marriage with
such a man must have been a failure,
[, I,thought; and yet-did Aunt Mac
Allister really regret even jilting his
rival? Lover and husband Of half a
century ago, both are dust long since.
Where did you live after you were
married, Aunt?"
"In Carroll County, child. | owned
1900 acres there, and we built the
| large brick house that stands there
vet. | lived about twelve miles from
sister; we used to hear from each 9TH
er every day; each Of US kept pony
and a little niger just to send over to
one another on messages
And there were still Indians about
you, Aunt MacAllister?"
Yes, the Cherokees were all up
there, but they were a friendly tribe
The Creek Indians were further down