Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-02-26

mustache and whiskers, and was very
well dressed in black.
"Good ebenin', Mist Alexander; ID
ebenin', Miss Alexander; d ebenin',
sah,'' he said, bowling from the one to
the other.
"Good evening, Mr.. Brinley," said
Gordon, with great politeness. "Take
a chair. What can do for you this
evening?'
s:Well, sab, donno, sab, as there's
any thin you kin do TO- me dis ebenin'
sah,' said the sutton, with what struck
me as mingled bashfulness and effront-
cry; he smiled as one very well pleased
with himself, but sat uneasily on chair
in the corner, and twisted his hat.
" You have been coming here to see
the cook for some time, understand, -
Gordon said, suggestively.
Eyes, sab. thought as twas best
to let you know, sab, dat 1 proposed to
carry off your cook" replied Mr.. Brin-
ley, relieved of his embarrassment.
"To carry her Off Doyou mean you
are going to set up housekeeping"
"Oh, no, sab; no, sab; such was not
my meanin's. No, sab; l proposed for
her to keep right on cookin' here. She
say as how Miss Alexander thinks a
| mighty heap o. herr
81 do think great deal of her,"
said, "and am very anxious to have her
| do well if she marries Do you want to
marry herP''
eyes, ma'am; we've bin a-talkin'
roun' dat way, an She 'cepted of me. -
"What can you do to make her any
happier, if she takes your" inquired.
to draw him out.
"Well, m, donno bout happiness, -
he said, phlegmatically, with the same
unaltered smile.
"Isn't pity to marry unless you
do?"
"Well, m, I reckon we'll git on
somehow
"That is all you have to say?" de-
manded Gordon. You wish to know
if it's agreeable to us for you to have a
room in the yard, and if we are willing
for you to marry our cook and stay here
at nightp''
| eyes, sah.''
"You are away all day?"
" Yes, sah.''
! "Where do you work? You're a
preacher, are you notP''
eyes, sab; b'longs to the Alabama
Conference; it's sickly whar was, an
1 cleared out an come here count O.
my health Che did not look as if he
had ever known sick day., "an' I'm
layin' bricks now fo' de men as built dis
yer house TO- you. was butcherin' TO-
a mont OF two, but done suit dat"
every well, sir; have nothing to
say against your plans, if L hear no
harm of you between now and the we'd
ding. That is all, believe
81 knows mos white folks dom like
to ha' colored men runnin' about DER
groun's,'' the clerical bricklayer OBJ
served, in an obsequious way. "Seems
like niggers got tar on der fingers, folks
tells me-every thin dey touches sticks
to 'em. But you won't ha' no trouble
wild me, sab; / don't handle muffin what
dom b'long to me.''
Not at all more favorably impressed
by this declaration, Gordon regarded
him critically.
"You are legally free to marryP''
eyes, sab; yes, sab! l is!''
"Never been marriedp"
No, sab not but once, sah.''
"Wife deadp"
"No, sah she's livin', sah.''
How's that?''
"Well, sab, you see I married her
when 1 was quite boy, sab. She was
very han some woman, sab, an was
boy, full O. nonsense an mischief; /
didn' know much bout her; but mar
ried her, an we hadn't bin married two
weeks when her husban' come along an
claimed her. He was mad bout my
marryin' her, an tried to pick a quart,
but I tole him I didn't know nothin'
bout the woman; didn' know she was
his wife, an he could take her; SO he
took her along wild him, an dat was de
las of her fo' me. Dat was a long time
ago. didn' know what love was, dem
days"
"Well, sir; if Diana is willing to
marry you, the matter is settled" Cor
don said; and our visitor took his de-
parture.
ga villainous face,'' Gordon said,
stirring the fire and opening the window
to the mild moonlit air. 6 am sorry
for Diana if she marries him. You'd
better advise her not to. The fellow is
rogue
Diana was not to be advised, how
ever. She sent by me a petition to
"Mars Jedge" to perform the marriage
ceremony, which was to take place in
our dining room; an Office which "Mars
ledge" decidedly declined, on the
ground that Diana had better not mar