The true northerner., 1881-04-29

and on he came, his hounds in full cry.
The way he "got up and got" along that
pike was a scene not to be forgotten.
The fuss he made aroused everybody en-
route.
Our crowd consisted of five. besides
Joe, and we arrived ut Mitchellville about
10 p. m. Joe was there, and as soon rs
/ had dismounted, he was at my side and
led me up to the door and ratified il SO
that the startled Justice opened it at
once, but, upon seeing, as he supposed,
a female, closed it to arrange his toilet.
Meantime, the old man and his hounds
could be heard nearing rapidly. whis-
pered to Joe L wanted to retire around
the corner of the house to arrange my
dress, and he said, excitedly, " Be in
hurry, the old man will soon be here"
/ did make haste, for no sooner had l got
around the corner than / darted through
q gate, ran down the side Of fence,
crept through ON opening into q back
yard. and hid behind an ash-hopper.
When the Justice had got clothes on,
he opened the door to tell us to come in,
but, of course, / wasn't there, and Joe
was running frantically round the house
looking for his girl, while. the old man
and his dogs were coming nearer every
minute The Justice came out and Joe
yelled for his Martha Jane, but she came
not. Then the Justice calledout: Don't
be alarmed, madam, come in; you shan't
be hurt" and essayed to assist Joe to
find her.
BY this time the old man, his son and
the hounds had charged into town and
were almost ut the door. According to
previous arrangement sham row at once
began between our boys and the pursu-
ers, and so well was the thing done that
the citizens (for every man, woman and
child in the village was up) pitched III to
prevent what they thought would be
sanguinary affray.
The burly Justice, seeing the turn af-
fairs seemed to be taking, and excited
beyond measure, mounted the horse
block and commanded the peace so vo-
ciferously as almost to be heard in the
adjoining counties of this State and
Kentucky. This restored quiet, our
boys protesting to be law-abiding citi-
zens. The old man also simmered down,
though he insisted that he had the right
to be n little out of humor at the boys
for robbing him of his gal, and kept lin
gering round and "cussin' little on
the outside.
After the row had been squelched, the
women of the village organized a
search for the lost maiden, with view
of shielding her from the wrath Of the
irate old man.
1t was not long before I was discov-
cred by one of them, and she, with
another, made dash at me. l scuttled
off as fast as L could, but hung my
boot in my lawn calico and made a per-
feet ''shuckin" of it in my haste. 1t tore
nearly off at the waist and split i'll two,
and by the time got to the next fence
had trail two yards long / had great
trouble in climbing that fence q can't
see how a woman can climb fence, 40
way; in fact, / half climbed and half
rolled over, burst the strings round my
waist, ran out of all the balance of my
lower female harness, threw my bonnet
back on my head, raised the yell, and
almost ran over some more women who
were looking for me, and l heard one of
them say, as L passed. "Lordy, Kate,
what was that? L didn't stop to ex-
plain, but made good my escape.
Joe was not to he thus outdone. He
persevered, and in short time succeeded
in getting away with the right Martha
Jane, and the two were made one. But
Mrs. Joe would never speak to me after
wards, for the reason, L suppose, that
came so nigh beating her out of hus-
band.
1t was the nearest ever came to being
married, and though Joe-doubtless in
stigated by his wife-gave me terrible
thrashing some eighteen months after
the escapade, never recall it without a
hearty laugh.