Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-08
THEIR WEDDING RIDE.

4 II III " lIItDI ~ " ltllJI.
There ore only few places in the world
whero a person may feel quite comfortable
and content. Nor are these so often found
in tho elegant residences of our city million
RircB a8 in more homely hooks, in old farm.
houses, or, it may be, in some backwoods
settlers cabin. But wherever found, it is al
ways q real pleasure to come to them, and
sitting down in some old kitchen chair, per
chance, feel that exquisite sense of content
which seems to pervado the very atmosphere
Of the place
Such a spot is the sittiug-room, "parlor,"
lving-room three in ono-of my old
guide, Luke Souman away up in the coun-
try Of the Maine lakes, on the bank of riv-
er with long Indian name, which it is quite
unnecessary to wrestle with here.
1t is low, small house with an old hem
lock tree at one corner, and big bowlder
with a swamp ot raspberry briers at the back
IN front ruus the river, over its lodges and
gravel bars up to the very door in spring,
down under the bank in September. All
around the little clearing and across the river
are woods, woods black evergreen woods,
with here and there lofty pine and many
birches
Here live Luke and Elvira, or ''Viry," as
he always calls her. lie guides, traps and
hunts, with now and then day of farming,
after his fashion, in the little clearing The
forest still has game enough to be interest
ing and here | love to come every autumn
for week, and if possible week in April
for the trout-fshing.
There is one old chair with a basket bot
tom and basket back, and broad old arms.
It has besides a patch work cushion, not very
| thick. As soon as l have arrived and have
taken in my gun-case aud fishing rods, 'Viry
pats up the little thin cushion and sets the
| chair-my chair-in the corner of the huge
fire place.
Luke in the meantime sits down to talk
| about what no has done through the year
while 'Viry is soon cooking something for
| our next meal. The humble house ia always
clean and sweet. The food cooked has good
honest flavor and VIC sit at the square kitch-
en-table that is covered with a white factory
cloth, and talk of what has transpired since
We last met. The fire gives out q ruddy,
| cheerful glow, and in the evening as we sit be-
fore it, the light plays on the raftered ceiling,
and on the brown inside walls against which
hang Luke's guns, traps, axes and snow
| shoes.
Heads of caribou peep out from the cor
ner A bear-skin is stretched on the wall by
the outer door, and next it is a bundle Of ak
helves and some strips of well-sessoned ash.
But the most notable ornament is the head
and antlers of huge male moose, placed
| Just over the big fireplace. The spread of
| the great palmRted antlers is over five feet
| The head itself is enormous, and tufted be-
meath the chin with a wilderness OF deep seal
| brown hair
One can imagine what forest monarch it
was that carried that majestic head. When
/ first asked for the story of its capture,
Luke laughed and looked at Viry, who also
laughed and blushed little, for it is al odd
and rather romantic story. 1t interested me
very much, and give it in substance below.
1t was the day before Christmas and Luke
| Souman, then q robust youth OF 10, and
comely, blue-eyed Elvirs Mcleod a year
| younger, were TO be married that day. In
the evening, according to the local usage in
that region, all their young friends we're to
visit them for a sort of wake" or ''rouse 4"
| This rouse was not after the manner of the
| rude chsriyari with which q wedding is some-
times saluted in Canada, but merely friend
| ly gathering Of the unmarried acquaintances
| of the newly welded couple, who, in pre-
tended grief at losing them from their for
mer status seek to delay the nuptials by sit
ting up late with them. There were certain
other old-time ceremonies, handed down from
the long past.
The Methodist minister, a Mr. Beckwith
had been sent for to ofliciate at the marriage,
and was expected at 20 o'clock in the fore
noon. But Mr.. Beckwith was stationed at
Rochelle, II or 10 miles away and there
had been, only day or two before, heavy
snowfall that literally buried that whole
northern country to the depth of nearly
three feet on a level, with drifts in many
| places and 10 feet deep.
| The road leading southwark through the
forest to Rochelle had been broken open"
with an team but at this season there
| liff1a orp M catalan, ant
to the towns below. 1t was feared that Mr..
Beckwith would not get through, or, hearing
that the road was blocked with snow, would
| not start to come.
Ten o'clock struck then IL and ~ but
the clergyman did not appear. By 2 in the
afternoon his arrival became so doubtful that
the youthful Luke, determined that his mar
riage should take place in spite of snow and
weather, harnessed stout work horse into a
"pung," and wrapping 'Yira comfortably in
bufIaloes and blankets, set OFF for Rochelle in
search of the Clergyman.
1t is not often that Methodist minister
fails young couple in such crisis; there
seems always to be a kind of bond of sym
| pathy between clergymen in this denomina-
| tion and young people everywhere.
Mr.. Beckwith had started promptly at half
past that morning AT half past eight he
was wRllowing in a drift and had broken his
| harness.
At he was on his way again. At 10 he
was in another snow bank, in which he broke
his sleigh-thills. Obliged to turn back, he
procured another team and started again.
One o'clock found him wading through the
drifts with nine miles between him and his
destination. He had done his best and was
not discouraged.
Luke first got his sweetheart snugly into
tho pung, and thon whipped up his steed.
''Mr. and Mrs. Souman will be home by
| 81" he shouted to his friends. "If we can
not get the minister, we'll get the squirrel
Away they went along the snowy road, out
from the little settlement into the woods
through which their route lay. Such are
some of the difficulties which hodge in a
wedding in the backwoods in December. The
weather was bitterly oOld-the mercury down
to zero, and the snow was flying in the wind.
But warm hearts were in that old pung; and
as for the horse, it is unnecessary to say that
he was not likely to freezo from lack Of exer
else.
They drove about three miles and had
come to Mill brook hollow, where there il a
deep ravne on ono side of the road, and q
high bank covered with thick hemlook trees
on the other. Just at the narrowest portion
of this pass, where the road turns round the
base of a projecting ledge they met an enor
nous moose coming et full trot along the
road from the other way Luke had hi
horse at round trot, and the moose wal
within 20 yards of the horses head wheI
Luke first saw him.
1t was a scare on both sides The horse
badly frightened leaped out Of the track oI
the upper side, eapsizing the pung and tum
bling both Luke aud 'Yiry into the snow
while the old moose, with a tremendou
snort, won't out of the road on the other sid,
at a single bound, and disappeared in the ra
vine below.
Luke orawled out, got his horse by the bit
and quieted him. Then he pulled 'Viry ou
a,d ,iobfad tha ,,rnu Naifhar of than war