Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-03-31
A PIONEER WEDDING.
How Such Festivities Werc Con.
Quoted in Olden Times.
The Wedding Ceremony and Feast
as They We're seventy.Five
Years Ago.

The old pioneer was great favorite
with his great-grandchildren, who were
especially fond of listening to bis stories
of life IN his younger days. The other
evening they gathered around him.
with curly headed Polly in his lap, who
begged for story of wedding in the
olden times. The old mans eyes twin
killed. bit, and he seemed to be fishing
In his memory for something laid aside
for futnro use. Finally ne Strengthened
up.
"Well. Polly" said he, "I reckon
you'll hev to hev it. Tn first weddin
ever saw--'t least the first one Pun sure
ever saw-was when my oldest sister,
Jane, got married to Dick l3allou. They
wasn't no tlub-duhs bout tibet weddiu',
Polly, but it wuz Jest straight out 'nout
business from the first. Everybody in
the whole neighborhood knowed all
about it long fore 1t come OIL, fer jamie
IN Dick wuz mighty poplar In them
parts, n everybody was willin'.
N them days Polly, they didn't hev no
nice new cards sent roun'; they wuzn't
no post-of1ice to send 'en. Whenever
they wuz to be emmy invitin' small
ride all roun' tn neig hborhood deliver
In messages like this, loud's be could
boiler: Say, they's to be q quiltin', Or
weddin', or anything whatever 1t
wuz). down to ole man Jones mex
Chewsday night, N they want all your
folks ter comet That wuz all, n then
he'd ride off like mad T. tn next house.
IN every body come, too; no holdin'
back fer fear o. not havin' been invited
tn right way. Marryin' wuzn't done q
easy as it's now, neither. Every body
he'd to git married by preacher-cir-
euit-rider they wuz called-'n preachers
wuz few an mighty fur between; didn't
get 'roun sometimes more'n once n
three months, n SO tn boys n girs he'd
10 mako calculation bout poppin IN
question n windin' up their courtin'
SOS to be on time, cause 'twould be
long time atween chances.
"WelI's wuz tellin' We, Dick n Jane
wuz t git married n SO they got
house built-didn't take more'n two
days t. put up log house g goods en-
nyDody else's-'n the way they did
They he'd wild turkeys. n venison, n
bar meat, roasted n stewed n baked, n
chicken, n honey, N potatoes n
beans, N ="
"Didn't thev have no cake?"
"Cake! On, yes; what they called
shortcake, made O. wheat -four n mixed
III 18th lard m rolled out fiat n then
crosses put on it bout two inches apart
N then put in Dutch oven n -"
Huh, grandpa; | guess that wasn't
much I cake, 'thout no sugar! Didn't
thev have no iee-cream, neither?"
Polly" said the old man, solemniy,
81 never see no ice-cream till | wuz 8
old s your father"
The little girl opened her eyes very
= Nt,a hnr h
her great-gran dparent encountered in
his youth and reached up and patted
him softly on the cheek in token OF COM
misrraiion.
"They wuz alus lowin' to hev good
time ts ii weddin', Polly, II made big
preparations. They wuz people from
forty mile away took all day to get TO
for dinner on tn way. Course they
come tn day afore and had to stay all
night; 80 when TIL house got filed up
the men just went TO tn big double log
barn n slept on TIL hay. Frolics wuz
scarce them days, n when we had one
We held on to it. So tn folks what
came so fur staid four n five days. Us
boys thought it wuz lots O. fun to sleep
out n the barn, long 18th tn visitors
"Well mex day the preacher got there
iust afore noon. Purity soon Dick n q
lot Nv folks ct came 18th him got along
When they's bout a mile from tn house
they had what wuz called tn run for tn
bottle. Two young feliers horseback
wux picked on, n when they wuz bout
Q mile from tn house they left th' rest
IN ran race fer the house & see who'd
beat Tn road wuZ awful rough. up
hill n down II cross boilers p full o big
stones n logs n all that. But tn more
In tn way th better-il'd show who wuz
tb' best boisemaD. They jist come full
tilt, now, | tell we, soon's one Teller Civ
tn signal with u Injin whoop, n made
mighty good time, n one Teller beat jest
by bout four ,feet Tn bottle was a
whisky flask full, n wux ready At tn
door. jamie herself holdin' IL.
TIL one 7 got II took off his hat n
drunk to jamie, n then went scallv
hortin' back TO tn party what was
comm. He passed it TO Dick n then TO
tn rest nv EN-. n NIL took a taste, N
wuzzent ashamed Nv II, suther, fer twuz
honest liquor. n they wuzn't no Pro-
hihiIionisis them days. All but III one
thet got beat. lie didn't git q smell.
when they got there N got settled
Dick n jamie stood up afore tn
preacher n wuz married, bout like
folks is nowadays Tn young folks
wu2n't wearin' tn tineries they do now.
All homespun their close wuz, every
stitch. But they wuz ez good lookin' e2
emmy bOuA Sbu van bllu Dout mere. 1aIl
N straight II healthy n happy they
both wuz. n they loved one another n
no mistake. Dick wuz stronger n
bear. N used TO say he could whip his
weight in wild eats. n do b'lieve he
could q dono it. But that day he wuz ez
tender q jamie s II she wuz chany
baby, N he'd break II I he wuzn't al
mighty careful. y he watched her like
sha wuz the very apple o his eye. jamie,
she wuz so bright, n smilin', n blushln'
Ike apple blossom, n so tender
like that every young Teller
there fell In love with her
6rst sight, n wished he wuz in Dicks
shoes. Then they all set down 10 din
ner, 'smnny's could find places n tn
table, which uz big one. N covered
lin all the vitlles told We about. n it,
well. folks them days he'd appetttes n
no dyspepsia. n reckon ons or two NV
'em would make right smart famine
In short time if they'd set Down to one
O. these here fine dinners bout town.
The ones that couldn't find room at tn
table set round out doors N told Jokes
n nursed their appetites till tn first
ones got thrOurh n thav had chnuca