The National tribune., 1888-10-11
BRIEFER STORIES.


would ike to chip in little myself There is
quite a romance connected with my woOing. l
want to say, first, that after serving IN Co. ID,
E4th Pa / went home TO a little village in
Lancaster County, where was born and raised,
but in q short time moved to small town nine
miles east of Harrisburg, on the banks of the
SusQuehaumR.
About the middle of June. 1866, / noticed a
young lady standing in the doorway of q GER
tain house, and ] thought to myself that If
could get acquainted with her / would try TO
make her my wife, and would be willing TO do
anything i'm the world to cOnsummate such an
object Not more than month afterWard
made an effort to find out who the young
woman was A friend of mine told me that
her name was Mollie s., aud asked me if
would like to know her. said:
John if / could get into that ladys COM
pany, ] would be perfectly willing to 60 to
Washington, ascend the Monument, and jump
of"
He Iaughingly told me that need not worry
about her, because she stood too high IN society,
and / was too poor to shine there; and, besides
a rich young fellow from s. was engaged
TO be married to her.
waited and worried for an opportunity to
make her acquaintance. That Winter the
Methodist Episcopal Church people were hold
ing series OF revival meetings. went to- meet
ing on the night of the 2Sth of December, 1866,
GnN never Will AtfFGNL IL. W 4flG was StNA4&i
the church In walked the young lady. ] asked
the young fellow at my side, whom i knew,
whether he was acquainted with her. be re-
piled that he ought TO be- as her mother had
brOomsticked him out of the house 4" just week
before. This upset me little, but asked him
to speak good word for me on the first Oppor-
tunity he had, and he said he would. That, Of
course, made me feel better.
Soon afterWard found that this young man
was going to see the girl on the sly himself,
but I was convinced that he did not 90 into
the house Finally ] asked him one evening
If he ever had spoken that good word for me,
Is he had promised. He answered that he had
but that All the answer he received from the
young lady was that ! " had better try it on"
This made me about halt sick for / thought
my chances were pretty slim. One night after
that / went into little church uptown, not
expecting TO see the yonng lady. 1t was in
February. 1861. ] had an umbrella with me,
aud noticed as ] went cut that the girl was
sitting up near the pulpit and probably she
would be one Of the last out. 1t was raining
hard when ] reached the door and / said to
myself Here's my chance" but l felt very
queer for / thought of what she had said to my
friend. I waited until she had reached the
door Then ] put up nay Umbrella and my
heart went up in my mouth. / want TO stop
right here and say that / felt at that time just
n ] did on the night Of the second battle OF
Bull Run. aud no doubt some of the boys know
what kind Of feeling came over fellow when
be was running 10 the rear, with the Johnnies
yelling at lim TO stop. Is the young girl APP
peared at the door ] said to her:
Miss s., may I have the pleasure OF
helping voc through this storm 2"
Yes she replied, = if you are good boy
cannot tell how different / felt at that mo-
nent. We went out iHto the rain, and when
we got near her house / thought Of the broom
stick, but the old people appeared to have re-
tired. However ii was late and she did not
ask L1e 70 enter that night. You may be sure
tried 10 make IN engagement for some other
evening. but she informed me that she was 60
ing away on q visit aud would not return for a
month. but that when she did come back would
be glad To see me. / went back to my boarding
house that night feeling like new man. My
next move Eas TO get acquainted with heI
father and before the girl came back the old
man thought was an awfuily nice young fel-
low. and you wall be surprised when / say that
ne invited me to his house one evening to give
him some ideas about certain lumber that he
needed. As lie proposed 10 do some repairing
and be knew was a carpenter. Before the
girl returned ] WAS a frequent visitor at the
house. aEsd had also made the acquaintance O
ber mother and fixed things FOR myself gen
orally
Tie young LADY staid away just FIVE weeks
instead Of four, which seemed to me like
year. ] received a note from her saying when
she would return. It was Saturday evening
when got it, and you can just bet that / few
around 20 get there. ] remember gave q mar
IN barber shop a quarter for his chance for
was afraid that her rich young fellow from w
world gel there before me. At 7:30 / started
for tAe bouse aad she WAS there. As l entered
nOteed rAther taHcy-iOoking young fellow
there also. Tie girl introduced me 10 the chap
and immediately AIterward said TO him:
5iF- B, you viii please excuse me TO
this evening"
0i bow that did please me.
Well, things went on very smoothly all tha
Spring and sumner, but the trouble was yet I,
coma in the Fail Of lo67 the boys in blue wen
10 large mzss-meeting in Philadelphia, am
" course ] went too. Let say, first, tina
my girl a8d her family were strict church peo
pie They thought ! was, too. aud, in fact
thought j sFls myself We arrived in Phila
delphia AZ saldniEht. Some Of the Boys ha,
cauteels WIia them. aud though / do not re
member CT drinking from the same canteen
Someone went back TO my town before / dit
and Informed tie girl and her family that
was iulI IN Philadelphia, and l found GU
later that il WAS the same fellow the old lad
hse bfoonsficked. When ] got back home IN
CIR - ne that things looked very blue at tn
house. and that il WAS not safe for me TO &
There and t5is made nle lots 6f trouble. / re-
member well the next Sunday night, tool
my iaty-lore home from church, and as sh
took ny bat her mother called out from be
rOgl; Ariie5 It's time TO retire"
Tins broke me al up. and ! felt again q
thoDEH Eas at the second battle of Bull Rur
from The Nery fact tbat il was as much as
say that lDy coming there was about piaye
CIT il was very sad walk home for me ths
night o. the following Tuesday evening
met my sweetheart on tiie street and asked hs
Ehat was t9 ug done. She said: Our courtin
Il I'll an end tOT the present" ] told her that
Wuuld kali ale: that / preferred 10 take an
3lhcF course namely. 30 get married.
Al fret sine would not agfee TO il, but I stuc
h. nay plan for three weeks. ] promised ever
thing, aud oBe night she had friend help hC
10 get bcE clothing from tue house and on I'll
evening " AOE. IL, l557, we were married. an
to-day we have four boys, aged l5 Is. IA an
l0, respectively, aad one little boy IN Heaye
who aled @yhen Eve weeks old.
Let me close by saying that my wife h
been the making Of me- ] am very proud
her, aud hope Il any Of the comrades come
the State Elcampmuut 10 be held in Erie
February EpzL they wili confer a favor
calling on us. They can see for themselv
thar il Was worth while to steal the woman
DID r., Co. ID, ofth Pa, Erie, Pa
IL Took COHraEe 20 Face the Father.
H. H. Mckay, co. ], l0th Pa Reserves. Evar
burg. Crawford Co, Pa SAYS that he had be-
IL the army since 1861, but June 10 1864 I
ceiFed severe wound and went home 10 !
f~rrFl sI.