The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-05-11
A DOUBLE WEDDING.
Charlotte wvGhurstOn in The Cent

head, with a tuft Of the same on his chin.
Old man String.ellow wears neither
mustache nor whiskers, being very par
ticular to shave himself at least twice a
week, undergoing some pain, and twist
ing his long face into all name Of con-
tortions-which 8 circus clown would
give 81, 900 to be able to lmitate-duFing
the operation, owing to the stiff nature OF
the crop, he is reaping and the dizziness Of
the instrument with which he works. He
seldom wears q coat, going IN his shirt
sleeves summer and winter, only chang
ing the garment Of hickory for the gar
ment Of wool as the seasons vary-his
jean p~antaloons being hoisted up with
suspenders-galluses he calls them-al-
most to his armpits, making him look at
a little distance like some queer animal
with very long legs.
He lives in a log cabin of n room,
with a shed attachment, and has q wife
and six children, equally divided as to sex.
In the room, which is roomy .eaodgh, he
and Mrs. Stringfellow occupy one bed,
and the three girls-Eancy, Gin, for Jane,
and Merier-another, and here all the
cooking is done in the wide clay fireplace
Of the stick and mud chimney. The shed
attachment accommodates the boys, Bill,
Ben and Jim.
Occasionally a beiated traveller will stop
at the Stringfellow mansion and ask for
a nights lodging. Heswil be invited to
g light an come in and when he has
done 81 will be treated with primitive
hospitality.
These people are poor and uneducated,
but there is a spirit of independence about
them thai nothing can conquer, and -
long as their potato banks hold out and
their razor backs come home, to pick up a
pick up a little fat in the field after the
crop is garnered, and then pay tribute to
the larder, they care not for king nor
kaiser. They never treat anybody, no
matter who he may be, as anything more
than an equal, and would show no diff
ference to the car of all the Rus
sias should he chance to travel their
way, with all his cortege. Should
he stop he would be invited to
Z" light, " and the boys would ask about
the price OF potatoes In town, the old
woman inquire as to market value Of
eggs, while the girls stood by and giggled,
and the old man put In a request for a
chew Of tobacco-that Is, IL they did not
mistake the whole affair for a circus as,
like as not, they would. They had walked
ifteen miles once ta see q circus-all ex-
cept the old woman, who rode q shaggy
pony about as big Al a yearling calf, and
with more hair on his hide than flesh un-
der it.
happened 70 be q guest Of the String
fellow family once. Finding myself near
their residence one night, when it was so
dark that that / could see nothing but the
glimmer Of the light in their cabin, l rode
for it through brush and brier, and when
| reached it halloed in the usual country
style. Immediately the light which came
from the open door, was shut of by two
human forms, and / was bid to "'light
an come I'M
The family was Just preparing to eat
supper, and q savory mess OF pork and
potatoes was being dished up. / was in
vited to join them in their meal, during
which + was pumped pretty dry or all ]
knew about the affairs Of The town, which
was too far off to be visited by any of
them very often. But to this / did not
object, knowing that such information as
IL could impart was all / would have to
pay for the entertainment Of myself and
beast-which had been led of by one Of
the boys to share the stable Of the shaggy
pony-so ! let the ripple Of my talk flow
Ia a continuous current, turning on my
inventive valve az InS same time, to give
q sparkle to plain facts indispensable to
make them enjoyable.
During the evening / gathered from the
whispering and giggling going on among
the young folk that there was some
mystery afoat-something In which they
all seemed more or less interested-and
when they had gone to bed tine old wo-
man had retired Immediately after sup
per, getting into one Of the beds without
my knowing anything about It until ]
heard her snoring old mar Striugfellow
enlightened me after q rather peculiar
fashion OF his own.
ssWen, stranger he said, II disre-
member yer name. I reckon you'll
stay.n
had already told him my name half q
dozen times, and he had as often disre.
membered ii, SO / did not repeat II, but
told him Proposed to stay-a fact which
[ supposed be was already coguizant Of.
Eyes he said, rubbing his long jaw
bone thoughtfully. ~ lowed yer w'uld,
an I'm glad NV it; yes, / am; fur the mo-
somp'ny the better on sich 9 'cashln.
Ke'r1 % welcome, stranger, an q hon
bred gues',"
l WAS a little puzzicds d began 70
think the old man was N exactly in his
right mind, but ! said nothing, and he
went on.
"You see,n he said, looking at the Gre,
while he talked, ssgals an boys viii git
married sooner or later, an thar amt no
nse a THROWN obstickles In thar way, an 50
when Merier, thet's tho younges', an
Name, she's the oldes', come an tole me
tibet they lowed to take unto tbNrse'ves
he'pmeats, which waz Dick DanGe an
Pete PrfngIe, why, says ], all FigkSs es'
GO ahead an, fx il TO suit yerse'yes; FUR
though nyther n Nv them boys comes Nv
IS good stock as the Stringfellers, Ireckin'
they's bout & S5oSTS=yer'M pickup here
abouts. So they done like 1 said, an ter
morreris the time It's to be.y
nAh,n I safd, ''so there's 70 be q wed.
ding"
ssYes," he replied, etiIl looking mus
lagIy at the fire. ''the marrige garments
here been prepared an' the guess heVs
been hidden, Al though yoe wuzn't bid
Don, yit, AZ I said afore, you'n be welcome
an 4 honor9d Ques'
A. I was IL no particular hurry I nn