The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-12-14
AN 0LD-TIlIE WEDDING.

Colonel Williams was = genial soul,
full of wit, bat something had evidently
crossed him, for lac WIS not in the pleas
ATTEST mode possible.
"I'm sick and tired Of the artificial way
of doing things-the way they do them
~rowadayst' lie exclaimed.
"What's the trouble, %colonelf3
"Why there isanetornal sight too much
red tape about everything that is going
on hereabouts. was at q wedding last
night. There was so much fuss and pa
rade about It that ! was perfectly dis
gusted.
81 couldn't help comparing the pro-
ceedings where q couple were married in
Fairfax many years ago, when Indiana
formed part of the great Northwestern
Territory.
AT that time the settlements of the inn
migrants were mostly confined to the rich
bottom lands of the water courses. Fair
fax was then u small village of a few log
cabins. Ny father was acting magistrate
for the district and promptly attended to
all the various duties Of that Office, in
addition to which he was in the habit of
doing considerable manual labor on his
own hook"
THAT was when you wasn't big enough
to do much, colonel"
Gust so. l was a tow-headed brat OF
some nine or ten years when the incident
am about to relate occurred; but l re-
member all the particulars as well as If
it occurred yesterday.
SIT was about dinner time one day in
the fall of the year, when the old man be-
ing engaged in laying in a supply ofwood
for the winter, drove up his OK team with
a pretty good stock of fuel.
'Just then q young couple entered the
village hand in hand, inquired for the
squire, and were duly directed to the
house.
1.-The youth was barefooted, and wore a
coarse but clean linen shirt and trousers,
and rough straw hat of home manufact-
ure. His fair companion was dressed in
a blue calico frock, pink cotton apron,
we'll starched bonnet and coarse brogali
shoes, without stockings.
1--WE came to get married, said the
young man to the cid lady, my mother,
who was busy among the pots and kettles.
"'That's very good business said she,
smiling g~raeiously, though you appear
to look very young; but there's the squire
just drove up. He'll splice you in no
time
; out she bolted, TO give father due
notice of the business on hand.
"'Tell them to come out here, said the
old man. 'Ican't stop until | unload this
wood
sOut they came. The old man wa on
top of the wagon, and every time he
threw off a stick he asked a question.
1.-The young maj CAV simple and salts.
factory swe to all the questions pro-
pounded.
"In the meantime the old lady had sent
out word to the ~neighbors that a we'd
ding was coming off at the farmhouse;
and by the time the wood was unloaded
quite Il number of them had collected to
witness the ceremony.
1.-THE old man having pitched out the
last stick and picked up his long goad,
stood up in the cart and commenced the
performance.
"'Jest line hands, said he to the young
people. 1t was done accordingly.
81 am satisfied with both of you,' con-
tinued he. You have a perfect right to
get married, and he then united them in
short order.
GAS the rafters of the house are Joined
together, so l join you. You are man and
wife. Salute your bride. / don't charge
anything for the performance. Whoal
ha, Bill Get along, Jim,' and with q
flourish of his long stick he started for
another load of wood, leaving the newly
welded couple kissing each other with
resonant evidence OF great satisfaction.
''That was avoiding as was Il wedding.
knew the couple afterward, and know
them yet. They are living and prosper
Gus, and / know their children, too, and
mighty fine children they are. and one Of
them is at this time the largest property
holder in this big own OF ours"