Wichita eagle., 1888-10-05
HIS LAST WEDDING FEE.


VTginians rode across the narrow frontier
In the valley and were married for nothing
In Pennsylvania. OF course they gave some
thing to the preacher for his trouble The
consequence was that all the preachers on
the Maryland side Of the line became as lean
as geese, and the preachers across the line in
Pennsylvania grew as fat as turkey gobblers.
But there was one preacher near Waynes-
boro who did not grow fat. Garrick E9wton,
who did the largest business, became leaner
and leaner the faster he married people. He
was too mean, the people said, to enjoy Life
like good Methodist itinerant or rubicund
priest. No chicken coops were agitated at
his approach No little pigs squealed and
got under their anxious rlamrnas when Gar
rick leaned over the sky and surveyed them.
Nobody knew just what sect or church
Garrick belonged to there where everybody
was his own theologtan.
He called his church The Zionskites and
was the only one of 1.-THE bishop indeed
except his son, Weasley Eowton, whom he
called 1.-The deacon"
The church building did not exist, though
branches of The Zions1ite body were said to
be '.furder west" By both the bishop and the
deacon.
would have been as many as two Zionskites
except for the fat marriage fees which were
to be had along Mason and Dixoa's line; and
that Bishop Garrick Howton only ordained
lis son Weasley into the priesthood reluct-
antly that he might occasionally takes some
recreation himself and not miss any runaway
couples which should arrive between mid
night and morning.
a Ia far 4
Howtons would marry anybody, the delivery
of the certificate being conditional on the
payment Of the fee; and pains were taken to
impress strangers that IN the Zionskites dis
ciplne the certificate was a part Of the cere-
mony itself
a story was started and grew that old
Howtoa married children for the sake Of his
fees.
This story came up from Borrowing and
broken hearted parents in Virginia and
from the rich uanors and hamlets Of Freder-
lex in Maryland. The Pennsylvanians never
verified these reports because it was none Of
their business.
That was the golden age, when the people
Of every state did to the people Of every
other state Just what they pleased, and the
boundary line made outrage justice or SIM
plicity criminal
As time advanced Bishop Howton became
q widower, and his mind was set on marry
ing again.
Il may have been the example Of marrying
children under age, torn from their parents
by their own disobedient impulses or the
powerful sinister influence Of man, or it may
have been the childish beauty Of EQnice
Howton, his distant relative which doomed
Ier- 70 -ta "a sl,e
should be old enough TO receive his orders
and not bring the laws Of Pennsylvania down
upon his head. The bishop bided his time
Eunice was hardly Is, slender, gray eyed
blonde, whose feet, touch the ground as they
would, turned into lines Of grace, and music
seemed TO be playing as she walked or moved,
TO such harnonies did she bend; while In the
action Of her head upon her delicate neck
and even in the motion Of her lips there ap-
peared 70 be violin music whiscled by her
spirit IS the upland zephys played upon it
and her heart desired to dance
The country people said that this was be
cause her mother had been an actress and q
dancer.
Somewhere back in the undiscerned past
and vagueness Of large world it was said
that Bishop Howton had been a show man
ager and that his orphan cousin had married
a French dancer who was il his stroIhns
company.
This cousin had been left to Garrick, who
had kept him down and nearly starved him,
REFRESHING his spirits by an avarice and sd
perstitio1 which Lay across each other, and
finally retired Garrick from the show bust
ness q complete failure, while his ward, set
free by matrimony, made nice little for
tune keeping a dancing acadsny with his
wife.
When the parents died something Of the
husbands inherited tenets caused him TO re-
peIt, though be had never done anything
bad, and in the weakness OF dying be gave his
child TO his relative to be her trustee and the
trustee Of respectable little fortune.
The poor dancing teacher thought the word
bishop covered a regeuerate heart
The bishop was merely a capitalist in mar
rage fees.
Tbs IS considered reasonable humility.
Some Of the schooIbovs called him Old
Yokef-noki, because he yoked so many
couples.
What education he had picked up avarics
and illiterate associations had chased out Of
his head, Ike an old country Dutchman, he
could spell joists for bis barn joyce and talk
about the freedman on his horse when he
meant breeding.
AS time advanced Garric11 grew deeply IL
love with Eunice, and forgot to give spiritual
restraint TO his son
AT seventeen sharp" old Garrick Eowton
often repeated to himself, looking at Eunice
with tie rhreefold passions CT love, Svarice
and superstition
Often when On old man falls in love Il
seems to him Ike holiness, when it is only
foolishness
II that way Garrick threw himself back
INTO els natural state before be became an
avaricions scoundrel, or self frightened
hypocrise He got to believing In the reli-
gion be practioed upon Ee feared night
solitude and ghostS BE believed that his
nonstrous passion was sacrifice On his part
iOr tie SAKE OF securing Eunices soul
i should be the devils prize without her"
unused Garrick Howton- The children I
have tied in wedlocks Of despair. the IN
formed sous have Tnanacled 70 selfish
lends, tae headstrone schoolgirls I have
made the legal slaves OF hideous skinSiats,
and who have in few months awaked TO
everlasting repentance and horror, would
troop into ny lonely home among these
mountains AID drive NE crazy with their
curses. saoIld so nadl Blu. Elnice, En-
nice, she VII guard ny door and warm ny
hsort and bring other angels Ike her from
heaven 70 Ely relief AID comfort
Il was plain taat TIE hypocritcal old
bishop was becoming slightly hyster;cal
Teasiey Howtol had been Ioeiisd BIZ his
fstaer that be mus 50 vesc and establish k;s
g~u congregation or tie peculiar z.oa-
sixties
he was sent 70 the garrss to study disci-