The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-11-20
The Colonel's Wedding.

They were all down at tac "station, "
| Colonel Lagnrc, Major lIugce, Squire
! Hammond and Llnk Smollct, the village
| constable. They represented the learn.
/ iug and wealth of Spotted Squash Cross.
ro,ds, and the lesser loungcrs formed "a
scmi-crclc at = respectful distance and
/ waited FOR the words of wisdom and
| barbci shafts OF wit which they knew
| 10y experience were sure to low from the
| lips Of the four arstocrats.
The warm October sunshine threw
| siihoacttCs Of the four great men upon
the rough pine boards of the station
| platform. The air tiuglcd with sugges
tions Of fox hunting and partridge
| Shootn'.' a flock of noisy crows cir.
clcd around with querulous caws, and
| settled down upon the topmost branches
| Of the pines overhead. A razor. back
trotted across the clearing Just out of
stone shot, and grunted dcrisively as
Hank Duprcc vauly tried to hit him
with pine conc. Several forlorn hens
scratched eagerly between the railroad
| ties for imaginary worms, aud picked
the rusty rails angriy when the certain
failure Of their enterprise became appa-
rent 10 them.
The stiffness had become painfully au-
diblc, when Lank Smollct spoke:
"Coloncl, this is powerful fine day. ="
"Mighty fine, sir mighty iinc!' re.
| piled the Colonel, as he swept the distant
horizon with an approving eye.
"'Pcars as if it might rain. though,
Colonel, don't you think" asked Squire
! Hammond
"Not bit" began the Major, but
tn, Colonel stopped him with an angry
irown.
IL think, sir that the Squire was adj
| drcsSin me, said the Colonel
81 apologize, Colonel. | felt so sure
what you are about to remark that
tooa it for grantcd--'
"Never take anything for granted,
sir' replied the senior officer. "It's a
habit, sir, that | have always found
likely to entail disastrous consequences. -"
Here the Colonel paused and GU. oil
large piece of navy plug, which he con-
vcycu with the air Of q connoisscur to its
I
around ut hls companions.
They were strangely uncomfortable.
The Major was particularly Crcsttallcn;
but that was OF course due to his recent
! bad break. There was something the
matter with them undoubtedly. Nearly
every man had his jack knife in his hand
and was balancing 1t carefully on his
al, a f,,
one hand to the other. The Colonel saw
the iDcA-kniyes aud at once realized the
situation. He took his own Rogers
from his pocket picHcd up piece of
pl"c aad began to white.
The effect of this seemingly unimpor-
TAFT action was remarkable, Every other
man present signed gratefully, leaned
forward, and picked up piece of soft
pine and began to whttlc assiduously
They all had been waiting for the Colonel
to begin. The rules of ctiIui,te nj
Spotted squash Crossroads are very
strict.
"Iou were saying, squire said the
Colonel, "that You thought it was going
10 rain,
- beg your pardon, Colonel, replied
the por,ly Squire, ~ said 1t pcarcd as
i il might rain
".\li the difference in the world But,
speaking of the rain, that reminds me of
one Of the biggest rain storms that have
eve" been seen, sir, in the whole of
Richmond County,
The Major started to speak, but Lauk
Smoiict, who knew by experience how
to deal with the Colonel, promptly
chocNcd him.
The Colonel sighed, and, having whit
tied away his first piece cf pine wood,
picked up another aud began to whttlc
and speak simultaneously.
"lJ was in the year 11--eightccn--
fifty, seven sir, and the worst winter
that we had experienced in Georgia in
many years. There was no snow, but
plenty Of mean, drizaling rain and hard
sicct. All the creeks were ice.bound,
and / used to have q big iron bar ON my
washstand 10 break the ice in my water
pitcher every morning. It was mighty
hard TO get a fire hot enough to cook
viCtuals ON, and the sheets were so cold
that We had TO wrap ourselves in bear
skins before going to bed to keep from
freezing to death. Crying became posi-,
tive luxury to the women and children
that winter, for the tears would freeze in
their eyes before they had chance to
weep them. When my mother and sis
tiers wanted to cry they'd have to steam
their eyes over kettle of boiling
water"
The Colonel paused and gazed pensive-
II at the razor.back, which had STAN
peded the group of hens and was at that
moment eating pine moss with great rel
iSh.
~ was a yorag man, then" he con.
tinued, with reminiscent sigh, "and,
though say It myself, | was US tlne 4