The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-10-09
A COUN1I L Y w EDDING.

81 A'''is, ~, Y oOqV KNOWS Old man
stEngiellow. Hels q tall, lank per-
sonasge, with shoulders ike a drome.
#dary's. His face is long. like that 81
4 g horse, and he ms black hair, streak
ed with gray, on his head, with a tuft
OF the same on his chin. Old man
stilnstellow wears neither mustache
nor whiskers, being very particular
to shave himself at leasttwice a week,
undergoing some pain, and twisting
his long lace into all manner Of con-
tortlons--Which q circus clown
would give $1,000 to be able TO i'm.
ltate-during the operation, owing to
tho still nature OF the crop, he is reap
ing and the dullness OF the instru.
4ment with which he works. He sell
n dom wears a coat, going in his shirt
sleeves summer and winter, only
changing the arment OF hickory for
the garment OF wool as the seasons
vary-his jean pantaloons being
hoisted up with suspenders -galIuses
he calls them-almost to his arn,pits.
making him look at a little distance
like some queer animal with very long
legs.
lie lives in q log cabin Of one room.
with u shed attachment, and has a
wife and six children, equally divided
as to sex. lr the room, which Is
roomy enough, he and Mrs. Stringfrl-
low occupy one bed. and the three
glr!s-Nancy, Gin, for Jane. and
Merler-another, and here all the
cooking is done in the wide Clay fire.
place OF the stick and mud chimney.
The shed attachment accommodates
the boys, Bill, Ben and jim.
Occasionally a belated traveller will
stop at the Stringfellow mansion and
ask for a nights lodging. He viii be
invited to 80 light an come In" and
when he has done SO will be treated
with primitive hospitality.
These people are poor and unedu-
Gated, but there is aspirit OF independ-
ence about them that nothing can
conquer, and so long as their potato
banks hold out atd their razor backs
come home, to pick up a lit
tie 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 any
thing mere than an equal, and would
show no difference to the car of all
the Russians should lie chance to
travel their way, with ali his cortege.
Should he stop he would be invited to
light, /" and the boys would ask
about the price OF potatoes in town,
the old woman inquiries as to mar
ket value OF eggs, while the girls stood
by and giggled, and the old man put
IN g request for chew OF tobacco
that is, if they did not mistake the
whole affair for circus as, like as
not, they would. They had walked
fifteen miles once to see o circ1s-a,|]
except the old woman, who rode q
& 50 pony about as big as a year
ing cali, and with more hair on his
hide than flesh under it.
! happened to be a guest OF the
stringfellow family once. Finding
myself near their residence one night,
when it was SO dark that / could see
nothing but the glimmer OF light in
their cabin. [ rode for it through
brush and brier, and when reached
It halloed IN the usual country stvle.
Immediately the light, which came
from the open door, was shut off by
two human forms. and was bid tc
light an come in.''
The family was just preparing to
eat supper, and savory mess of
pork and potatoes were being dished
up. Twas invited to Join them in
their meal. during which 1 was pump
ed pretty dry OF 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 I did not object,
knowing that such information us /
could impart was all ] would have to
pay tor the entertainment OF myself
and beast-which had been led off by
one OF the boys to share the stable OF
the shaggy pony-so | let the ripple
Of my talk flow in continuous cur.
rent, turning on my inevitable valve
at the same time. to give a sparkle to
plain facts Indispensable 10 make
them enjoyable.
During the evening gathered from
the whispering and giggling going on
among the young folk that there was
some mystery aaoat something in
which they all seemed more or less in
terested-and when they had gone to
bed 1.-THE old woman had retired i'm
mediately after supper, getting into
one OF the beds without my knowing
anything about it until heard her
snoring) old man Stringfellow enllght-
ened me after arather peculiarfashion
OF his own.
Well, stranger" he SAID. II tlisre.
member yer name. | reckon you'll
stay
! had already told him my name
.halfa dozen times, and he hal often
aforementioned it, so i did not repeat
it. but told him I proposed to stay
fact which supposed he was already
cognizant OF.
Yes" he said. rubbing his long Jaw.
bone thoughtfnly, Il lowed yer
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