The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-09-20
CORRINA'S WEDDING,


she rolled jell up into 'em. Sometimes
she put hash into 'em. They was a great
variety, and they was always good. So
when JabeE Chow purposed, and Cori-
anna accepted him, granther said ''No,'
and said how he'd cuss her If she dis
obeyed him.
Now, Corianna could have done what
she was a minter for all Granther Peeksl
for, as l said, she was risen thirty But
she was pious gal, and she felt as II
her granther's cuss would sort of blight
her, so she told Jabez she couldn't marry
him nohow until granther either died OF
Civ In, only she wasn't able to help her
self from meetin' him after granther had
gone to bed-just where the punkin
patch jined onter the blueberry medder,
and the old popler grew. Well, some
mean sneak or other went and told
granther about it, and he got up out Of
his bed and follered her one night, and
| found 'em ldssin' each other.
He was a real bad tempered old gen
tleman, Granther PeelSs was, and when
he seen that he just up and cussed her
any way and drove her home with his
stick like she was a pig, after hitting
Jabez Chow over the head with it. Ja-
bez didn't burst hit back ON account of
his age, and granther knew he wouldn't.
Home he drove Coianna, and when he
got her to hum there was the old boy to
pay, you may be sure. Corianna was
sobbing as eff her heart would break
"You cussed me, granther," she kept
a-sayin'; "and now it don't make no mat
ter what / do. Seein' I'm cussed, I'll
jest marry Jabez Chow any way. What's
the use of not doing it nowY'
Well, Granther Peeks he felt he'd
made mistake and he kinder coaxed
her up a while, and said he'd take the
cuss back, and got her to go to bedquiet.
But when she walked up next day, mean
ing to run away and marry Jabez, she
found granther had been before her.
He'd nailed and locked and barred the
whole house up as if it was prison, and
left just little hole in the kitchen
shutter for her to see to cook by. The
front door he kept the key of in his
pocket, and he was grinning like a mon
key to see how smart he'd been.
81 guess we won't have any more
meetin's by moonlight, my DEAR" says
he, sardonic and unpleasant as ever
could be. ''When stores is needed I'll
go out, and you've got n pump in the
kitchen.
"You don't mean to lock me up this
way for good, granther?" says Corianna.
81 shall die of want of air and exercise.
So will you"
81 guess kin stand it, says granther.
when you want fresh air you kin stick
your head out of that there appychure in
the shutter and draw it in, and today ]
want pancakes with rawsberry jell into
um and lots of coffee. Iworked real
hard last night putin up them fasten.
ms and want stren'thenin', Corianna. -
She jest looked at him when he said that.
She didn't burst trust herself to say
nothin'. She had ideas that she was
skeerful of putin into language, seem
she was speakin' to her mas pa, and he
risin' eighty. But all she got by that
was these here cruel words:
Don't google at me, Corianna. It's
worse than sassin'."
So while she was a-fryin the cakes she
kept sayin' over and over to herself
"Now lay me, and "Twinkle, twinkle,
little star" to keep back her nat'ral
wickedness. She'd shaved for that old
man and she'd been fond of him, and
this is what had come of it. She told us
all this through the hole in the shutter.
We got kinder scared, you know, seein
the house shut up, and went to call, but
didn't get let in; but arter a while, when
we'd knocked and knocked a spell to the
front door and the side door, we went
round to the back, and there was poor
Corianna's face a-stickin' out of the hole
in the shutter. The tears rolled down
her cheeks as she told us the story, and
we had to cry, too, me and Miss Pinney
and Miss Peters and Maria Brown.
Maria Brown she was just proposin
breadn' down the door and carryin' poor
Corianna off when upstairs shutter
opened and Granther Peeks poked his
head out.
"See here, folkses," said he, "a man
has right to keep his house shet OF
open as he pleases, and to order his vim.
min folks as he sees fittin'. You tech
bolt, or bar, or lock, or hook on my prem.
ises, and I'll shoot you down fust and
have You took up for burglars afterward,
and I'd hev the law ON any side, tn. u
Then he showed us big hoss pistol, and
says he, ITS loaded" and we scattered.
But wrote ON a piece Of paper, I'm tell
Jabez," and gave it up to Corianna. pre-
tendin' to kiss her good-by. And never
was | 30 thankful that l oilers carried a
pencil IN my pocket for new recipes.
For she needed comfort, and | guess
them words gave her a little. kept my
promise, and that night Jabez pranced
about the house, but couldn't get peer
at her. No more he couldn't for cou
pie of days. But at last he thought OF
tootin' througha a fish horn. If there was
anything Granther Peeks liked it wal
fish. So he says to Corianna, "Peek out
Cory, and see eft that's shad; shad's il
season"
So Cory poked her head out Of the
hole and saw Jabez blowin' the horn
and as soon as he saw her he up and
kissed her at the shutter hole
keep up courage, Corianna," he said
this thing can't last long"
81 sha'n't," says Corianna; chat
know Granther says the law CAM
make man open his doors, and dom
reckon it cam and nobody has a right t
demand my freedom, as fur as l know. >
Your husband would" says Jabez.
81 amt got none, says Corianna.
"Have one" says Jabez.
"How be to go TO my wedding?" says
Corianna.
"Coranna," says Jsbez, 'let your wed,
ding come to you"
CORY, how's the fish?" says Granthel
from inside
ut isn't shad," says Cory, "and
guess it's stale"
f "Oh," says Granther, "dSn't buy none
Of it's stalel"
81 shan't," says Corryi "rn look keer