Tombstone epitaph., 1891-02-01
A DOUBLE WEDDING.

head, with a tuft of the same on his chin.
 Old man Stringsellow wears neither mustache nor Whiskerp. being very par.
 Ecular to shave himself at least twice s week, undergoing some pain, and twist Ing his long face into all manner of con
 t0rtions-which a cirens clown would give $l 600 to be able to imitate-during the operation, owing to the stiff nature of the crop, he is TeapinC and the dullness of the instrument with which he works. He seldom wears a coat, going in his shirt sleeves summer and winter, only chang ing the garment of hickory for the gar me8t of wool as the seasons vary-his l jean pantalOons being hOtssed up with suspe--iers-galluses he calls them-al- Sal0ss t0 his <=E.sr!!ts, making him look at little distance like some queer animal SiJh very long legs
 He lives in a log cabin Of one room, | with a shed attachment, and has a wife and six children, equally divided as to sex. | Tn the room, which Is rOomy enough, be | and Mrs. StFingfellow occupy one bed,
 and the three girls-Nancy, Gin, for Jane, aud MeTieF-another, and here all the 1 cooking is done in the wide clay fireplace | of the stick and mud chimney. The shed 1 attachment accommodates the boys, Bill, ! Ben and Jim.
 Occasionally 8 belAtsd traveller will stop &t the Striugfellow mansion and ask for i nights lodging. He.wiu be invited to light an come tn," ," and when he has | done so will be treated with primitive 1 hospitality.
 These people are poor and uned1csted, but there is 6 spirit of independence about ] them that nothing can conquer, and 50 ! long a5 their potato banks hold 0u; and 1 their razor backs come home, to pick up | pick up little fat in the field after the crop is gaFnered, and then pay tribute to | the harder, they care not for king noz | kaiser. They never treat anybody, no matter who he may be, Gs anything more 1 than an equal, aud would show no dtf- l ference to the eZar Of all the Rus sias should he chance to travel their way, with all his coTcege. Should he stop he would be invited tu '''izht,' ,'' and the boys would ask about the price Of potatoes in town, the old WUIaan inquire as to market value of eZgs, while the girls stood by aud giggled. and the old man put in n request for a chew of tO0accO-tbat is if they did not mist axe the whole affair for a circus as, like as not, they would. They had walked fifteen miles once to see R eircuS-all e4 eepS the old w0naE, who rode a shaggy pony about as big as a yearling calf, and with more hair on his hide than flesh uU,- der 1t.
 happened to be guest of the String fellow family once. Finding myself near their residence one night. when it was so dark that that could see nothing but the Climmer of the light in their cabin, rode | for 1t through brush and brier, and when l reached 1t haIloed in the usual country style. Immediately the light, which came from the open door, was shut oil by two human forms, and was bid to '' light an come iu."
 The family was just preparing to eat supper, and a savoTy mess of pork and potatoes was being dished up. I was in- , vited 10 join them il their meal, during which was pumped pretty dry of all knew about the afTairs of the town, which was too far of to be visited by any of i them very often. But to this I did not object, knowing that such information as l I could impart was all l would have to | pay for the entertainment of myself aud | beast-which had been led of by one ut | the boys to share the stable of the shaggy pOuy--so let the ripple of my talk flow 1 h . continuous current, turning on my inventive valve at the same time, to give 6 sparkle to plain facts indispensable to make them enjoyable.
 During the evening gathered from the whispering and giggling going on among , mystery afioatr-solnething in which they all seemed more or less interested--aud when they had gone Co bed the old wo- man had retired immediately after sup
 per, getting into one of the beds without my knowing anything about it until heard her snoring old man Striugfellow enlightened me after rather peculiar
 fashion of hia own
 aeweg1, stranger" he said, fsI disre-
 member yer name. reckon you'll
 stay'
 had already told him my name half
 dozen times, and he had as often disre-
 membered 1t, so I did not repeat it, but
 toia him proposed to stsy--a fact which
 l supposed he was already eognizant Of
 ''Yes." he said, rubbing his long jaw
 bone thoughtfuliy, 'I lowed yer w'Gid,
 ar I'm glad uy Is; yes, am; fur the rlo'
 cOnsg'By the better on sich a 'cashin.
 Ye'rl be welcome, stranger, an a hon
 ored guss'."
 I was . little puzzled, and begsa to
 think the old man was not exactly in his
 right mind, but I said nothing, and he
 went on.
 sYeu see," he sa5d, looking at the Gre,
 while he talked, ''gals an boys will git
 married sooner CT later, an thar aiI't no
 use throwin' obssickles tD thar way, an SO
 when MeTier, thet's the youngss', an
 Naac', she's the oIdes', come an. sole me
 thet they flowed to take unto thGFse'ves
 he'pmeats, which waz Dick Dander an'
 Pete Pringie, why, says l. 'all night; ies'
 goahead an 1x 1t to suit yerse'ves;' fur
 though nytber one uv them boys comes ny
 es good stock ss the StrinzfelEeFs, I recklD'
 tlIey,s bout es good es yeT'li pick up here
 abouts.' So they done Ike ssid, an' ter
 morrer's the time it's to be. s
 s'Ah,n l said, ''so there's Co be wed
 ding
 sYes," he replied, still looking mus
 ingly at She fire; 'the Ensrrigs eiarnents
 heSe been prepared an the gRes's hcve
 been bidden, an though you wnzn't b!d-
 6sa, yit, es 1 said sfore. yo0'n be weleomG
 eR' honored gues'.
 AaT uaa l. r.a narticr.lar hrrrr I oon