The Portland daily press., 1891-06-11

| J
Ginsi you come down stairs with me this
Instant; I've had enough o. your oddlty
fer one day! I've bore all l can or Will,
and when we're married I'll take someo'
this nonsense out on ye, or Fu-Pu seer
says4L
He glared at me as if he never'd seen
! me before, he was SO 'stonished. but 7
hauled him back down stairs, and we all
went into the parlor at last and took our
places in front of the minister. But il
did seem as if delays and bitches was ia
be the order of the day, for lest as we
got all ready ter begin, the minister was
called to the door on important business
that KEEP him ten minutes or so, and
there we stood in the middle O. the floor
lookln' at one mother and feelin' awk'ard
enough.
Among the folks invited to the we'd
uln' was old Aunt Betsey Griffin, deaf
rs post, and settin' beside her was old
Mis- Potter, and Mis- Potter'd lost her
mind, in a measure, as it were. knew
1t would please 'em both ter come, SO /
invited 'em. Well, while we was waitin'
for the minister and the room was still
as the grave, all of sudden Mis- Potter
turned to Aunt Betsey and screamed
into her ear loud enough to wake the
dead:
"Who did you say our Ruth Ann is
goin' ter marry" And Aunt Betsey
screamed back jest as loud, though Mis-
Potter amt deaf mite:
"Mr. Hannibal Hawkins!"
| Mis- Potter mods her head contented,
and sets and rocks for about minute;
then she leans over and screams again:
"What did you say his name was?"
Aunt Betsey tells her, and she mods
and rocks as before, but her poor old
head can't hold but one idee at once, SO
she hollers third time, and says she:
"What did you say her name WASP"
and Aunt Betsey answers patient and
loud:
"Ruth Ann Robbinsr'
Everybody was laughin' by this time,
and don't know how long them poor
creatur's would ha' KEEP our names goin'
BACKYARD and for'ard if the minister
hadn't come in jest then and put an end
to it.
The ceremony preceded along smooth
and proper till Hannibal undertook ter
find the ring to put on my finger. Then
there was trouble. He fumbled fust in
one pocket, then another, took out a
cigar, little box o. matches, a tooth
pick, penknife, horse chestnut that
he alwers carries for rheumatic, and sew
eral other things-took 'em out one to a
time, looked at 'em thoughtful and in
quirin', and put EN- back agin.
Finally he drove into some place and
took out little wad O. paper, and all
our sperits revived. That looked more
like, but when he ondid it out rolled a
dozen or more sugar coated pills on to
the floor! He let 'em roll and tried agin.
This time he fished out small card that
peared ter have some writin' on it. Il
found out afterward that he'd writ down
on that card where he put the ring for
fearshe'd forgit, jest as he had.) When
he'dsread the card what did he dew but
stoop over deliberate and pull off one O.
EN- dretful boots and shake the ring out
o the toe ont! Then he put his boot
back on and Strengthened himself up as
earn as if it was customary and COM
mon for bridegrooms to carry the ring
In the toe O their boots, and takin' my
hand slipped the ring on to my finger as
graceful as you please.
Wall, was thankful when it was all
over, you'd better believed 1t hadn't
seemed mite as expected. l supposed
that the thought of the great response
hihty was assumin' and one thing a.
hother would lift my soul and make me
feel dretful sollum and pious, but de-
clare to man l didn't think O nothin'
from beginnin' to end but jest Hanni-
balls odd boots and odd actions! So lit
aedoes it take to keep woman's mind
from soarin
After the ceremony we had cake and
] coffy passed round. and tl,o,1 az 4he bell-
was a-ringin' we perceeded to the church.
1t want but few steps, jest acrost the
common.
And we walked up the broad aisle ter
gether, Hannibal and me. a-leanin' on
his arm, lookin' my best, and he his'n,
with everybody's eyes upon us! I tried
not to feel proud, but it was happy
moment for me. I tell We And whnn
we set down in the old pew where I'd
set ever sence was a baby, mother on
one side, Hannibal on t'other, and me in
the middle, it seemed awful pleasant
somehow; seemed as if I never loved the
old church SO well. Not that there's
anything nice or harnsome bout our
meetin' house in Craney Holler; it's al
most barn compared ter city churches,
but it had one recommend. 1t was sur
rounded by natur', whose God we had
come to adore. The great winders was
wide open and could look out on to the
common, all green and wavy with ma
| pies, then away off acrost the medders,
and up, up to the woody hilltops that
touched the blue canopy O heaven.
Oh, how can anybody that lives in the
country ever lack for religious privi-
leges? God is SO nigh everywheres in
natrr', and he speaks through her so
plain and so direckl Why, if could git
the time, if hadn't SO much Homework
ter dew and one thing a. mother, I'd
make practice O. goin' out every day,
as regular as l say my prayers, to some
beautiful, sullum spot, a purpose ter
commune with my Maker through ma
tur'. In no other way can we git SO near
to God.
AS I said, it seemed uncommon pleas
ant to me in meetin' that Sunday morn
in. The horses stompin' in the sheds
didn't seem ter disturb me as usual, and
the chirpin' of the birds and the dronin'
Of the crickets through the drowsy air
sounded awful nice and soothin'. In
| side, the house was full of good, old
fashioned smells. Patigony mint and
boys love and tanZy and cammomile;
for all the old ladies, and good many
of the young folks, had bunch O. one
or the other, and perhaps sprig o. green
caraway seed ter MUNICH away on in case
they's inclined to be sleepy.
looked down to where old Squire
Brown set in his pew in front O. the pull
pit-asleep and noddin' so quick he was
and noticed that one hand wisely sup
ported his head in order ter keep on his
red wig o hair. But he want alwers so
careful, for remembered how nigh he
often come ter losin' ont, and how, one
Sunday, it did actewally slip clear of'n
his bald pate, and how he jumped and
clapped his hand to his head, and all the
young folks laughed, and some O. the old
ones. Even Parson Lamson jest barely
saved himself by timely sneeze!
Strange that all this should come back