Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1891-09-23
MEIINDA'S WEDDING.


Punkinville, for mono OF the young men
would stay arter they was growed up
besides. Pelig Is real forehanded and
quite catch.
His ma was sot ag1n his marrYn at
all, and Melindy she wouldn't never hev
caught him ef she hadn't took airly
mornin walks bout the time he went
over 10 his place Of business, and met
him as ef by accident.
] am told that he proposed by Tag
CARTS barn, and was excepted In front
Of the shoemaker's, and gave Melindy
her engagement ring jest this eide Of the
blacksmith's; but l can't quite believe
folks get petickerlers as close as that. I
only say they soy 30. I don't swoar
to IT,
Well. Mrs. Virgins she WIS real cot
up about n, and she said that Melindy
should bs dressed up as much as any
bride there ever had been In Punkin-
vile, ef not leetle better. But Mr..
Virgins, Melindy's pa, he come of a
close family, and he was near himself
twas his mater to bo--and when Mo
lindy's ma asked him fur money to shop
fur the things, he jest buttoned MP his
pockets and said, NAV" He oilers
pernounced no that way when he was
sot. "Naw," sez he, II amt toiled and
mGled forty odd year fur to let my
money be spent like water. You kin
make list out Of what Is wanted, and
I'll get it."
Well, when he spoko up like that,
Mrs Wiggins she knew 'twasn't no good
talkin. so she said, "'Praps you air
right, pap and she wrote down some
things, and kinder wtnked acrost to
Melindy. who woe beginning to cry at
the idea Of her pa, that didn't know
calikor from blankets, a-choosin her
Iweddin clothes.
The help saw all that and heered what
wus said, and naturally told folks.
Well that afternoon Mr.. Virgins
went TO town to sell his potatoes, and
got the money. and como down on the
boat "a usual
The boat landin is In quito lonesome
place, and he went home by sort Of sido
path anyways, aud just about dusk the
Browns heard a howlin in tho picnic
woods, and goin to see what 1t wus,
there wus old Virgins tied to tree
He told 'em he'd been beset by robbers.
and that they wus so ferce and furious
he'd been obliged TO give 'en every cent
he had. He described em as most out
landish critters. He said their hair wus
like cotton wool and their faces black;
their hats wus tied on with big handker-
chiefs. and they wus queer and slopy In
tho small Of their backs. Their hands
and feet wus sort Of small and skinny
loolin, and they had blue overall and
linen busters on. BE said 'twan't their
strength that overcome him, but their
bein so spooky and supernaturallike
And one OF 'ern said, n boiler voice,
"Little you know who we be-" and the
otheri Were takin your money because
you don't pervide as you should fur SOL
emn OCCASIONS Beware in futurer
When he got homo he cried and said
he wished he'd Civ Mrs. Wiggins tho
money for Melindy's things, but she
said 1t happened fortunate that her sis
ter, Melindy's aunt, had sent her pres
ent fut her weddin.
The help now, she don't think them
robbers wus supernatural, and she sez if
ever Mr.. Virgins finds ont tho truth she
dunno what will happen to Mrs. Wig
gins kinder think myself that the
robbers wus MIRA Wiggins and Melindy
dressed up in some old clothes. with cot
ton batting wigs. and I don't blame em.
Well, Melindy had her clothes after
all, but before they WIS finished Mr..
Wiggins he'd got over his skeer and got
as mean as ever again, and he wouldn't
give his unfortunate wife nothin extry
for tho eupper. She borried The Tide Of
Fashion from the Rabbits, and found
out that she'd orter hev chicken salad.
But Mr.. Virgins, he said he wus
seilin his chickens, not dcvourin of 'em
hum, and l suppose what she had done
before kinder weakened poor Mrs. Wig
gins conscience. for, seein her own coops
wus locked up, the poor soul went
around to tho neighbors and stole one
chicken apiece from each Of us 1t WAS
kinder Just to Go IL that way when she
might havs took 'em all from one Of us,
and those Of US that caught her at it
made Up our minds not to say nuthin,
but Jest to pray fur her, and we'd sent
over word that ef there wus anything We
could do TO call on Us And perhaps she
felt wo'd be wtllin TO epare tho chickens,
but wus proud about aelsin fur 'em.
Well, sho got the things together some-
bow, and she cooked the chickens and
made the aallad. and borried chany of
most Of us, and got up real fust rate
supper, ana sot the table with flowers
they wus mostly marygolds and Old man,
and sope folks don't like the smell Of
ueither, bet tho yaller aad green looked
pretty, and IL was all ready for the COM
pany when they cum hum from church.
We that knowed things felt that we
could 500 marks Of innard torture on
poor Mrs. Wiggins face. and We fels to
sympathize, fur she wus naturally o
moral woman and pious one, and she'd
been driven to sin by the meanness Of
her paDaner. You SEQ, she was one OF
them women that lives for their child
rem. Ef she'd been pelican she'd heV
took all the feathers out Of her buzzfIn
to make 'em beds, and she'd sackerfced
herself fur Melindy. She looked kinder
better when che got 30 church; but our
minister no wus young and hadn't mar.
Red nobody before, and, be,n narvous,
no commenced fur to read the burial
sarvice instead Of the marriage sarvice,
and we bein all stiff with horrer hadn't
presence NJ mind enou0h fnr 70 ston him