Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1892-02-24
A MARRIAGE ENTRY,

On the is dave of Juiye. A. D. fs5a, Ciccise Goodrich. of the town of Brcnckelyn. in his msjesty's colonyo of New Yoske. spinster. to-
 But why complete the record and spoil the storyf This marriage entry iscrossei and recrossed with scratches in peculiar manner. so that it is by no means easy to decipher
 It would be a breach of confidence to confess how the facts in the fol lowing narrative came into my pos session; let the reader remember that the events transpired in the proud old town of Southampton, on Long Island. and he will readily understand the restrictions imposed upon me by m indirect descendant of the person whose name 1 have changed to Hugh Buclkliff. The good people of the old Long Island towns are remarkable for something moro than an ability to raise good cabbages and aspara- gus: they are proud of their inborn shrewdness. and with them an old fool is more an object of contempt than an old rogue.
 It will be little use for gossips to speculate on the identity of Hugh Bucklff. for the marriage entry gives, of course. nothing but the record of the nnptials, and my in- former is prepared strenuously to deny that his great great grand. fathers great uncle is the person al- luded to.
 suppose every town, no matter how insignificant has it's queer old character, just as 1t has it's church, its local traditions and it's model spendthrift- In the smallest of set dement's a dissecting mind will dis cover both the Alpha and the Omega of morality and worthy citizenship.
 Hugh Buckliff was a man who had lived for Hugh Buckliff alone. There were dark rumors afioat concerning him, but have been unable to learn that they had any solid basis on which to stand A hoariing old citi- zen is always an object of suspicion, and his decease is usually the signal for inventive people to hang on each one of bis peculiarities bag of wild accusations, until time turns him into buccaneer. a ship wrecker or a ghoul
 Hugh lived with his sixty years of conscience in a yellow brick house within a stoue's throw of the Hamp ton postroad. where his father. who had left the restrictions of the old Southampton to become a pirate in the new. had lived before him. Whether he managed to exist by niggarlly drafts on the paternal in- heritance or had some secret way of adding thereto, no one knew; and had curiosity on this subject been rife in the quaint little sea town, it would have been effectually barred by the time stained wooden shutters, which for two score years had kept out the sunlight Certain it Is his hidden riches were a byword, and the stories about buried chests of Spanish gold kept pace with the other folk lore of the town.
 On the Sabbath day alone would Hugh be seen on the street, for it was his invariable rule to attend di- vine service on that day. Esconced in one of the free pews near the porch. he would sit during the whole of the service, his eyes closed as though in sleep. as oblvious to bis neighbor's whispered comments as he was of the collection box. The service over, he would start home ward without so much as a nod or a how dye do to any one. calling at Matt Cattlin's mill on the way, where he was sure to find basket of the cheapest edibles (the miller also dealt in general farm produce, his house and store forming an ex- tension to the niill) in exchange for which he would leave q sixpence upon the window sill, and that would D9 tkle ilkSl Ok uifti lOk dliot4ioi NCNhs
 Sometimes Matt would happen to be taking an antedinner pipe on the mill steps and then Hugh would be forced into saying a few words Matt would joke him about his bache- lorhood. and the old misers eyes would glitter with anger as the owner denounced the whole female sex as money melters." Gold. he said, would buy a wife as 1t would buy a new fence. but for his part he was only a poor man and didn't want such embellishments around his house.
 One beautiful summer Sunday Matt was badgering the old man in this way when his good dame, TO- turning from her devotions, hap pened to hear remark anent her sex from Buckliff's withered Eps which caused him immediately to be put down on her black list Hitherto she had pitied him, laying his pecuh- nrities to his misfortune in not hay ing been lucky enough to find ad-