Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-03-25
A STORY OF BILL NYE.
As "Justice of the Peace" He Ofiiciates at
q Marriage Ceremony.

Marriage Ceremony.
The office was not salaried one, but
solely dependent upon fees, the county
furnishing only the copy of the revised
statutes and woolsack, slightly and
prematurely bald. So while l was
called Judge Nye, and frequently men
toned in the papers with great con-
sideration, was out of coal about half
the time, and once could not mail my
letters for three weeks because | did
not have the necessary postage, Friends
in the eastern states may possible re-
call the time when my correspondence
from some unknown cause, seemed to
flag. That was the time. Of course
could have borrowed the money, but |
had, and still have, a foolish horror Of
borrowing money. did not mind run
ming an account but l hated to borrow.
The first business that | had was a
marriage ceremony. | met the groom
on the street He asked if l could
marry people. l said that could to a
limited extent. He said that he wanted
to get married. | asked him to secure
the victim, and l would get the other
ingredients He then wished to know
where my Office was. 1t occurred to
me at that moment that there was no
fire in the stove; also, no coal; also,
that the west half of the stove had
fallen in during the night So | sai1
that would marry them at their home
| l. 10; oJ h &c
eighty miles away and that it would
consume too much time to go there.
Where are you stopping at?" in
quired-using the Pike county style OF
syntax in order to show that ! was one
of the people.
"Well, we meet here, Squire. She
came in on the Last Chance stage, and
Pm camped up in COMMENT canyon not
fur from Soldier creek. We can go out
there, | reckon"
l did not mind the ride, so l locked
my Office, secured book of forms, and
meeting the young people at the livery
stable went out with them and married
them in rambling, desultory sort Of
way.
The bride was a peri from Owl
Creek, wearing moccasins of the plio-
Gene age The rich Castilian blood OF
the cave -dwellers mantled in her cheek
along with the navy-blue blood of
Connecticut on her fathers side. Hel
hair was like the wing of raven, and
she wore a tiara of clam m-shells about
her beetling brow. Her bracelet was
costly string of front teeth selected
from the early settlers at the foot O.
Independence mountain With the
shrewdness of Yankee and the hauteul
of the savage she combined the gro
tesque grammar of Pike county ani
the charming naivete of the cow-punch
er. She was called Beautiful Snow
But think it was mostly in spirit of
banter. She was also no longer young
/ asked her. with an air of badinage, il
she remembered Pizarro, but she re
piled that she was away from home
when he came through. The cave
dwellers were a serious people. Theil
plum bing was very poor indeed; so alsC
were their jokes. Her features were
rather classic, however, and-I wa'
about to say clean-cut, but on more
mature thought l will not say that
Her nose was bright and piercing, Il
resembled the breast.bone of sand
hill crane.
The groom was man of great cour
age and held human life at a very low
figure. That is why he married Beau
tifuul Snow without any tlinching; alsC
why have refrained from mentioning
his name; also why kissed the bride
did not yearn to kiss her. There were
others who had claims on me, but diC
not wish to give needless pain to th
groom, and so l did it, He had NJ
money, but said that he had a saddl
which if could use | was welcome to
did not have anything to put the sad
die on at home, but rather than return
empty-handed l took it.-Bill Nye, il
Century.