Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-03-16
SISTER PaFBE'S WEDDING.
By NETTIE SCOTT BENTON.

Nv Qrand-aunt was the sweetest old
lady: pink checked, with that prettiest
of all pinks Il do not know whether
fashion has named ii or mott, sometimes
found in the delicate withered cheek of
an old person. The shine of her dark
eyes was dimmed and softened by age.
She had lived Quaker all her life, and
the peace and serenity of that most
honest and true religion was IN every
word and action.
Her life had been long, and eventful
in a certain way; for she was born
sometime in 1892 or 3, on the bit of
ses-coast in New Hampshire, and when
she was eighteen she married, and i'm
migrated with her young husband into
the howling wilderness of Western
New York.
In my childhood, | grew cold with
horror at the thrilling stories she told
me of panthers crying like lost
children, to decoy people from their
homes; and bears numerous enough and
bold enough to be almost on visiting
terms with the family; but as l grew
older, the story that pleased me most
was that of her sisters wedding-her
'comely oldest sister Phebe," whom
the Quakers nearly disciplined for her
curly hair. Her marriage came as near
being q joke as was possible in
Quaker community.
The courtship was probably ordl-
nary, as tradition preserved none of 1t;
but with the business preliminaries
came trouble, the first of course being
''the asking" of Phebe's father.
Reuben Hoag was a nice young man,
and felt tolerably confident of the sue
cess OF his mission; but at the best, it
was a terrible ordeal, and he was a very
bashful young man, especially before
his ''betters'; so when he approached
the field where Phebe's father was
ploughing, his courage oozed com
pletely, and he grew confused and un-
certain.
He stood resting his hand on big
stump with exposed roots, until the
old gentleman came up and inquired
kindly, "Can L serve thee IN any way
to day, friend Reuben?"
Then was he bereft of all reason, and
Jumped over one of the big stump
roots, then another, until he had en-
circled the stump, calculating explo-
sively as he went, Friend Jonathan
will thee-bestow thy-daughter Phebe
-upon-me in marrlageY Then he
redoubled his speed, and fairly flew
around the stump. Without the culver
OF a muscle. the old Quaker answered,
'Yes, friend Reuben, thee may have
her, but thee will tire thyself with that
unseemly exercise" Then Reuben,
brought to his senses, slunked shame e
facedly away. Unfortunately, young
Friend" had witnessed the scene; and
for many a day there was never gath
ering of young people which was not
enlivened by rehearsal OF "Reuben
asking"
The next step was the ''passlng OF the
meeting" a committee being chosen
from among the exemplary men and
women of the church to inquire into
the past life and conduct of the con-
tracing parties,-to find if there was
any Just cause why they should not be
Joined in the holy bonds OF mairlmony.
When the committee met to report on
Reubt II and Phebe, there was serious
complaint entered against Reuben: he
was 'irreverent and ungodly, making
sport of old age" The complaint was
brought by an old lady, Liddy Fish by
name, and so she was brought before
the committee to testify.
at we're three year or better since 1t
happened" She was sitting on the
steps of her own house, eating black
berries out Of trencher, when the I'M
godly youth passed, and Knocked at her
crying:
40 Liddy Fish, Liddy Fish,
Eating bIackberries out of a wooden DISH
"And was that ALP" asked one of the
elders.
Wasn't that enough?" retorted
Liddy, Indignantly.
The committee decided it was not
sufficient to debar him from matrimony,
and departed with decided twinkle In
their eyes.
The story went about, and served
still further to enliven the young peo-
pie, until Reuben announced one day
that he could beat that. AS the Quak-
ers have no ordained ministers, they
marry themselves by repeating a GER
tain established formula before meet
ing.
"When Phebe and / are married, "
said Reuben, 81 shall say:
'If the Lord perm It,
And friends think fit,
III have Phebe before quit"
There was a shout of merriment, and
the irrevent doggerel was whispered
ell over the community, and enjoyed
immensely by the demure lads and
last les; but of course vigorously guard
ed from the hearing of the elder
Friends"
The marriage was set for yearly
meeting in June, and great-grandtather
Gould, who was we!l-to-do, aud took
great though secret pride in Phebe' s
shining curls and shell-pink cheeks,
made a voyage mp to Portsmouth, and
brought back glittering string of
round gold beads, Just long enough to
clasp Phebe's white throat.
Her big black eyes sparkled for
weeks under the influence of that
necklace, while her girl friends, no
doubt, after the manner of damsels of
n'l times, deplored her vanity in
meekest "thee," and thous.
Then, besides the necklace, there
was the wedding gown of real silk,
stimmering soft and shining gray, and
spices, raisins, citron, with other tooth
some daintities; and last but not least
a bag of snow white -four.
Delightful visions hoated through
Phebe's head of the wonderful white
bread and sweet cakes she would have
at her wedding dinner, for white flour
was rare and beautiful thing In those
days, ''rye and injun" and corn bread
being the staple; SO Phebe was proud
and happy glrl.