Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-12-05
side the bar, and when she had seated

y
''D ye mean to say yerve gorn n tried
this yer man for KILN mine, n me not
here ter see! Yer nice kin O. er judge,
l mus say. Waal, ye kin jest go ter
tryln I'm rite over agin, now L am
yere," and the widow settled comfort
ably back in her chair and took a dip of
snuff. The court, counsel, jury and
spectators were melted in moment
They were Missourians, almost to a man.
and the lone touch of nature" that snuff
dip awoke in them made them the
widows slaves for the moment. The
court, counsel and jury consulted for a
few moments, and the judge intimated
to the widow that they had concluded
that her request was very natural, and
under the circumstances, very proper
one, and that with the prisoners CON
sent they would comply with it, but as
he had already been tried and found
guilty once, they thought it hardly fair
to him to try him again without his
consent.
Velvet arose, the eyes of the throng
upon him. He was a tall, slight, grace.
full fellow, with a swagger about him
that insensibly attracted men and wom-
en- alike, and with a smile that showed
his white teeth under the black mus
tache, remarked that he was always de-
lighted to please lady, but that under
the circumstances he could not see any
thing to be gained by it. He had in fact
pleaded guilty in the first place, and all
that remained for the judge was to pass
sentence, but that as they had insisted
on trying him once to please themselves,
they might as well try him again to
please the lady. There was murmur
of approval at this sentiment from the
audience, which was sternly checked by
the court. The widow had been dipping
snuff and eying Velvet during his and
the courts remarks, and seemed to have
made up her mind to something she had
been considering, for she suddenly closed
her snuffbox with click, rose from her
chair and, turning to the court, said:
"Jedge, I'm the person what's bin
most hurt in this yer scrap. Pm lef
lone woman, with nary man ter provide
fer me, an I've been er thinkin ther best
way out O. this yer biznis is fer this man
what kilt my man ter. git me er new
one." She stopped amid deathlike 81
lence. Velvet was the only man that
preserved his customary unruff1ed COM
posure. Every other face wore an ex-
preston of Mortified astonishment for a
moment, and then yell of delight went
up from the crowd. The cool effrontery
of the woman had caught their sense of
the fitness of things. Here, in a country
where woman most needed a mans
protection, her man had been taken from
her. What more just than that the man
who had caused his taking off should re-
place him! The racket subsiding, the
court gravely arose and said:
'Pris'ner ct the bar, yer hev bin tried
n foun guilty of murder. Hev yer any
thin ter say why ther sentence in this
yer cote should not be past pom yerg'
Velvet shook his head smilingly and the
court continued: "Ther sentence of ther
cote is thet yer Shall marry this yer
woman, n the cote, ez jestice, will tie
yer up right now" AT this there was
yell that fairly shook the roof, and the
audience rushed inside the bar to shake
hands with the prospective bride and
groom and offer congratulations, but the
bride had something else to say first.
'Jedge," she shrilled, 1--we bin tell'd
thet Mud wind consid'b BILE ct gamblin
last night n want ther money"
The coin and dust had been impound-
ed by the court, and he reluctantly
turned it over to the widow. After
looking it over she slowed it away in
voluminous pocket, and announced her
readiness for the ceremony. The coun-
sci for the prosecution and defense acted
IS groomsmen, couple of "ladies'
from the "hurdy gurdy" next door as
bridesmaids, and the foreman of the
jury gave away the bride.
Surely such another wedding was
never seen. The festivities lasted until
the fiddler was completely exhausted,
and when couple of days later the Flat
recovered from its carouse, Velvet and
his wife had disappeared.
A few days later tall, staggering,
black mustached man, accompanied by
woman dressed in rusty black, with an
immense sunbonnet covering her head
and face, stood on the deck of Panama
steamer making Its way down San Fran
cisco bay toward the Gate. They were
at the rail gazing at the fast receding
city. Suddenly the man snatched the
sunbonnet from the woman's head and
whirled it overheard, and as it foated
astern said:
"Goodby to the Widow Mud, and now,
old girl, we can be comfortable again.
The old bonnet served its turn, and
served it well, but can't look down two
miles of stovepipe every time l want to
see your pretty ace."-George Charles
Brooke in Buffalo News.