Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1893-08-25

MARRIED In HASTE.

Father had accumulated what in those
days was fabulous fortune, 100000,
and he made it 100000 before was
of age. He wanted to make me a horse
breeder, but | wanted law, and there
we hitched.
About year before should have
finished at college he wrote brief let
ter--the only one | ever had from him
conveying the information that if | knew
what was good for me | would be married
before | was 81 That letter bothered
me n great deal
The letter contained not u word about
education or the law. Anyhow, my
birthday and commencement day oc-
CURED the same week, and | thought
would risk the undesirable consequences
of waiting, whatever they were.
Two days before the commencement
father was stricken with apoplexy. lie
was unconscious when | got to the farm
and lived only few hours. His last
few months had been marked by total
incapacity for business, and mother was
nearly worn out with looking after
things
When the will was opened, it almost
knocked me out. 1t left everything to
mother in trust for me on the solo con-
dition that | was to DO married within
"A hours after my graduation,
If | did not graduate, | was to be
married by IL o'clock noon on tho day
| became II years old. Moreover. il
old Parson Baker was still alive, he was
to do tho job. 10 the event of my fail
ure, for any cause, to meet these condi-
tons, | was to have 1000, and the
rest after mothers death was to go to
fathers three nephews, who were plod-
ding farmers in an adjacent county.
Now here was nice layout. was
not engaged, and the girl whom |
thought of in this connection was the
daug liter of a widow living down the
road about two miles, wbOsc face had
washed with snow and who had spelled
me down in the district school, both
times innumerablo.
Parson Baker lived in little village
25 miles down the pike where there was
neither railroad nor telegraph station
explained the situation to the young
lady and she blushingly consented.
Why shouldn't she p? She had known
me nearly all her life, and there were
$4,000 and reasonably good look
ing husband in il
So far everything was easy. There
were yet l8 hours before the limit of
time should expire, and we felt safe. |
put the best rider among our noighbor
boys on our fastest saddle horse and
started him off to get Parson Baker, re-
questing him on no account TO fail to be
at our farm by | o'clock the next day.
The young man started about o
o'clock in the evening in heavy rain
and made the preachers about | o'clock
that night. The preacher told him to
remain until next morning to rest his
horse, while Baker saddlcd his own and
was away by | o'clock in the morning,
simply telling his aged wife that he was
called to his circuit on important bust
ness
Not five miles from home the pucky
preacher found his road barred by
washed out bridge, and he was obliged
to make long dctour--1l mies-to
get back to his road beyond the gap.
T From here on he was sDgularly I'M
fortunate. His horse picked up stone
and went lame, and halis at three or
four farms we're made before he got an
other.
BY this time it was 3 o'clock, and be
was yet ID muddy miles from our house
ind rain falling in sheets Many an
old man Of 70 years would have given
over his pursuit Of an uncertainty, for
he didn't know what was the matter.
"But never stopped to think what
the business was" be said to me after.
ward. 81 simply knew that | was TO
get tbere-the Lord willingly II
o'clock
At 1870 the grand old fellow was
within mile Of tho house. lie had
come TO what he thought was an over
flown bridge across little brook empt-
ing into the Scioto river at bis left, but
he had no idea that tho bridge itself
was gone, for he bad crossed several
such places on bis road. lie urged bis
horse forward, and plump into IL feet
Of water they went between the abut-
ment.
The horse was game as we'll as his
master and swan TO the fenced side Of
the road. where he got his footing, the
water being there about three feet deep.
The parson threw tho Bride over a
fence rail and left his painting and cx-
bausted stood, taking across tho fields
10 the house and saving n milo thereby.
The lawyer saw him coming and met
him in tho middle Of that meadow before
us. lie explained tho business 10 twen,
ty words. NJh 4h"e " 111NA
"Ilaye you got the license ?" was his
only question lf
The license was all right.
"Get them out on the porch" said
Baker, and the lawyer left him swash.
ing over the fence and hurried into the
h.nsg. II was now 1855 o'clock.
were all on the porch 10 quar-.
minute