The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-06-27
Cur family Story.
MARRIED ACCIDENTALLY.

"Be sure you ride with Potts p
shouted Carrie, after the boat was fair
'ly under way, whereat O little smile
rippled across the neighboring passen-
gers faces.
understood It. We were going to q
lovely nook, discovered by Carrie the
year before, i'm the heart OF the Cat
skills.
We had to ride many and many a
long mile to reach the aforesaid center,
and the line of stages that led to our
little nook was owned and run by two
stalwart, steadfast men named Potts
and Kramer.
Potts was a lively fellow. as round
and as rosy and as shiny as q fresh,
red-cheeked apple. Kramer was taller,
darlker, more ta%citurn.
Potts entertained his passengers
with O series OF jokes, squibs, anecdotes,
mysteries, legends and tales. Kramer
attended strictly and solely to the bust
ness of driving his four horses.
So 1t was no wonder Carrie screamed
out to us: "Be sure you ride with
Potts |"
On the Catskill landing we asked for
the Potts and Kramer line.
Here, ladies'" said q tall man, who
we knew must be Mr.. Kramer, motion
ing us to @ half-flled stage.
I'VE don't want to ride with you,"
said May. with charming candor /; " we
want to ride with Mr.. Potts, because
he talk the most"
"Ha ha! ha ~ shouted Mr.. Potts.
"Well, ladies, I appreciate the COM
plimeht, l really do but it's impossi-
BILE for me to add another fare. You'll
have to ride with Mr.. Kramer"
We meekly got into the half-flled
stage and wound our way up over the
long hills, with Mr.. Kramer sitting
bolt upright in front of us, looking
neither to the right nor to the left, and
oblivious OF all remarks that might be
made behind him.
At last Mr.. Kramer suddenly stopped
before a little wayside inn, and landed
all our dusty and tired fellOw-trayelers
at their destination.
Then we went on our way again, sole
occupants of the ~capacious vehicle.
May yawned again and again. At last
she gave q heart-breaking sigh and OK
claimed
"What q d~readfully dreary ride this
is, to be sure ~
Mr.. Kramer turned his head ever so
slightly, and looked back at her.
Do you see that house over there 2:
asked he, pointing to q pretty cottage
half hidden by clambing vines and sur
rounded by O mass of brilliant flowers {;
"that is where I live"
"Ah," said May, adjusting her blue
glasses firmly upon her nose, "what O.
dear, cosy little place-the prettiest one
we've seen for miles.
Are you married ?" she continued,
fearful that the generous impetus to
speech would dry up forever.
Yes" Mi. Kramer replied, looking
back at us with a curious twinkle IN
his eye; 81 was married sort of acct
d~entally."
81 was born in the little village we
passed through, back yonderpa and so
together, sat in the same seat at
church, rod. in the same hay wagon,
skated on the same ice ponds, went to
the same husking bees; but we didn't
love each other much for all that.
"Ill skip the history of the war, and
only say that after more than three
long years spent in marching and
countermarching from battlefield to
battlefield, l came back to the village
down there a different man from the
n who Q away. .
"Such a time as they made over the
little fragment of our regiment, when
we came home all ragged, weary and
worm. The folks got up a big reception
down in the old church.
81 had often dreamed of this home
coming, down under those southern
stars, and thought of the old familiar
faces that would brighten when thew
saw. me, and the friends whose hands T
would like to take first but in all my
dreams / nae ver thought of Fanny.
BY and by there was q little pause.
/ looked up and there, not more than
three yards of, with cheeks like roses
and eyes like stars, she stood looking
at me with such a look as I never
thought she could have for any one,
much less for me.
Sam, you are q brave man. l am
not worthy to unite your shoe, but I
want to take your hand and tell you how
L honor you, and o sorry l am for all
the unkind things 1 have done and
said in days gone by
You see the war had educated her,
too.
"Of course I went to see Fanny. No
distance would have been too great, no
many a time when I have walkedSa
mile or more just to touch her little soft
hand or look into her eyes l would
think OF the times upon times I had
gone almost as far the other way SO
that / should not see her.
!" l followed Fanny like a shadow. L
asked her to marry me over and over
again. From a taciturn man I grew to
be q great talker.
AT first she always said No to nv
question not harshly, or with ridicule,
but just a little soft mo, I don't love
you,' that seemed as If it was 80 frail
and so slight that I could overcome it
If | only ~persevered.
$50 things went on for over a wear. |
Everybody in the village got to know of
our affair, If 1t could be called by that
name, and some said I was q fool to
think for O moment that Fanny Davis
would have q and some said she
was a fool not to take me, If she could
get me.
"Finally, we had what I thought was
the very last quarrel We should ever
have. Fanny, worn out by my persis-
tency, had angrily told me never to
speak to her of love again never even
to come where she was.
"Then, for the first time, I think 1
gave up all hope. / avoided Fanny, as
she wished me to, for q long time, but
l couldn't stop thinking of her for all
that.
lone day I was walking up the
street, thinking for the hundredth
time OF our last interview, and trying
to be o man again without her.
So uuoa fhfnEfnn nyan n @hoao kl.~-- |