The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-04-25

SsIy was IlckIeO nlSL dOOuI w
death with it, and the next LAY she had
the dressmaker at work on it.
''The day before the party it was I'm
ished. and when she got it on she
looked for all the world like holly
hook that growed up agin the garden
wall.
''The next day she could hardly wait
for night to come. She was dying to
show that dress, so that she might make
the wimin-tolks jellus of her.
.'She got standing-up collar onto
me that came near cutting my ears Off.
If there is one thing l hate it's one OF
them ere things. I'd as soon have an
ox-bow round my neck as anything OF
that sort.
"As soon as it come dark I and the
old woman set sail. Patience had said
airly candlelight, and we me'nt to be
there on the dot. She was jest lighting
her candles and setting 'em about the
house when we raped at the door.
"'Walk rite in, Sally-and you, too
deacon! You're first to come, but
thar'll be more in a minute. I can
hear Betsy Jones' gal now. She's COM
ing up over the hill, and her tongue is
running like all possessed
"She is master talker, Miss Pottle.
never seed body whose tongue
would run any faster, said Sally as she
took off her bunnit and passed it to
Patience.
"La, sake, Mrs. Cobb, how fine you
look! That ere dress is jest becoming
to ye. But l must 60 to the door, for
Betsy and her man has arriv' and can
hear more of 'em a.coming.
F., "And they did come, like flock OF
sheep over stun wall. Everybody
who had been invited was thar. All
wanted to see what sort of shindy Pa
tience would get up.
"Theu too, Sally had hinted that Pa
tience was arter the new minister, who
had been a widower for three months,
and was now searching for another help
mate.
:'He had made more calls upon her
than he had upon the rest of the
w:mmip-folks, and this they didn't
like, married or single. But they
didn't see any way they could help
themselves.
oval, arter time, they all got thar,
and we set ranged round the room as
stiff as a row Of tombstones. Every
man was twiddling his thumbs, and
the winlmin.folks kept smoothing
down their dresses. For awhile it was
the most solemn-looking crowd that
you ever seed.
"But arter awhile Major Hall woke
'em up. He was the liveliest one thar,
and want afraid of nobody. All at
once he sprung to his feet and grabbed
Eliza Tasker, and went swinging her
round the room as though he was 60
ing to dance hornplpe.
''Get up here, you men-folks, and
all 60 to Romep he shouted.
''Going to Rome was for every man
to kiss the woman he wanted to, and
he gave Eliza a smack that could be
heard out to the barn.
"This woke the rest of the men-folks
up, and it want long afore they was
playing plays and hugging and kissing
the wimen-foIks like all possessed. The
elder was as lively as any of 'em, and
cast sleeps eyes at all the unmarried
wimen, as though he was making up
his mind which to take.
"Pat:ence done her best to get him
hitchec. on, and it was plain to see that
he was agreeable. We kept an eye on
their man'uvers, and it want long
afore there was pile of whispering
going On by everybody in the room.
carter supper was over, and the
wimen-folks had helped Patience clear
up the dishes, we went at it sg'ln, end
were rite in the middle of jolly time,
when the Widder Stilliugs staid to me:
"'Deacon, where do you s'pose the
elder and Patience is?'
"'Here, of coursen said I.
"'No, they ain t, SAID sne.
II cast my eyes round the room, and
sure enough they were both missing.
"'Where can they be?' said I.
'Courting," said she.
'Where?" said /.
"'Thar's no telling, said she.
":I'll find 'em and bring 'em back,
said l.
'sAnd I stole out of doors when there
want nobody a-looking to see which
way I went. The lower part of the
house was lighted up, 50 l felt sure they
want inside. They were taking a walk
most like, and l determined to get on
their trail and see what they were up
to.
II looked round to see that thar
want nobody a-folllowiug me, and
then I went out into the road and
looked up and down. Thar want a
soul to be seen.
But as I stood thar I thought I
heard voices coming from behind the
barn. Thar's where they must be,
thinks to myself; so I tiptoed to the
corner of it and peeked around.
Away to the further end 1 could
see couple of figgers that looked like
two black ghosts, and hadn'ta bit of
doubt but what they were the elder and
Patience. l was bound to make sure
of it and what they were saying, so
got down on all-fours and crept
toward 'em.
Il bad gone about halfway, and
had got 50 near that heard Patience
say:
"'Don't, elder! This is kinder onex-
pected like
"And then thar come a smack that
you could hear halfway to the house.
Il had kinder riz up and wanted to
holler of the ton of my voice but [ held