Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-07-29


his wife without that dollar made the
cold chills creep over him. He thought
of that silk dress which the poor wo-
man had saved up and gone without
many a necessity to attain, and there
1t lay III the express Office for lack of a
paltry silverpiece. No, he would stick
to the last.
Soon the groom perceived that I'M
less the shiny, black broadcloth hoodoo
was hustled away the wedding iollifi-
cation would be tiasco. He hesitated
between throwing the dominic out
bodily and compromising. A hasty
conference with the bride followed, and
evidently her better sense ruled. Up
to the reverend the fellow staggered
and said: "Mister, what's the damages
fer this yere splice?"
The revervnd would have taken the
man to task aumorously for his flip
pancy and imeverence had it been an
other place and time, but now he
merely smiled suavely and said: "It's
usually ~ when ] have to tSavel so
far, but seeing it's you, my dear
young brother, I'll call it 81, and God
bless you?"
The groom scratched his head
thoughtfully, then went back to his
bride. He soon returned with n
grimy silver dollar, which he gave up
with more reluctance than anything
he had parted with in all his life.
God bless you!" repeated the old
man, with his heart beating high in
triumph. Then, with visions of the
silk dress, the happy wife and of the
satisfied demands of the express com
panies, he followed "And may all
worldly happiness and prosperity at
tend you!" Then he went to the
bride, who wore somewhat discon-
tented look, poured more sunshine in
to her heart, shook hands with all
within reach and joined the diploma
tist at the door, expressing now will
ingness to pass upon the dappled
mare. But the diplomatist had lost
all interest now in the mare, but he
sided along half heartedly in his
defeat, for he had seen that dollar
passed over, and the clergyman was
well out of the house. The two in
spected the mare, the reverend rather
long drawn in his remarks, particu-
larly as the demijohns had evidently
been restored to the hut and the
sound of revelry fell bitterly upon the
diplomatist's ears to think that any
body was getting one drink the best
of him. He left the man of the cloth
rather abruptly, and the latter was
compelled to prepare for his departure
without parting salutation.
The reverend was happy, however,
for the shiny silver dollar burned in
his inside pocket, warming him. He
seemed to feel its argent glow through
all his frame, and it pleased him
nightly. At last Basheba, the be-
loved of his house and heart, could
have the dearest wish of all these later
years-the privilege of appearing at
church in gown quite as good as
that of the wife of the leading grocer
and postmaster, and almost as good as
that of the foremost saloon keepers
daughter OF course, it was vanity
all vanity-but in life of humdrum
monotony, of slavish penury and
patient resignation through many bit
ter years, God himself could find no
wrong in the poor martyrs one little
desire to be dressed as decently as her
neighbors, and the dominic felt
secret JOY in returning to her with the
means to that end.
The two-wheeler had no more than
started over the brow of the hill with
in hailing distance of the hut, however,
when an unearthly yell caused him to
look back. Then he beheld the bride
groom running toward him with none
too steady steps.
"Say, mister" he cried out thickly,
81 want that yere dollar backr
The dominie's heart leaped. "Whatm
he exclaimed, "sick of your bargain so
soon?"
mo-" said the bridegroom, rather
sheepishly, his face redeemed and
swollen with liquor and his eyes dane
ing. "To tell the truth, parson, I
borrowed that yere dollar from Ms
Sikes-I mean the gal jes married.
She wants it back"
SIS she sick of the bargain, then?"
was the sarcastic rejoinder.
"None of yoah iokin', parson. It's
business. We want that dollar to buy
snuff and baccy with on our weddin'
trip over into Webster County, and
we must have It'll"
Now, if the fellow had presented his
case with a soft, plaintive appeal,
touching the old mans heart, the dol
lar would have been forthcoming in
spite of the fate that would await the
parson on his return home. But to be
literally held up, and in this cold
blooded mountaineering style of out
lawry, characteristic of the man and
place, was too much. The good man $
eyes cleaned with fire and his face
paled with rage. "Git up, Salw he
cried to the lean old mare, giving her
cut with the whip, Sal did "git
up" but none too soon. The youth
made q dash to seize her bride, but