The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-17

halves ter get lumber ter build my
house. Hit was just er two-room house,
but hit war mine an l was the
proudes'! 1 bought ernother mule on
credit an the new lam paid for hit
too an lef me money besides. An
then l put on ernother room.
well all this time / was tryin' to
keep comp'ny with Cooney, gentlemen
i say tryin' cause her folks didn
think much of me. My family war'nt
much, an Cooney's was good blood an
er little struck up. An Cooney--well
Cooney had done growed to be the
prettiest an sweetest in all the War
rior district, as you know, an they
had done made her er teacher, for she
was smart as she was pretty. AM she
was good; too good for me. To this
day l won't understand it. Cooney say
hit was because 1 was honest an er
man all over: that was the excuse she
gave for lovin' me. But / do know
that when she said yes two things
happened; I kissed her, and there was
a riot in Cooney's family. Cooney's
ma was the last to come roun' and
1 don't think she ever did quite come
roun' for she warnt at the wedding,
but so help me God, never bore her
no i'll will. 1t must have been hard
to give Cooney up.
Il will never forget the day, gentle
men, she come into the little home. 1t
was like bein' born agin'. / was that
happy / made the po'est crop I ever
made in my life; but bless you the
whole place changed; little vines come
up an made er shade on the po'ch, an
flowers gTowed about the yard in
places that look like they had been
waitin' for flowers always. An the lit
tie fixins on the bureau and windows,
an white stuff hangin' to the mantle
pieces-well, / never knowed what hit
was to live before.
Then at last 1 went to work. 1t was
four mules then an me in debt for two,
an some rented land; but no man who
had Cooney could honestly call himself
in debt. / worked day in an out, rain
or shine, hot or cold, an / struck hit
right. Cooney was sewin' for two an
sewin' on little white things for an
other, and We were the happiest. One
day / come hom TO dark to find
Cooney was gone to one of her neigh
bors. 1 slipped in on her an thar she
proud of the work as I was of the first
land L ever laid off. Well, didn't say
nothin'; l thought an KEEP hit all to
myself. 1 went to town that fall with
my cotton an when / had done paid
my draft at the warehouse, l had sew
enty dollars left. What did / do with
it?-what do you reckon did with it?"
The aqueline face took on a positively
beautiful smile. The speaker leaned
over the rail an talked confdentially
to the jury.
"Well here's what 1 did gentlemen;
] went to whar that one-arm old soldier
stays what keeps SEWN machines an
the tax books, an 1 planked down sixty
of my pile for one of them. An then /
went home an set the thing in the set
tin'-room while Cooney was gettin'
supper; an let her eat, but couldn't
hardly swaller 1 was so full of that ma
chine"
He laughed aloud at this point an
several CT the jury Joined him. The
court smiled and lifted a law book in
front Of his face.
"When / took her In thar an turned
up the light, Cooney like ter tainted.
My wife don't have ter sew on no bor-
rcwed machine no more, says /, just so;
an she fell ter cryin' an huggin' me;
an by and by we got down to work.
I'll be doggoned if we didn't set up tell
one er clock playin' on that thing!
Shed sew and then I'd sew, and then
L run the wheel underneath an she'd
run the upper works. We hemmed and
hawed all the napkins over: an the
tabls cloths; an tucked all the pillow
frills; an Cooney made me a hand
kerchief out OF something-gentleme
next to gettin' Cooney. hit was the
happiest night Of my life5"