Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-06-26

stand it."
But all this was spoken with ring
which the good man understood, and
which said only too plainly: sect that
dollar or bust" and that's about the
resolution which passed through the
clergyman's heart rs he kissed his
spouse good-by, and made his way to
the barn.
The mountain road from Beverly is
bad enough for horse, but when that
horse has to pull two-wheeled gig,
in which there is goodly proportioned
reverend carrying the weight of dis
trict dignity and the history of hum
dreds besides, the way seems difficult
indeed. The youth piloted the man
of the cloth over the rocky sleeps and
through the terrible ravines without so
much as a backward glance, and the
dominic was too much absorbed in the
fulness of the big round dollar to give
heed to the youngster. They arrived
ut last at the mountaineer's dOmicile,
which was partially dug-out and
somewhat of commodious hut, whose
sloping roof met the mountain against
which it backed up for shelter, and
more to save the trouble and expense
of q north wall to the habitation.
The guests were assembled, and
motley crew it was. There were two
men to every woman, and the whole
party gave unmistakablc evidence of
having been indulging in 'moonshine"
stock, for the ease with which whisky
trickles everywhere from inaccessible
fountains, in answer to the magic rod,
is something that is miraculous; even
to such men of God as the dominic and
to the Government revenue officers as
we'll.
Every evidence of the indulgence
was gone, however, except, perhaps,
the redolence of the nectar through
the two-roomed shanty, which was
lined with guests in all degrees of un-
couth and unkempt neglige. Sup
pressed merriment of rather an uncivil-
lied kind was rife. 1t seemed as if
they were about ready to jump in for
II Virginia reel or free fight, with pis-
tolls and knives, from arsenals of cow
hide bootlegs, and of the two amuse-
ments, preferred the latter. They had
evidently seen the dominic coming up
the mountain road. had taken the sig
nal of his pilot, and had secreted any
thing that might tend to bring down
the wrath of the good man upon them.
They wanted the ceremony over with,
aud the man officiating to get right out
after the event as soon as possible, so
as not to disturb the harmony of their
playful gala day
With that practised ease of the man
who is ever at home in the cloth, the
reverend advanced into their midst and
shook hands with the bride, the groom,
the parents, and one or two others who
were anxious to show their homage of
the shiny black broadcloth. s"Will
you bring me the family Bible, please?"
said the good man.
Alas, every one looked at his or her
neighbor in CONSERVATION. If he had
said, "Where is the family still?" he
might have received reply Of some
kinda curse or bullet, at least
but to this innocent query there was
no answering word. Then, diving in
to one of his own pockets, he drew
forth little testament which had done
service over many grave, but was
rarely called out where the family
Bible was more fitting, and made the
unsteady groom and the rather sheep
ish bride stand up before him, joining
hands. The service was very short
and the answers to his official ques-
tions abrupt and thick. The company
maintained respectful silence, and
when prayer followed the. blessing
there were one or two "Amens'-an
assumption of godliness that was too
evidently everywhere lacking. Then
came congratulations and some rather
heavy banter, and one or two of the
diplomatic ones engaged the clergy
man in conversation which led to
horses and desire to get the worthy's
opinion on dappled mare tethered i'll
the thicket hard by. 1t was clearly a
put-up job to get the clergyman out of
the house, 80 that the feast might he
prepared and the iollification renewed;
but the dominic did not bulge. He
knew that if he went from the house
he would never he able to re-enter and
make his claims, so he stayed right
there till things grew very embarras-
sing.
AT last, when the diplomatist shook
his head Mt the groom as much as to
announce that it was ''no CO. the
Benedict of the hour appealed to
others, and one and all took turn i'll
irving to get the dominic out of the
house. He was necessity before, but
now that his work was done and his
mission performed, he was distinctly
in the way, and it did not require IA
very wise mar to discover it. But the
Methodist reverend had not travelled
all that way without insuring his re-
wards, if rewards there were, and the
thought of returning to Beverly and
his wife without that dollar made the
cold chills creep over him. Hethought
of that silk dress which the poor wO-
man had saved up and gone without
MANY a necessity to attain, and there
it Law in the express Office for lack of a
paltry silverpiece. No, he would stick
to the last.
Soon the groom perceived that un
less the shiny. black broadcloth hoodoo
was hustled away the wedding jollifi-
cation would he 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
IN the reverend the fellow staggered
and said: "Mister, what's the damages
fer this yere splice?"
The reverend would have taken the
man to task humorously for his flip
paucy and irreverence had it been an-
other place and time. but now he
merely smiled suavely aud said "It's
usually 81 when L have to travel so
far. but seeing It's you, my dear
, Young brother, I'll call it 81, and God
bless you:"