The National tribune., 1900-10-04

saw and the ak, and piled up frst-class
stove wood at rapid rate.
Owing to the chronic invalidism of An
nabel's mother it had been decided to have
only the ceremony performed at her house,
and the rest of the festivities take place
at the Deacon's.
Weddings are peculiarly women's func-
tions, in which men are only accessory
and incidental. The Klegg household
passed Immediately from the headship of
the Deacon to that of his wife, with Ma
ria as Executive Officer and the real COM
mandant. The men became merely fetch
ers and carriers, assistants to Sammy
| Woggles, in executing the orders issued
| from the dining-rOom and kitchen. The
Deacon soon felt that he was not nimble
enough to suit the requirements, and
| picking up an old scythe strolled off to
his customary diversion when he had
nothing important on hand, of cleaning
the weeds and briars out of the fence
corners.
From the kitchen came savory odors Of
pies and cakes, baking, or baked and set
out to cool. Shorty saw no opportunity
of approaching Maria in her busy, impe-
rious bood, and the ill-success of previous
efforts made hin decide to wait her more
favorable moments. In response to a call
for more wood he carried in large arm
full of sweet-smelling hickory and found
Maria laying thin sheet of dough over
the top of a pie.
You amt going right back to the
army?" she said, in an expostulatory way,
as she trimmed off the dough around the
tins rim.
Yes, must. They'll need me and all
Of us, and so l ought to-"
Nonsense! See how many they've got
They can get along without you for a few
days"
,rnf Oil ,aL o,,%
and heretofore I've noticed that they need
every man they could rake and scrape,
and then didn't have one too many. It'd
be awful if the thing'd fail because me and
81 wasn't there to do our share"
, you're perfectly ridiculous" she said,
irritably. "You think you and 81 carry the
whole army on your shoulders. Gen.
ing out your name particularly"
mo, but Col. McGillicuddy is, and
that's heap more important. 1 don't
pay no attention to Gen. Sherman, but 1
pay all I've got to Col. McGillicuddy.
There's nobody in the army like him."
She finished trimming the pie, set it on
the table, picked up little tin print, be-
gan ornamenting the crust, and slowly and
deliberately inquired:
'Do you really want to goY'
The suddenneSS of the question took
Shorty unawares. Now was the time to
say the thing that he had wanted thou
sand times to say, but he could not think
of it.
Il want awfully to be in at the finish,
if this is the finish," he stammered. But
it's worse'n pulling teeth to leave you,-"
.'To leave me?' she inquired, opening
her blue eyes to the widest, and looking
at him with that straight, penetrating
glance that infallibly took all his nerve
away. why don't you want to leave me,
particularly? You don't act like it,
Here was Shorty's golden opportunity,
but his tongue clave to the roof of his
mouth. The light in those bright blue eyes
was paralyzing.
Because because" he stammered, as
he wildly cutched around in his memory
for the precise words he had always in
tended he would say. Sammy Woggles
bolted in in a state of high excitement.
Isl says git the gun, quick" he shout
ed, land run out there and shoot hawk
that's lighted on the dead poplar. He's
too shaky to shoot hissself."
This was Shorty's last chance. Thence
forth the preparations for the infare be-
Klegg and her daughters had neither
thought nor tongue for anything else. Mrs.
klegg wanted to surpass even her culin-
airy fame by the nuptial feast she would
set forth, and Maria and Amanda want
ed the house to look better than any house
III the uclSnDOluOOu udu even Ioohtu ut an
infare. They were up in the morning with
the light, working with swift, unresting
energy until sheer fatigue sent them to
bed late at night. They made the meals
for the men upon the least satisfactory
results of their cooking, and so the we'll
ordered succession of viands at breakfast,
dinner and supper was destroyed. Break
fast would be made off of crullers that
had failed to come up to Mrs. Klegg's
high standard, dinner off the meat reject
ed from the mince-pie material, and sup
per on what was left over from break
fast and dinner. The Deacon accepted it
all, meekly, and slipped out Of the house
as soon as possible. to work steadily on
the fence-cOrners with his old scythe. 81
and Shorty roasted on the woodpile until
they received from the house calls to help
at something.
The eventful Saturday came at last. 81
and Shorty tided up the yard, and then |
went in to help the girls move the fur
niture and make some final preparations |
for the reception in the evening. Pic |
lures had to be shifted and rehung, and |
here Shorty's hight came in to advantage |
He and Maria worked together. She was |
gentler and kindler to him than she had |
ever been, and her ready tongue refrained |
from visiting upon him the little scorches |
she gave 81 for his clumSineSS Once