Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-10-03

NHELINDA'S
Iva WEDDING.


10 Pelig jerks, her ma wus just tickled
TO death. Beaus was scase down to
Punklnville, fur none OF the young men
would stay arter they wus growed up.
Besides Pelig is real forehanded and
quite a catch.
His ma was sot ag'in his marryin at
all, and Melindy she wouldn't never
hev caught him ef she hadn't took airly
mornin walks bout the time he went
over to his place OF business and met
him as ef by accident
l am told that he proposed by Tag
gart's barn and wus excepted In front
OF the shoemaker's and gave Melindy
her engagement ring jest this side OF
the blackSmith's.
Well, Mrs. Virgins she wus real sot
up about it, and she said that Melindy
should be dressed up as much as any
bride there ever had been In Punkin-
vile, ef not leetle better. But Mr.
Virgins, Melindy's pa, he come OF n
close family. and he wus near himself
'twus his mater to be-and when Meln-
dy's ma asked him fur money TO shop
fur the things he Jest buttoned up his
pockets and said, Nav" He oilers
pernOunced no that way when he wus
sot. Nav" sez he, II amt toiled and
mOiled forty odd year fur TO let my
money be spent like water. You kin
make n list out of what is wanted, and
I'll get it.
Well, when he spoke up like that Mrs.
Virgins she knew 'twusn't no good
talkin, SO she said, "P'raps you air
right, pa" and she wrote down some
things and kinder winked acrost to Me-
Indy, who wus beginning to cry at the
idea OF her pa, that didn't know caliker
from blankets, a-choosin her weddin
clothes.
The help saw all that and heered
what wus said and naturally told folks.
Well. that AFTERNOON Mr.. Virgins
went to town to sell his potatoes and
got the money and come down on the
boat as usual
The boat landin is in quite lonesome
place, and he went home by a sort OF
side path anyways, and just about dusk
the Browns heard howlin in the pic
mic woods and. goin to see what IL wus,
there wus old Virgins tied to tree
He told 'em he'd been beset by rob-
bers and that they wus SO fierce and
furious he'd been obliged to give 'em
every cent he had. He described 'em
as most outlandish critters. He said
their hair wus like cotton wool and
their faces black. Their hats wus tied
on with big handkerchiefs, and they
wus queer and slopy in the small OF
their backs. Their hands and feet wus
sort OF small and skinny lookin, and
they had blue overalls and linen busters
on. He said 'twusn't their strength that
overcome him, but their bein SO spooky
and supernaturallike. And one Of 'em
said In boiler voice, Little you know
who we be-" and the other: We're tax
In your money because you don't per-
vide as you should fur solemn occa-
siOns. Beware in futurew
When he got home, he cried and said
he wished he'd CIV Mrs. Virgins the
money Tor Mellndy's things, but she
said 1t happened fortunate that her sis
ter, Melindy's aunt, had sent her a
present fur her weddin.
The help now, she don't think them
robbers wus supernatural, and she sez
IL ever Mr.. Virgins finds out the truth
she dunno what will happen to Mrs.
Virgins. l kinder think myself that
the robbers wus Mrs. Virgins and
helindy dressed up in some old clothes,
with cotton batting wigs, and | don't
blame 'em.
Well, Melindy had her clothes after
all, but before they wus finished Mr..
Virgins he'd got over his skeer and
got as mean as ever again, and he
wouldn't give his unfortunate wife moth
In eItry for the supper. She borrled
The Tide Of Fashion from the Rabbits
and found out that she'd orter hev
chicken salad.
But Mr.. Virgins, he said he wus
Sellin his Chickens not devourin Of 'em
hum, and suppose what she had done
before kinder weakened poor Mrs. Wig
gins conscience for, seein her own
eoops wus locked up, the poor soul went
around to the neighbors and stole one
chicken apiece from each Of us. 1t wus
might have took 'em all from one Of US,
and those Of us that caught her at it
made up our minds not TO say nuthin,
but jest 10 pray fur her. and we'd sent
over word that ef there wus anythin
we could do to call on us. And per-
haps she felt we'd be willln to spare
the chickens, but wus proud about ask
Ing fur 'em.
Well, she got the things together
somehow, and she cooked the chickens
and made the salad and borried chany
OF most Of us and got up real fust
rate supper and sot the table with
flowers. They wus mostly marygolds
and old man, and some folks don't like
the smell OF neither, but the yaller
and green looked pretty, and it wus
all ready for the company when they
cum hum from church.
We that knowed things felt that we
could see marks Of innard torture on
poor Mrs. Virgins face, and we felt to
sympathize, fur she wus naturally
moral woman and a piouS one, and
she'd been driven to sin by the mean
ness Of her pardner. You see, she wus
one Of them women that lives fur their
children. Ef she'd been pelican. she'd
hev took all the feathers out Of her
buzzim TO make 'em beds, and she'd
sackerficed herself fur Melindy. She
looked kinder better when she got TO
church, but our minister he wus young
and hadn't married nobody before, and.
bein narvous, he commenced fur to
read the burial sarvice instead Of the
marriage sarvice, and we, bein all stiff
with horrer. hadn't presence OF mind
enough fur to stop him until he'd actil-
ly buried Melindy as fur as words
could go, and Mrs. Virgins wus in
high strikes.
However, she got over 'em, and the
minister he said he didn't know after
all but II wus providence to keep us
from bein too sot on the things OF this
world and reminded how short life wus