The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1901-01-18
MY WEDDING DAY

0O0 ELL, as | was saying, this Is
WhV the way it came about: | was
young thing then, just turn
ed 19. Your grandfather had been my
playmate, hero and protector from the
time that | was old enough to go to
school, | had never thought Of marry
ing any one but him, and so when he
asked me to be his wife, why, of
course, said Yes"
Well, 1t was in the spring of 1775 that
we were to be married. Mother and
spent the winter getting my things
made up, and l had as fine an outfit as
a girl could possibly have In those days.
The day set for the wedding was the
nineteenth of April-yes, the very day
ON which the battle of Lexington occur
red, as | have good reason to remem-
ber.
The nineteenth Of April was a beauti-
full day, though warm one for the sea-
son. We were all up early that morn
ing for there was great deal to be
done. 1t was about 8 o'clock in the
forenoon when my mother, who had
been looking over some linen, suddenly
raised her head, exclaiming as she did
so, why, Mary, was that the meeting
house, bellY
"What can 1t meanY | cried, and,
running to the window, | caught sight
of our neighbor's sons, Joe and John
Eaton, running down the road with
their guns. Across the way Harry
Wright was blowing the field. The
boys called out to him as they passed,
and without stopping to unhitch the
horse, he seized his gun and was off
across the fields.
ut is an alarm, mother" cried.
1.-THE boys are down by the brook"
she said. "The sound will not reach
them"
without delay l hurried to the kitch-
en-, and, seizing the horn, | ran out of
the house and started for the brook.
which was some distance from the
house. | blew a blast on the horn as
| ran, and as the boys caught sight of
me | pointed toward the road, where
several men could be seen running with
their guns. The boys understood, and,
waving their hands to me, they were
off across the field to the road.
What is it? Where are they goingY
| asked. And as spoke the men came
hurrying out Of the meeting house.
where they had heard few words
from Parson Smith, and, mounting
their horses, rode off as fast as thew
could go. looked for your GRANDPA.
ther, but he was not there Catching
sight of my father ran to him. Have
YOU seen Henry Y'-that's your grand
father-T asked
Henry was at the tavern when the
messenger rode through here" replied
my father land, as he had his horse
with him, he rode away without wait
ing for the company to assemble"
My father had reached home before
me, and as | opened the door heard
mother ask, "Do you think ii is any
thing serious, fatherV
lam afraid it may be, wife" he said
''rhe messenger said that Gov. Gage
has sent some Of the kings troops to
destroy the supplies which have been
stored at Concord. If the report is true.
there will be resistance, and If it comes
to that it will be very serious business
for us"
The first news that came to us from
the fight at Lexington and the other do
ings of that day arrived about O'Clock
In lhe afternoon, when some minute
men from another town stopped at the
tavern on their way nome. They told
the story of the day to the little crowd
of anxious women who eagerly ques-
toned them for news of some dear one.
My father would not let me go down
TO the tavern, but went down himself
and brought us the news.
Something unusual has happened,
Nary exclaimed my mother. 81 never
saw your father look so excited