Evening star., 1901-11-23
But the bride fell fainting on the truckle

But the bride fell fainting on the truckle
bed.
Now" said Mrs. Brymer, 'let US finish
if you please, sir; there are the fees-and
this is the name of the bride. Fill it in
without delay. We stif1e in this sinking
place. SO-thank you, madam, your mask
has fallen off. Better put it on again You
fellow" she turned to the bridegroom. You
shall have what you want, and much as
you want. What shall it be, beer or rum? ?"
Make your mark here" said the clerk.
Rum he replied with a grin. Plenty
of rum-buckets of rum
1T is forbidden, 1 believe. in the prison.
But there are ways. Well You shall have
1T. We will keep faith with you. Ha! You
are lucky. You are, l believe, to be turned
off on Monday next, and today is Wednes-
day. Well, you shall have your rum, as
much as you can drink, in five days. You
shall go drunk to Tyburn. A lucky fellow,
indeed. Thank your stars that l found you
here
She raised her friend. who was still in a
feeble and fainting condition, and led her
out into the court, where the air was per-
haps little fresher. Come she said, ''it
is done now and there is no more to be
said. On Monday next you will be free
The parson and his man, the fees having
been duly paid, followed, getting out of the
infected place quickly possible. The
negro, by name Adolphus TruXo, stood at
the door of the cell and watched them
they went away. The crowd parted right
and left.
Il saw her face" he murmured 1t Is
said that above all men the negro is most
moved by the beauty of a white woman.
Slave women are all agreed upon the point.
Il saw her face" the negro murmured.
Perhaps for the first time he remembered
his coming doom with regret.
There came out of the crowd young
woman. Could one have taken her away
washed her and dressed her in q neat and
becoming fashion, she might have been
comely. She was, however, as unwashed
and unkempt as most of the women in the
court AS for her dress, 1t composed
of nothing but a thick skirt of some rough
stuff discolored with droppings of beer
tallow candles, drippings of meat and fat
pork and all kinds of nameless stuff. She
wore above her skirt the black leather
stays common to her class-they are called
loose jumps-and above the jumps small
shawl tied round her neck and covering her
shoulders and part of her red arms her
hair hung on her shoulders in rats tails;
she was barefooted; her face was red with
much beer.
Sam" she said thus abridging his Chris
tian name of Adolphus. she is gone, then
Did you marry her, Sam? What did she
give your
II saw her face" said the negro.
II don't care If you did. What did she
give you?" The man made no answer. He
was thinking Of the ladys face.
rs she coming back again, Sam?'
He still made no answer.
IF she does I'll break every bone in her
! body and swing for it-happy 1 will-for
| I'm your lawful wife, Sam. I'm your wife;
| you can't deny it,
The man pulled himself together
There's rum coming Doll" he said.
| buckets of rum. That's what 1 get by the
| wedding"
But I'm your wife. Sam. I'm your true
| and lawful wife"
The man turned and looked at her. The
| emotions Of a negro's mind are hard to
read upon a negro's face. The blackness
covers and hides all. Perhaps a disgust
| fell upon him in comparing this poor. COM
| mon creature with the woman whose face
was still in his mind. He lifted his big
| hand with his big, strong arm. 1t was as
| If he lightly touched her cheek, or brushed
away the falling locks; or as If the wind
| of his action blew upon her face. But the
woman fell. She got up again immedia tely
without a word or cry, or a word of re-
monstrance. Her left eye was black for a
| fortnight afterward. But he had knocked
/ her down. Only a husband would have
| dared to knock down Doll. There are wo-
men who permit these familiarites to their
husbands. They are not exactly proofs of
| affection, but they are proofs of the con-
| tugal tie. Had any other man knocked
| Doll down, the advance would have been
received with spirit and retaliatory yigor.
| But 1t was her husband. There had been a
ceremony of some significance in the cell:
| 1t was natural that the bgamist's first wife
should be curious on the subject-eyen In
| spite OF proofs. or oaths, of conjugal fidel-
ty; that the first wife should be ieaIous
even though the second wife went awav
at once; even though the next Monde
| would end both marriages. Therefore to
be knocked down by her husband was re.
assuring. Doll was no longer jealous No,
to be jealous with some women is to bs
happy. Doll rose smiling and prepared tc